How’s Your Sleep? Part 2: Navigating Transitions (and Hormones) with Somatic Wisdom

Summer can stir up our sleep. Even in a season we associate with rest and fun, many of us are flying across time zones, juggling child care and work, or absorbing the emotional ripple effects of big transitions—like perimenopause, divorce, or leadership shifts.

As a practitioner of somatic therapy in the Coachella Valley, I often remind my clients:

Transitions, even positive ones, are stressors to the nervous system. And when your nervous system is in a state of flux, your sleep often follows.

Let’s explore how changes—seasonal, hormonal, and situational—can affect your sleep, and how somatic support can bring you back into rhythm.

✈️ Summer Travel, Disruption, and Your Internal Clock

You don’t have to fly across the world to feel off-balance in July. Even a road trip, a house full of guests, or a change in routine can disorient the body’s internal clock, also known as the circadian rhythm.

Jet lag and late sunsets aren’t the only culprits. Your nervous system is constantly scanning for cues of safety or threat—in somatic therapy it’s called “neuroception.” When your environment changes, your body’s ability to relax and release into sleep can get hijacked.

Think about it:

• A different bed.
  
  

• Unfamiliar smells.
  
  

• Louder city noise or the eerie silence of the countryside.
  
  

• A full house with relatives and unspoken family tension.
  
  

Even good stress—like a long-awaited vacation—can confuse the body if your system doesn’t feel settled.

In my Palm Springs resilience coaching practice, I guide clients to build nervous system flexibility, so you can bounce back from these disruptions more quickly. Sleep is a natural byproduct of a resilient system.

🌙 Hormonal Shifts & the Sleep Struggles of Perimenopause

For women in their 40s and early 50s, perimenopause is one of the most sleep-disrupting transitions there is.

Even if you’ve always been a sound sleeper, the arrival of hormone-driven changes can look like:

• Waking up at 3 a.m. wired and restless.
  
  

• Night sweats or chills that make you toss and turn.
  
  

• Anxiety spikes at bedtime that don’t respond to your usual mindfulness routine.
  
  

• Sleep that feels shallow or unrefreshing.
  
  

Why? Because estrogen and progesterone—key hormones in women’s cycles—both have calming, sleep-supportive effects. As they begin to fluctuate, the nervous system can become more sensitive to stress, and sleep becomes fragmented.

Somatic therapy offers a powerful way to support the body through perimenopause. Instead of trying to “override” these natural changes, we work with the body’s internal landscape—using breath, touch, and micro-movements to downshift the stress response and rebuild trust in the body’s wisdom.

💼 Transitions in Leadership, Identity, and Role

Sleep disruption isn’t always about hormones or travel.

For many of my clients—especially women in caregiving or leadership roles—the invisible labor of holding everything together can create an undercurrent of tension that affects sleep.

You may be in one of these transitions:

• Starting or ending a big work role.
  
  

• Re-evaluating a relationship.
  
  

• Caring for aging parents or launching your kids.
  
  

• Reclaiming your identity after years of people-pleasing.
  
  

These shifts can challenge your sense of safety or identity—even if they’re chosen. The body can’t always distinguish between external danger and internal disorientation.

In trauma-informed leadership coaching, I help clients name what’s shifting, create rituals for closure or initiation, and reconnect to embodied safety. Often, their sleep improves as a result—because they’re no longer carrying unprocessed grief, fear, or pressure into bed with them.

🔍 So…What Is Somatics, and How Can It Help?

If you’re wondering what is somatics, here’s a simple answer:

It’s a way of working with the body, rather than around it.

Somatic therapy recognizes that your body stores stress, memory, and meaning—not just your mind. When we engage the body in healing, we restore your access to regulation, rest, and resilience.

Here’s how somatics can support sleep during transitions:

• Orienting to safety: Helping your system locate what’s right in your environment.
  
  

• Pendulation: Moving gently between activation and calm to build nervous system flexibility.
  
  

• Titration: Processing experiences in small doses, so your system doesn’t get overwhelmed.
  
