531 |Recovery Beyond Willpower | Liz Stanley

On this episode: Nate and Aaron reflect on their recent men’s gathering in Birmingham. Men arrived without expectation, and opened up and shared.   Nate and Aaron welcome Elizabeth Stanley for a thoughtful conversation about trauma, nervous system regulation, and emotional resilience. Drawing from her military service, academic research, and personal experience with PTSD and depression, Liz explains the “window of tolerance”—the range in which our thinking brain and survival brain can work together. She explores why chronic stress can lead to overachievement, collapse, unhealthy coping habits, and repeated patterns we struggle to understand.The conversation also examines why feeling better is not always the same as healing, how dysregulation spreads through families and organizations, and why recovery must include the body—not just intellectual insight or willpower.Liz introduces her Mindfulness Based Mind Fitness Training and shares a simple starting point: paying attention to the body’s points of contact with the chair, floor, and surrounding environment to help the nervous system recognize safety. - Book: *Widen the Window: Training Your Brain and Body to Thrive During Stress and Recover from Trauma* - Website: elisabeth-stanley.com - Online training: Mindfulness Based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT), including an on-demand course hosted through Sounds True - LinkedIn: Liz Stanley, PhD - Mailing list: Available through her website, with access to an audi         Canadian Samson Summit Sept 18-20 Oct 23-25, 2026 U.S. Samson Summit   NEW Samson Community App (Apple store) NEW Samson Community App (Google Store)   Send mail to: Pirate Monk Podcast/Samson House PO BOX 1656 Columbia, TN 38402   If you have thoughts or questions and you'd like the guys to address in upcoming episodes or suggestions for future guests, please drop a note to [piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com](mailto:piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com).     The music on this podcast is contributed by members of the Samson Society.   For more information on this ministry, please visit samsonsociety.com.  Support for the women in our lives who have been impacted by our choices is available at sarahsociety.com. The Pirate Monk Podcast is provided by Samson Society, a ministry of Samson House, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To enjoy future Pirate Monk podcasts, please consider a contribution to Samson House.