Fear Unzipped - Exploring fear, anxiety, and self-doubt to uncover courage and resilience.

Fear often greets us before we even get out of bed, but what if our dreams are actually trying to help us loosen its grip? In this conversation, we explore how dreaming can become one of our most powerful tools for understanding, healing, and inner guidance. Bonnie Buckner, PhD, is founder and CEO of the International Institute for Dreaming and Imagery®, author of THE SECRET MIND, and Program Lead for George Washington University's One Humanity Leadership Coaching Certification Program, where she uses dreaming and imagery work to develop coaches. Drawing from a lifelong relationship with dreams, she reframes dreams not as random events, but as meaningful messages from within. We discuss why nightmares are often gifts in disguise, dramatically waking us up to unresolved emotions or imbalances in waking life. Bonnie explains the difference between unresolved and resolved dreams, and how consciously re-entering and shifting dream imagery can transform fear into empowerment. We also explore common dream themes such as being chased, unable to scream, flying, or facing overflowing toilets. Rather than relying on rigid symbolism, Bonnie emphasizes that the dreamer is the true expert. By keeping a handwritten dream journal, setting intention, and resisting the urge to edit or judge what surfaces, we begin building a direct relationship with our inner wisdom. Listeners will learn how dreams expand creativity, reconnect us to nature and embodiment, and remind us that many of life’s challenges are simpler than we make them. When we partner with our dreams, fear softens, and a deeper, more authentic self emerges. In this episode, you will hear:Nightmares as wake-up calls to unresolved fear and emotionResolved versus unresolved dreams and how to shift the outcomeDream journaling as a tool for intuition and self-healingCreativity, imagination, and inner guidance through imageryFacing fear directly and unzipping what feels threateningEmbodiment nature and returning to inner wisdomResources from this Episodehttps://bonniebuckner.com/https://www.instagram.com/dreamwithiidi/ https://www.facebook.com/institutefordreamingandimagery https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-institute-for-dreaming-and-imagery/posts/?feedView=all https://institutefordreamingandimagery.com/www.fearunzipped.com  Follow and Review: We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know we sent you. Music by Katy Samwell https://katysamwell.com/high-vibrational-music *** This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of FEAR UNZIPPED®, its subsidiaries, or any entities they represent. This podcast is not intended as a substitute for a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, we explore how fear, intuition, and manifestation intersect and how our past does not have to dictate our future. We sit down with Colette Baron-Reid, bestselling author, spiritual intuitive, and founder of The Oracle School Experience®, to unpack her extraordinary journey from a fear-filled childhood to becoming a global teacher of transformation. Colette shares how early experiences with anxiety, ancestral trauma, and feeling “different” shaped her life. Gifted with intuitive abilities from a young age, she struggled to feel safe in her own skin. That fear later manifested as addiction, self-sabotage, and a relentless search for belonging. After getting clean and sober nearly 40 years ago, everything changed. Recovery became the doorway to spiritual growth, self-responsibility, and a radical reimagining of what was possible. We dive into the art of manifestation, not as wishful thinking, but as a practice of rehearsing a new state of being. Colette explains how the quantum field responds to who we are, not just what we want. Through gratitude, creative expression, and conscious intention, we can rewire old fear patterns and align with opportunities we may never have imagined. Listeners will walk away understanding how fear can be transmuted into fuel, how intuition can be trusted, and how manifestation often arrives in forms far better than we planned. Like Colette says, “Everything is possible when you open your connection to the universe!” In this episode, you will hear:Addiction, self-sabotage, and the turning point of sobrietyTaking responsibility for healing without owning others’ traumaManifestation as a state of being rather than forcing outcomesRewiring fear through neuroscience, creativity, and conscious intentionUsing art and line drawing to regulate anxiety and access intuitionTrusting the universe to deliver opportunities in unexpected forms Resources from this EpisodeWebsite: https://www.colettebaronreid.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colettebaron_reid/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colettebaronreidTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colettebaronreidLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colettebaronreid/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/colettebaronreid/Download your free gifts when you order the book! www.colettebaronreid.com/bookwww.fearunzipped.com  Follow and Review: We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know we sent you. Music by Katy Samwell https://katysamwell.com/high-vibrational-music *** This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of FEAR UNZIPPED®, its subsidiaries, or any entities they represent. This podcast is not intended as a substitute for a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist or other qualified professional. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, we sit down with Bryan Grijalva, founder of the Sacred Circle healing center - “The Spiritual ER” - to explore what it really means to heal when symptoms don’t tell the whole story. We talk about how his work as a medical intuitive bridges the gap between the physical body, emotional patterns, and spiritual well-being, especially in complex or “mystery” cases that don’t respond to conventional approaches. Bryan shares how he developed his approach over more than two decades of working with everyone from everyday clients to elite athletes and performers, and why he believes lasting healing starts with awareness, honesty, and personal responsibility. We unpack the idea that pain and illness often carry messages — signals pointing to unresolved stress, trauma, or misalignment — and how learning to listen to those signals can shift the entire healing process. Throughout the conversation, we dig into what happens during a session at Sacred Circle, how different healing modalities can work together, and why no single technique is ever the whole answer. Bryan’s “kind but firm” style comes through as he challenges the idea of quick fixes and invites people to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and learn how to simply “be.” In this episode, you will hear:Bridging Western medicine and metaphysical healing into an integrated approach The three bodies and how each can be injured or healed “Dis-ease” and disease-adjacent conditions driven by stress, emotion, and imbalance How intuition and sensory awareness guide Bryan’s work with medical mysteries Practical tools for listening to the body and separating what we feel from what we absorb The importance of integration, self-awareness, and letting the body learn how to heal itself  Resources from this Episodewww.fearunzipped.com SacredCircleHC.