  

• Touch and breath work: Soothing your body’s stress signals and deepening your parasympathetic tone (aka your rest-and-digest state).
  
  

I offer trauma support in Palm Springs and virtually for those navigating stress, burnout, and sleep issues. I also occasionally lead small group programs that combine resilience coaching with somatic education—because we heal more deeply together.

🌀 Sleep Is the First to Go—and the First to Come Back

Sleep is one of our most sensitive indicators of balance. If your body doesn’t feel safe or settled, it will show up in the night. The good news? Once we support your nervous system, sleep often returns on its own—gently, gradually, and reliably.

If you’re navigating a big change, I invite you to treat your body like a beloved traveler:

Offer it grounding, slowness, and safety. Speak to it in sensation, not just thought.

🛌 Ready for More Rest?

In Part 3 of this series, I’ll share specific Somatic Experiencing® practices you can try at home to support sleep—whether you're on the road, in transition, or adjusting to midlife changes.

In the meantime, if you’re curious about working together through somatics in the Coachella Valley, or want support in trauma-informed leadership and preventing burnout,reach out here. I'd love to walk with you.

Looking to improve your sleep? If you suspect stress may be part of the picture, I’d love to support you through private somatic coaching—online or in Palm Springs. Contact me here to learn more.

Burnout Isn’t Just Too Much Work—It’s Too Little of What You Truly Need

We tend to think of burnout as the result of doing too much: too many deadlines, too many responsibilities, too many people needing us.

But in my work as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and trauma-informed coach in Palm Springs, I’ve come to understand a deeper truth:

Burnout isn’t just caused by too much work—
It’s caused by too little repair.

Too little connection.
Too few safe places to land.
Too long pretending we’re fine.

Your nervous system is trying to help you survive

We’re wired to regulate, to rest, to return to balance. But when you're always “on”—bracing, fixing, performing—your body doesn’t get the time or space it needs to complete the cycle. Instead, it starts to shut down or push harder.

Burnout becomes a loop.

And the only way out? It isn’t just subtracting what’s harmful.

It’s adding back in what’s been missing.

Here are five powerful things to add to your life that support burnout recovery through a somatic, trauma-informed lens:

1. Micro-moments of repair

You don’t need a 10-day retreat (although it can help 😉).
You need consistent, body-based signals of safety.

• A slow exhale.

• A hand on your chest.

• Looking out the window and softening your gaze.
  
  

These tiny practices restore your nervous system in seconds—and help build capacity over time.

Burnout recovery begins with moments of presence, not massive life overhauls.

2. Relational safety

Burnout often comes with isolation—especially for high-achieving, compassionate women. We power through quietly, assuming it’s all on us.

But the nervous system is co-regulatory by design. We need safe connection to settle.

• A trusted friend.

• A somatic practitioner.

• A group space that values authenticity over performance.
  
  

These are more than “nice to have.” They’re essential tools in somatic healing.

3. Ritual and rhythm

Burnout flattens time. One long stretch of “go” without pause.
But our bodies respond to predictable rhythm and simple rituals.

• A candle before work.

• Tea in the same mug.

• A walk around the block after lunch.
  
  These tiny anchors reintroduce a sense of internal steadiness. And over time, they begin to repattern your nervous system toward safety.

4. Somatic permission to pause

Knowing you should rest doesn’t mean you can.

Many people struggle to rest because rest doesn’t feel safe in their body.

This is where Somatic Experiencing and trauma-healing work comes in. We work gently, in small doses, to expand your window of tolerance so your body can begin to associate stillness with safety—not danger.

Rest becomes part of a natural, regulated state.

5. A story that honors your wholeness

Burnout is often rooted in invisible myths:

• “I must earn my worth.”

• “If I stop, it’ll all fall apart.”

• “I’m only lovable when I’m useful.”
  
  

  These stories live in the body, not just the mind. To truly recover, we need to rewrite the myth we’re living inside.

At my Myth & Meaning retreat in Greece, we use embodied practices, group work, and archetypal storytelling to help women uncover and reclaim more life-affirming narratives.

You are allowed to live a life that honors both your strength and your softness.

