16 - 20 Years of Insomnia Healed. Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me This?
Do you dread nighttime? Does your heart race the moment the sun goes down because you're terrified you won't sleep again? In this episode, I'm sharing my personal journey with insomnia — a battle that started when I was 15 years old and consumed my life for over two decades. I'll walk you through the exact moment everything shifted, the Reddit post that changed my perspective, and the mindset shift that finally broke the cycle. If you've tried every sleep hack, supplement, and strategy with no results, this one's for you. This is the insomnia conversation I wish someone had with me years ago. Work with me
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15 - Is Your Nervous System On Overdrive Without You Knowing?
If you're constantly moving like your house is on fire, bracing for impact, or collapsing exhausted every evening - your nervous system is running on overdrive. This episode breaks down why childhood conditioning, unresolved trauma, and urgency addiction keep you in chronic stress mode, plus practical tools to interrupt the pattern. What you'll learn: - Why you unconsciously clench your jaw and raise your shoulders - How childhood hypervigilance became your baseline - The difference between productive and compulsive rushing - Why slowing down initially feels MORE stressful (and what to do about it) - How to signal safety to your body through micro-moments - The "two modes" trap: full throttle or complete collapse Work with me
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14 - Radical Acceptance: What Finally Worked for My Chronic Anxiety
Radical acceptance is the missing piece in healing chronic anxiety and nervous system dysregulation. After 20 years of struggling with anxiety, trying therapy, EMDR, brain scans, and every treatment available, acceptance became the breakthrough that changed everything. In this episode, Maggie explains why acceptance must come before therapeutic interventions like CBT, EMDR, or somatic work. Without acceptance as the foundation, these modalities often become tools of resistance rather than healing. The conversation covers the practical differences between acceptance and allowing, how mental resistance perpetuates the very suffering we're trying to escape, and why radical acceptance opens the door to genuine transformation. Key topics include the role of resistance in keeping anxiety active, why acceptance doesn't mean resignation or staying stuck, and the connection between accepting your current reality and creating the life you actually want. Work with me
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13 - How to Rewire Your Brain When You Feel Stuck
Do you feel completely stuck in your thinking patterns and emotional reactions? You wake up every day knowing you want to change, but somehow you keep ending up in the same stress loops, the same autopilot behaviors, and the same survival mode responses. Here's what most people don't understand: your brain isn't actually stuck—but the way you're trying to change it isn't working. In this episode, we break down why feeling stressed all the time has become your default, what's really happening in your brain when you keep repeating the same patterns, and the science behind neuroplasticity that proves you absolutely can rewire your thinking. If you've been living on autopilot and reacting from old versions of yourself, this episode reveals exactly what needs to shift. Stop trying to fix what's broken and discover how your brain actually changes. Join Vibe Club Book a 1-1 coaching session
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12 - Stop Healing. Start Living.
You've been journaling, meditating, researching, and trying everything to feel better—but somehow you're more exhausted than ever. If healing has started to feel like a full-time job, you're not alone. In this episode, we break down why the constant focus on "fixing" yourself might be the exact thing keeping you stuck. There's a specific shift that changes everything, and it has nothing to do with adding more practices to your routine. What if the thing you've been avoiding is actually the key to finally feeling better? Join Vibe Club Book a 1-1 coaching session
Can't stop overthinking, emotional eating, or numbing out? You're not broken—you're disconnected from your body. The Real Work helps women break chronic stress, anxiety, and burnout by addressing root causes, not symptoms. Host Maggie Sterling combines neuroscience and nervous system regulation to help you stop self-abandonment, build self-trust, and feel safe in your skin. No toxic positivity—just practical tools for rewiring your brain, regulating emotions, and coming home to yourself. Deep transformation for women ready to stop escaping and start living.
New Zealand