What If Your Body Knows First

Come and listen to our Host, Candace Gish, as she chats with inspiring guest Cindy Hyde for our "Victory Over Fear" Podcast Mini-Series.

This powerful series explores what it truly means to move forward despite uncertainty, self-doubt, and life's challenges. Through authentic conversations, personal stories, and practical wisdom, we uncover how courage is built one step at a time. Fear may be loud, but it doesn't have to have the final say.

Together, we'll discover how healing, faith, resilience, and action can help us overcome the barriers that keep us stuck. Whether you're facing a major life transition, stepping into a new opportunity, or simply learning to trust yourself again, these conversations will encourage you to embrace bravery and move confidently toward your purpose.

Join us as we celebrate the strength found in vulnerability, the growth that comes from taking risks, and the victories that happen when we choose courage over fear.

51-year-old Cindy deeply knows that real happiness and longevity come from listening to the body’s wisdom. After an impressive 27 years in leadership positions serving as a Director within a major Financial Institution she bravely chose to step away from chronic illness and burnout. The message
became undeniable when she temporarily lost her vision in one eye and her voice for multiple years.

“For too long I stayed in spaces that dimmed my light – relationships, environments, and a career misaligned with who I was becoming” Cindy explains Healing began when I cleared my space, moved my body daily and worked with a Somatic Practitioner.

Today Cindy has come full circle, showcasing the physical and emotional transformation that can come with a perfectly curated fitness plan and the support of friends and family including her two boys who she loves to move with daily. Because her healthy history has a reverence for the power of rest,
and above all listening to her body. As she says, strength comes from alignment.

In December of 2025, Cindy launched her own business, Soul State Wellness Inc. Emerging from her own healing journey she now walks a new path with steadiness and capacity bodied by a regulated nervous system and a renewed sense of purpose. Through her work she hopes to inspire others to discover that same harmony within themselves.

My advice to others is to learn about your own Nervous System, she recommends. It’s the foundation for true health and deep healing. When body mind and spirit are aligned, strength becomes soft steady and deeply sustainable from the inside out.

www.instagram.com/soulstatewellness/

https://www.soulstatewellness.com/

We talk with somatic coach Cindy Hyde about what it looks like to choose health over chronic performing, and how fear can be present without running the show. Cindy shares how nervous system awareness, body tracking, and a full body yes can guide decisions, healing, and major life change.

• shifting from corporate achievement to wellness after chronic stress and illness
• noticing how “doing it all” impacts health, marriage, and presence
• boundaries, white space, and the guilt that shows up with change
• a vision loss scare as a wake-up call to realign with values
• what somatic coaching is and how it differs from traditional coaching
• a real-world example of body memory and trauma activation
• nervous system literacy, fatigue risk management, and building capacity
• vagus nerve support through holistic facial work and deep relaxation
• upcoming retreat experiences focused on safety, release, and regulation

For more Divas That Care Network Episodes visit www.divasthatcare.com

Transcript

Welcome To Divas That Care

SPEAKER_01 0:00

It's Divas that Care Radio. Stories, strategies, and ideas to inspire positive change. Welcome to Divas That Care, a network of women committed to making our world a better place for everyone. This is a global movement for women, by women engaged in a collaborative effort to create a better world for future generations. To find out more about the movement, visit divashatcare.com after the show. Right now, though, stay tuned for another jolt of inspiration.

SPEAKER_03 0:31

Well, hello everyone, and welcome back to the Divas That Care. My name is Candice Gish. If this is your very first time tuning in to us, a huge welcome. We have been doing this now for 16 years. We are listened to in over 34 countries around the world. And it's honestly because of all of our amazing guests, our tribe, just everybody that's been a part of this amazing journey that we have been a part of.

Introducing Victory Over Fear Series

SPEAKER_03 0:52

I'm going to be working on a brand new mini-series this month. It's going to be called Victory Over Fear. I'm excited because we're going to be introducing a new diva. Her name is Cindy Hyde, and she's going to be joining this powerful series, which will explore what it truly means to move forward despite uncertainty, self-doubt, and life's challenges. Through authentic conversations, personal stories, and practical wisdom, we'll uncover how courage is built one step at a time. Fear may be allowed, but it doesn't have to have the final say. So welcome to the show, Cindy. Thank you, Candace. I'm super excited to be here. Oh

Cindy Hyde’s Career Pivot Story

SPEAKER_03 1:30

my gosh. I'm very excited to be chatting with you today. Cindy, before we kind of dive into some questions here, would you mind introducing yourself to our listeners today? Sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Where do I start, Candace? Because because who I am has has changed for you know exactly the reason you're hosting this podcast, Victory Over Fear. My background is uh 27 years in corporate uh for a major financial institution in Canada. And um through chronic illness, I I just learned and discovered that my health was more important. And so I made a huge career change and went into the wellness space, became a somatic coach slash practitioner, and um launched my own business. And that's the business side. And then on the personal side, I am a mom of two incredible young men, uh, Bo and Luke. And nope, there's no there's no Daisy and no Dukes of Hazards. Um, but they are certainly a big part of my world uh and a lot of the decisions I I make right now in my life. So there's a little bit about my my professional side and my personal side.

