Unlock Your Vitality Podcast — Episode with Laura Rose
Title: Living by the Seasons: Urgency Detox, Nervous System Regulation, and Capacity-Building (feat. Laura Rose)
Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the show. I have a very special guest with me today. Hi Laura, and welcome to Unlock Your Vitality.
Laura: Hello, and thank you. I'm so happy to be here.
Host (Magali): Yes, me too. This has been, I feel like I've gotten to know you thanks to—one, I guess the internet for connecting us—and yeah, I got to know you a lot more through you joining VITALIZE, which we can dive into a little bit later. But I'm really excited to have you here today to talk about your story and hear your journey of becoming who you are today. So for the listeners, could you introduce yourself and maybe talk a little bit about that journey that got you to being who you are today?
Laura: Yes. Well, hello everybody. I'm happy to be here and get to know a few of you. My name is Laura and I am a therapist and a coach, and I've been doing this work as a coach for over a decade. I'll tell a bit about my journey and then what I do—because I feel like on any given day, it can change. A big piece of what I do is support people through transformation and transitions. I was coaching and supporting people in achieving their goals and checking things off their bucket list, but I noticed that there were a lot of emotional blocks we were coming up against—a big roadblock we couldn't overcome. Fast-forward to five years ago during the pandemic, I decided to go back to school. It seemed as good a time as ever when a lot of people were needing more emotional and mental support. I found that it was the missing piece I was looking for with my coaching because suddenly I had tools to dive deeper and actually process traumas and things that were keeping people stuck. Present day, I hold space for both: I work 1:1 with clients doing counseling if they choose, and I’m still working with coaching clients as well, bringing in my counseling tools. When people work with me, they get a hybrid of both. I also love nature, so there are a lot of nature-based tools and somatic practices. It’s very holistic—because we are holistic beings. I focus on transitions in particular, which is funny because this is the transition season, and I’m going through transitions myself.
Host: Yeah. And so often we have the idea of the end goal—what it's going to look like on the other side of that transition. We don't spend a lot of time in it or having support understanding it. I’d love to take it even further back before the coaching. Who was Laura before you got into this world, and what got you into coaching?
Laura: Before I was in this world? Wow. It feels like a lifetime ago. I was a completely different human. People who meet me now—when I show them pictures or share my story—their minds are blown. I was the corporate professional: perfectly polished, Manny-pedi, coloring my hair, wearing makeup. I worked my way up the corporate ladder a few times. I was the “girl boss” we were all told to be. I sold insurance for years, then I was a recruiter. I loved those careers. And I went through burnout. The beautiful thing about my jobs was that they were sales-based: the more I worked, the more money I made—and the more money I made, the more I wanted to work and make more. I was driven by accumulation and “success.” I was answering emails until 11 PM, waking at 5 AM for HIIT workouts, running on caffeine, alcohol, and other substances to regulate because I was so dysregulated. I hit burnout and couldn’t do it anymore. I had a moment—an awakening, some might say—where I quit, sold my house, got rid of my possessions, and booked a one-way ticket to Peru. That completely shifted my life—seeing a different way of living, being with local families, time in the jungle—experiences that shifted my perspective and took me out of the corporate narrative. That was me then; this is me now. Many iterations in between.
Host: Before going into coaching then, you said you hit burnout and made a big decision—selling your house, quitting. Walk us through that. What were you feeling? A lot of people want to make a shift or know they’re in burnout but don’t know how to take the leap. What was it in you that said, “enough is enough”?
Laura: It was actually my grandfather. (Emotion.) He was diagnosed with cancer. He was someone I looked to and thought: this is who I want to be. He took good care of his body, pursued his dreams. Naturally, as we age, things happen. But it impacted me: When I get to the end of my life, do I want to look back and say I worked my way up the corporate ladder and bought the house and had the car and the corner office and all the money—or do I want experiences, connection, time to slow down and savor moments? That was the catalyst. We did a family trip after his diagnosis to Palm Desert. We were by the pool; I was on my laptop working—even on holiday. He looked at me and asked, “What are you doing—and are you happy?” Another wake-up call. I realized: I’m supposed to be on holiday, spending quality time, and here I am worried about a business I’m helping run. It was the wake-up call I needed.
Host: Knowing what you know now about nervous system regulation, what can you tell us about that version of you that needed to be working even on holiday?
Laura: I was so dysregulated—constantly activated. I work a lot with polyvagal theory. It’s not just fight/flight and rest/digest. There’s a state where we’re engaged, inspired, motivated. But I was stuck in sympathetic activation: “I need to do more. I have to answer this email right away or the world will fall apart.” Understandably, I had people sending emails marked “urgent.” Everything was “urgent” in the corporate world. Now it kind of makes me laugh; nothing was truly urgent there. I couldn’t rest or sit still. I was also programmed: even on holidays I was told I couldn’t step away from my email because they might need something “urgent.” So it wasn’t just internal pressure—it was external programming. Looking back, there was nothing urgent, but the panic and fear were real: “If I don’t do this, I’ll lose my job.” I’d subconsciously run the worst-case scenario: If I don’t respond, I could get fired; if I get fired, I can’t pay the mortgage; I’ll lose my home; I’ll end up on the street. That’s often where our fears go when we follow the chain.
