Broken to Brave | Guiding you to heal & break free from anxiety
On the outside you look like you have it all together. On the inside you feel anxious, overwhelmed, stressed, or stuck in survival mode. Broken to BRAVE is where high-achieving women learn they’re not failing and finally find the calm, confidence, and freedom they’ve been craving.
I’m Dr. Steph, a former NASA psychologist turned healing coach. In this podcast, I’ll walk with you through the patterns that keep you over-functioning, people-pleasing, and second-guessing yourself, and I’ll show you how to break free. You’ll hear real stories, simple steps, and the brave questions that change everything.
You don’t need another set of coping tools. What you need is a way back to yourself.
Week by week, I will help you calm your nervous system, build self-trust, and see yourself in a new way….not as failing, not as too much. Instead, as a woman who is capable of peace, presence, and joy.
Follow on Instagram @drstephanielopez
Episodes
125 episodes
You Can't Heal What You Don't Own
We say we want growth. We say we want healing. But when it comes to taking full ownership of our choices, our reactions, and the messes we’ve made, that’s often where we quietly pull back.Self-accountability isn’t sexy. It’s not the part...
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Episode 124
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15:25
You Don’t Have to Save Everyone
Have you ever felt responsible for protecting others from their own pain? I’ve been there too, more times than I can count. In this episode, I’m unpacking a pattern that so many of us fall into: the need to rescue, to overgive, to soften the tr...
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Episode 123
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11:24
Avoiding It Isn’t Working Anymore
What if the very thing you've been doing to feel safe is the reason you still feel stuck?In this episode, I’m breaking down how avoidance quietly wires your nervous system to expect fear, not freedom. I’m walking through the moments we c...
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Episode 122
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13:32
When You Carry What Isn’t Yours
Have you ever walked away from a conversation feeling responsible for someone else's mood? Like it's your job to fix their disappointment, even when you did nothing wrong? I’ve been there too. In this episode, I’m unpacking the emotional weight...
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Episode 121
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14:44
Stress Behaviors Are Not Your Personality
If you've ever thought, this is just who I am, this episode might shift everything. I'm breaking down what stress behaviors really are, like shutting down, overexplaining, people pleasing, or blaming, and how they're not personality tr...
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Episode 120
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15:50
Is This Just the Way I Am?
Apply for BRAVE-cation! A healing retreat for women ready to break the cycle.www.brave-method.com/brave-cation That question lives quietly under so many of our...
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Episode 119
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14:43
What If the Perfect Time Never Comes?
Apply for BRAVE-cation! A healing retreat for women ready to break the cycle.www.brave-method.com/brave-cationWhat if readiness isn’t a feeling, but a decision?...
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Episode 118
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15:42
You're Closer to Healing Than You Think
Apply for BRAVE-cation! A healing retreat for women ready to break the cycle.www.brave-method.com/brave-cationHave you ever wondered if you're just too broken to he...
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Episode 117
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17:36
It Isn't Selfish to Want More for Yourself
Apply for BRAVE-cation! A healing retreat for women ready to break the cycle.www.brave-method.com/brave-cationHave you ever felt guilty for wanting space, rest, or ...
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Episode 116
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11:47
Coping Isn’t Healing and That’s Why You Still Feel Stuck
Apply for BRAVE-cation! A healing retreat for women ready to break the cycle.www.brave-method.com/brave-cationYou can know all the tools. You can breathe, journal, ...
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Episode 115
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15:37
Facing Postnatal Depression and Burnout with Dr. Natasha Wallace
What happens when you have all the tools, all the knowledge, and still feel like you're falling apart? In this conversation with Dr. Natasha Wallace, we talk about the hidden weight of postnatal depression, the slow spiral into burnout, and wha...
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Episode 114
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27:29
Hidden Ways Anxiety Shapes Your Decisions
Anxiety doesn’t just live in your thoughts, it quietly shapes so many of the choices you make. From the things you say “yes” to when you really want to say “no,” to the opportunities you avoid even when your heart wants them, fear can take the ...
