Calm Your Caveman

Is people-pleasing running your life? In this episode, I walk you through a powerful coaching process I used with a client named Liz who was exhausted from trying to keep everyone happy. We unpack the roots of her people-pleasing instinct, personify it using the lens of Internal Family Systems, and tap into the Wise Self to reclaim autonomy and authentic decision-making. 

You’ll learn:

• Why people pleasing is ancient (and not...

The secret to calming your anxiety isn’t about calming down, but about aiming smarter. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of two real coaching sessions—one on social anxiety, one on test anxiety—to walk you through a powerful mindset shift that can dramatically reduce anxiety and increase your sense of control. You’ll learn how to spot the real goal your brain is using to evaluate your situation—and how to swap that goal...

You’ve tried breathing. You’ve tried journaling. But your body is still in full-on panic mode. This episode is for the moments when anxiety feels physical, overwhelming, and out of control. I’ll teach you a powerful strategy rooted in psychology and personal experience. Learn how to stop fueling the anxiety spiral and how to apply this skill in the middle of a sleepless night or a high-stakes performance.

You’ll learn:
• Wh...

Did you know “messy” feelings can actually be your secret weapon? In this episode, I’ll show you how to tune into both your physical sensations and the emotional layers beneath them, one body part at a time.

You’ll learn:

• How recognizing mixed emotions actually makes you more resilient
• Two real stories: a freezing mountain night and a chaotic family visit—and how emotional awareness made all the difference
• Science-backed,...

Learn a single question that can cut through anxiety, indecision, and overwhelm. In this episode, we dive into how imagining just one year left to live helped clients move from overwhelm to clarity, rewire anxiety, reconnect with purpose, and reshape relationships. Real coaching stories show how this mindset shift unlocks peace and purpose—right now.

Timestamps:

00:30 – Intro: The counterintuitive question that calms anxiety
00:5...

If you feel constantly on edge, like something bad is always about to happen, it’s not your fault—and it’s not just you. Your brain is doing exactly what it was designed to do... just in the wrong environment.

In this episode, we dive into how the news, social media, and even your own memories hijack your emotional wiring. You’ll take a quiz that reveals how distorted your perception of danger may be—and learn how to recalibrate you...

What if a simple “hello” could rewire your anxious brain? In this surprising and science-backed episode, we explore how speaking to strangers—yes, even if you're an introvert—can shift your unconscious emotional default from fear to connection. Learn why weak social ties matter, how your brain rewrites its threat narratives, and how living in Brazil changed my personal relationship with everyday interactions. This episode is p...

What if your great-grandparents held the key to calming your anxiety? In this episode, we explore a surprising, research-backed strategy for influencing your unconscious brain: knowing your family's intergenerational stories. Discover how ancestral narratives can help shift your brain's default stress response from threat to challenge, enhancing resilience, emotional health, and self-efficacy. Through deeply personal fami...

Waking up already overwhelmed? In this episode, we unpack why morning anxiety hits hard—and how to shift from panic to strategy. Drawing from neuroscience, childhood memory, and a dash of board game strategy, we explore what it takes to reclaim mental ground and lead from strength, even when you feel like hiding under the covers.

You’ll learn:

• Why your anxiety might spike in the early morning
• How applying a “game mindset...

Do you ever feel like life is one long stream of stress, uncertainty, and potential disaster? What if your brain is simply missing half the story? In this episode of Calm Your Caveman, we dive into the concept of serendipities—those unlikely, yet powerfully beneficial events that seem too timely to be coincidence. Drawing on the work of psychologist Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled), we explore how noticing serendipities can actu...

Adult kids = adult worries. If you’ve been stuck in an anxiety loop, today’s episode is your lifeline. 

What You'll Learn:
•Why parenting adult children can trigger more anxiety than other stages
•Four mindset shifts to focus on when worry strikes
•A simple writing exercise to reframe parental anxiety
•How to trust your children’s journey—even when it looks messy

Timestamps:
[00:00:30] – Parenting a...

This episode starts with a conversation with my mom, who has spent a lifetime quietly serving others and finding real joy in it. But for me, giving didn’t always bring peace — it often brought guilt, pressure, and anxiety. If service is supposed to make us happier, why can it sometimes feel so heavy? I open up about my own dysfunctional relationship with giving, how it was harming rather than helping, and what finally shifted. Lear...

When life feels overwhelming, it's tempting to assume things couldn’t get worse. But what if imagining how they could get worse is exactly what helps us feel better? In this episode, we explore a powerful psychological tool known as negative visualization—a mindset shift backed by science and rich with emotional payoff.

You’ll learn:

• How comparing your reality to a worse version can reduce anxiety
• The two kinds of n...

Ever felt like you're faking it—despite all your preparation, skill, and effort? In this episode of Calm Your Caveman, we take a thoughtful look at those moments of self-doubt when you're asked to rise to the occasion but feel like you're not enough. Through three personal stories, we explore what imposter syndrome feels like from the inside.

But that’s only the beginning. We'll also unpack:

- ...

Jealousy is often just fear in disguise. It’s a prickly emotion that shows up in all kinds of relationships—between siblings, friends, romantic partners, and even with our own kids. And if we don’t know how to work with it, it can hijack our peace, strain our relationships, and leave us stewing in shame.

I get personal in this episode, sharing how jealousy has shown up in my own life. I also unpack how it’s often tied to d...

What if managing your anxiety was as simple as telling the story of your day? In this episode, we explore how storytelling can soothe anxiety, create meaning, and give you a sense of calm control over life’s ups and downs.

We’ll dive into:

• Why storytelling is more than entertainment—it’s a meaning-making machine
• How your brain changes when you narrate your experiences
• Why redemption stories (not contamination ones) are ke...

In this episode of Calm Your Caveman, Dr. Twitchell discusses how to cope when life feels overwhelming and the sky seems like it's falling. She shares personal experiences, including a story about a severe ocean threat to their home in Brazil, to emphasize how hyperfocus on an immediate problem can be beneficial. However, she also addresses what to do when the threats are out of our control. This involves an interview with her...

In this episode, we explore the complex relationship between religion and anxiety. Drawing on scientific research, this conversation reframes religion not as inherently helpful or harmful, but as a tool—one whose value lies in how we choose to wield it.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The concept of religion as a psychological technology
• Key findings from major meta-analyses showing the health effects of religiou...

Understand the science behind the impressive effects of cold exposure on body and mind, and get practical tips for incorporating this therapy into daily life for handling stress and enhancing performance. Hear Dr. Twitchell’s journey with cold water therapy for managing anxiety. Learn about her initial resistance, gradual easing into the practice, and the profound physical, emotional, and psychological benefits she observed. Her so...