In this spacious and contemplative episode, Miki Byrne guides listeners through one of Buddhism’s most essential, and most challenging teachings: Anicca, the truth of impermanence. With characteristic tenderness and poetic insight, she explores how accepting change and uncertainty can become a profound source of freedom rather than fear.

Through stories of personal loss, reflections on grief, and meditative guidance, Miki invites listeners to soften their resistance to life’s inevitable transitions and to discover the sacredness hidden within impermanence itself. Each moment, she reminds us, is precious precisely because it will not last.

Featuring STATiC’s 528 Hz healing frequency “4 Yorgos” sound bath, the episode unfolds as both a dharma talk and a meditation: an invitation to breathe, release control, and rest in the fluid rhythm of change.

🌿 Episode Notes:

Theme: Anicca, Impermanence & the art of living with uncertainty
Focus: Grief, change, sobriety, and the freedom that arises when we stop resisting impermanence
Soundscape: “4 Yorgos” (528 Hz Transformation Tone) by STATiC

1. What am I trying to make permanent that is naturally impermanent?

2. How does knowing something won’t last forever change how I show up to it?

3. What would it feel like to love fully while holding lightly?

🕯️ Dedication

Offered in memory of those we’ve loved and lost, and in honor of the courage it takes to keep loving in a world that is always changing.

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In this deeply vulnerable and transformative episode, Miki Byrne invites listeners into the heart of her own healing practice by learning to meet the harshest inner voice with tenderness. Through the story of her inner critic, Lisa, Miki explores how shame, perfectionism, and self-protection intertwine, and how the Buddhist practice of Metta (loving-kindness) can help us soften even toward the parts of ourselves we’ve long rejected.

Drawing from her sobriety journey and forthcoming memoir, Miki offers an intimate lens on the relationship between self-criticism and safety, weaving guided meditation, reflection, and emotional insight into a single cohesive practice. This episode reminds us that compassion isn’t a reward for self-improvement. It’s the foundation of it.

Featuring STATiC’s ethereal 210 Hz sound bath, “Dancing with the Strawberry Moon,” the episode carries listeners through waves of self-reflection, metta meditation, and gentle healing frequencies designed to regulate and restore.

🪷 Episode Notes:

Theme: Transforming self-criticism into compassion through Metta practice
Focus: Understanding the inner critic as a protective part; cultivating loving-kindness for self
Soundscape: “Dancing with the Strawberry Moon” (210 Hz Healing Frequency) by STATiC

• The inner critic often originates as a survival mechanism: a part that believes harshness will prevent rejection or failure.

• Metta invites us to relate to this voice with compassion, not confrontation.

• Healing begins when we stop demanding perfection and begin offering ourselves tenderness.

• Self-compassion isn’t indulgent. It’s a revolutionary act of courage and the foundation of genuine empathy toward others.

🕊️ This Week’s Practice:

Spend five minutes each day offering Metta to yourself.
Repeat these phrases gently, noticing what arises:

May I be safe.
May I be peaceful.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.

If resistance or criticism appears, simply notice it, thank it for trying to protect you, and return to kindness.

✨ Reflection Questions:

1. What name or identity does your inner critic take? What is it trying to protect you from?

2. How would your daily life shift if you believed—truly—that you were worthy of your own kindness?

3. What parts of yourself most need compassion today, and what would it feel like to hold them tenderly instead of critically?

   
   

🪶 Closing Thought:

As Miki reminds listeners, “We cannot heal in the presence of our own cruelty.”
By meeting the inner critic with compassion, we begin to transform shame into safety and self-rejection into love.

About the Host

Miki Byrne is an artist, writer, and life coach/creativity strategist with a BA in Theatre/Operative Vocal Performance and a minor in English Literature from Loyola University New Orleans. Passionate about storytelling in all its forms, she explores themes of self-discovery, resilience, and transformation. After choosing sobriety in 2023, Miki embarked on a journey of deep healing and personal growth, uncovering new creative depths along the way. She is currently working toward publishing her first book and sharing her insights through writing, music, and coaching.

Connect & Join the Community:

• 💜 Patreon Community: Access guided meditations, mini-workshops, and exclusive coaching content at https://www.patreon.com/cw/MettaMomentum
  

• 📰 Weekly Newsletter: Subscribe to Softening Into Momentum for free reflections, practices, and soulful updates: Subscribe Here
  

• 📲 Follow Miki:

• Instagram: @mikimettamuse

• TikTok: @mikimettamuse

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mikimettamuse

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/MettaMomentum

In this deeply reflective episode, Miki Byrne invites listeners into The Sacred Pause: the quiet, powerful space between stimulus and response where freedom and wisdom live. Building on Buddhist teachings of Samma Vaca (Right Speech) from the Noble Eightfold Path, Miki explores how conscious communication can transform our relationships, our inner world, and the digital spaces we inhabit.

