Life Happens with Barb & Michelle

254 - Devi Brown On The Healing Advice That's Actually Keeping You Broken

Life Happens with Barb & Michelle

Show Notes

You've read the books. You've tried the meditation. You've done the journaling, the breathwork, the therapy. So why do you still feel stuck? In this episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, master well-being educator Devi Brown joins the conversation for one of the most honest discussions about healing we've ever had. Devi spent years teaching wellness to athletes, executives, and thousands of students through her Deeply Well podcast and her work at Chopra Global. Then her own life fell apart... and she discovered that everything she'd been teaching wasn't enough to save her. What she built from that breaking point became her book Living in Wisdom... a completely different approach to healing that doesn't start with fixing yourself. It starts with being brave enough to actually meet yourself. This conversation goes beyond surface-level wellness and into the real, messy, uncomfortable process of becoming whole. In this episode, you'll learn: - Why "doing the work" can still leave you stuck... and what's actually missing - The difference between surface-level wellness and true well-being - What "Complex Lived Experience" means and why it changes how you think about your pain - Why Devi's 8-step healing process starts with grief, not gratitude - What it looks like to live in wisdom on an ordinary Tuesday... not just during a retreat If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right and still not feeling better... this episode is going to change how you think about the entire journey. Devi's book Living in Wisdom is available now in paperback (as of TODAY).

📍0:00 Introduction & Wellness Industry Overview 1:11 Welcoming Devi Brown 2:11 Healer Burnout & Passing the Torch 10:17 Creators, Art & Living for the Work 17:31 Music, Consciousness & Cultural Roots 18:13 Bridging Generations & Staying Curious 26:10 Navigating Uncertainty & The Shift from Hope to Faith 33:36 Freedom After Divorce 39:20 Surface Wellness vs. Real Healing 40:47 The Wellness Industrial Complex 59:38 Truth Telling & The Personal Healing Path 1:05:38 Closing Reflections & Where to Find Devi

Connect: @DeviBrown @DeeplyWellPodcast Read: "Living in Wisdom" DeviBrown.com Now Available! Substack: https://substack.com/@devibrown

The Deeply Well Podcast is available on: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3n5hEIV… Youtube: @devibrownwell-being

Our Sponsors: * Check out Time4Learning: https://www.time4learning.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More from Life Happens with Barb & Michelle

Oct 20, 2026

“It’s not about you needing to be fixed. It’s about you needing to understand that you already are worthy.” - Barb Self-love, toxic relationships, and feeling overwhelmed: these are just a few of the topics in this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, where the mother-daughter duo are back with one of their favorite formats, a Q&A from their community. Barb shares how she gets through difficult family gatherings, from volunteering for the grocery run to taking the grandkids out for ice cream. Michelle reflects on Scott Peck’s line that life is difficult, and how once you accept that, it can take the edge off when someone rubs you the wrong way. They then get into how to build self-love and how to keep it even when it feels like life is knocking you down.

Oct 13, 2026

"I'm okay with people having their opinions … but I'm not okay with them saying it's the only way." – Barb

Oct 6, 2026

"People are walking around asking, 'Is it okay if I'm just me?'" – Cory Allen

Sep 29, 2026

In today’s episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, Barb and Michelle are joined by writer, speaker, and advocate Libby Ward, author of Honest Motherhood: On Losing My Mind and Finding Myself. In a deeply moving and vulnerable conversation, we talk about the realities of modern motherhood, including the mental load, overwhelm, the pressure to do it all, and what it takes to let go of perfection. Together, Libby, Barb, and Michelle explore the hidden roots of rage, overstimulation, and people-pleasing, unpacking how childhood trauma and hypervigilance make setting simple boundaries feel like a matter of life or death. Libby shares her candid "Granola Bar" story, a pivotal moment of maternal rage that forces her to confront her limits and explains why genuine repair and self-compassion are the true keys to breaking generational cycles. From validating our children's experiences to unlearning the myth of the "perfect mother," this episode offers an honest, hopeful blueprint for reconnecting with your authentic self.

Sep 22, 2026

On this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, Barb and Michelle are joined by Kelly Rizzo, host of the podcast Comfort Food and widow of beloved comedian Bob Saget. In this vulnerable conversation about grief and loss, Kelly shares the deep love she had for Bob, the heartbreak that followed his death in 2022, and how she continues to manage her relationship with grief and the trauma she experienced processing such a loss in the public eye. Kelly also shares her personal experience of finding love again after loss, how she knew she was ready to date again, and also talks of her personal experience of choosing to live child-free. We felt such a beautiful connection with Kelly in this episode and we hope you love it as much as we do! Episode Highlights: Grief after sudden loss while grieving in the public eye The trauma of grief, PTSD, and the blessing of sharing your story to help others Finding love again and the importance of not settling in relationships Choosing a child-free life and breaking free from societal expectations

See all episodes →