EFR 942: Why Your Anxiety, Gut Issues & Exhaustion Might Be Stored Trauma (and how to finally release it) with Liz Tenuto

 What if your anxiety, exhaustion, gut issues, insomnia, chronic tension, or even emotional numbness weren't random… but your body trying to communicate unresolved stress and trauma? Somatic healing expert and When the Body Speaksauthor Liz Tenuto—better known online as "The Workout Witch"—joins us to unpack how trauma gets stored in the nervous system and why so many people stay stuck even after years of therapy, self-help, and "doing all the right things." Liz explains the science behind somatic healing, bottom-up nervous system regulation, neurogenic tremors, emotional release, chronic stress physiology, and how seemingly "normal" symptoms like jaw clenching, gut issues, fatigue, insomnia, and brain fog may actually be signs your body never fully completed the stress response. This conversation blends neuroscience, emotional healing, nervous system education, and practical tools into one of the deepest conversations yet on what it truly means to move Ever Forward.

 

YOU WILL LEARN:

• Why trauma is physical, not just emotional

• The difference between top-down vs bottom-up healing

• How chronic stress silently changes the body

• Why high performers often normalize dysregulation

• The role of safety and co-regulation in healing

• The surprising power of tiny movements and somatic exercises

• How unresolved trauma can mask deeper layers of pain

• Why healing can lead to a more authentic and connected life

 

Follow Liz @theworkoutwitch_

Follow Chase @chase_chewning

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00:00 – Trauma gets stored in the body

00:44 – What “bottom-up healing” means

01:00 – Why physical release creates emotional healing

01:33 – Neurogenic tremors explained

01:51 – Your body is your most honest messenger

03:09 – Giving yourself permission to not feel okay

06:11 – Is healing a luxury in modern life?

07:35 – When your body is quietly screaming at you

09:07 – Healthy coping vs hidden avoidance

11:42 – Why we always go to extremes with stress

14:21 – Can 5–10 minutes a day really heal stress?

16:12 – Signs trauma may be stored in your nervous system

19:58 – A simple vagus nerve exercise for relaxation

22:25 – Rocking movements & soothing the nervous system

25:14 – Gabor Maté’s definition of trauma

26:56 – What is secondary trauma?

30:05 – Chase shares his PTSD healing journey

31:59 – Somatics vs talk therapy explained

35:11 – Why the jaw & psoas hold stress

36:09 – Why animals shake after stress (and humans don’t)

38:54 – Why physical release creates emotional release

40:46 – The importance of safe people & co-regulation

43:08 – Signs your nervous system may be dysregulated

45:20 – Liz shares her trauma story

47:14 – Discovering somatic healing for the first time

49:39 – What somatic exercises actually look like

51:16 – Why gentle movement heals the nervous system

53:09 – Can you do somatic healing on your own?

54:20 – Reclaiming ownership of your body

55:50 – Healing trauma through unlearning survival patterns

57:43 – Somatics vs therapy: where should people start?

58:45 – Healing trauma you can’t consciously remember

01:02:16 – Why avoiding trauma never truly works

01:03:09 – Trauma lives in your cells & tissues

01:05:57 – Healing creates ripple effects for others

01:09:57 – Liz on joy, hobbies & learning to play again

01:12:45 – What “Ever Forward” means to Liz

01:14:24 – “When the body speaks… are we listening?”

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Episode resources:

• Save 20% on Tru Biome with code EVERFOFRWARD from Ancient and Brave
• Save 15% on organic coffee with code CHASE from Strong Coffee Company
• FREE 30-day trial of Audible audiobooks
• Watch and subscribe on YouTube
• Get Liz's new book When the Body Speaks