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What if the exhaustion, overthinking, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and constant need to keep doing more aren't just personality traits—but signs that you've spent years living in survival mode?
In this deeply honest episode of How to Human, Angie sits down with certified biblical mindset coach and Cortisol Coach Christine Marie for a conversation about chronic stress, the nervous system, identity, childhood conditioning, and what it really takes to begin feeling safe in your own life.
Christine's journey didn't begin with a fascination with cortisol.
It began with her own life.
After spending 10 years as a foster parent, welcoming 77 foster children into her home and eventually adopting two daughters, Christine realized she had spent years operating in a constant state of stress.
She could see what was happening on the outside—the exhaustion, inflammation, weight gain, reliance on caffeine and sugar just to function, and the feeling that she wasn't showing up as the wife or mother she wanted to be.
But she didn't yet understand what was happening underneath it all.
As Christine began therapy, coaching, nervous-system work, and the process of examining her own story, she discovered that some of the patterns she thought belonged to her current circumstances had actually begun much earlier.
And that's where the untangling began.
Together, Angie and Christine explore:
✨ What chronic fight-or-flight can look like in everyday life
✨ Why doing all the "right" wellness things may not address what's underneath your stress
✨ How childhood experiences can become beliefs we carry into adulthood
✨ The connection between people-pleasing, perfectionism, achievement, and worthiness
✨ Why curiosity can be more powerful than judging our triggers
✨ How to identify the beliefs underneath the behaviors we want to change
✨ Why rest doesn't have to be earned
✨ How boundaries and speaking up for yourself can become part of healing
✨ What it means to consciously choose a new belief instead of automatically repeating an old one
✨ Why healing doesn't need to be rushed
Christine also shares a powerful realization from her own journey: sometimes we can be surrounded by people who love and value us, but if we don't believe we're worthy of that love ourselves, their reassurance can only reach so far.
The deeper work is asking:
Where did I learn this about myself?
Is it actually true?
And what do I choose to believe now?
Christine reminds us that healing isn't about racing through every painful experience, fixing yourself as quickly as possible, or "microwaving" your results.
It's about giving yourself permission to untangle one piece at a time.
To rest.
To get curious.
To feel what needs to be felt.
To recognize the beliefs that no longer belong to you.
And then, little by little, to put on a new pair of glasses for whatever comes next.
You don't have to untangle your entire life today.
You can love where you are right now while still being excited about who you're becoming.
Connect with Christine
🌐 Website:
https://www.Itschristinemarie.com
📸 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/Cortisol_coach
Connect with How to Human
🌐 Website: www.howtohuman.today
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angieleitnaker/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angie.leitnaker
🎧 Subscribe to the Podcast
✨ Learn more about Soul Spark Society, coaching, and upcoming events
How to Human is a movement dedicated to helping people navigate life with greater self-awareness, emotional intelligence, resilience, and purpose.
Through conversations, coaching, education, and community, we explore the skills that aren't always taught but are essential for living a meaningful life.
How to Human is home to:
• The How to Human Podcast
• Soul Spark Society
• SAP School
• Happiness Coaching, courses, and transformational experiences
Because being human doesn't come with a manual but together, we can learn.
Connect with How to Human
🌐 Website: https://www.howtohuman.today/connect
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angieleitnaker
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angie.leitnaker
🎧 Subscribe to the Podcast
✨ Learn more about Soul Spark Society, coaching, and upcoming events
