https://drbrookeweinstein.komi.io/

Brooke Weinstein, Austin, TX (2026)

01/26/2026

When you're so busy managing everyone else's feelings that you've completely lost track of your own voice.

The words you actually WANT to say stay stuck in your throat because you're terrified of disappointing someone, hurting someone, being too much, not being what they need.

Every single time you do that, you send your nervous system a message: your voice doesn't matter. Your needs don't matter. Your truth is too much. You are too much.

Your self-worth gets destroyed in tiny moments like this. In the daily choice to prioritize someone else's comfort over your own honesty. In the decision to stay quiet because speaking up feels too risky. In the fear that your actual thoughts and feelings might disappoint the people around you.

Putting yourself first means trusting that your voice deserves to be heard. That YOUR needs are valid. That you can be honest without apologizing for existing.

When you silence yourself to keep the peace, you're not being kind to others. You're teaching them your boundaries and your comfort and your inner peace is less valuable than theirs.

Your voice matters. Your truth matters. You don't need permission to say what you actually want to say.

Stop ripping your self-worth to shreds by playing small.

This episode of Thrive Like a Parent is made for the people pleasers, over achievers, the hard workers who feel like they get no credit, and those who feel like they are always stuck at the bottom of the totem pole.

Comment PODCAST and I'll send you a link to listen.

Xo, Dr. B

01/26/2026

I see this SO MUCH. Once you start working on your own regulation, something shifts in you.

You start noticing things you used to miss.

The way your partner snaps at small inconveniences. The way your friend spirals into catastrophizing. The way your family operates in constant chaos and calls it normal. The way your workplace runs on collective dysregulation and brands it as "hustle."

You can't go back to being unaware. You can't un-know what you now know.

Some people will call this growth. Some people will call you judgmental. Some people will say you've changed and NOT mean it as a compliment.

They're right. You HAVE changed.

What you used to tolerate suddenly feels intolerable. What you used to accept as "just how things are" now registers as dysfunction. Your nervous system, now that it knows what regulation feels like, refuses to pretend dysregulation is fine.

This is where it gets hard.

The more regulated you become, the smaller your tolerance for dysfunction. The clearer your boundaries need to be. The harder it becomes to stay in spaces that demand you abandon yourself to keep the peace.

This awareness is both a gift and a burden. You gain clarity. You lose comfort. You see the truth. You grieve what you used to be able to ignore.

But here's what you also gain: you get your life back. You get to build relationships based on mutual regulation instead of shared chaos. You get to choose environments that support your nervous system instead of destabilizing it.

There's no going back. Only forward.

Ready to take the first step? Comment READY and I'll DM you to see what's going on in your world.

Xo, Dr. B

01/25/2026

POV: You have to laugh otherwise you'll cry 🫠. The negative self-talk spiral is funny until you realize what's actually happening in your nervous system.

Your brain learned a long time ago that if you tear yourself apart first, at least you're in control of the narrative. If you criticize yourself before anyone else can, the blow hurts less. If you anticipate rejection by rejecting yourself, you're protected from the surprise of someone else doing it.

This is your nervous system trying to keep you safe. And it's ABSOLUTELY destroying you.

Negative self-talk happens because at some point in your life, your nervous system learned that being cruel to yourself was safer than being vulnerable to someone else's cruelty.

Maybe it was a parent who criticized everything you did. Maybe it was a relationship where love came with conditions. Maybe it was a culture that told you that you had to earn your worth through perfection. Whatever it was, your nervous system adapted. It decided that internal attack was better than external threat.

And now, years later, you're STILL doing it. You spiral into negative thoughts about yourself before anyone else has the chance. You catastrophize. You convince yourself you're not enough, not capable, not worthy, all in the name of protection.

Here's the problem though: the protection became the prison.

You cannot heal your nervous system while you're actively attacking yourself. You cannot build safety while you're the one creating the threat.

Breaking the negative self-talk spiral starts with understanding that the voice in your head tearing you apart is not the truth. The voice is a defense mechanism that outlived its usefulness.

You're allowed to stop protecting yourself from pain by inflicting it first.

If this hits home, comment TELL ME MORE and I'll DM you. I'd love to see if we can support you. 💛

Xo, Dr. B

01/24/2026

Telling someone with anxiety to "not worry about it" is like telling someone with a broken leg to "just walk it off." Anxiety doesn't live in your thoughts. Anxiety lives in your nervous system.

If you know me, you know I lead with neurology before psychology. Here's why.

Your nervous system's job is to scan for threat 24/7. When it detects danger (real or perceived) it activates a biological response designed to keep you alive. Your heart rate increases. Your breathing changes. Your muscles tense. Your brain starts running worst-case scenarios on a loop.

