What You Repeat Is What You Reinforce (And Why That Matters Right Now)
Don't Cut Your Own Bangs
If you've been feeling like you need someone to flip on a light switch in a dark room right about now, this episode is for you. And listen, I get it—February can be rough. All that January enthusiasm starts to fade, the Midwest winter is doing its thing (where did the sun go?), and suddenly that phone in your hand feels less like a tool and more like a stain you can't get out of your clothes (or out of your hand). So today, I'm offering what we all need: a little bit of hope. This is a cozy solo cast that's a deep dive into what I'm learning in real-time about habits and what they...
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Self-Compassion, Fertility, and Trusting Your Body Again
Don't Cut Your Own Bangs
If you’re a capable, driven woman who’s doing everything “right” — and still feeling exhausted, stuck, or quietly blaming your body — this episode is for you. In this deeply meaningful conversation, I sit down with Dr. Erica Bove, double board certified physician, fertility specialist, and founder of Love & Science Fertility, to talk about what happens when high-achieving women bring the same hustle-and-push mindset into their bodies… and why fertility, healing, and clarity ask for something different. We explore how self-compassion, nervous system regulation, and trust...
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Sustainable Self-Care: A Better Way to Actually Feel Better
Don't Cut Your Own Bangs
Hello friends—welcome back to Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs, the cozy corner of the internet where we let our tender, imperfect selves exist. This week we’re talking about sustainable self-care—not the kind that turns into a color-coded assignment, but the kind that actually supports you in real life. I’m sharing two simple processes you can use anytime (even if you’re burnt out, busy, or running on the last 3% of your battery). Plus: a few examples to help you rethink what “self-care” can look like when it’s truly working. In this episode, we explore: What makes self-care...
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Planting Good Seeds (A Gentle Start to 2026)
Don't Cut Your Own Bangs
Hello hello — I'm Danielle Ireland, and you’re catching an episode of Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs, the cozy corner of the internet where we answer the timeless question: Do I really want bangs… or do I just need to talk about my feelings? (Spoiler: it’s often the feelings. And also sometimes bangs. We can be multidimensional.) In today’s episode, we’re talking about planting good seeds — not the aggressive “new year, new you, fix your entire personality by Tuesday” energy, but the soft, intentional, nervous-system-friendly kind of reset. Because if January were in...
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Reimagining January: Reflection Over Reinvention
Don't Cut Your Own Bangs
Reimagining January: Reflection, Creativity, and the Messy Middle Happy New Year — and welcome to the very first episode of Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs in 2026. If you’re feeling a little tender, tired, hopeful, unsure, or all of the above… you’re in exactly the right place. This episode is not about reinvention. It’s about reflection and reimagining. In this solo conversation, I’m sharing why I believe the beginning of a new year isn’t meant for pressure, perfection, or becoming a brand-new person overnight. Instead, it’s a powerful opportunity to pause, look back with honesty,...
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Finding Joy in Uncertainty (Best Lessons of the Year Finale)
Don't Cut Your Own Bangs
Today’s episode is the final part of our Best Lessons of the Year series, and it’s dedicated to the part of you that’s exhausted trying to figure it all out… because some seasons don’t come with clean answers (rude). In this episode, we talk about surrendering the outcome—not in a giving up kind of way, but in a coming back to life as it is kind of way. You’ll hear a powerful perspective from Dr. Tasha Faruqui on living in the gray when even science doesn’t have the answers. And then I’ll walk you through practical “anchors for your energy”—small, doable supports...
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Why You’re So Tired — And What Actually Helps
Don't Cut Your Own Bangs
If you’ve ever ended the day completely wiped out and thought, “Why am I this tired? I didn’t even do anything that big…” — hi. Same. And this episode is for you. In Week 4 of our Best Lessons of the Year countdown, we’re revisiting two of my favorite conversations because they speak to a very real modern experience: carrying a thousand invisible things… and then wondering why your nervous system feels like it’s running a marathon in jeans. First, we dip back into my Solo Cast on the invisible mental load — that constant background hum of remembering, planning, worrying,...
