Hannah Vanderheyden

11/28/2025

If you’re someone who is deeply affected by interoception —
or if you love, live with, or parent someone who is —
I invite you to come speak with me.

I offer a program that supports interoception in the real world:
inside relationships, inside co-parenting, inside households with multiple nervous systems trying to coexist.

This is the program I always needed:

A plan that honours the person with high interoception,
supports the partner who is trying to understand them,
and finally acknowledges the reality that a whole home must adapt when one person carries this level of sensitivity.

Because the truth is:
interoception is not just an individual experience —
it shapes the dynamic, the pace, the emotional atmosphere,
and the entire family field.

———

Who this is designed for?

This program is built for:

• the highly attuned, fast-processing, (or slow processing) interoceptive individual
(the one who feels everything first, loudest, and deepest)

• the partner who often stands outside that experience
(caring deeply but confused, overwhelmed, or unsure how to make space for it without losing themselves)

• the household that keeps reorganizing itself around the sensitivities no one has ever properly named

It is a world where we stop pretending these differences are “minor,”
and start building a structure that reflects the actual organism of the household.

⸻

What this program gives you

A nervous-system-aligned structure that reduces the invisible labour of the interoceptive person while giving the partner and family a predictable way to engage, express, and support without overfunctioning or collapsing.

You’ll learn:

1. The Core Principle

Why a home with a highly interoceptive person must function differently —
and why everyone benefits when we stop resisting that truth.

2. Daily Structure

Practical rhythms that protect the interoceptive body and give the partner clear lanes so they’re not guessing, overcorrecting, or projecting.

3. Shared Spaces

How to co-exist without energetic merging, rescuing, or bracing.
(For both the sensitive person and the partner.)

4. Transitions

The moments where misunderstandings, projections, and dysregulation spike — and how the whole family can move through them with clarity.

5. When Someone is “Leaking” Dysregulation

For the sensitive person: how to not absorb.

For the partner: how to not take it personally.

For the family: how to hold the field without chaos.

6. How to Hold Regulation in a Family System

Without the interoceptive person carrying the whole emotional load,
and without the partner feeling inadequate, confused, or “wrong.”

THE CORE PRINCIPLE

Interoception reorganizes a household.

A highly interoceptive nervous system:

• tracks the entire emotional field

• senses subtle cues before others are aware of them

• absorbs what others cannot regulate

• compensates automatically and loses their own rhythm when the home has no structure to contain the swirl

Partners often feel:

• confused by reactions they don’t experience internally

• unsure how to support without triggering more activation

• pressured to be different than they naturally are

• or afraid that their needs will disappear inside the sensitivity of the other

And families — kids, siblings, extended relatives — pick up the unspoken tension and organize around it,
often without understanding what they’re responding to.

This is the elephant in the room:
interoception affects everything.

Not because the sensitive person is “too much,” but because their nervous system is functioning as a core stabilizing organ in the home —
often without recognition, support, or structure.

So the solution is not:

• shutting down
• pushing away
• demanding someone change
• or having endless relationship talks

The solution is:

Structural boundaries the whole home can rely on.

When the home holds the boundaries,
the interoceptive person can stop overfunctioning, the partner can stop feeling lost or inadequate, and the entire family can relax into a shared rhythm that actually fits the organism you live inside.

If this is your home, your partnership, or your nervous system — I want to hear from you.

Send me a message and tell me what part of this landed in your body.

From there, I’ll share the next steps, program details, and whether this container is the right fit for you, your partner, or your family system.

→ DM with the word INTEROCEPTION to begin.

11/17/2025

Still glowing from the book launch we celebrated last week— a gathering that celebrated joy in all its tender, wild, and courageous forms. 

I’m deeply honored to have contributed a research chapter to this collection, alongside so many luminous voices.

It’s a strange, exhilarating thing — to see your ideas pressed into the pages of a book. To hold it, and remember the journey it took to get there. At Six months postpartum, between feedings and fatigue, I somehow found the words — and the courage — to write this chapter. It stretched me in new ways and reminded me how creativity and healing often arrive through the same doorway.

Holding this book in my hands felt like holding a shared prayer for aliveness — for the ways we return to joy, even through the ache of being human. 

Thank you to everyone who made this possible and to those who joined us in celebrating. I’m deeply grateful to the incredible editors for their care, enthusiasm, and dedication to guiding writers and practitioners to share our theories, insights, and lived experiences with a wider audience. May these stories continue to ripple outward in quiet, joyful ways.


 
 
 
 
 















 








It’s a strange, exhilarating thing — to see your ideas pressed into the pages of a book. To hold it, and remember the journey it took to get there.