SPEAKER_03 2:52

I love that. And I love that you mentioned your sons too. I I started the podcast because I'm a mother of four daughters, and I always thought it was really important to have amazing women like yourself speak to them in order. So that's why I have these recordings so that they can dive back into that over the years and you know, listen to people that are going to inspire them, like yourself.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

Oh, thank you for that. Because you know, they were outside of the illness, they were a big part of why I made the change. They they started noticing, you know, I was missing meals, I was working 15, 16, 17 hour days, wasn't present in in conversations. And, you know, their honesty, which is certainly a core value within the three of us, um, it it was it was their noticing that was kind of the wake-up call, um, that I wasn't setting a very good example of what living really was.

SPEAKER_03 3:50

I love that. I I really respect how you said that. Tell me this, because I'm finding a lot of women that are coming on the program right now are going through these amazing transformations, these amazing journeys of healing. I think that when we first started and we finished college and university, we were expected to dive into a workforce. But I think as women, we were trying to balance everything and it wasn't working, and it it really started to affect our health. Is that something that

The Hidden Cost Of Doing It All

SPEAKER_03 4:20

you really noticed too?

SPEAKER_02 4:22

Uh yeah. And uh I would say there's two things there. I would say my desire to become a business professional, you know, and really make a name for myself in the corporate world. It had an impact on my marriage too. So I think there's that side of it. And then the other piece that you just mentioned was definitely doing more and being more does have a consequence, right? Whether it's relationships, whether it's health, whether it's presence, all of it contributes to our overall well-being. And that shift, I the same as you, I'm I'm seeing that shift in women where it's like when we are trying to do it all, be a good, be a good career person, be a good partner, be a good friend, mother, community partner, um, it's becoming increasingly difficult to do all of it and do all of it well.

SPEAKER_03 5:27

I'm I'm hearing you with open ears because I feel that so much within my heart and my soul that I was the person that had to do it all. And I forgot about myself. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

And even if I can add to that, I think when we become reflective after there's been a major life event, there are some very similar patterns amongst us when we become reflective, whether it's poor boundaries, right? Like I didn't know how to say no to a phone call at 9:30 p.m. at night. I didn't know how to have a slow morning routine. And that starts right out of the gate once you have children. Like there isn't such a thing as a slow morning routine, and we just carry that throughout our life to you know, not carving out, I call it white space, enough white space to be in nature, to knit, to do whatever those creative activities are. We just stay in the doing. And in staying in the doing, like we live lose perspective on all of those things that contribute to overall well-being.

Boundaries White Space And Self-Compassion

SPEAKER_03 6:40

Do you think women need permission to look after themselves?

SPEAKER_02 6:45

Oh wow, that's a good question. That's a good question. I think permission is an interesting word. Um it's it's that and or enough self-compassion and grace to know it's necessary.

SPEAKER_03 7:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 7:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:11

I think we forget, don't we?

SPEAKER_02 7:13

We do, we do, and and unintentionally, I think it's these micro shifts that happened over time that continue to be layered that give us the end result where we all then get to this place where like, wait, what are we doing? What am I doing? I I need to change something. But then, but then comes the guilt, right? I want to change something, but like, how?

SPEAKER_03 7:43

How we live in a society now that doesn't want to age, but to be honest, the best thing that ever happened to me was aging and feeling that I'm now relaxed and I'm becoming more comfortable within my own skin and allowing myself for me, it's giving myself permission just to be me and to find what is important to me.

SPEAKER_02 8:08

Yeah. So I I love hearing you say that, and I I'm curious, just because of the line of work that I do, most most of the individuals that I work with, there was some life event that helped the trajectory of that knowing that you just defined or described. So I'm curious for you, was it like that just evolved over time for yourself, or was there, and you don't have to name it, but like, was there something that supported or helped you to get to that place?

