The Healthy Sensitive's Podcast

In this episode, I spend a few minutes updating folks on my latest passion project (The Energy Generator). It's for women who run a business and who want more energy. In our program, we talk about how there are multiple types of burnout (they come in more flavors than one). I adapted the content to speak directly to highly sensitive people. 
 
If you like the content and want to find out more, please join us for our webinar! I would love to see you. Even if you can't make it for the live presentation, you'll still get a recording of it afterward if you're interested. It's free! 
 
Join us for the webinar! (Link below) 
https://dani-dupuis.mykajabi.com/microcast-registration
 
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"The Healthy Sensitives": https://www.meetup.com/the-healthy-sensitives/ 

🎧 Intro – Why I’m Still Talking
Hi everyone. I’m Leah Burkhart, and welcome back to The Healthy Sensitive—a podcast for sensitive souls trying to live awake in a world that’s still half-asleep.
This is a space for those of us who don’t just want to get through life—we want to feel it.
We’re the kind of people who tend to live like everything is a miracle, to borrow the quote often attributed to Einstein.We notice the way light changes in a room. The shift in someone’s tone. The way our own hearts thud when something matters.And we’re not here to tune that out—we’re here to make space for it.
There’s a quote I’ve always loved by Vivian Greene:
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”
And for sensitive people, I think we’re not just dancing in the rain. We’re memorizing the smell of it, writing poetry about it, and wondering if we’re supposed to be doing it better.
That brings me to what I really wanted to share today.
🛠️ What I’m Building (and Why)
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what kind of content I want to create.There’s just so much noise out there—podcasts, Substacks, social media reels—and I’ve had moments where I’ve wondered if I should even add to the pile.
At first, I thought: maybe if I sound smart enough, I’ll be adding value. Maybe I should teach more. Prove I’m useful.But when I really sat with it, I asked a deeper question:
What has helped me most when I felt low?
Sometimes, sure—I wanted information.What vitamin could help?How do I sleep better?What’s the research say?
But more often…What I needed most was just to not feel so alone.To hear someone say, “Me too.”Not with advice. Just with presence.
That’s part of why I’ve funneled so much energy into the Meetup groups I run. I want to create a place where sensitive people can gather and just be real with each other.But I also know not everyone can join a live group.Some folks need asynchronous connection.They need the content to come to them—when they’re ready, and in a form they can take in.
So I’m building something.
It’s not done yet—it’s still in the messy, creative, patchwork phase—but I’m building a full ecosystem for sensitive people.One that includes:
Free content (like this podcast and my Substack)
A $5/month membership that gives you access to all the live Meetup groups and coaching circles
And, eventually, a space where you can take courses, engage in community discussions, and find tools tailored to how your system works
Right now, that $5/month just covers the cost of the Meetup account itself. But here's the bonus:If you join now, you’re grandfathered in at that price for life, even after the full system is live and has more features.
It’s my way of saying thank you—to the early believers.And for those of you who just want to keep listening or reading quietly in the background—that’s okay too. The podcast and Substack posts stay free.Always.
🌱 Today’s Story: “It’s Good to Be the King”
Now let me take you to the story that’s been living in my chest all week.
I’ve been thinking about my grandmother.She was a woman with sharp wit, a minimalist’s soul, and a strong pour of scotch in the evening.
She had three kids, including my dad. And she went through something that—at the time—was quietly devastating.Her husband left her… for a man.And this was not a time when that was talked about or supported. It was brave. And hard. And real.
But they navigated it with grace.
He said, “If you get a child support check, it’s because I have money. If you don’t, it’s because I don’t.”He let her keep the house. He stayed honorable.
She didn’t crumble. She figured it out.
And what I remember most is not the hardship—but the way she sat in her chair at the end of the day, a beret perched on her head, a glass of scotch in hand, and this sly, self-satisfied smile as she’d say:
“It’s good to be the king.”
It was as if, in that moment, she wasn’t waiting for anything else to fall into place.She wasn’t chasing peace. She was choosing it.
💬 What Came Up in Our Meetup
That image of her came to me during this week’s Mindfulness Monday.I led a group where we explored this prompt:
If money, time, and energy weren’t an issue—what would you choose to experience?And once we imagined it, I asked:
What is the feeling you’d be chasing in that scenario?And then:What’s one small way you might access that feeling today—without needing the whole setup?
Because sometimes, we can skip the middleman.
We don’t need the mansion to feel cozy.We don’t need the month off to feel rested.We don’t need a new identity to feel whole.
What we’re really longing for is often a sensation. A felt experience.And sometimes, we can create it with a candle. A breath. A decision. A pause.
We ended that session by writing our own permission slips:
“I hereby give myself permission to feel free.”“To feel joyful.”“To feel held.”
📚 Viktor Frankl and the Power of Meaning
It reminds me of Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.He survived Auschwitz. Lost his family. And still wrote:
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
He wasn’t being naïve.He wasn’t saying suffering doesn’t matter.He was saying meaning matters more.
And when we can frame even a hard moment in purpose—or tenderness—or beauty—that’s where real power lives.
🧡 Wrap-Up
So maybe today’s question is:What would it look like to stop waiting for the storm to pass—and dance anyway?To sip your metaphorical scotch, wear your metaphorical beret, and say:“It’s good to be the king.”
And to know that you’re not alone.
Because you’re not just listening to a coach or a health educator—you’re tapping into a community of sensitive, deeply human people who are asking the same questions and sharing the same kinds of reflections.
If that’s a community you want to join, the link’s in the show notes.And if you’re just here to listen quietly for now, welcome. You belong, too.
Until next time—be well, be curious, and give yourself the feeling… before the fix.
 