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Episode 113
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15:19
Healing Your Relationship with Money with Rachel Coons
When money feels tight or uncertain, it can send our nervous systems into a spiral. I’ve been there. And in this conversation with Rachel Coons, we talk honestly about what it means to heal our relationship with money from the inside out.
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Episode 112
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26:06
You Can Care Without Carrying It All
For so long, I thought being needed made me valuable. I thought solving problems meant I was strong. But all it really did was disconnect me from myself. In this episode, I’m breaking down what over-functioning really looks like, how it keeps u...
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Episode 111
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15:01
When Motherhood Isn’t What You Expected with Gloria Niemi
What happens when the thing you dreamed of most turns out to feel nothing like you imagined? In this conversation with life coach Gloria Niemi, we talk about her unexpected experience with postpartum depression, how it showed up after each of h...
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Episode 110
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33:55
5 Mistakes That Keep You Stuck in Anxiety
Anxiety used to rule my life in ways I didn’t even realize. I was doing what I thought would help, but looking back, I was only keeping myself stuck. In this episode, I’m walking you through the top five mistakes I see women make when it comes ...
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Episode 109
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11:30
Reconnecting to What You Truly Want
If you’ve ever whispered, “I don’t even know who I am anymore,” or felt completely disconnected from your desires, this is for you.In this episode, I’m unpacking the real reasons why we lose touch with ourselves and how survival mode, pe...
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Episode 108
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16:11
When Everything Feels Like a Glass Ball
Overwhelm isn’t a flaw, it’s a signal. And if even the smallest tasks feel huge lately, I want you to know you’re not broken — your nervous system is just over capacity.In this episode, I’m breaking down what’s really going on beneath th...
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Episode 107
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15:53
You Don’t Have to Believe Every Thought You Think
Some thoughts feel so real they seem like facts. But what if they’re just old patterns, fear echoes, or habits your nervous system hasn’t let go of yet? In this episode, I’m breaking down what it really means to witness your thoughts instead of...
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Episode 106
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14:30
Are You Choosing to Feel Anxious?
What if the anxiety, the spiraling, the constant overwhelm isn’t just happening to you? What if it’s tied to what you’ve been avoiding? If you've done the learning, read the books, and saved the posts, but still feel stuck, this is for you....
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Episode 105
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7:25
Overthinking Is Just Emotional Avoidance in Disguise
Ever find yourself stuck in a spiral of overanalyzing, replaying conversations, or trying to “figure out” your feelings? I’ve been there! In this episode, I’m breaking down a truth that changed everything for me: overthinking isn’t a mindset is...
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Episode 104
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12:32
How Birth Trauma Sparked a Business with Jessica London
Jessica London never planned to start a postpartum care business. But after a traumatic first birth and a frustrating recovery, she realized just how broken the system really is—and decided to do something about it. In this episode, Jessica sha...
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Episode 103
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29:05
You Can Recalibrate Your Nervous System
If you’ve been feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or stuck in overdrive no matter how hard you try to "calm down," there’s a reason for that—and it’s not because you’re broken. In this episode, I’m sharing something most people don’t even realize is...
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Episode 102
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9:08
Reclaiming Anger and Setting Boundaries with Remy Ramirez
If you’ve ever felt ashamed of your anger or afraid to set a boundary, this episode will change how you see both. I’m joined by Remy Ramirez, trauma coach and host of The Patrauma Party Podcast, for a powerful and raw conversation about reclaim...
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Episode 101
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37:57
You Don’t Have to Pretend to Be Good
If you’ve ever smiled when you wanted to cry, said yes when you wanted to scream no, or played the role of “the strong one” until it broke you—this episode is for you. I’m unpacking the “Good Girl” script and how it trains us to perform for app...
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Episode 100
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10:17