S2E13 - Spiritual Discernment, Esoteric Teachings & a Bigger View of Life

This episode is a little different, and in many ways, it's a foundational conversation for where this podcast is evolving.

In this episode of Catching the Octopus, I share a broader overview of the spiritual and esoteric lens that sits behind much of my work, my worldview, and many of the healing conversations I'll likely unpack more deeply in future episodes.

What starts as a conversation about not believing everything you hear evolves into a much wider discussion around:

• discernment and spiritual truth
• why not all teachings, even spiritual ones, should be taken at face value
• chakras and energy centres
• intuition and "knowingness"
• anxiety, expression, authenticity, and energetic imbalance
• emotional triggers and self-inquiry
• soul perspective, life purpose, and human experience
• afterlife, reincarnation, and soul contracts
• collective consciousness and what may be happening in the world right now

This isn't a complete deep dive into each of these topics, it's more of an umbrella episode that introduces the broader framework behind how I think about healing, growth, spirituality, and life.

If this episode resonates, there's a good chance many of these themes will be explored in more detail in future episodes.

You do not need to agree with everything shared here.
In fact, I'd rather you didn't blindly.

Take what resonates.
Question what doesn't.
And allow yourself to explore.

#spirituality #esotericteachings #discernment #chakras #intuition #consciousness #soulcontracts #energyhealing #spiritualawakening #personalgrowth

Hosted by Niomi Hurley, a human behaviour researcher and clinical hypnotherapist who integrates psychology with energy-informed healing approaches. With experience in corporate environments and individual practice, and through her work at Get Up and Grow Consulting, Niomi works with organisations and individuals to build capacity by addressing the behavioural, emotional, and subconscious factors that influence wellbeing and performance.

Niomi Hurley (Host) Contact Details:

Niomi Hurley Email

Niomi Hurley LinkedIn Profile

Get Up and Grow Consulting Website

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S2E11 – Understanding Anxiety: How Your Brain Creates Fear (And How to Break the Loop)

Anxiety can feel overwhelming, but what if it's actually your brain trying to protect you?

In this episode of the Catching the Octopus Podcast, Niomi Hurley explores how anxiety works from a psychological, physiological, and subconscious perspective. Rather than seeing anxiety as a flaw or weakness, Niomi explains how it originates from the brain's evolutionary safety mechanisms designed to protect us from danger.

The challenge is that the same survival systems that once protected humans in tribal environments can create unnecessary stress and worry in modern life.

Niomi introduces the Looping Thoughts Ladder, a practical framework used in her work with clients to demonstrate how thoughts, emotions, and behaviours reinforce each other in a cycle that can either increase anxiety or create confidence and resilience.

This episode also explores how subconscious beliefs formed in childhood can influence anxiety patterns in adulthood and how Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) and hypnosis can help rewire those patterns.

You'll learn simple tools you can apply immediately to interrupt anxious thinking, shift emotional states, and change behaviours that reinforce stress.

If you've ever struggled with anxiety, self-doubt, or negative thought loops, this episode provides a powerful perspective and practical strategies to help you regain control.

In This Episode, You'll Learn

• Why anxiety is actually a natural survival response

• How the brain's fight, flight, freeze and fawn responses influence behaviour

• The physiology of anxiety and why your body reacts the way it does

• How thoughts, emotions and behaviours form reinforcing loops

• The Looping Thoughts Ladder tool to identify and break anxiety patterns

• Why subconscious beliefs formed in childhood still affect adult behaviour

• How Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) works to shift subconscious beliefs

• Practical tools like mindfulness, music, journaling and behavioural shifts to regulate anxiety

Hosted by Niomi Hurley, a human behaviour researcher and clinical hypnotherapist who integrates psychology with energy-informed healing approaches. With experience in corporate environments and individual practice, and through her work at Get Up and Grow Consulting, Niomi works with organisations and individuals to build capacity by addressing the behavioural, emotional, and subconscious factors that influence wellbeing and performance.

Niomi Hurley (Host) Contact Details:

Niomi Hurley Email

Niomi Hurley LinkedIn Profile

Get Up and Grow Consulting Website

Get Up and Grow Consulting LinkedIn Profile

Get Up and Grow Consulting Facebook Profile

Get Up and Grow Consulting Instagram Profile