The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

From fear and masking to steady self who I am now

56min | 12/12/2025|

81

Description

Shadow Work, Ego Death, and Finding Bliss: Facing the Dark to Find Your Light with Annie

What if the parts of you you’ve avoided are the ones holding your wisdom? In this episode, I sit down with Annie to explore the real work beneath “love and light” — and why the dark isn’t something to fear.

You’ll hear how Annie created her approach, Awakening the Seeds, after more than 10,000 sessions, and why she calls herself an “ego death doula.” We talk about grief, liminal spaces, and how nervous system regulation and shadow work support creativity, leadership, and everyday life — especially for those of us who are neurodivergent or living in survival mode.

I reveal the moments that stopped me in my tracks, and you’ll discover how Annie helps people move from masking and reactivity to calm, clear choice. Curious how to know if you’re bypassing? What integration actually looks like? Or why ideas often meet us in the dark? We get into all of it — without shying away from the hard parts.

About the Guest

Annie is a healer and creator of Awakening the Seeds. She’s led over 10,000 sessions, trained across multiple modalities, and co-founded Seeds of Bliss, a space focused on bridging light and shadow, life and death, mind and emotion.

Key Timestamps

0:22 – Annie’s early intuition and the moment everything changed
2:14 – Why therapy wasn’t her door and what opened instead
5:07 – Hitting walls with clients and creating a new modality
8:33 – Living in the liminal: life, death, grief, and growth
10:39 – The shadow side of healing (and why light alone falls short)
14:35 – Bypassing vs healing: simple signals to watch
15:51 – Ego death: letting go of identities that keep you small
19:01 – Seeds of Bliss: bridging opposites and cyclical living
39:58 – Neurodivergence, intensity, and tools that actually help
47:30 – Integration in real life: how you’ll know it’s working

If this resonates, share the episode with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe for more conversations that support neurodivergent folks, parents, educators, and caregivers. Check the show notes for Annie’s links and resources.

#Neurodiversity #ShadowWork #EgoDeath #TraumaHealing #NervousSystem

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

Reid Miles Podcasts

Two shows. One curiosity-driven mission: telling human stories that matter.

Hosted by Reid Miles, this podcast feed is home to two distinct but connected conversations.

The Neurodivergent Connection centers neurodivergent voices lived experience, late diagnosis, advocacy, creativity, and the realities of navigating a world not built for autistic minds. These episodes focus on understanding, accessibility, and belonging, grounded in honesty and real conversation rather than clinical distance.

The Curious Storyteller began as a celebration of remarkable people and the stories that shaped them. It has since evolved into deeper, reflective conversations about identity, resilience, reinvention, and the quiet moments that change us. Guests include creators, athletes, leaders, and thinkers not to be interviewed, but to be heard.

Both shows share the same foundation: unscripted conversations, emotional intelligence, and curiosity over performance. This isn’t about polished success stories or neat conclusions — it’s about connection, reflection, and telling the truth while the story is still being written.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

Reid Miles Podcasts

Two shows. One curiosity-driven mission: telling human stories that matter.

Hosted by Reid Miles, this podcast feed is home to two distinct but connected conversations.

The Neurodivergent Connection centers neurodivergent voices lived experience, late diagnosis, advocacy, creativity, and the realities of navigating a world not built for autistic minds. These episodes focus on understanding, accessibility, and belonging, grounded in honesty and real conversation rather than clinical distance.

The Curious Storyteller began as a celebration of remarkable people and the stories that shaped them. It has since evolved into deeper, reflective conversations about identity, resilience, reinvention, and the quiet moments that change us. Guests include creators, athletes, leaders, and thinkers not to be interviewed, but to be heard.

Both shows share the same foundation: unscripted conversations, emotional intelligence, and curiosity over performance. This isn’t about polished success stories or neat conclusions — it’s about connection, reflection, and telling the truth while the story is still being written.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

Shadow Work, Ego Death, and Finding Bliss: Facing the Dark to Find Your Light with Annie

What if the parts of you you’ve avoided are the ones holding your wisdom? In this episode, I sit down with Annie to explore the real work beneath “love and light” — and why the dark isn’t something to fear.

You’ll hear how Annie created her approach, Awakening the Seeds, after more than 10,000 sessions, and why she calls herself an “ego death doula.” We talk about grief, liminal spaces, and how nervous system regulation and shadow work support creativity, leadership, and everyday life — especially for those of us who are neurodivergent or living in survival mode.

I reveal the moments that stopped me in my tracks, and you’ll discover how Annie helps people move from masking and reactivity to calm, clear choice. Curious how to know if you’re bypassing? What integration actually looks like? Or why ideas often meet us in the dark? We get into all of it — without shying away from the hard parts.

About the Guest

Annie is a healer and creator of Awakening the Seeds. She’s led over 10,000 sessions, trained across multiple modalities, and co-founded Seeds of Bliss, a space focused on bridging light and shadow, life and death, mind and emotion.

Key Timestamps

0:22 – Annie’s early intuition and the moment everything changed
2:14 – Why therapy wasn’t her door and what opened instead
5:07 – Hitting walls with clients and creating a new modality
8:33 – Living in the liminal: life, death, grief, and growth
10:39 – The shadow side of healing (and why light alone falls short)
14:35 – Bypassing vs healing: simple signals to watch
15:51 – Ego death: letting go of identities that keep you small
19:01 – Seeds of Bliss: bridging opposites and cyclical living
39:58 – Neurodivergence, intensity, and tools that actually help
47:30 – Integration in real life: how you’ll know it’s working

If this resonates, share the episode with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe for more conversations that support neurodivergent folks, parents, educators, and caregivers. Check the show notes for Annie’s links and resources.

#Neurodiversity #ShadowWork #EgoDeath #TraumaHealing #NervousSystem

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

Reid Miles Podcasts

Two shows. One curiosity-driven mission: telling human stories that matter.

Hosted by Reid Miles, this podcast feed is home to two distinct but connected conversations.

The Neurodivergent Connection centers neurodivergent voices lived experience, late diagnosis, advocacy, creativity, and the realities of navigating a world not built for autistic minds. These episodes focus on understanding, accessibility, and belonging, grounded in honesty and real conversation rather than clinical distance.

The Curious Storyteller began as a celebration of remarkable people and the stories that shaped them. It has since evolved into deeper, reflective conversations about identity, resilience, reinvention, and the quiet moments that change us. Guests include creators, athletes, leaders, and thinkers not to be interviewed, but to be heard.

Both shows share the same foundation: unscripted conversations, emotional intelligence, and curiosity over performance. This isn’t about polished success stories or neat conclusions — it’s about connection, reflection, and telling the truth while the story is still being written.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About The Neurodivergent Connection / The Curious Storyteller

Reid Miles Podcasts

Two shows. One curiosity-driven mission: telling human stories that matter.

Hosted by Reid Miles, this podcast feed is home to two distinct but connected conversations.

The Neurodivergent Connection centers neurodivergent voices lived experience, late diagnosis, advocacy, creativity, and the realities of navigating a world not built for autistic minds. These episodes focus on understanding, accessibility, and belonging, grounded in honesty and real conversation rather than clinical distance.

The Curious Storyteller began as a celebration of remarkable people and the stories that shaped them. It has since evolved into deeper, reflective conversations about identity, resilience, reinvention, and the quiet moments that change us. Guests include creators, athletes, leaders, and thinkers not to be interviewed, but to be heard.

Both shows share the same foundation: unscripted conversations, emotional intelligence, and curiosity over performance. This isn’t about polished success stories or neat conclusions — it’s about connection, reflection, and telling the truth while the story is still being written.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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