Today, I interview Heidi Fischbach who grew up in a strict, high-control environment where fear and rules shaped how she learned to speak and exist. From an early age, she carried the weight of right and wrong, heaven and hell, and learned to stay small to stay safe.
As she grew older, this constant vigilance became anxiety and self-silencing. Her turning point came when she began to understand how the body holds old fear-based patterns, and how healing the nervous system can restore a sense of safety and calm. Through curiosity and self-friendliness, she learned that safety isn’t just emotional, it’s physical, and that when the body feels safe, the voice naturally begins to emerge.
Today, Heidi helps others reset their nervous systems and rediscover what it feels like to be calm, connected, and expressive. She teaches that healing happens in small, steady increments, not through force, but through gentleness and presence.
__________________
Heidi Fischbach is a nervous system coach and writer who helps people reset after high-control environments, whether that’s a fundamentalist religion, a rigid family system, or chronic survival mode. With training in Focusing, Polyvagal Theory, and body-based trauma healing, she helps clients feel safe, connected, and at home in their bodies.
She is currently finishing her memoir, Missionary Kid: How My Body Saved My Mind from High-Control Christianity, and offers a program called The Nervous System Jumpstart.
__________________
Find Heidi here:
https://www.instagram.com/heidifischbach/
https://www.heidifischbach.com
I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.