Unmute with Priya: Finding Your Voice at Midlife

Why do we keep repeating the same patterns—even when we know they aren't working?
In this episode of Unmute with Priya, I sit down with Brenda Westwood, founder of Horse Sense Healing and a master equine gestaltist who partners with horses to help people uncover old stories, limiting beliefs, and unfinished pieces of their past.
Brenda shares how patterns like people pleasing, rescuing, fixing, and choosing unhealthy relationships can continue even when we understand them intellectually and why she believes deeper change involves the body.
In this episode, we talk about:
• Why we repeat patterns we thought we'd already healed
• The old stories we continue carrying in our bodies
• What horses can reveal when words aren't enough
• People pleasing, rescuing, and unhealthy relationship patterns
• Generational patterns and perfectionism
• Giving a voice to the parts of ourselves that couldn't speak
• Moving from reacting to the past to living in the present
As Brenda reminds us: You are not your story.
Your past may be part of you, but it doesn't have to keep running your life.
Connect with Brenda Westwood
Website: HorseSenseHealing.com
Email: Brenda@HorseSenseHealing.com

What happens when you're told everything looks normal, but you know something doesn't feel right?
In this episode of Unmute with Priya, I sit down with Dr. Julie Tran-Olive, naturopathic doctor, licensed acupuncturist, and founder of Silicon Valley Natural Health, for a candid conversation about body image, cultural expectations, and learning to advocate for your own health.
Growing up in a Vietnamese family, Julie faced criticism about her weight and pressure to fit a certain mold. Rather than allowing those expectations to define her, she chose to create her own path and today, she brings that same independent spirit to the way she practices medicine.
We talk about why health is so much more than a number on a scale, what it means to look at the whole person instead of just their symptoms, and why women need to feel comfortable speaking openly about their bodies.
In this episode, we discuss:
Breaking free from cultural expectations and body image criticism
Why feeling healthy matters more than looking a certain way
What to do when your lab results are normal but you still feel off
The importance of finding a healthcare practitioner who listens
Weight stigma and the conversations surrounding GLP-1 medications
Changing the shame and silence around menstruation and women's health
Learning to trust your body and become your own health advocate
Julie reminds us that advocating for ourselves isn't just about speaking up in relationships or careers. It's also about asking questions, trusting what we're experiencing, and taking an active role in our own well-being.  Your body deserves to be heard. And so do you.

Connect with Dr. Julie Tran-Olive
Website: https://svnaturalhealth.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/svnaturalhealth/

What happens when you grow up feeling like you don’t quite fit in?

In this Unmute with Priya Live, I’m joined by Dr. PJ Sedillo, professor and chair of Special/Gifted Education at New Mexico Highlands University, whose work explores giftedness, LGBTQ+ identity, risk, resilience, belonging, and mental health. PJ also spent more than two decades in leadership with Albuquerque Pride and has been a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ communities. We’ll talk about what it means to be different in environments that often reward fitting in, why belonging matters so deeply, the particular challenges faced by gifted and LGBTQ+ young people, and how the things that once made us feel like outsiders can become an important part of who we are.

This is a conversation about identity, acceptance, resilience, and ultimately, learning to embrace being different.

What if your birth chart isn’t here to tell you who you are, but to help you understand yourself more deeply?

Join me LIVE on Unmute with Priya with  @bigeastrology  and Allana Taylor- a real conversation about astrology, birth charts, timing, purpose, relationships, free will, and the patterns that may be written in the stars. We’re getting into what your chart can reveal about the way you move through the world, why certain seasons of life can feel so intense, and how astrology can be used as a tool for self awareness without giving away your power or letting someone else tell you how to live your life.

Bring your questions and join us live because this is going to be a conversation, not a lecture. Can your birth chart help you understand the life you’re here to live? Let’s find out together.

Grab Stars, Signs, and Rhyme Lines Workbook and Card deck here: https://bigeastrology.com/

Connect with Eric: eric@bigeastrology.com

By 40, Jeff Rasley had achieved what many people spend their lives chasing: a successful career, financial freedom, a loving marriage, and a family.  So why did he keep asking himself, “Is this all there is?”  The answer eventually took him halfway around the world.
In this episode of Unmute with Priya, I talk with Jeff Rasley, author, adventurer, and founder of the Basa Village Foundation, about the unexpected journey that began when his wife encouraged him to trek to Everest Base Camp.
What started as a way to reconnect with his adventurous spirit became something much bigger. His experiences in the Himalayas challenged his understanding of happiness, spirituality, success, and what it means to live a meaningful life.
We talk about:
Why having everything doesn't always mean feeling fulfilled
The pressure men face to appear strong and hide their struggles
How one trip to Nepal changed Jeff's direction in life
Finding purpose through service without creating dependency
Recognizing when the path you're on has become a rut
Jeff's story is a reminder that you don't have to abandon everything you've built to discover something more meaningful.  Sometimes, you just need to find a different path.
Connect with Jeff Rasley
Personal website, books, and adventures: https://www.jeffreyrasley.com
Basa Village Foundation: https://www.basa.org
Book: You Have to Get Lost Before You Can Be Found