SPEAKER_03 8:42

You know what? I'll be honest, I'll say no to that. I think it's the years of being self-employed, the years of being, you know, a homeschool mom, uh, years of just being that person that did these podcasts and wrote books and doing that and listening to others and internalizing it and realizing, you know what? It's okay. It's okay to let go. It's okay to have those days that nothing's going right. And it's okay to be sad, it's okay to be excited. It's it's really giving myself permission. And it's because of all of you amazing women that have been on this podcast that I was like, okay, I get it now. Because

The Health Crisis That Forced A Pause

SPEAKER_03 9:20

I always thought that I needed to be number one in the fact that I had to do everything all the time and be there for every one of my children, be there for my husband, be there for just life.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

It's why you are a diva, then it's why you are a diva. Well, I find it interesting because I would say my journey was the opposite. I was so busy performing, right? Performing, achieving, I was getting the awards, I was getting the trips through work. Um, I was getting the recognition externally. And when I I ended up, I don't know if I told you this, but I ended up with a cornea eye ulcer in my left eye where I lost my vision. And I was down and out being seen by like five different specialists, and we couldn't figure out why I was, I had developed this cornea eye ulcer on my left eye. And it was during that time where I was forced to pause, and people in my my community and my world that I had that I would say had taken a back seat because I was always on and always working. When they started coming around again, I I look at that ILCR as a blessing. And that was the first one because I recognized how far away from my values I had become through chronic performing and chronic doing. And so that was the first ILC, and then eight months later I went back to work and I got the second one. And I was like, okay, God, universe, spirit, whatever you want to name it, um, I do hear you. I do hear you. Um, I was not seeing life clearly, and that is a very interesting parallel, but I believe it to be true. For me, it took something happening for me to recognize the disconnect with my inner world. That sounds like you had a very connected inner world. Um, I don't believe I did until that life event, which is why I kind of I was curious, right? Like, and I think for everyone it's a little bit different. Some it's just that self-realization, and others there is a major life event that like forces you to literally see it differently and no pun intended there.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

No, but and and that's exactly what I hear all the time, too, is exactly what you're saying is that something has either triggered it or and it's just it's amazing.

What Somatic Coaching Really Means

SPEAKER_03 11:56

I absolutely find it so fascinating how a person's journey and where it will lead them. And and now you're really helping others through this.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

Yeah, yeah. Well, and and part of part of that came out of you know, my own, my own journey. And when I recognized how disconnected I had become from my body, I was unable to name a sensation. And I know that might might sound like really far out there, but it's true. Like I remember being asked, like, what do you what do you notice in your body? And I was like, what do you mean? What do I notice in my body? And they're like, Well, when you say that, like, do you have pressure on your chest? Do you have tingling sensations? And I'm like, I feel nothing. And they're like, What do you mean you feel nothing? And and I can laugh at it now, but in the moment, I was like, this is like a foreign concept to me that you can name things in your body just from words you speak or this felt sense that you talk about. And through through my own experience of learning how to reconnect to the body, I now only make decisions from what the body signals. And that is a big part of the work that I'm doing with individuals is whether it's been trauma, grief, loss, um, burnout, helping them to reconnect to their body so that they can have choice, have choice in the things that they're doing in their own life, and then also how they're showing up.

SPEAKER_03 13:31

Right. I love that. And people are grounded. I like when I'm reading your website too, it's like your body-oriented coaching, you're helping people feel grounded. And it's, I think, is that different for every person?

SPEAKER_02 13:46

It it is. There, there are some, like if I were to say to you, um, or if you were to ask me what's the difference between a somatic practitioner or somatic practitioner that does coaching and traditional coaching, there are a couple main differences. Like we definitely focus on the body wisdom versus a cognitive or a logical mind. And then the other big difference is we respect the client's nervous system and their readiness for change. And and how we do that is we work towards creating a strong foundation of safety in the container between the client and myself. And once we see that safety start to stabilize, we would then introduce new behaviors and beliefs. Where traditional coaching, um, how would I word this? I would say it offers more of a linear structured process where out of the gate you assume readiness for that individual to act. Neither is, in my opinion, neither is better. They just serve a different purpose. Regular coaching is like top-down. And this is more embodied coaching where you're you're following the lead of your body. So it's embodied transformation, is is how I would say, you know, more around the felt and experiential versus uh conceptual, right? Because a client's going to notice microtensions, a shift in their posture over time. Some come and can't name that right out of the gate, um, but they become very in tune with any physiological cue. And then they use those cues. Yes,

A Client Example Of Body Memory

SPEAKER_02 15:36

ma'am.

SPEAKER_03 15:36

Could you give an example for maybe some of our listeners that might not understand what you're talking about?

SPEAKER_02 15:42

Yeah, like an example of a client experience or someone that I'm working with currently.

