444: Fear Isn't the F-Word: Neurohacks for Life After Betrayal

Betrayal shakes our sense of safety and self-trust—and that lights up fear. In this conversation, fear researcher and author Dr. Mary Poffenroth breaks fear down into plain language and gives you practical, physiology-first tools to calm the brain in the moment. We cover how fear hijacks the amygdala (your alarm system), how to bring the prefrontal cortex (clear thinking) back online, and how to tell the difference between fictional fears (rumination, future-tripping) and non-fictional fears (real, in-the-moment cues). You'll leave with quick exercises you can do anywhere—no apps, no gear, no supplements. 

What we cover 

• Why high-achievers and "head types" often research their feelings instead of feeling them—and how that becomes a hidden avoidance loop. 

• How fear shows up after betrayal: fear of change, of the unknown, of failure and success, and the loss of control those trigger. 

• The RAIN framework to move through fear step by step: Recognize, Assign, Identify, Navigate.  

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