✨ Welcome to the very first episode of Healing Is My Hobby — where healing meets curiosity, compassion, and a little bit of play. I’m Jessica Colarco, LCSW, and I’m here to remind you that healing isn’t one-size-fits-all — it’s a journey, sometimes messy, always personal, and full of possibilities. ✨

Takeaways

• Healing is a lifelong hobby full of insight and discovery.
• Healing is messy, beautiful, and deeply human.
• Each person's healing journey looks different.
• The podcast blends evidence-based insights with personal exploration.
• Stress can spike during seasonal transitions.
• Therapy can take many forms beyond traditional talk therapy.
• Self-care experiments can be fun and enlightening.
• Mindfulness practices can help in self-awareness.
• It's important to notice and accept your feelings.
• Healing is more effective when shared with others.

Sound bites

"Healing is not one size fits all."

"Therapy is my cardio."

"Whatever I notice is okay."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Healing and Podcasting

03:06 Exploring the Journey of Healing

06:02 Self-Check-In and Mindfulness Practices

07:41 Invitation to Join the Healing Journey

08:25 NEWCHAPTER

LISTEN to explore new tools, fresh perspectives, and maybe even a little “aha” moment

Let's Connect!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healingismyhobby/

Welcome to Healing is My Hobby, the podcast where healing is allowed to be curious, cozy, and even fun. Together we'll explore stories, science, and soulful practices. Let's discover what heals you.

Hi, I'm Jessica Colarco, a licensed clinical social worker and mental health therapist who practices what I preach. Healing hasn't just been my job for over 20 years, it's become my hobby. Here's a little about me. I have my own clinical practice in Henderson, Nevada, where I specialize in supporting adults navigating anxiety-based challenges, such as generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and panic disorder.

And I've learned that healing is messy, beautiful, and deeply human. This podcast is here to share tools, stories, and personal experiments that make the journey feel lighter. So why do this? Why have a second podcast? Well, I'm the co-host and producer of the Chasing Brighter podcast. And through that experience, I discovered how much I love the podcasting world. It has been such a creative outlet,

and I devoured countless self-help books. And combining these experiences with my 20 plus years in social work has shown me that healing is a lifelong hobby, one full of insight, experimentation, and discovery. And also healing looks different for everyone. It isn't always traditional talk therapy, and it's certainly not one size fits all. It's non-linear. Sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back, and occasionally 10 steps back.

but each twist and turn is still part of the journey. So here's what you can expect. We are gonna have conversations, solo reflections, self-care experiments, tools and tips. We're gonna talk about things like anxiety, trauma, stress, self-worth, creative healing practices.

This is where clinical expertise meets personal exploration. Each episode is going to blend evidence-based mental health insights with real life healing adventures. From trying out holistic treatments to diving into transformative books, you're gonna be along this journey with me. So whether you're managing anxiety, navigating stress, or simply looking for ways to feel better, this podcast offers inspiration, information, and honest storytelling to support your healing journey.

because healing can be both meaningful and fun. I'm so excited because we are going to be exploring the ups and downs of mental health in a way that feels approachable, relatable, and even a little fun. We'll look at practical tools, personal stories, and different ways of caring for ourselves because like I said earlier, healing is not one size fits all. So here's what you're gonna expect. Each month, we're gonna pick out one theme and we're gonna spend four episodes digging into that from different angles.

For our very first topic, we're gonna be talking about stress. Seasonal transitions like moving from summer to fall can bring a spike ⁓ in stress. Our bodies start pumping out extra cortisol and suddenly even little things feel heavier than usual. So this felt like the perfect place to begin. In the first episode of each series, I'm gonna share expert insight. So I'm gonna break down the science behind the topic.

⁓ in the case of stress, right, give you tools and strategies that actually help. The second episode will shift into a segment that I am calling therapy is my cardio. So I'm gonna structure that episode like a workout will warm up, dive into strategies to manage stress during the workout, and then cool down with a takeaway practice, maybe even a journal prompt. The third episode would be more experiential. I'm gonna try an alternative approach to healing.

something like acupuncture, massage, even visiting a salt cave or spiritual healer. And then I'll share with you what that experience was like. I may also bring in books, podcasts or other resources that have helped me along the way. And finally, each month wraps up with the cheeky little segment that I'm calling, this might be a trauma response.

And in that episode, we'll take a real life stress reaction like procrastinating, snapping at your partner or avoiding emails and explore it with curiosity, humor and a little psycho education. Think of it as a fun way to connect the dots between everyday quirks and the bigger picture of how stress shows up in our life. So that's the framework four episodes one theme explored from different perspectives. My hope is that you'll not only learn new things, but also feel seen, supported and inspired.

to experiment with your own healing journey.

So I want to give you a little takeaway for today, and that is just doing a self check-in.

You can think of this as your first healing hobby experiment. So if you're driving in your car, you might want to pause now and wait till later as I guide you through this two minute check-in.

Take a moment to settle in. If you're comfortable, gently close your eyes or soften your gaze. Let your shoulders drop away from your ears. Take a slow, steady breath in through your nose and release it fully through your mouth.

Now bring your attention inward. Ask yourself.

What sensations do I notice in my body right now? Am I tense, tired, energized, comfortable?

What feelings are present? Am I calm, anxious, content, frustrated? There's no right or wrong here. Just notice.

Where is my mind? Is it racing, focused, foggy, or clear?

Take another slow breath, inhale deeply.

Exhale slowly. Offer yourself a gentle reminder. Whatever I notice is okay. This is simply where I am in this moment. If something feels heavy, imagine setting it down, even just for now. If something feels light or pleasant, breathe it in a little deeper.

As we close, place a hand on your heart or another spot that feels grounding and whisper to yourself, I am here. I am present. I am enough. When you're ready, gently open your eyes, bringing this sense of awareness with you into the rest of your day. I encourage you to

continue with this check-in and try it for the next five days and that is your new healing hobby experiment. I invite you to subscribe and join the journey, subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can check out the monthly newsletter which is called Notes from the Healing Journey. That's a companion resource. You can subscribe at healingismyhobby.com or my clinical practice website, jessicacolarcolcsw.com

And I really encourage you to share this with the friend you think might need it. Again, if this resonated with you, hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Healing is more fun and more possible when we do it together.