You're Not the Problem: Lori Montry on Healing the Nervous System, Not Fixing Yourself

What if what you call self-sabotage is really your nervous system doing what it learned to keep you safe? In episode 272 of Joy Found Here, somatic healing practitioner Lori Montry explains why mindset and willpower alone can't create lasting change, and why the body must be part of the process. Drawing on her own journey out of high-achieving overwhelm, she introduces her Freedom Formula and makes the case that real transformation starts with safety, not discipline. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (00:12) Welcome to Joy Found Here and Introducing Lori Montry (05:12) From Harvard Law to Burnout: Lori's Early Adaptations (09:29) What Somatic Coaching Really Means (16:36) Naming Self-Sabotage in Real Life (19:11) The Adapted Self vs. The Expansive Self (25:06) Inside the Book: You're Not the Problem (28:28) Building Safety Through Small Daily Practices (38:48) The Freedom Formula: Three Phases of Change (44:00) Trusting the Body and Surrendering Control (47:28) Where to Find Lori and Get the Book Lori Montry is a somatic healing practitioner and author of You're Not the Problem: End the Overwhelm, Restore Energy, and Make Progress that Lasts. She's also the creator of the Freedom Formula, a nervous-system-based framework that helps people move out of survival mode and into lives that reflect who they are. Before this work, Lori earned her law degree from Harvard Law School and spent years in high-achievement environments that looked successful from the outside while she privately struggled with chronic stress, emotional eating, and anxiety. Her approach blends nervous system science, somatic practices, and mindset work to help people see their patterns as adaptations that once kept them safe, not personal brokenness. In this episode, Lori Montry explains why lasting change requires working with the body and nervous system, not just the mind, since old stress patterns get stored physically and outlast talk therapy or willpower alone. She introduces the "adapted self" versus the "expansive self," framing self-sabotage as a protective pattern rather than a failing, and describes building safety with these parts instead of fighting them. Lori also outlines her three-phase Freedom Formula — nervous-system safety, uncovering authentic identity, and building an aligned life — emphasizing small, consistent practices over big overhauls, and shares how her reading circle community helps readers actually integrate the book's ideas. Connect with Lori Montry:  Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube The Nervous System Self-Discovery Quiz Book: Lori Montry - You're Not the Problem Let's Connect: Website Instagram * * * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.