Set to the ethereal resonance of STATiC’s 639 Hz “Full Pink Moon” healing frequency sound bath, this episode gently guides listeners through mindfulness practices that cultivate presence, patience, and compassion in communication. From personal stories of recovery to the neuroscience of reactivity, Miki illustrates how the pause is more than a moment... it’s a revolution.

Listeners are invited to practice The 3-Breath Pause, a grounding technique designed to regulate the nervous system and restore choice in moments of emotional activation. Through awareness, grounding, and wisdom, this episode offers a path back to clarity, connection, and conscious speech in an overstimulated world.

🪷 Episode Notes for Listeners

Theme: The Sacred Pause — Samma Vaca (Right Speech)
Core Teaching: The space between stimulus and response is sacred. In that space lies our power to choose who we want to be.

Key Buddhist Concept:

• Samma Vaca (सम्यक्वाक्) — “Right Speech” or “Wise Speech”

• One of the eight paths to liberation in Buddhism

• Guiding questions: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it beneficial? Is it timely?

• Modern translation: Conscious communication across all mediums—text, email, post, or spoken word.

The Sacred Pause

• The mindful space between what happens and how we respond

• A moment to breathe, regulate, and choose wisdom over reactivity

1. Breath One — Awareness:Acknowledge your reaction without judgment. “I’m feeling triggered right now.”

2. Breath Two — Grounding:Feel your body connect with the earth. Regulate your nervous system. Remember—you are safe enough to respond wisely.

3. Breath Three — Wisdom:Ask, “What does my highest self want to express?” Respond from clarity, not from the wound.

Our first response usually comes from our wounds.Our considered response comes from our wisdom.

Before replying to any communication that feels charged, pause for three breaths. Notice what shifts between your initial impulse and your considered response. Practice choosing your timing, your tone, and your truth with care.

🪞 Reflection Questions for Listeners

• Host & Creator: Miki Byrne

• Sound Bath Composition: “Full Pink Moon” – 639 Hz Heart Frequency Sound Bath by STATiC

• Written & Produced by: Miki Byrne

In this tender and thought-provoking episode, Miki explores Tanha — the Buddhist concept of craving — and how it shapes not only our addictions but our entire relationship with desire. Through personal stories from her sobriety journey and a modern lens on digital culture, consumerism, and inner longing, she invites listeners to examine what lies beneath their cravings.

Rather than shaming desire, this episode gently explores the sacred ache of wanting, the traps of “digital thirst,” and the cultural forces that keep us perpetually reaching for “more.” Listeners are guided through a powerful urge-surfing practice, a mindfulness technique that teaches how to ride waves of craving without being swept away.

Set against the luminous backdrop of a 528 Hz healing frequency sound bath by STATiC, this episode offers a compassionate inquiry into the difference between craving and authentic desire—and how learning to pause between impulse and action can lead us home to a deeper contentment.

Show Notes:

• Theme: Tanha (तृष्णा) — “Thirst” or “Craving”

• Core Teaching: Craving is not the enemy; unconscious grasping is. By learning to observe our urges with awareness, we uncover the contentment already within us.

• Three Types of Craving in Buddhism:

  1. Craving for sensual pleasures

  2. Craving for existence or becoming

  3. Craving for non-existence or escape

• Modern Manifestations:

  • Addiction

  • Consumerism

  • Digital dependency and endless scrolling

  • Seeking external validation to fill internal voids

• Key Insight: The problem isn’t that we want things — it’s that we want things to complete us. Contentment isn’t achieved through acquisition; it’s uncovered through presence.

• Practice Highlight:
  🏄 Urge-Surfing — A mindfulness technique to observe cravings like waves: they naturally rise, peak, and pass. By staying present, we discover that urges are temporary and do not define us.

• This Week’s Reflection:

  • Where do you automatically reach when feeling uncomfortable?

  • What’s the difference between your authentic desires and manufactured cravings?

  • How might your life change if you could want without desperation?

In Episode 2 of Softening Into Momentum, Miki Byrne explores the transformative power of boundaries through the lens of Ahimsa: the ancient principle of non-harm. She invites listeners to rethink boundaries not as walls of protection, but as love letters that honor both self and others. Through personal stories, modern reflections on digital life, and a guided body-based practice, Miki shows how saying “no” with love can deepen connection and preserve sacred energy. This episode is a gentle, revolutionary call to align your yes’s and no’s with your truest self.

📝 Show Notes

• 🌿 Theme: Ahimsa (Non-Harm) & Boundaries That Feel Like Love

• 🪷 Sound Bath: “396hz Root Chakra Cleansing” by STATiC

• ✨ Key Concepts:

  • Ahimsa invites us to consider the harm in over-giving and in saying “yes” when we mean “no.”