SPEAKER_03 15:47

Yeah. Um, experience, like how if a person is going to be meeting with you on a one-on-one coaching session, what is it that they're going to experience within that? If if they're brand new to this whole experience, like maybe explain to us a little bit about that process.

SPEAKER_02 16:04

Yeah. So um there's a couple things. The first is we we start out, we do not go into depth of in the early stages, depth of reason as to why they're coming to me. So I'll give you a couple examples, and I had permission to talk about um these as I as I do talks. But here's an example. Um, a woman came to me after being in a car accident 25 years ago, and she had seen every type of therapist, so a psychologist to help her with the trauma. She also had seen uh a physiotherapist to deal with the body-based side of it, but she noticed she was still being activated when she would get in the car. And when I say activated, it's like her arms go tense, her whole body goes into constriction, and she's just tight. So every time she would step into the vehicle, her body, her mind had dealt with the accident, but her body was still remembering something that felt familiar. A car, I'm driving. Oh, this feels similar to a past event. And so her coming to me, what we would do, she gives a headline when she comes into a coaching session. So this is happening today. I would then pause her and say, as you're saying what happened today, what are you noticing in your body? And she's then going to name, and in some cases, individuals can't, in the early stages, name sensations in the body. So it might require some deeper prompting to help them name it. So we would go through her naming sensations in the body and then back to the story or the event she's talking about, it's talking about. And it's through this process of bringing them back to the here and now and to the event that helps with that activation in the body to be released. So that's just a sample session. So they come in with a headline or a topic they want to talk about, but it's never like in-depth. We kind of move between being here now and naming sensations in your body to going back to the story or the highline that you shared when you first came into the coaching.

SPEAKER_03 18:27

I love that. That is so brilliant. I can see how that could really work with people. I really think that that could help a lot of individuals out there.

Nervous System Literacy At Work

SPEAKER_02 18:38

Oh, some of the shifts, like I I get so excited because over, you know, some some of the progress depending on what they've done in their past. Um, but when you start hearing them come in and report things like, I noticed I was I was less irritable, something I normally would have reacted to. I didn't today. Like that's a huge win because what that means and what we do through this work is we're creating more capacity in their nervous system to when new stressors come in, they can manage them differently. We're always all gonna have stress, but it's our ability to manage it based on the state or the capacity we have within our system.

SPEAKER_03 19:26

That makes sense. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So, how do you use this within your speaking engagements?

SPEAKER_02 19:34

Yeah, so um I have a slogan that I say that I speak about, and it is um fatigue risk management, your biggest risk has a heartbeat. And what my passion now has become through my own burnout story and journey, if we don't know and understand the nervous system and the three states of it, I always say knowledge is power, right? So if we don't have knowledge, and ignorance isn't a bad thing, it's just I don't have choice and decision, and I can't correct if I don't have the knowledge. And so the speaking engagements are about teaching people nervous system literacy so that they can become informed at identifying feelings, sensations, thoughts, behaviors, because a lot of that is connected to the state of their nervous system, so that they can recognize the early signs of when their system is overloaded or signaling they need rest or they need activation, they need movement, they need they need to go do something so that they can move through a high-charged state. So I teach them about the autonomic nervous system and then how to identify how identify and befriend their own and become very aware and familiar with the signals when they're entering, say, a yellow zone or a red zone, which is like, hey, I'm signaling to you, there's there's too much going on. And then you can make the choice through that awareness.

SPEAKER_03 21:13

I love this. This is so much fun. I love hearing

Holistic Facials And The Vagus Nerve

SPEAKER_03 21:16

about that. And then I'm gonna ask you some questions here because I know we're kind of running out of time and there's just so much you and I could be chatting about, but you do these spa facials. And I love relaxation now. And that's some one of the things that I've really taught myself is that in the last couple of years to take more time for myself. And this is kind of one thing I try to do for myself every once in a while. So tell me a little bit about this, what you do, because I think we're gonna have to share your information where people can, you know, get this from you. But tell me a little bit about what you're offering.

SPEAKER_02 21:49

Sure. So I do a holistic facial um that is pretty much chest up, and I activate or tie. A lot of the points within the neck, chest, and face that are connected to the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve that runs from the back of our neck right down to just say your tailbone area. And it is actually the vagus nerve that is connected to the nervous system and its job, it goes out and makes sure it goes out and makes sure that your body isn't in a chronic state of stress because when it is and it's compressed, it can't do its job. And a lot of times that's when external, you know, health challenges or symptoms start to surface. So I focus on relaxation of those key points that are closely connected to the vagus nerve, leaving people like I think some of the words they've used, and I'm smiling as I say this, is uh like they leave feeling like a big piece of jello or a marshmallow. They are completely at peace, they're relaxed, they're settled, they're back into flow. Um, and that's really the whole idea of the holistic facials is to activate that vagus nerve and to give it some rest.

