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In this powerful episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr. Nat Green is joined once again by Nichole Morrin, clinical psychologist, author, founder of the Invisible Health Network, & The Invisible CEO and creator of the revolutionary COMPASS-5 Model. Together, they unpack Nichi’s harrowing and inspiring journey—from life-threatening illnesses and diagnoses to her 17yo daughter’s shocking heart attack, and the medical dismissal that nearly cost her life.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating life with invisible illnesses, burnout, chronic fatigue, autoimmune conditions, or trauma. Nichi shares how lived experience, medical gaslighting, and systemic failures ignited her mission to transform the healthcare system from within.

💡Key Takeaways:

✅ The link between trauma, invisible illnesses, and nervous system burnout

✅ Medical gaslighting is trauma. Patients deserve to be heard, believed, and treated holistically.
✅ Advocacy fatigue is real—especially for parents and professionals advocating over and over again in broken systems.
✅ Your dreams are still possible, even with a complex health condition. But the strategies must be different.
✅ Burnout is not weakness—it’s often a symptom of deeper, ignored stressors in the nervous system.

✅ Nichi’s COMPASS-5 framework – a trauma-informed, validation-based model that supports both patients and professionals

✅ Healing includes both body and soul: meditation, nervous system work, movement, and creative expression all matter.
✅ Professionals with lived experience have the power to lead the future of trauma-informed, sustainable care.

🔥 Episode Highlights:

🌿 Nichi recounts her daughter’s near-fatal heart attack at 17—initially dismissed as anxiety by paramedics.
🌿 How Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, POTS, endometriosis, and autoimmune disease shaped Nichi’s life and work.
🌿 The creation of COMPASS-5: a model that changes how invisible and complex conditions are supported systemically for patients and professionals.
🌿 Why most coaching/consulting programs fail those with chronic or fluctuating health—and how The Invisible CEO fills that gap.

This episode offers inspiration and practical advice for anyone looking to thrive after adversity and includes a candid, emotionally raw conversation about burnout, vicarious trauma, and letting go of shame for needing rest due to Invisible Conditions.

🌐 Connect with Nichi:

• Facebook:
• Facebook:
• Instagram:
• Website (coming soon):

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

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Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

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In this powerful and heart-opening episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr Nat Green sit down with the radiant Kathy Rausch—a mandala artist, author, and teacher—who vulnerably shares how the darkest chapter of her life cracked her open to divine transformation through creativity. Kathy shares her powerful story of overcoming deep trauma and hitting rock bottom. After being disowned by her family and spiraling into despair, she shared how after attempting suicide she then found healing through the creation of mandalas. Kathy discovered the healing potential of mandala art—an ancient spiritual symbol of wholeness. That one moment, one circle, would go on to save her life.

Kathy walks us through:

• 🌸 Her deeply personal story of loss, trauma, and spiritual awakening
• 🎨 How creating mandalas helped her reconnect with her true self
• 🌀 The neuroscience behind mandalas and why they calm the nervous system
• ✨ The surprising connection between sacred geometry, creativity, and post-traumatic growth
• 💡 Why art can be therapy—even if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush

Whether you're on your own healing journey or you're a therapist, coach, or health professional supporting others, this episode is a stunning reminder of the power of art, presence, and allowing the heart to lead.

Kathy also reveals insights from her book, 'Activate Divine Creativity,' and emphasizes the importance of self-belief, community, the power of giving yourself permission to feel and heal and the innate joy within us all.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Kathy’s book: Activate Divine Creativity: The Life-Changing Magic of the Mandala
• Carl Jung’s use of mandalas in therapy
• The role of both hemispheres of the brain in healing through art
• How mandalas are now being integrated into trauma recovery, PTSD support, and even scientific institutions

Timestamps and Episode Flow

01:24 Meet Our Guest: Kathy Rausch

02:53 Kathy's Journey with Mandalas

05:32 The Healing Power of Mandalas

16:45 Scientific Validation and Broader Impact

21:35 Introduction to the Mandala Book

22:38 Impact and Feedback from Readers

27:32 The Healing Power of Mandalas

30:40 Community and Connection

31:50 Transformative Effects of Mandalas

🎧 Tune in for a truly transformative conversation that proves healing doesn’t always come from words—it can come from the simple, sacred act of drawing within a circle.

