Starfish Hypnosis
Starfish Hypnosis is a podcast hosted by Liz McKean; hypnotist, coach, yoga teacher, recovery mentor, and lover of metaphors.
The name of the show is inspired by "The Starfish Story," and the belief that every precious star in the sea and sky deserves peace within (you are one of those precious stars). You can expect to hear stories and reflections about the power of your subconscious mind to feel better, alongside frequent reminders that you are not doing it wrong (any of it). Your joy, your work, your healing, and your desire for something more matters.
This is an invitation to make your world- the inner and the outer- a place you like to be.
Episodes
36 episodes
It's Ok To Be Exactly Where You Are
We're back! And coming to you live from the chaos of a recent 1400 mile move- with the insights & discoveries that accompany big life changes. Today we're talking about the kind of growth that can only come from shedding- shedding layers of...
Moving, Memories, and the Healing that happens along the way
This episode is brought to you from my floor, surrounded by boxes, as we prepare for a big move. It's hard and special and painful and beautiful to be leaving a place and people and memories that feel like home... off to another place, 1400 mil...
When you want to want to make a big change... and shame is in the way
This week I'm talking about that mental place where you’re not quite ready to change something, but you’re not okay with things staying the same either. It's an in-between space I call the "want to want," and it's what this episode is about.
Control and Freedom and Loosening the Grip
We're talking about CONTROL today. And how it relates to freedom. And how it feels to yearn for both.We're talking about drinking as a way to grasp for control, and the freedom that comes when we hold ourselves and our yearnings in a loo...
Performing "good" vs Showing up and doing the thing as you are
Welcome to season 2!!Today I'm talking about perfection - or the performance of perfection - gets in the way of all the best parts of life. That includes recovery of all kinds, a sense of joy, of freedom, and can even delay launching sea...
The sunny side of the street, and other reasons to change your mind
This episode is the finale to Season 1! What a wild thing to say! And Season 2 is going to be even better, so be sure you've subscribed!In this convo, we talk about the Italian word "attraversiamo," made famous in Eat, Pray, Love by Eliz...
Recovery, Trauma, Healing, and all that you are carrying that doesn't even belong to you.
Can you find healing without knowing what the THING is that you need to heal from? Is generational trauma real (spoiler alert, science says it is)? And how the heck do we put down what we're carrying when it doesn't even belong to us?Thi...
Simple solutions for complex, anxious humans
Today I have some tangible, tried and true tips that I hope provide some relief in your most anxiety-laden moments; and maybe even make the worse case scenarios less likely to happen. My favorite tools are the ones that work so well I eventuall...
The thing you've been taught your whole life to fear
Today's chat is inspired by a reel (which I'll link below) that struck me as a perfect metaphor for our subconscious. Your conscious mind is such a tiny part of you- it's a tiny little island while your subconscious is the whole ocean. And that...
Hypnosis as the main character, and what I miss about booze
Welcome to the newly renamed Starfish Hypnosis! Same host, same vibes, lil name shift. Because hypnosis is what I do, and subconscious stories and programming and, to be totally cliche, healing- is what we talk about here!In this meander...
The solution for rock bottom promises: The Pause
A sort-of part 2 to last week's episode, as I delve a little deeper into "the pause," which I believe is the key to getting ourselves out of the seemingly endless inner- automation that ends with us breaking promises to ourselves.I reall...
The problem with rock-bottom promises
Remember when Chandler proposed to Monica (the first time)... because he was sorry? Thank goodness she said no, right?In this episode, I'm talking about rock bottom promises, a.k.a. those changes you swear you'll make.....
Doing our best when things are SO FRIGGIN HARD
Today I come to you as my messy, sick, overwhelmed, very human, and ever-hopeful real-life self!And oh hey- I have a new Instagram page! It is barely birthed but I hope you follow along. Just look for the handle
Let the big feelings flow
We're digging into emotions- why they are good, when they are hard and how they are forever inconvenient. The wild and wide distance between a real life problem and the body’s reaction to itWhy an out-of-proportion pan...
Breaking our own rules of identity & remembering who TF you are
Holy crap we're 21 episodes in! Today I'm digging back in to the topic of identity, how cool and also frustrating that our brains make rules to keep us safe... and more things like this:identity (and how much of m...
Loving the sweet & soft AND the strong & stable
Are you sweet, soft, and flexible? Or strong, stable, and rigid? Spoiler... we're all both. We need both. Physically, emotionally, mentally, we need the sukha and the sthira. That's the focus of my convo today- hope you ...
New Year.... True You
It’s the obligatory New Year episode of Starfish Diaries! Dropping this one early in case you want to hang out with me in your ears before the ball drops. Or after. Or anytime!But we don't do the "new year, new you" nonsense up in...
Un-learning the rules on how to feel better
In this episode of Starfish Diaries, I’m talking about uniqueness; how deeply individual our bodies, minds, needs, and paths to feeling better actually are… and why honoring that matters so much.In this episode, we'll explore:<...
I'm fine, you’re fine, we're fine: Compassion for bathrobe Mondays
In this episode of Starfish Diaries, I’m getting honest about anxiety, ADHD, and the particular heaviness that tends to show up in a big way on Sundays and Mondays. Even in seasons of my life when I haven’t worked a traditional Monday ...
Hypnosis and Anxiety: rewiring old patterns to feel better, faster
Holiday Hypnosis sessions are deeply discounted until December 31st! Grab one here while they last.In today’s episode, I’m talking honestly about my experience with anxiety and panic- how it sh...
Lessons from my dog: Unshame Your Coping
Quick announcement! Holiday Hypnosis sessions are suuuuper discounted when purchased between now and December 31, 2025. They will never be this price again so grab a little slice of peace for yourself...
Crowd out the misery, not the joy.
In this episode of Starfish Diaries, I’m talking about something I think we all feel but rarely name out loud: the hard-to-ignore dread that creeps in when something in our life is out of alignment. It feels heavy in your chest, steals your joy...
Your inner button-pusher is not the enemy!
In this episode, I dive into one of my favorite topics: coping mechanisms. These are the things we do, in spite of efforts to stop, to get through the hard parts of being human. We talk about the shame that gets layered on top of our coping, wh...
Choices, Safety, and Access
I have a website at last, and one you can use to learn more about how to work with me! Check it out at LizMcKean.comToday I am talking about my three non-negotiable values: choice, safety, and access ...
Let's not play the shame game
Shame has such a sneaky way of showing up in our lives, and in this episode I talk about why I'm over it. Shame lives in the corners, in the cravings, in the habits we swear we’ll quit tomorrow. Let's dig into why shame feels so heavy… and why ...