SPEAKER_03 23:17

Awesome. I think everybody should get this done. What a relaxing, yeah, I love it. And you are in Ontario, Canada. So, what part of Ontario are you from? Where can our listeners go and perhaps get a treatment from you?

SPEAKER_02 23:31

Sure. So I am in Stratford, Ontario. Um, and in terms of my socials, uh at Soul State Wellness is my Instagram, and then SoulstateWellness.com uh is the company business website.

Retreat Plans And What To Expect

SPEAKER_03 23:48

Oh, that's perfect. And last thing I really want to just quickly break, you are going to be doing some retreats here. Tell us a little bit about that and how can our listeners, you know, stay connected with you so that they know when that's gonna be happening.

SPEAKER_02 24:01

Ah, so exciting that you I'm so excited you asked this question because uh Port Paradise is where it's Simcoe area, is where our first retreat uh is going to be. Beautiful uh facility. It has it's a closely connected to nature. Um, it's got a sports fitness facility, it's got a pool, and the flow of that two-day experience, we are going to do a somatic uh immersion where we will teach the basics of the nervous system. Uh, we do a rock release, which is uh we let go of limiting beliefs that are connected to our health. Um, we're looking to do a floating sound bath experience in the pool in the evening, and then some campfires because there's another practitioner that uh is world-renowned for her vocals. So, some some music at campfires as well to activate the vagus nerve. That's happening in August, and you'll see it being announced on the socials in the next few weeks.

Full Body Yes And Starting Over

SPEAKER_03 25:09

Oh, thank you so much. I really love that. Um, Cindy, one of the things that I ask all of our amazing divas that come on to the divas at care is that is there any tips, is there any tools, things you'd love to share with our listeners, something that they can take home with them today?

SPEAKER_02 25:25

Yeah, there's a there's a couple things I would share. Um I want everyone to pause and take time to come home to themselves. And what that means is when you're looking to make a decision, make a decision based on a full body yes instead of a pro or con list. And that's really important because if you're doing that, it means you're you're following and trusting your your deepest desires. And it also signals that you're trusting the wisdom of your body, which verily it never is wrong, right? Our mind can convince us of other things. Um, so trust the wisdom of the body. That's number one. And then the second thing is if you're on the precipice of change and you're not sure what you should be doing, uh, let me be the example that you can always start over, regardless of age. I'm 52 and made a major career change uh at 50. And I encourage anyone that if you're not sure if you can do it, no, you can. No, you can. Just trust in yourself.

SPEAKER_03 26:39

Thank you so much, Cindy, for being my amazing guest today.

SPEAKER_02 26:43

Thank you for having me. Really enjoyed this.

How To Work With Cindy Online

SPEAKER_03 26:46

This has been wonderful. I am so glad that you have come on to the Victory Over Fear mini-series because I think that what you're talking about today really is what we're talking about. This is what we want that conversation to be about. And I really love that you know, our listeners can connect with you. I did want to just ask you that one-on-one. Uh can people from all over the world connect with you through that?

SPEAKER_02 27:09

Yes, as long as I can. So, what we do is we we make sure that the camera I can see for body tracking, as long as I can see waist up. Um, and I do have a couple clients right now from the US. So it is possible with results through Zoom, as long as I can see the body.

SPEAKER_03 27:26

Oh, that's wonderful. Well, I love that. So, thank you so much for being my amazing guest, Cindy. And um, we will be posting all of your social media so that our listeners can get a hold of you today.

SPEAKER_02 27:38

Great.

SPEAKER_03 27:38

Thanks, Candace. Oh,

Share The Show And Leave Kindness

SPEAKER_03 27:40

thank you. And I want to do a big shout out to all of our amazing listeners. Make sure that you send this podcast to your friends and family. It's really important to like and comment also. We love supporting our amazing guests on the Divas at care. And we're we don't know who these podcasts are going to support and help. So make sure you send them out because of that reason, because you never know, you know, just that small act of kindness can help so many people. Again, I want to make sure that all of you do something kind for somebody today that's really important in the world of uncertainty. We always want to leave our footprint by helping another person. So, again, thank you to my amazing guest, Cindy Hyde, and thank you to all of our listeners for the last 16 years. And we just appreciate each and every one of you. Until next time, everyone, have a fantastic day.

SPEAKER_01 28:25

Thanks for listening. This show was brought to you by Divas That Care. Connect with us on Facebook, on Instagram, and of course on divas that care.com, where you can subscribe to our newsletter so you don't miss a thing.