362: How to Help Your Loved One With Anxiety and Trauma

How to Help Your Loved One With Anxiety and Trauma

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

Loving someone who lives with anxiety and trauma can feel heartbreaking and helpless, especially when you can see how much they are struggling but don’t know how to fix it. In this episode, Megan Hillica speaks to spouses, family members, and friends who are supporting someone with severe anxiety. She explains what’s happening in the brain during triggers and panic, why these reactions feel truly dangerous to the person experiencing them, and why trauma responses are not a choice or a weakness.

Megan also shares how anxiety can slowly shrink a person’s world as more situations begin to feel unsafe, affecting marriages, parenting, and everyday life. She discusses why phrases like “just don’t worry” often make things worse, and how understanding and compassion can help your loved one feel safer and less alone. By reframing anxiety as a nervous-system response rather than a personal failure, she offers a more hopeful and supportive way to look at the struggle.

Finally, Megan addresses the reality that healing cannot be forced—it must be chosen by the person experiencing anxiety. She offers guidance on opening honest, loving conversations, sharing how the situation affects you without blame, and gently encouraging the possibility of healing. This episode reminds listeners that while you can’t do the work for someone else, your empathy, patience, and support truly matter—and that life does not have to remain this hard forever.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

361: Pushing Yourself Outside Your Comfort Zone

Pushing Yourself Outside Your Comfort Zone

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

Megan shares a personal story about doing something that truly scared her: getting back on a snowboard after more than a decade. After nine pregnancies and years away from the slopes, she found herself frozen at the top of the hill, overwhelmed by fear of getting hurt and not being able to care for her family. But she went anyway. And in doing so, she discovered a powerful reminder about how fear shrinks our lives when we let it, and how courage—especially in small moments—can expand our world again.

Megan explains how our brains are wired to seek comfort and avoid discomfort, but how that instinct can quietly trap us in smaller and smaller boundaries. Whether it’s avoiding activities, conversations, driving, or even letting our kids face their own fears, staying “comfortable” can actually increase anxiety over time. Through stories from her own life, her coaching clients, and her son, she shows how stepping into discomfort teaches the brain that we are safe and capable.

This episode is a heartfelt encouragement to gently push against fear, choose bravery on purpose, and reclaim the parts of life anxiety tries to take away. Megan also shares a free resource to help listeners understand where their triggers come from and how to begin healing. If you’ve been feeling boxed in by fear or overwhelm, this conversation will remind you that growth, peace, and confidence are still within reach—one uncomfortable step at a time.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

360: Where Your Trigger Comes From

Where Your Trigger Comes From

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

Megan breaks down why triggers feel so intense—and why they’re not random. If you’ve ever felt blindsided by panic, anxiety, or fear that seems to come out of nowhere, Megan explains what’s actually happening in your subconscious mind and why your body reacts as if your life is in danger, even when you’re safe.

Megan walks listeners through how triggers are formed from past experiences that get stored as “danger” in the subconscious. These memory files carry emotional charge, and when something in your present resembles that past experience, your nervous system sounds the alarm. This is why coping strategies alone often leave women stuck in a cycle of calming down after triggers instead of truly healing them.

You’ll hear a powerful client example that shows how clearing emotional charge from past memories can completely remove triggers—without force, distraction, or white-knuckling through fear. Megan also shares how true healing happens when the subconscious mind is updated, allowing you to live freely again. If you’re ready to stop fighting your mind and start living your life, this episode offers both hope and a clear path forward.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

359: Make 2026 Your Best Year Yet

Make 2026 Your Best Year Yet

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

As we step into a brand-new year, Megan reflects on the heaviness many moms felt in 2025—even without a single defining event. In this episode, she invites you to approach 2026 differently: not by carrying the past forward, but by intentionally resetting, clearing, and creating space for peace, energy, and joy. This is a conversation about giving yourself permission to start fresh, with clarity and purpose.

Megan shares her personal new-year reset process, including reflecting on wins and lessons across five key areas: business, finances, marriage, family, and personal growth. She explains how writing goals down—paired with intention and action—creates momentum over time. One of her favorite practices is choosing a word for the year, a grounding anchor that helps navigate both the highs and the hard moments.

The heart of this episode dives into how unresolved emotional memories and past experiences quietly control our present—fueling anxiety, panic, and triggers that seem to come “out of nowhere.” Megan explains how these emotional charges get stored in the nervous system and why simply “painting over” the past doesn’t work. If you want 2026 to truly be different, this episode will show you why clearing those charges is essential—and how you can begin that process in her free live class.

Ready to finally break free from anxiety instead of just managing it? 💛 This live class on January 6th will help you understand why your body keeps reacting the way it does—and how to gently retrain your nervous system so you can feel calm, safe, and in control again. If you’re tired of coping strategies that only work temporarily and want real, lasting relief, this class is for you. Save your spot and register today by clicking here.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

358: Gratitude on Christmas

Gratitude on Christmas

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this special Christmas Day episode of The Joyful Mom Podcast, Megan offers a gentle pause in the middle of a busy and often overwhelming season. Instead of education or information, this episode is an invitation to simply be. Megan speaks to the mom who has done so much for her family, who may be feeling stretched thin, and who needs a moment of calm, care, and presence.

