In this episode of UpLift Women’s Wellness, trauma-informed coach Holli Howard joins Bethany Busch, CSCS and Auria Zahed, LMFT to explore the roots of the inner critic and how women can reclaim their worth after trauma.
Holli shares her personal journey from child welfare to coaching, introducing her ABL Method designed to help women move from self-doubt to empowered living.
🔍 Where the Inner Critic Comes From
Holli explains that the inner critic isn’t innate—it’s built from external messages:
• Parental criticism
• Societal pressure
• Bullying and invalidation
These messages often come from people carrying their own unhealed trauma. As children, we internalize them, leading to perfectionism, people-pleasing, and chronic self-doubt.
💡 The ABL Method: Awareness, Belief, Living
Holli’s Path to Empowerment coaching uses the ABL Method to help women reconnect with their worth:
• A for Awareness – Identify the roots of the inner critic without reliving trauma
• B for Belief – Build self-trust and recognize inherent value
• L for Living – Implement change and create a new way of being
🤝 Healing Through Collaboration
Holli’s coaching is designed for women who’ve already processed trauma through therapy and are ready to release lingering self-doubt.
Bethany and Auria share how Head 2 Toe Strength offers integrative care:
• Body by Bethany – Strength and nutrition coaching for women and LGBTQ+ adults
• Mind by Auria – Licensed therapy for stress, anxiety, and emotional clarity
Clients move between both paths with consent and clarity.
🧠 Women’s Mental Health & the Inner Critic
The episode explores how women often turn pain inward—through people-pleasing, codependency, or self-sabotage.
Auria highlights how these patterns connect to trauma responses like fight, flight, freeze, and fawn.
Holli shares her Manageer Temper course, which helps clients respond to triggers with awareness and choice.
💔 Trauma, Relationships & Boundaries
Holli discusses how trauma can shape partner choices—especially in domestic violence cycles.
She emphasizes the difference between healthy boundaries and survival boundaries, urging listeners in unsafe relationships to seek support from domestic violence providers.
🌱 Big vs. Little Traumas
Whether it’s ACEs or everyday invalidation, Holli reminds us:
All trauma matters. All healing is valid. All women deserve to be seen, heard, and supported.
This episode is for every woman who’s ever questioned her worth, silenced her voice, or carried the weight of someone else’s pain.
Tune in to UpLift Women’s Wellness and begin your journey toward strength, clarity, and emotional safety.
