HeyJaredBuilding Resilience
Life can feel overwhelming, especially when you're dealing with anxiety, stress, a dysregulated nervous system, or constant overthinking.But here's the good news: you're not alone, and relief is possible.I'm Leah Davidson, a nervous system resilience coach and speech-language…
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 12
- Latest publication
- Sep 23, 2026
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- Jul 8, 2026
Latest episodes
When Kindness Feels Dangerous (opens the original)
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Have you ever tried to be kinder to yourself, and ended up feeling worse instead of better? In this episode of the Building Resilience Podcast, Leah Davidson unpacks "backdraft", a term borrowed from firefighting that explains why self-compassion can sometimes trigger anxiety, grief, or resistance instead of relief. She breaks down why this happens, what it means about your nervous system's old protective patterns, and how to practice kindness in a way your body can actually receive. Key Takeawa
The Identities Midlife Women May Be Ready to Retire (opens the original)
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What if some of what you call your personality actually started as a way to stay safe, belong, or avoid conflict? In this special 300th episode of the Building Resilience Podcast, Leah Davidson walks through seven identities many midlife women have quietly carried for decades, the strong one, the responsible one, the peacekeeper, the productive one, the one who doesn't need anything, the good girl, and the one everyone needs. These roles once protected you, but by midlife they can start costing
The Power of Doodling: 10 Ways It Supports Your Nervous System (opens the original)
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Have you ever caught yourself doodling in a meeting and felt a little embarrassed about it, like your brain was checking out? In this episode of the Building Resilience Podcast, Leah Davidson makes the case for doodling as a legitimate nervous system tool, not a distraction, but a body-based practice backed by real science. She breaks down the "10 Ps" of doodling, showing how something as simple as a pen moving across paper can lower cortisol, boost dopamine, and shift your body from stress back
7 Ways Your Identity Shapes What You Do (opens the original)
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Have you ever set a new goal on Monday, new notebook, new routine, new version of you, only to find yourself back in old patterns three weeks later? In this episode of the Building Resilience Podcast, Leah Davidson explores why lasting change isn't a discipline problem, it's an identity problem. Your nervous system runs on decades of evidence about who you are, and it uses that evidence to predict what you'll do next. When you try to act differently, you're not just changing behavior, you're goi
Being Needed vs. Being Valued (opens the original)
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Do you ever feel like the more people rely on you, the less anyone actually sees you? In this episode of the Building Resilience Podcast, Leah Davidson unpacks the subtle but powerful difference between being needed and being valued — and why this distinction becomes especially loud in midlife. When your identity has been built around usefulness, stepping back can leave you feeling unmoored instead of relieved. Leah explores why this happens at the nervous system level, how usefulness gets encod
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