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When Winning Means Losing & Wonder Brings You Back: Highlights with Eli Martinez
Don't Cut Your Own Bangs
Hello, hello! In this week’s “Best Lessons of the Year” recap, we’re diving into two surprisingly connected themes: How easy it is to lose ourselves in conflict How possible it is to find ourselves in nature We start with a clip from my solo cast, Winning Isn’t Everything, where I break down what really happens when our nervous system floods and suddenly our partner becomes… the enemy. (Yes, even if 10 minutes ago they were our favorite person.) Then we shift into wide-open wonder with adventurer and wildlife guide Eli Martinez, who reminds us that reconnecting with the natural...
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When Learning Gets Messy & “No” Sets You Free — Best Lessons of the Year: Week 2
Don't Cut Your Own Bangs
Welcome back to The Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs Countdown: Best Lessons of the Year — your cozy December rewind of the conversations that cracked me open, cracked me up, or came back to whisper, “Hey… you needed to hear that again.” This week we’re celebrating two big themes we ALL lived through this year: 1. Learning in real time (aka: The Messy Middle) 2. The courage to say a brave, wholehearted “No” You’ll hear moments from my solo cast on “Tech Sweats” (yes, the kind where you curse at software and question your entire identity), plus one of my favorite conversations of...
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When Frustration Speaks and Magic Answers: Best Of Week 1
Don't Cut Your Own Bangs
Welcome to The Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs Countdown: Best Lessons of the Year — a special December series celebrating the moments, conversations, and insights that stayed with us long after the episodes ended. This week’s theme: Frustration… and Magic. We’re kicking things off with highlights from my solocast What Is Your Frustration Telling You? — an episode where we explored frustration not as a problem, but as information. As a whisper. As guidance disguised as discomfort. A favorite moment from the solocast: “Your emotions aren’t roadblocks. They’re signposts pointing to...
info_outlineThis week on Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs, I welcome back one of the most impactful guests in the show’s history — Marianne Talkovski, emotional wellbeing strategist, acupuncturist, Chinese medicine practitioner, author, coach, and the creator of The Wellbeing Code.
Marianne has been one of the most trusted practitioners in my personal healing journey, and in this conversation she breaks down the deep connection between our emotions, our physical body, and how burnout and anxiety take root when we ignore what we feel.
Through her lens of Chinese medicine, emotional intelligence, and nervous-system regulation, Marianne helps us understand:
💛 Key Takeaways
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Why regulating your nervous system is the first step to healing burnout
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How emotional suppression shows up in the body as symptoms, stagnation, and stress
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What the five Chinese elements reveal about your personality type and emotional patterns
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How to know the difference between striving from fear vs striving from wisdom
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Why travel, adventure, and stepping outside your “operating life” can spark profound clarity
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The four-part Wellbeing Code: Regulate, Rewire, Resync, Radiate
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Why belonging to yourself is the foundation for belonging anywhere else
One of my favorite quotes from the episode:
“You can’t outthink your emotions. Regulation has to happen before transformation.”
Whether you're recovering from burnout, craving emotional clarity, or learning how to trust yourself again — this episode will gently guide you back home.
Connect with Marianne Talkovski
Website: https://mariannewellbeing.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianne_talkovski
Marianne’s Books: https://mariannewellbeing.com/books
Connect with Danielle
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DontCutYourOwnBangs
Website: https://danielleireland.com
The Treasured Journal: https://danielleireland.com/journal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielleireland_lcsw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielleireland.LCSW
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-cut-your-own-bangs/id1372599664
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2b7Ybj9RbM3c3Lh56N3D2G
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Please rate, review, and subscribe — it helps the show reach more people who need this work. And as always, thank you for being here. You belong here.