Connect with Kathy:-

Instagram:

Facebook:

LinkedIn:

YouTube:

Website:

Bio:

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

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Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

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In this powerful solo episode of Growing Tall Poppies, host Dr. Nat Green uncovers a hidden truth affecting thousands of health and helping professionals: the exhaustion, numbness, and loss of purpose you’re feeling may not just be burnout—it could be vicarious trauma.

While burnout is widely discussed, vicarious trauma often goes unrecognized. It’s the quiet, cumulative cost of absorbing the pain, stories, and suffering of others. In this episode, Dr. Nat explains how vicarious trauma differs from burnout and compassion fatigue, and why so many well-meaning professionals silently suffer without realizing what's really going on.

You’ll hear some more of her own story, gain clarity on the emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and existential symptoms of vicarious trauma, and discover gentle, practical steps for resetting your nervous system and reconnecting with your true self.

This is a must-listen for anyone who feels like they’ve lost their spark, identity, or joy in the work they once loved.

🗂️ Timestamps & Episode Flow:

• 00:00 – Welcome & Why This Episode Matters
• 01:40 – What Is Vicarious Trauma (And Why It’s So Often Missed)
• 03:39 – Signs & Symptoms: Emotional, Cognitive, Behavioral, and Existential
• 05:59 – Why This Goes Deeper Than Burnout
• 12:37 – Dr. Nat’s Personal Story & What She Learned
• 20:55 – Steps to Begin Healing: Regulating the Nervous System, Micro-Moments of Joy & Identity Reconnection
• 25:40 – Final Reflections + Invitation to Go Deeper

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The hidden emotional toll of working in helping professions
• How vicarious trauma differs from burnout and compassion fatigue
• Why mindset work alone isn’t enough—you need nervous system repair
• The quiet grief of identity loss in your professional role

✨ Mentioned in This Episode:

• 🌱 Learn more about the Rising Phoenix program: DM Dr Nat on socials

💬 Let’s Connect:
If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot, share it in your Instagram stories, and tag @drnatgreen—let’s spread this message to every exhausted health professional who needs to hear it.

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

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Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

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In this insightful and compelling episode of the Growing Tall Poppies Podcast, host Dr. Nat Green sits down with Dr. David Lee, a clinical psychologist and addiction recovery coach, with extensive experience in trauma and addiction recovery.

Dr David shares his personal journey of overcoming alcoholism, trauma, and the breakdown of his marriage, and how these experiences have shaped his approach to psychology and coaching. From struggling with alcoholism and professional setbacks to finding recovery through spirituality, therapy, and the 12-step program. He discusses the importance of lived experience, honesty, openness, and willingness in overcoming trauma.

Dr David also highlights his future ambitions, including developing a shadow work program and helping others through writing and public speaking, while emphasizing the continuous need for personal growth and spiritual connection.

Key takeaways include the importance of spiritual surrender, the value of lived experience in professional practice, and the essential qualities needed for personal growth, such as honesty, accountability, and courage. Tune in to discover how embracing one's vulnerabilities and doing the deep inner work can lead to a life of greater purpose, self-awareness, and inner peace.

02:24 David's Professional Background and Personal Journey

06:08 The Importance of Personal Inner Work

19:24 David's Dark Night of the Soul

25:14 The Path to Recovery and Spiritual Awakening

31:05 The First Steps of Surrender

31:46 A Powerful Moment of Realization

32:31 Guided Visualization and Staying on the Path

33:13 Understanding the Wounded Healer

34:20 Working with Clients and Recognizing Patterns

35:16 The Role of Relationships in Trauma

37:08 Exploring the Shadow and Personal Therapy

39:49 The Journey of Recovery and Professional Work

44:35 Future Vision and New Directions

51:10 The Importance of Honesty and Accountability

55:48 Final Thoughts and Reflections

With valuable insights from his personal and professional experiences, this episode serves as a beacon of hope and a practical guide for anyone working through trauma and seeking to thrive.

Connect with David

Instagram:

LinkedIn:

Bio:

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

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In this deeply personal and emotionally honest episode of Growing Tall Poppies, host Dr. Nat Green shares what it’s really like to be part of the Sandwich Generation—those navigating life while supporting both aging parents and young adult or teenage children. The group of adults caught in the middle, caring for aging parents while still showing up emotionally, financially, and practically for young adult or teenage children.