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryan_grijalva/@Bryan_Grijalva Follow and Review: We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review,” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second, and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know we sent you. Music by Katy Samwell https://katysamwell.com/high-vibrational-music *** This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of FEAR UNZIPPED®, its subsidiaries, or any entities they represent. This podcast is not intended as a substitute for a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist or other qualified professional. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode came to life thanks to Suzanne Giesemann, who sensed that writer and mystic Lynette Setzkorn and I needed to connect. I’m so grateful she made that introduction. Lynette is a spiritual cheerleader who explores how fear, trauma, grief, and forgiveness can ultimately become gateways to freedom. She shares her remarkable life journey with honesty, warmth, and wisdom, beginning with early religious trauma that instilled a profound fear of death and shaped much of her inner world for decades.  We hear how the disappearance of her mother when Lynette was just twelve years old marked a before-and-after moment in her life, setting the stage for years of grief, addiction, and self-destructive behavior. Her path toward healing began in 12-step programs, where she experienced a spiritual awakening that would become the foundation for her lifelong spiritual exploration. Later, her work as a child abuse investigator and sexual abuse specialist exposed her to extreme human suffering, while also deepening her compassion and understanding of trauma, identity, and resilience. After her husband’s very traumatic death in 2012, Lynette’s lifelong spiritual path took a turn when she discovered evidential mediumship, ultimately transforming her fear of death into a recognition that there’s nothing to fear, and this knowing has reshaped her understanding of love, consciousness, and life beyond the physical.  Throughout the conversation, we explore the idea that light and darkness coexist, that we are never the worst things we’ve done, and that radical self-love has the power to change not only our own lives, but the world around us. In this episode, you will hear:Healing from religious trauma and a lifelong fear of deathLoss of a parent in childhood and its lasting emotional impactGrief, PTSD, and rage following the death of a spouseThe transformative power of forgiveness and compassionDiscovering spiritual awakening through recovery and lived experienceEvidential mediumship and finding peace beyond fearRadical self-love as a path to freedom and healing Resources from this Episodewww.fearunzipped.com Website: www.AnUnexpectedMystic.comSocial Media: https://www.facebook.com/[email protected] Follow and Review: We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know we sent you. Music by Katy Samwell https://katysamwell.com/high-vibrational-music *** This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of FEAR UNZIPPED®, its subsidiaries, or any entities they represent. This podcast is not intended as a substitute for a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist or other qualified professional. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode explores the deep wisdom of Spirit Totem animals and their role in personal growth, healing, and spiritual connection, guided by Indigenous teachings. We are excited to welcome back Shawn Leonard, an Indigenous Mi’kmaq Spirit Talker and psychic medium, for a conversation that expands on his teachings with animal totems. Shawn shares how Spirit Totem animals serve as lifelong allies, offering specific “medicine” at different stages of life. Drawing from Indigenous wisdom and his own lived experiences, he explains that these animals are not symbolic in a superficial sense, but conscious spiritual guides that help individuals navigate challenges, transitions, and purpose. Listeners learn how to recognize when a totem animal is showing up, why certain animals appear during pivotal moments, and how these connections can provide strength, clarity, and protection. Shawn weaves personal stories with broader teachings, illustrating how animal allies often arrive before adversity, giving you support long before it is consciously understood. He also clarifies the respectful, ceremonial relationship Indigenous cultures maintain with the animal world, emphasizing reverence, reciprocity, and balance rather than domination or symbolism as trophies. The conversation integrates ancestral wisdom, the interconnectedness of all life, and practical ways modern listeners can reconnect with these teachings in a grounded, respectful way. By the end of the episode, listeners will leave with a deeper understanding of spirit totem animals and clear insight into how to connect with their own. In this episode, you will hear:Indigenous wisdom and the spiritual role of totem animalsHow Spirit Totem animals guide different stages of lifeRecognizing signs and messages from the animal worldRespectful relationships with animals in Indigenous cultureTotem animals as sources of grounding, courage, and insightResources from this Episodehttps://shawn-leonard.com https://www.facebook.com/IndigenousMediumShawnLeonard/ https://www.instagram.com/indigenousmediumshawnleonard/www.fearunzipped.com  Follow and Review: We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know we sent you. Music by Katy Samwell https://katysamwell.com/high-vibrational-music *** This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of FEAR UNZIPPED®, its subsidiaries, or any entities they represent. This podcast is not intended as a substitute for a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist or other qualified professional. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.