This episode features a guided gratitude meditation designed to help you reconnect with your body, slow your breathing, and gently practice gratitude—even if it feels difficult to access right now. Megan reminds listeners that gratitude is a practice, like a muscle that strengthens over time, and that it’s okay if it doesn’t come easily. Through mindful breathing, body awareness, and gentle reflection, you’re guided to notice how gratitude feels in your body without forcing or fixing anything.

As the episode closes, Megan invites listeners to reflect through journaling and shares an upcoming free live class in January focused on healing anxiety and health triggers. This episode is a quiet gift—a reminder that even in the busiest seasons, you are allowed to pause, soften, and care for yourself.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

357: Why Every Stressed Mom Needs to Paint (Even If You Think You Can't)

Why Every Stressed Mom Needs to Paint (Even If You Think You Can't)

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this heartfelt episode of The Joyful Mom Podcast, Megan sits down with artist and teacher Marcella to explore the powerful role creativity plays in healing, identity, and everyday life. Marcella shares her journey into art, how she grew into confidently calling herself an artist, and why painting landscapes and florals has become her way of helping people slow down and notice the beauty that already exists around them.

Marcela opens up about her early life in Argentina, her transition from ESL teacher to full-time artist, and the unexpected path that led her to Canada — including the serendipitous moment she met her husband while traveling. Through stories of travel, motherhood, and creativity, she reminds listeners that becoming an artist isn’t about talent or perfection, but about showing up, practicing, and allowing yourself to grow over time.

The conversation takes a deeply emotional turn as Marcella shares how art became a lifeline during one of the most difficult seasons of her life — when her teenage son faced a life-threatening medical crisis. From painting to Zentangling in the hospital, she explains how creativity helped calm her nervous system, process fear, and return to a sense of peace. This episode is an invitation for moms to reclaim creativity not for productivity or outcome, but as nourishment for the soul.

If this conversation stirred something in you — whether a desire to paint, to slow down, or to reclaim something just for yourself — Marcela has a beautiful invitation for you. Her upcoming Painting Challenge is a simple, supportive way to start painting consistently and experience the joy of creating again. You can also follow her on Instagram for daily inspiration, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and reminders that creativity is for everyone.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

356: How to Stay Calm When Your Kids Have Big Emotions

How to Stay Calm When Your Kids Have Big Emotions

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this episode of the Joyful Mom Podcast, Megan opens up about the real-life challenges of recording while raising kids—especially when big emotions are running high in the home. She shares honestly about being in the thick of a tough phase with one of her children and reflects on the reality that parenting often comes in waves, with each child needing different levels of emotional energy and support at different times.

Instead of focusing on how to calm your child, Megan shifts the conversation to something even more powerful: learning how to regulate yourself first. She explains how your own stress, anxiety, and mental overwhelm directly affect your capacity to handle your children’s big emotions. When your brain is already full—worrying, spinning, or overstimulated—it becomes much harder to stay grounded. She talks about the importance of clearing stress from your mind, not your life, so you have the emotional bandwidth to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting from overwhelm.

Megan also offers simple, actionable tools for staying calm in the moment—like box breathing, grounding techniques, stepping away to reset, and her favorite “inhale… exhale… release” practice. She closes with a compassionate reminder that if you're listening, you’re a good mom who’s trying, learning, and doing the work. You’re not alone in the hard moments, and it’s absolutely possible to become the calm, grounded adult your child needs—even in the chaos.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.

355: The 10 Worst Decisions I've Made

355: The 10 Worst Decisions I've Made

Welcome to the Joyful Mom Podcast!

In this episode, Megan reflects on the ten biggest mistakes she’s made throughout her life — from money decisions like not investing sooner and not knowing how to manage finances, to choices around selling their home and quitting businesses too early. She highlights how each of these moments, even the painful ones, have become teachers that shaped her growth and clarity today.

She also opens up about deeper emotional and personal struggles, including cutting people out instead of having hard conversations, misunderstanding anxiety as something she just had to live with, and not knowing how to process emotions in her early years of motherhood. Through the loss of her daughter Aria, she learned powerful lessons about responsibility, guilt, emotional regulation, and how healing often comes through allowing emotions to be felt instead of avoided.

Megan ends by sharing how fear held her back in business and how the pressure to be a “perfect mom” shaped her parenting more than she realized. Today, she focuses on learning, grace, and showing up imperfectly—while teaching her kids through connection, not constant correction. This episode invites listeners to reflect on their own mistakes with compassion and use them as a path toward growth, healing, and doing life a little differently moving forward.

If you want to learn more about how you can clear anxiety more automatically by rewiring how the mind is working and processing things, go to my website www.meganhillukka.com where you can click on a link to register for my free training, where I will show you what you need in order to do this.