As the eldest child, Dr Nat reflects on her early conditioning around self-sacrifice and responsibility. When her mother was diagnosed with metastatic cancer, she didn’t hesitate to move back home to help care for her. Now, 31 years after her mother’s passing, Dr Nat has lived more of her life without her than with her—and the grief of mothering without a mother continues to show up in profound ways at unexpected times and continues to ripple through the years.

She opens up about the heartbreak of seeing her beloved stepmum fading to Alzheimer’s and the recent, painful signs that her father is likely walking the same path. With raw vulnerability, Dr Nat describes the emotional toll of being “the strong one,” holding everyone together while silently navigating her own grief and exhaustion. The emotional weight has become very real.

In this conversation, She speaks honestly about the invisible emotional labour, the cost of being the strong one, and the quiet grief that builds when you're loving everyone deeply—but often putting yourself last.

This episode is a powerful exploration of love, loss, responsibility, and resilience—and a reminder that those in the middle are not alone.

If you're in this season too… This episode is for you.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• A heartfelt look at what it means to live in the Sandwich Generation
• The emotional weight of caring for aging parents while raising or supporting adult children
• The ongoing grief of losing a parent young—and the ache of “motherless mothering”
• Navigating Alzheimer’s disease and anticipatory grief with loved ones
• How eldest daughters often carry invisible emotional loads
• The impact of long-term self-sacrifice and unmet emotional needs
• The hidden impact of eldest daughter syndrome and learned self-sacrifice
• How to hold space for everyone… without losing yourself in the process
• Why grace, grit, and love are essential tools for navigating this season of life
• Encouragement for anyone walking this path: you are seen, and You are not alone.

💬 Let’s Continue the Conversation:

If this episode spoke to you, I’d love to hear from you. Message me on Instagram or Facebook and share the episode with someone walking a similar path.

This episode is a powerful exploration of love, loss, responsibility, and resilience—and a reminder that those in the middle are not alone.

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

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In this powerful episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr. Nat Green is joined by the deeply insightful and courageous Kathryn Thompson. Together, they explore how true healing unfolds when we allow ourselves to be fully seen — through embracing vulnerability, openness, and creative expression. From a traumatic childhood incident to navigating the corporate world and reclaiming her voice, Kathryn shares her journey of breaking generational patterns and finding freedom through somatic practices and radical self-acceptance.

Kathryn is a Canadian-based entrepreneur who inspires people to use their stories as a way to create change in the world. She's an award-winning marketing and communications expert with more than 20 years of experience. After growing one of her businesses to close to a million dollars in sales in less than four years, she sold it with a single email. Kathryn is now the founder of Creatively Owned, a marketing and communications firm that helps entrepreneurs use the power of words to create instant appeal for what they are selling.

Together, Dr Nat and Kathryn explore how embracing vulnerability, somatic healing practices, and deep inner work can lead to lasting emotional freedom and authentic personal evolution.

Whether you're on a path of personal healing or supporting others through trauma, this episode is a heartfelt invitation to connect with your body’s innate wisdom and lean into the transformative power of authenticity.

💡 In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The hidden cost of emotional suppression and why saying “I’m fine” keeps us stuck
• How vulnerability and openness act as the gateway to healing and transformation
• The difference between intellectualising trauma vs. feeling and releasing it somatically
• Why tools like EFT tapping and TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) are game-changers for nervous system regulation
• A fresh take on healthy boundaries, emotional triggers, and not taking on others' pain in helping professions
• The shift from fixing others to empowering clients and ourselves
• How integrating daily healing rituals into your life and business creates sustainable change and prevents burnout
• How breaking repeated patterns of trauma requires both courage and self- compassion

🎧 Tune in if you’re ready to:

• Break free from the past and step into embodied healing
• Embrace your vulnerability as your superpower
• Tap into your creativity as a tool for transformation
• Discover how somatic practices can shift your nervous system and your life

Connect with Kathryn

Website: https://creativelyowned.com

Instagram

Facebook

Website: https://creativelyowned.com

Resources:-

Free Quiz - What's You

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

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Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

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In this deeply moving and insightful episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr. Nat Green welcomes the compassionate and wise Dr. Mark Seton—a researcher, educator, consultant for Sense Connexion and founder of the Embodied Vulnerability Ecosystem. With a background in working with actors, creatives, and helping professionals, Dr. Seton shares his profound personal story of trauma and recovery, offering listeners a rich exploration into the power of embodied healing, resilience, and identity restoration.