None of this is happening because you're choosing to worry. All of this is happening because your nervous system believes you're in danger and is trying to protect you.

You cannot think your way out of a dysregulated nervous system. You cannot positive-mindset your way out of a threat response. And you definitely cannot "just stop worrying" when your body is screaming that something is wrong.

This is not to say that therapy and psychology are not useful! I am saying that it ALL starts in your nervous system.

What actually helps anxiety? Teaching your nervous system that you're safe. YOUR specific nervous sytsem. Co-regulation. For some it may be somatic practices. For others it's breathwork or movement. Addressing YOUR actual biology instead of shaming yourself for having a normal physiological response to stress.

So the next time someone tells you to just relax, just remember: they mean well. They also have no idea how nervous systems work.

Xo, Dr. B

Also -- if you're ready to learn YOUR nervous system and how to work with your body to calm your anxiety, comment READY and I'll DM you to see how I can help 💛

01/24/2026

The first time you set a real boundary, the people around you will act like you've changed the rules of a game they were winning.

They're right. You did.

Setting boundaries doesn't FEEL empowering at first. It feels uncomfortable. Guilty. Like you're being difficult or selfish or mean. The people who benefited from your lack of boundaries will tell you exactly that.

The pushback you get when you start setting boundaries is DATA. The people who react with anger, guilt trips, or manipulation are the exact people who needed you to stay boundary-less.

That discomfort you feel when you hold your ground isn't evidence you're doing it wrong. That discomfort is your nervous system learning a new pattern after years of self-abandonment.

Real connection needs boundaries. Healthy relationships need limits. You cannot love people well from a place of depletion and resentment.

The short-term discomfort of setting boundaries is NOTHING compared to the long-term damage of never having them.

Want to get more nervous system real talk in your inbox? Comment SIGN ME UP and I'll DM you a link to join my FREE newsletter!

Xo, Dr. B

01/23/2026

You keep saying you're not ready. You keep waiting for permission or proof or some magical moment when you'll finally feel qualified enough.

Meanwhile, other people (with the same doubts, the same fears, the same imposter syndrome) are already doing the thing you're too scared to start.

The gap between where you are and where you want to be isn't talent or luck. The gap is that they decided to stop waiting for certainty and you're still negotiating with your self-worth.

You think the thing you want is unobtainable because you've convinced yourself that you're not the kind of person who gets to have it. You've built an entire narrative around why it works for them but won't work for you. Why they're qualified and you're not. Why their success makes sense and yours would be a fluke.

GUESS WHAT. The thing you want is available. The opportunity is real. The only thing standing between you and the life you're building in your head is your willingness to believe you're allowed to go after it.

Stop waiting to feel ready. Stop waiting to feel worthy. Stop waiting for someone to tell you that you're allowed to want more.

Also! If you've been thinking about expanding your work -- whether for your career, your clients, or your community -- applications for the Thrive Method certification are open now. This certification is for OTs, PTs, therapists, business leaders and community drivers and anyone else wanting to teach nervous system regulation that changes lives. . The deadline is January 30th. If this has been your dream, stop talking yourself out of it and apply. DM me for details.

The thing you want is not unobtainable. You're just scared to find out what happens when you actually go for it.

Go for it.
Xo, Dr. B

01/22/2026

First things first: you ARE capable and you are full of love. If you've had the dark thought that maybe you aren't cut out for this, that means you're human. And you're exhausted. And your nervous system is screaming.

These are the thoughts people don't say out loud. The ones that feel too shameful to admit.

The 3am spiral where you wonder if your kids would be better off with someone else. Someone who doesn't lose their temper. Someone who doesn't feel this overwhelmed by the basic requirements of keeping humans alive.

But here's the truth: those dark feelings aren't evidence that you're failing. They're evidence that you're trying to parent without understanding how your brain works. How your kids' brains work. How nervous systems respond to chronic stress and depletion.

The solution is simple. Not easy, but simple.

Learn how your brain works. Learn how your kids' brains work. Focus on your mental health and regulation so you can actually show up as the parent you want to be.

Focus on the neurology so you can build a peaceful, loving life with your family instead of just surviving it.

Understanding your nervous system changes everything. It's a game changer. A life changer. A family saver.

Xo, Dr. B

As always, I'm here to chat. Comment TELL ME MORE and I'll DM you about what's going on in your world, and how we might be able to support you.

01/22/2026

You did it again. You screamed at your kid this morning over something small. The guilt hit immediately. You promised yourself you'd never be this parent.

Here's why: your nervous system has been running on empty for weeks. Maybe months. The stress and hurt have been piling up with nowhere to go.

