Between Heartbreak and Hope
Photo by Fa Barboza via Unsplash.
This week I went to see Hadestown, the musical, here in Los Angeles. I had no idea what to expect—and it moved me deeply…both the story and the way it was told.
It's a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set to this haunting New Orleans jazz soundscape. The story is, on the surface, about heartbreak and loss—but beneath that, it's about resilience. About continuing to begin again, even after the dark clouds of doubt and fear roll in.
I couldn't help but think of our world right now.
How, from one vantage point, we see deep sadness and loss—and, yet, from another, redemption and hope.
Each day can feel like a jumble of both—an endless mix of heartbreak and hope, beauty and despair.
It's easy to feel heavy and get lost in the despair. To scroll through headlines and videos that shake us to our core while still trying to meet the needs of daily life—work, family, errands, caring for loved ones, breakups, bills, and everything in between.
Most of us don't realize how deeply our nervous systems absorb the pain we witness—and how our minds do everything in their power to distract us from noticing or being with it.
That's what my dear friend—and upcoming Guest Faculty for The School for Humaning Well—Kendra Cover speaks to so beautifully in her short video on Collapse.
She describes how, even when we think we're “just watching a video,” our bodies register the suffering we see. The heart races, muscles tense, adrenaline surges. But instead of completing that stress cycle, we swipe to the next clip—distracting ourselves before the body can process what it just experienced.
Over time, that unprocessed energy builds up, and we find ourselves in states of hopelessness, fatigue, or numbness.
Kendra's invitation is to pause. To notice what's happening inside before rushing on.
To move a little. To breathe. To make sound.
To let your body finish what it started.
➤ Watch Kendra's Video Here.
I recommend watching when you have a quiet moment to be fully present with yourself.
If you're finding yourself feeling heartbroken and not sure what to do about it…or frustrated by the endless cycle of fear and confusion…
or simply wanting to experience the wisdom of your body…
I'd love for you to join Kendra and me for our next live conversation in The School for Humaning Well Guest Faculty Series:
Cultivating Safety:
Embodiment, Intimacy & the Nervous System
with Kendra Cover
Thursday, November 13, 2025
12:00–1:15 pm PT
Live on Zoom | Free to attend | Replay available
We'll explore what true safety means—not the kind we chase through control, success, or relationships, but the kind that already lives in your body. You'll learn how to use the nervous system as a resource for grounding, presence, and connection, even when the world feels uncertain.
If Dr. Amy Johnson's conversation opened the portal of Mind, Kendra's opens the portal of Body. Both lead us home.
➤ Reserve your spot for Kendra's webinar here.
Our bodies are these incredible containers of energy. And what's clear is that most of ours are filled to the brim right now.
Learning to meet that energy—to let it move rather than harden—isn't just personal healing. It's collective healing.
This is the work of humaning well.
And it's what Kendra and I will be exploring together on Nov 13th.
With loving,
Amber
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