Mark courageously recounts his own lived experience with trauma, including an abusive relationship and its impact on his mental health, ultimately leading to his breakthrough realisation: our bodies are not betrayers—they’re messengers. Through this lens, Mark introduces the idea of relational resilience, self-compassion, and joy as medicine, while debunking the myth that professionals must always be strong, heroic, and self-sacrificing.

Listeners are guided through a powerful play-based exercise that encourages reconnecting with the body's wisdom, evoking joy and childlike creativity. Mark also outlines the critical need to de-acclimatise from the “peak performance” addiction in high-stakes professions and instead foster sustainable, embodied practices that honour both vulnerability and recovery.

This episode is a heart-opening reminder for therapists, creatives, and care professionals to embrace their open-hearted nature without burnout, martyrdom, or isolation. It’s an invitation into a new, empowering paradigm—one that is both deeply human and profoundly healing.

🧠 Key Topics Discussed:

• Dr. Seton’s lived experience of trauma, isolation and breakdown
• The power of body wisdom and embodied vulnerability in recovery
• The myth of the hero-professional and the cost of emotional suppression
• Practical tools for grounding, including a joy-based body movement exercise
• The concept of relational resilience and why healing is never a solo journey
• Navigating the “peak performance trap” and the need for de-acclimatisation
• Helping actors, doctors, and professionals reconnect with identity beyond roles
• Insights from Dr. Seton’s current research on Open-Hearted Professionals
• Reframing vulnerability as strength and openness as wisdom

Dr. Mark Seton is on a mission to foster compassionate, embodied, and sustainable practices for open-hearted professionals. His current research explores how vulnerability can be redefined as open-heartedness and strength.

Email mc.seton@bigpond.com

LinkedIn

Facebook

📊 Take the Survey for Open-Hearted Professionals: [Here]

Mark also has a foundational service, called Your Professional Uniqueness providing a Fascinate© assessment and 60 min coachin

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

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In this powerful episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr. Nat Green sits down with Karla Warwick—a woman of incredible resilience, candor, and courage. With a career in journalism, marketing and communications, across numerous areas (including working with ministers and prime ministers!), Karla opens up about her multifaceted identity: mother, professional, wife, and now, celebrant.

Karla vulnerably shares her unexpected journey from high-functioning burnout and trauma into healing, self-compassion, and ultimately, post-traumatic growth.

They explore her role in parenting children with complex mental health challenges, and navigating a world that often doesn’t understand what’s happening behind closed doors.

🔑 Key Highlights:

• The hidden pain of high-functioning burnout
  Karla reveals how long she ignored the signs that her body and mind were shutting down — and what finally made her pay attention.
• When your identity is tied to giving
  They explore the danger of over-identifying with being the helper, the doer, the one who always has it together — and what happens when that identity starts to unravel.
• Turning toward the pain
  Karla shares the visceral experience of allowing long-buried feelings to surface — and the unexpected physical and emotional pain that came with it.
• The power of space, grace, and support
  The role Karla’s husband and support network played in her healing, simply by holding space without judgment or pressure.
• Using TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) and somatic tools
  How Karla integrated body-based techniques like TRE and meditation to start feeling again and realign her internal systems.
• The trauma archetypes & post-traumatic growth
  Karla discusses how editing the Break Your Trauma Cycle book not only reignited her professional passion but became a lifeline in her personal healing journey.
• Self-worth, compassion & identity transformation
  From not knowing her value to confidently reconnecting with her purpose, Karla shares how she rebuilt her sense of self.

Karla shares the raw, behind-the-scenes reality of what it felt like to "crash" after years of pushing through adversity. She opens up about the personal cost of chronic self-abandonment, the emotional toll of being a high-achiever, and the critical moment that forced her to stop, listen to her body, and truly rebuild from within.

This conversation is a powerful testament to the necessity of slowing down, the importance of nervous system regulation, and the life-changing gift of doing the real inner work — even when it hurts.

Connect with Karla:

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.