The anger isn't about the shoes!! It's about every single thing you've been carrying without enough support, rest, or co-regulation.

Your anger is information. And right now, the information is screaming that SOMETHING has to change.

You're a human being with a nervous system that hit capacity, and instead of getting the support you desperately need, you got more shame about losing control.
The shame will keep you stuck in this cycle. The information in your anger can actually set you free.

What if you stopped beating yourself up for the outburst and started giving yourself empathy? Do you think it may be easier to tune into your body, and be able to know when you're reaching your boiling point, so you don't go past it?

What if the rage is the most honest thing your body has said in months?

Listen to it.
Xo, Dr. B

Have you taken my free parenting burnout quiz yet? Comment QUIZ and I'll send it over.

01/21/2026

What the *actual* eff. Just when you think you've got it alllllll figured out.......

Dude wipes.

What a great reminder that parenting is a constant recalibration. You get your footing, and then biology does what biology does: it grows, it changes, it needs something completely different than it needed six months ago.

Some days I feel like I know what I'm doing. Other days I'm standing in Target Googling whether Dude Wipes are actually necessary or just peak marketing to tweens.

We are ALL figuring this out in real time. The parents who look like they have it all together are also Googling things. They're also standing in their kitchen wondering what the hell do I do.

If you feel lost today, you're in excellent company. We're all just doing our best with the information, capacity, and nervous system regulation we have in this exact moment.

And this is very much NOT a sponsored post.

Xo, Dr. B

01/20/2026

Your body needs to let OUT what it's been holding. For some people, that's movement. For others, it's verbal processing. For you? It's a 45-minute monologue about whether you should have said something different in that one meeting three days ago.

And your partner sitting there thinking, "I just wanted to watch TV" is experiencing the beautiful reality of co-regulation.

Because this is SO REAL for all of us!!

When you feel safe enough with someone, your nervous system finally exhales. It stops bracing. It processes out loud.

So yeah, sometimes you have to talk through every single thing to feel regulated. And them listening to you, and letting you get it allll out, regulates you too.

This is intimacy. This is nervous system work. This is what happens when you finally feel safe enough to stop holding it all in.

Want to understand how YOU process stress and what your nervous system actually needs? Comment TELL ME MORE and I'll DM you about what's going on in your world!

Xo, Dr. B

01/20/2026

Your nervous system isn't designed to regulate alone. You can do all the breathwork, all the meditation, all the solo healing practices you want. But your body was built to regulate through connection with other nervous systems.

Co-regulation is real. When you're around someone who's calm, regulated, and genuinely safe, your body picks up on that.

Your heart rate slows. Your breathing deepens. Your nervous system gets the message: we're okay here.

But!!! Co-DYSregulation is just as real.

When you're around someone who's anxious, reactive, or chronically activated, your body absorbs that too. You walk away from the conversation feeling drained, on edge, or like you need three hours alone just to feel like yourself again.

Your nervous system is constantly scanning the people around you for cues of safety or threat. And some people's energy consistently tells your body: DANGER

This is why "just set boundaries" doesn't always work. Your body is already responding before your brain can think through what to say.

The people you spend time with literally shape your nervous system. They either help you regulate or keep you stuck in survival mode.

So when you notice that certain relationships leave you feeling exhausted, anxious, or smaller than you were before, that's data. Your body is telling you something important.

Choose your people carefully. Protect your nervous system like it's your most valuable resource. Because it is.
You can't heal in the same environments that made you sick. And you can't regulate around people who keep you activated.

Your body knows the difference. Listen to it.

Want support building a life where your nervous system actually feels safe? Comment READY and let's talk.

Xo, Dr. B

01/19/2026

Your kids aren't resisting structure. They are craving it. They (and maybe you?) just don't know it.

And I know what you're thinking – "I can barely keep myself together, how am I supposed to be consistent with a morning routine?"

Here's what happens when you build pattern and predictability into your home:
Your child's brain stops having to work so hard to figure out what comes next. The routine becomes automatic. Autopilot.

When your child's brain isn't constantly scanning for what's coming next, when structure removes the uncertainty, they get that brain space back. To learn. To grow. To actually be a kid.
Structure equals safety. And safety equals regulation. And a regulated household is a fun one to live in!

And YES, it might be a battle at first. But when you show up consistently with that expectation, their brain learns the pattern. It becomes automatic. And then P**F like magic you're not negotiating every single morning!!!

This is how we build regulation and into our homes. Pattern by pattern. Boundary by boundary.

I go into SO MUCH MORE detail on this week's episode of Thrive Like a Parent -- comment PODCAST and I'll DM you a link!

Xo, Dr. B

Brooke Weinstein

01/26/2026

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01/25/2026

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