The Science of Surrender: Rethinking Sleep and Stillness - with Maria With Hoen

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What if the most grounded version of you appears when the labels fall away? Sitting at Maria’s kitchen table—with baby clothes nearby and a cardamom bun between us—we explore how a founder, student, teacher, and mother allowed roles to loosen so something deeper could surface: steady presence in the middle of a sleep regression and a life pause.

Maria takes us back to Bolivia, where a near-death fall dissolved time and lit up a fierce love for living. The ledge that caught her body reoriented her soul. Recovery brought surgeries, trauma, and sleepless nights, but also a lifelong devotion to sleep science and nervous system regulation. We break down how rest is invited, not forced: why alpha to delta shifts matter, how the glymphatic system “washes” the brain, and why a vigilant amygdala and shaky hormones make everything feel harder. Then we get practical—micro habits that anchor under stress, a single grounding visualization, and the small daily rituals that become traits.

We also challenge the glow of the screen. Blue light is only part of the problem; your phone smuggles your whole world into bed. Learn how evening swipes steal tomorrow’s energy and why those first five minutes after waking are prime time to train your attention, not outsource it. Ten minutes of Yoga Nidra can refuel fragmented nights. And beyond the biohacking, we widen the lens: a “mass insomnia of the soul” where we skip wintering and wonder why dreams fracture. Especially for women, seasonality matters; integration is not idleness—it’s wisdom. Sometimes the bravest creative act is to stop, let the nervous system downshift, and allow the next chapter to ripen.

If you’re tired, in-between, or quietly rebuilding, this conversation offers science, story, and soft structure to support you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs rest without guilt, and leave a review telling us one small ritual you’ll try tonight.