 
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Summary:
Why is it that so many highly sensitive people struggle to ask for what they want? Is it fear of rejection—or something deeper?
In this gentle, reflective episode, we explore the quieter truth: that many HSPs aren’t afraid of being told no... they’re afraid of being told yes. We walk through the hidden fears beneath desire, the right-brain wisdom that often goes unheard, and the cultural noise that drowns out intuitive knowing. Along the way, we draw from the research of Bianca Acevedo, the teachings of Martha Beck, and the soul-deep ache for both authenticity and belonging.
This episode is an invitation to return to the power of sensitivity—not as weakness, but as precision. And to remember that what you want may already be unfolding... if you’re quiet enough to notice.
We Will Walk Through:
The counterintuitive reason HSPs hold back from desire
Why asking for what you want can feel like a risk to your nervous system
Insights on right-brain processing and language barriers for intuitive people
The tension between personal power and the longing to belong
A gentle reminder that you may already be living someone's dream (it might just not be yours)
How to start (by inches) creating the life of your dreams

I'm back after almost a year!
In this episode I discuss:
- Why it is that the question "who are you?" is so important for HSP's
- Strategies for how to sneak up to the answer to this question
- Why it may be the case that the answer is not static (perhaps I am not so much a particular kind of person so much as I am a process)
- Why it is that highly sensitive people tend to struggle in this area (hint: we are so good at adapting that we sometimes don't know who we are when we aren't busy trying to achieve something or please someone)
- Where you can go if you want a deeper discussion with fellow sensitive people and/or more engagement with additional content
 
Join Our Meetup Group!
https://www.meetup.com/the-healthy-sensitives/
 
Join Our Substack Group (VERY new)
https://leahburkhart.substack.com/ 

In this episode, we cover five activities HSP's can use to befriend their sensitivity (all inspired by Elaine Aron's Highly Sensitive Person Workbook). 
Identify negative labels you have either told yourself or heard others say to you. Create a rebuttal to each one.
Leverage your sensitivity as a strength by leaning into a sensory exercise.
Identify ways in which you are a "priestly advisor" and the ways in which that serves as an asset in your work and/or in your relationships.
Challenge your internal critic by getting curious about it. 
Lean into growth mindset and the power of "yet" 
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In this episode of The Healthy Sensitive, Leah navigates the poignant journey of grief and loss, drawing from her personal experiences. Following the loss of her cherished cat Sasha, Leah offers an exploration into the process of grieving, examining the varied forms and stages of grief as described by experts like Brené Brown and David Kessler.
Delving into the profound words of Thomas More's Dark Night of the Soul, she draws a parallel between her personal growth and the transformative power of profound grief. Leah also touches on the concept of post-traumatic growth, demonstrating how sensitive individuals can positively channel their emotional reactivity during times of loss.
Emphasizing the importance of deriving meaning and purpose in the wake of a loss, Leah integrates wisdom from thinkers such as David Kessler, Cheryl Sandberg, and Thomas More. She weaves scientific findings on resilience and personal-stories into a comprehensive narrative that sheds light on our emotional response to loss.
This episode also presents an in-depth analysis of various practices aimed at easing the pain of loss, from spiritual engagement and fostering connections to creative pursuits. Leah underscores the significance of shared grief and social connections in facilitating healing.
Whether you are grappling with a personal loss or guiding someone else through theirs, this episode sparks hope, offering comfort and perspective. It illuminates the path from grief to growth, transforming the loss into a catalyst for personal evolution.
To join the Healthy Sensitive Community, Join Us Here: https://the-healthy-sensitive.mn.co/