The bottom line?

Your nervous system isn’t broken.
It’s doing what it was designed to do: keep you safe.

But you were meant for more than survival.
You were meant for connection, ritual, breath, and beauty.

And it’s not too late to come home to yourself.

Ready to transform your burnout this summer?
Click here to learn more about the Myth & Meaning retreat in Greece.

The Wisdom of Wings: What the Myth of Icarus Can Teach Us About Resilience Today

Imagine this: a father and son stand on the edge of a labyrinthine tower, wings made of wax and feathers strapped to their backs. Below them, the deep blue sea stretches endlessly; above, the blazing sun waits. Daedalus, the master craftsman, warns his son, Icarus:

“Fly not too high, lest the sun melt your wings. Nor too low, lest the sea weigh them down.”

And so begins one of the most iconic myths of ancient Greece—a tale of freedom, flight, ambition, and consequence.

But what if this story isn’t just a warning about overreaching?

What if it’s also a metaphor for how we navigate our own emotional and energetic range?

The Window of Resilience: Our Modern-Day Wings

In trauma-informed healing work, we often talk about the Window of Resilience—the optimal zone in which we can feel, think, and respond with flexibility and presence.

When we are within this window, we are connected. We can access our intuition, creativity, and power. When we move outside of it, we swing into either:

• Hyperarousal (too much activation, like anxiety, overwhelm, rage),
  or

• Hypoarousal (too little activation, like numbness, shutdown, or depression).

This isn’t just nervous system theory—it’s life in motion.

And doesn’t that sound familiar?

Flying too high—too close to the sun—might look like burnout, overdoing, or constantly proving your worth. Flying too low—too close to the sea—might look like playing small, staying silent, or shrinking yourself to be “safe.”

Ancient Myths as Mirrors for Modern Lives

Here’s the thing: Greek myths weren’t just entertainment. They were encoded messages about how to live wisely, bravely, and in balance with the forces of nature—both outside and within.

The myth of Icarus reminds us of something vital: True power lies in finding the middle path—the space where we can stretch, risk, feel, and still remain tethered to our own inner knowing.

In our world, though, women aren’t usually punished for flying too high.

We are conditioned, subtly and not-so-subtly, to stay close to the sea.

• To quiet our brilliance.

• To swallow our rage.

• To smooth over conflict.

• To put others’ needs before our own wisdom.

So if we’re going to learn from this myth, we may need to flip it a little.

For Many Women, the Greater Risk is in Rising

In my work as a coach and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, I see it every day: the fear of rising.

Not the fear of failure, but the fear of what will happen if we stop dimming our light.

Flying “too high” might mean:

• Saying what you really think in a meeting.

• Raising your prices.

• Leaving a relationship that no longer honors your becoming.

• Saying yes to a dream that no one else can see but you.

And it might feel scary. But this is what reclaiming your wings looks like.

Resilience isn’t about staying small. It’s about expanding the range of what you can tolerate without abandoning yourself.

What You Can Do Right Now

As you go about your day, try asking yourself:

• Where am I right now? Within my window of resilience, or outside it?

• Am I shrinking when I could be rising?

• What would it mean to fly in my own centerline—balanced, powerful, present?

And if you want support in doing that, or if the land of Greece is calling you home in some deep, ancient way—I’d love to walk with you there.

Returning to the Land of Myth: A Retreat for the Soul

This September, I’m offering a 7-night retreat in the Peloponnese, Greece, called Myth & Meaning.

We’ll gather under the olive trees, surrounded by mountains and sea, to reconnect with the archetypal stories that still live in us.

Through embodiment practices, Somatic Experiencing, mythology, and circle work, we’ll explore:

• What myths are you still living?

• Where are you flying too low or too high?

• How do you come back into your own window of resilience?

• And what happens when you allow yourself to reclaim your wings?

This isn’t just a vacation. It’s an epic journey to something ancient, wise, and utterly alive in you.

Isn’t it time you answered the call?

The Myth and Meaning Retreat in Greece (august 31 - September 7) is now open for registration for a limited time. CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS AND Join us.