06/26/2025

Stop Glorifying the “Bounce Back” — Start Honoring the Mother

I want to say something that feels rare in our culture:

👉 I like my body. I am proud of my body. I’ve had a baby—and I love what my body has done and what it is.

And yet, this seems to put me in the minority.

Because everywhere I look, I see this exhausting, toxic conversation:
💬 How fast did she bounce back?
💬 Did she lose the baby weight?
💬 How’s her body looking after the baby?

This is what we glorify. This is what gets the airtime. This is what we focus on—and what we focus on, grows.

But here’s what isn’t glorified, here is what isn’t focussed on, and here is what isn’t growing:
✨ The uniqueness of every woman’s body, biology, and genetics.
✨ The enormous, invisible work of keeping a tiny human alive.
✨ The fact that for most parents, the first years are about survival, bonding, healing, and becoming—not about abs.

We don’t talk about that.
We don’t celebrate the mother who gives up sleep, self-care time, and parts of herself to meet the 24/7 needs of a vulnerable, dependent little being.

👉 CONTINUED IN COMMENTS ⬇️

06/25/2025

✨ There are moments in life that mark us. Flying with my little girl is one of those moments. If you want to grow closer to someone, I truly recommend traveling together. Two flights in, and I already feel more connected to Joy than ever before.

Her language has blossomed, and by the second flight she got it—digging in the diaper bag for her favorite toys, greeting passengers, standing tall and beaming with joy.

This journey reminds me that we get out of life what we put into it. A life that’s always easy and comfortable isn’t a life fully lived. This trip feels a lot like going into labor: I didn’t know what was ahead, I prepared for every scenario, I over-prepared—and nothing went as I imagined. And yet, every bit of that preparation mattered.

I never imagined I’d fly solo with my 17-month-old. And here I am, doing it. I am so effing proud. This is one of my biggest accomplishments yet.

I second-guessed myself the day we left—“Why am I doing this? Why invest everything I have right now?” But like childbirth, it called me to expand—and I did. My mantra: “I gave birth. I can do anything.” And it’s true. I can do hard things—and it feels amazing. I’m having the time of my life, making memories with my daughter, watching her eyes and heart light up with wonder.

It’s bliss. 💫

And one more win I’m so grateful for—Joy’s usual bedtime is around 8 p.m., and on this trip she didn’t fall asleep until 2:10 a.m. I had shows ready on my phone and computer in case we needed them, but in the end, she didn’t watch a single moment of TV—not during the 4.5-hour flight, not in the layover, not on the last leg. There was just so much to take in. I’m so glad we stayed tuned in to life rather than tuning out. It felt right to hold space for her to simply be, and for both of us to marvel at the magic of flying—soaring through clouds, basking in the sun, sharing sweet moments with strangers.

Of course, I know every parent, every child, and every situation is different. We each have unique capacities, values, and choices, and I deeply respect that. This was simply a moment that felt right for us—and I’m so happy to celebrate it. ❤️

06/15/2025

06/15/2025

We love you more than words can say.
Happy Father’s Day.xxo

06/11/2025

🌕 Core Themes of the Full Moon in Sagittarius
1. Truth & Honesty
Sagittarius energy demands truth. This full moon may illuminate areas where you’ve been compromising your integrity, hiding your truth, or staying small to avoid conflict. It encourages radical honesty with self and others.
Ask: Where have I been silencing my truth? What truth wants to be spoken or lived?
2. Vision & Expansion
this moon offers a wide-lens view. You might feel a call to step back and see the forest instead of just the trees. It’s a powerful time for dreaming big, reclaiming optimism, and setting a vision that aligns with your deeper calling.
Ask: What is my soul truly longing for? Where am I being asked to expand?
3. Freedom & Adventure
Sagittarius thrives on movement—physical, mental, and spiritual. This moon can stir restlessness or a desire for new experiences, learning, or travel. It’s a potent time to break free from limiting beliefs or routines that keep you stuck.
Ask: Where do I need more freedom or adventure in my life?
4. Faith & Philosophy
This moon supports examining your belief systems. Are your current beliefs supporting or limiting your growth? You might feel drawn to explore spiritual practices, philosophy, or education that elevates your perspective.
Ask: Which beliefs are outdated, and what new truths am I being called to integrate?

Sample Intention or Release Statement: “I release the fear of outgrowing old paths. I welcome expansion, truth, and the bold next chapter that aligns with my soul’s calling.”

🌀 If you’d like support in moving through this shift—whether it’s emotional clearing, aligned goal-setting, or reconnecting with your inner fire—
✨ I have 1:1 coaching and somatic support spots available this month online and 1 spot in person.
Let’s work together to turn this moon’s energy into real transformation.

