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In this special birthday episode, Tom and Ruth explore what it really means to thrive as a whole human being. Building on their series about the fundamentals of wellness and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, they dive into the top of the hierarchy—self-actualization—and why it’s never just about “me.”

Together they unpack how homeostasis—that dynamic state of balance in body, mind, and spirit—is both personal and collective. Drawing on insights from neuroscience, somatic practice, and ecology, Tom explains how true wellness emerges when our physiological, emotional, and relational needs are met within connection—not isolation.

From the wisdom of Kurt Goldstein and Abraham Maslow to the biology of “many little lives” within us, this conversation reframes self-actualization as thriving through interconnectedness.

💫 Highlights:

• Why wellness is homeostasis—and what that looks like in everyday life
• How the me-we perspective transforms the way we pursue growth
• The hidden sixth layer of Maslow’s hierarchy—transcendence
• Practical steps for activating the body’s natural capacity to restore balance

Join Ruth and Tom as they celebrate wisdom, connection, and the lifelong journey from surviving to thriving.

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Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org
Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com

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In this episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson continue their exploration of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs through the lens of wellness and trauma-informed wholeness. Focusing on esteem, they unpack what it truly means to “appraise” value—both in ourselves and in others—and how unmet needs and trauma can distort our perception of worth and significance.

Through rich conversation and powerful metaphors—like Tom’s image of humans as uncut diamonds—they reveal how esteem isn’t about hierarchy or status, but about mutual recognition of inherent worth. Together, they examine how physiological, safety, and belonging needs act as catalysts for healthy esteem, and how unmet needs can keep us stuck in cycles of comparison, defensiveness, or exclusion.

Listeners will come away with deeper insight into:

• The roots of esteem as appraisal rather than judgment
• How trauma and unmet needs shape our ability to value ourselves and others
• The difference between worth, significance, and accomplishment
• How to move from sympathetic fight-or-flight into parasympathetic homeostasis
• Practical reflection prompts for fostering self-worth and mutual significance

Join Ruth and Tom as they guide listeners toward restoring homeostasis of esteem, a crucial step in the broader journey toward self-actualization and holistic wellness.

🎧 Listen now and rediscover your worth as an uncut diamond in a world learning to see again.

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You can follow us on
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Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website

Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org
Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com

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In this episode of the Autonomic Homeostasis Activation Podcast, hosts Tom Pals and Ruth Lorensson explore the profound connection between change, homeostasis, and wellness. They unpack why change isn’t something to resist but to embrace—because homeostasis itself is change, the constant dynamic adjustment that keeps us alive and well.

Drawing on neuroscience, Tom explains how the brain perceives change through the amygdala, either as a threat (activating the sympathetic fight-or-flight response) or as an opportunity (activating the parasympathetic rest-recover-digest state). Together, Tom and Ruth explore how our perception of change determines our experience of it—whether we spiral into anxiety and frustration or move toward growth, restoration, and resilience.

Listeners will learn the difference between wanting change and wanting to change, and how cultivating a mindset of beneficial anticipation—seeing change as life-giving—creates space for healing, adaptability, and sustainable wellness.

💡 Key Themes:

• Homeostasis as a living, dynamic process
• The neurobiology of change and emotional regulation
• How perception shapes our stress or peace response
• The power of beneficial anticipation over negative anticipation
• Why embracing change is central to true wellness

✨ “Change is not the enemy of wellness—it’s the evidence of life.”

🔗 Learn more at autonomichealing.org
or connect with Tom at innerworkings.org
.

Support the show

Thanks for listening!

You can follow us on
Facebook
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Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts
Check out the Autonomic Healing Website & InnerWorkings Website

Email Tom thomasjpals@innerworkings.org
Email Ruth ruth@bridgeandrhino.com

Support us

We appreciate you!