Host: So then how did you get into coaching from there?
Laura: I was already in the coaching world—but on the side. I felt the niggle that there was something more, so I attended a coaching program. Same thing happened with yoga teacher training: I did it for personal development and ended up teaching. With counseling too: I went to an experiential program and became a counselor. I always saw coaching as a side thing because of conditioning: I believed I couldn’t be an entrepreneur, that I had to be an employee with a stable paycheck. I’ve since worked through that programming. Selling my house and unhooking from the mortgage gave me freedom to step into what I wanted. It was a slow evolution—not a reckless leap. From the outside it might look like a sudden change, but the foundation was there.
Host: I resonate. Even though I knew I needed to leave my startup, it wasn’t “time.” I got my yoga certification, brought it into our app, did a holistic health coaching certification, became a Reiki healer—all while burning out. Looking back, I see I was testing and building. The “nudges” kept me going and made the leap less scary. Also, being in sales can be great training for coaching because it’s so relational. I love what you said: yes, it was a leap, but you’d been building toward it.
Laura: Exactly. People can often see this in hindsight. I love nature metaphors: in autumn the leaves don’t fall all at once—there are stages. Sometimes a windstorm accelerates things, but naturally it progresses. With clients who ask, “How do I get from A to B?”—when we look closely, they’re further along than they think. The mindset and programming might still be at A. When we uncover the subconscious, they realize the nudges were clues guiding them.
Host: Talk to us about living a seasonal life—how you support clients—and how it helps shift the go-go-go mentality.
[Audio glitch and short tech troubleshooting.]
Laura: (Resumes.) Living seasonally has changed my life. (Discussion on cyclical living, aligning energy and output with inner/outer seasons, nature-based practices, and nervous system pace-setting.)
Host: For listeners who live in places where it’s dark after work in winter—how can they start honoring cycles without changing where they live?
Laura: (Offers practical guidance: simple environmental cues, light hygiene, sleep routines, circadian support, micro-rituals.)
Host: As business owners, we can also avoid scheduling launches at certain times of our cycles. I’m noticing many people are tired right now—trying to carry summer energy into fall. We do need more rest in winter, and our bodies tell us. I loved your point on sleep hygiene.
Laura: (Explains difference between white-knuckle “pushing through” vs. true capacity-building after nervous system repair; how resilience grows when regulated.)
Host: For someone hearing “somatic” and wondering where to start—what are one or two practices to reconnect to the body and listen for a yes?
Laura: Start with micro-choices. Before your morning tea or coffee, pause. Close your eyes. Ask your body: “Do I truly want this?” Notice sensations. Humming or lengthened exhale can help regulate. Build a habit of checking in before you auto-respond—to texts, invitations, or obligations.
Host: I love that. I often tell clients overwhelmed by notifications to close their eyes before replying and ask: do I actually want this? Allowing ourselves to say no—or yes—accordingly.
Laura: Exactly.
Host: We’re doing an entrepreneur series. I expected people to talk about niche or sales strategies, but my work is holistic—so I wanted both sides. I know lessons evolve, but today, what’s one of your biggest business lessons?
Laura: The dance between structure and intuition. When I over-structure, I burn out. When I over-flow, I can drift. My sweet spot is committed structure that still listens to my body and the seasons—so my work stays sustainable and alive.
Host: That’s my biggest lesson too—finding balance. Sometimes we naturally lean one way, then the other, and keep re-centering. I also loved what you said about intuitively choosing clients. As coaches, we aren’t taught to ask, “Am I the right person for this client?” But intuition is crucial—and so is an honest look at the business model when we need more clients next quarter. One thing I love is your podcast cadence. You don’t force a weekly Wednesday; you release in a way that feels true. Tell us more.
Laura: (Shares about Seasons of Self, releasing episodes seasonally/organically in arcs that honor creative energy and life’s cycles.)
Host: And choosing the cadence that works for you actually creates a deeper consistency—because it’s sustainable. Beautiful example of balancing feminine and masculine.
Laura: Yes.
Host: We end with two questions I ask everyone. First: a piece of advice for your younger self?
Laura: Trust your body. Your worth isn’t in your productivity. Rest is not a reward; it’s a right.
Host: And how do you unlock your vitality?
Laura: Cold ocean dips, forest walks, slow mornings, and honest conversations—with myself and with people I love.
Host: I invite everyone to follow you—your ocean dips are the best. Anything else you want to share?
Laura: If you’re in a transition, you’re not behind—you’re becoming. Honor the season you’re in.
Host: So beautiful. Laura, thank you for your time, wisdom, and inspiration. We’ll add all the links for people to find you and connect. Until next time—thank you so much. Bye.