06/10/2025

This Full Moon in Sagittarius invites us to step back, see the bigger picture, and realign with our soul’s deeper calling.
You may feel fiery, inspired… or overwhelmed if you’ve been avoiding an inner truth.
🌕 Core themes to reflect on:
✨ Radical honesty — What truth needs to be spoken or lived?
✨ Vision & expansion — Where are you being called to grow?
✨ Freedom & adventure — What’s keeping you stuck?
✨ Belief & wisdom — What stories no longer serve you?
🔥 Ritual idea:
Write down what you’re ready to release. Burn it. Say it out loud. Take one bold action toward your next chapter.
🌀 Need support integrating this shift?
I have 1:1 coaching & somatic healing spots available (online + 1 in-person).
Let’s work together to move you into clarity, freedom, and purpose.
💌 DM to connect or drop a 🌕 below if this resonates.

06/03/2025

🌸 A Doula for Your Emotional Self 🌈❤️‍🔥

Emotions come in waves 🌊
Sometimes they rise gently…
Other times, they threaten to barrel us over and swallow us whole.

We often resist.
We contract.
We brace.
And it hurts — because we’re fighting the wave.

But here’s the truth most of us never learned:

🤍 What we need to survive the crash…is the opposite of resisting it.

We need space.
Safety.
Presence.
A held container where we can ride the wave, not drown in it.

When we’re supported — truly supported —
the wave becomes something else entirely.

A rhythm. A breath. A release.

✨ This is the work I do.

As a “doula for your emotional self”, I guide you through emotional contractions the way a birth doula guides a labouring body.

Not by fixing. Not by silencing.
But by helping you stay with yourself, even in the intensity.
So the feelings can move.
And you can rise.

If you’re craving a space where your feelings are welcome, where your emotional waves are met with compassion and strength — I’m here.

💌 Message me to learn more or book a session.
You don’t have to hold it all alone.

05/31/2025

Today I turn 37.

Joy tossed my phone in the toilet so this journal is a little delayed.

And if I had to sum it all up — this wild, sacred chapter of my life — it would be this:

“I let go of everything I knew… and gained everything I’ve always wanted.”

Two years ago, I surrendered.
I left behind the magnetic life I had built in Vancouver — the mountains, the oceanfront, the bike raves, the kitchen dance parties, the rituals, my incredible roommate, our beautiful home.
I let it all go because something deeper was calling me.
And I said yes.
To the unknown.
To love.
To life.
To becoming.

I moved across the country. I met Matthew 3 weeks later.
I gave birth to our daughter, Baby Joy.
I let myself be rearranged, cracked open, rebuilt.
And I’m still becoming.

The truth? These past two years have wrecked me and remade me, in the rawest ways.
And today, as I sit quietly with myself, what I feel is not just gratitude — but reverence.
For the woman I’m becoming.
For the voice I’m reclaiming.
For the purpose that never left me, even when I went quiet.

After Joy was born, I stopped sharing on here.
My new world swallowed my “me time - free time”.
There wasn’t space for raw and real hobby writing while breastfeeding round-the-clock with a newborn asleep on my chest and the remaining hours spent doing deep work with my clients.
So I paused — publicly.
Not forever — just long enough to listen.��In the wee hours of the night, I wrote and published my first peer reviewed academic research chapter (The book comes out this fall) I would not recommend this for new moms haha. Needless to say - in this first year of parenthood, I stretched.

And now, the pen is back in my hand. Not just as a counsellor, but as a woman, a writer, a speaker, a soul here to serve. And though I hold space in my work with fierce presence and neutrality, I am remembering the joy of letting my own stories breathe again. This space right here — is where I get to bring the raw, real, me who’s still learning and growing right alongside you.��Intentions:�This year, I’m practicing sacred “no’s.”
I’m healing from the ache of people-pleasing, which I’m learning is unsustainable as a parent.
I’m choosing ease, alignment, depth.

To those of you who’ve been here — witnessing, holding, walking with me — thank you.
There is no community without you and i.

And to Matthew —
You don’t just support my life. You make it beautiful.
Through all we’ve faced — the breakdowns, the breakthroughs and sleepless nights — we’ve returned to love again and again. In that love, we rest. We find a soft place to land, even after storms. We hold hands in the quiet, in the mess, in the magic. And that — that is where my soul exhales. The moments we share are sacred, quiet, and holy. �
Thank you four our radiant daughter — she is our daily miracle.

So here’s to 37:
To love that humbles and heals.
To self-expression that radiates from the bones of my soul.
To saying yes to the unknown, again and again.
To writing what’s real.
To living what matters.

With my whole heart — thank you.
Let’s keep going.
Let’s keep sharing.
I’m here.
And I can’t wait to walk this next chapter with you.

With so much love,
Hannah

P.S. Your birthday messages are such a gift. Thank you for pouring your heart into mine.