  • Boundaries set with love become invitations to authentic relationship, not acts of disconnection.

  • Our bodies are wise guides—expansion signals authentic yes, contraction signals misaligned yes or a needed no.

• 🧘‍♀️ Practice: “Sacred Sensing”: a body scan meditation to tune into internal yes/no cues.

• 💌 Weekly Invitation: Write one “boundary love letter” this week. Set a limit with kindness and notice how it shifts your relationships and energy.

• ❓ Reflection Questions:

  • Where am I saying yes out of fear rather than love?

  • What would change if I trusted that my boundaries could be acts of care?

  • How does my body guide me toward what’s truly aligned?

About the Host

Miki Byrne is an artist, writer, and life coach/creativity strategist with a BA in Theatre/Operative Vocal Performance and a minor in English Literature from Loyola University New Orleans. Passionate about storytelling in all its forms, she explores themes of self-discovery, resilience, and transformation. After choosing sobriety in 2023, Miki embarked on a journey of deep healing and personal growth, uncovering new creative depths along the way. She is currently working toward publishing her first book and sharing her insights through writing, music, and coaching.

Connect & Join the Community

• 💜 Patreon Community: Access guided meditations, mini-workshops, and exclusive coaching content at https://www.patreon.com/cw/MettaMomentum
  

• 📰 Weekly Newsletter: Subscribe to Softening Into Momentum for free reflections, practices, and soulful updates: Subscribe Here
  

• 📲 Follow Miki:

• Instagram: @mikimettamuse

• TikTok: @mikimettamuse

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mikimettamuse

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/MettaMomentum

Episode 1 of Softening Into Momentum invites listeners into the power of beginning again through the Buddhist teaching of Shoshin, or beginner’s mind. Miki Byrne reflects on her own journey of sobriety and vulnerability, sharing how softening into not knowing can open the door to authenticity, presence, and wonder. The episode weaves personal storytelling, gentle wisdom, and a guided meditation practice called “Sacred Softening,” offering listeners a chance to pause, breathe, and rediscover life with fresh eyes. It’s a soulful reminder that every moment is an invitation to soften, to start anew, and to carry curiosity forward.

Episode Notes for Listeners:

Shoshin (初心) — "Beginner's Mind"

• A Zen Buddhist concept emphasizing openness, curiosity, and freedom from preconceptions

• Literally translates to "beginner's heart" or "original mind"

• Encourages us to approach even familiar experiences with fresh wonder

• Counteracts the "expert's trap" where knowledge becomes a barrier to learning

• Essential for creativity, growth, and genuine presence

Key Insight: In Zen, they say the expert's mind is like a full teacup—nothing new can be poured in. The beginner's mind is an empty cup, ready to receive whatever wants to be discovered.

About the Host

Miki Byrne is an artist, writer, and life coach/creativity strategist with a BA in Theatre/Operative Vocal Performance and a minor in English Literature from Loyola University New Orleans. Passionate about storytelling in all its forms, she explores themes of self-discovery, resilience, and transformation. After choosing sobriety in 2023, Miki embarked on a journey of deep healing and personal growth, uncovering new creative depths along the way. She is currently working toward publishing her first book and sharing her insights through writing, music, and coaching.

Connect & Join the Community

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/MettaMomentum

“Softening Into Momentum”

In a world that often feels loud, divided, and overwhelming, Softening Into Momentum offers a gentle sanctuary for your mind and heart.

Hosted by life coach, meditation guide, and writer “Miki” Byrne, this podcast blends the timeless wisdom of Buddhist philosophy with the grounded tools of modern coaching to help you navigate life with clarity, compassion, and courage.

Each episode is a guided exploration of themes that touch us all: boundaries, self-love, mindfulness, resilience, and the art of meeting ourselves and others with kindness. Through reflective storytelling, meditation practices, and practical insights, Miki invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and remember your inherent worth.

Here, boundaries become acts of love. Silence becomes a teacher. And compassion—toward ourselves and others—becomes the momentum that carries us forward.

Softening Into Momentum is more than a podcast; it is a practice, a pause, and a pathway back to yourself.

Tune in weekly to rediscover peace in the present moment and learn how small shifts in awareness can ripple outward into a more stable, compassionate world.

Because when we soften, we don’t lose our strength: we discover it.

About the Host

Miki Byrne is an artist, writer, and life coach/creativity strategist with a BA in Theatre/Operative Vocal Performance and a minor in English Literature from Loyola University New Orleans. Passionate about storytelling in all its forms, she explores themes of self-discovery, resilience, and transformation. After choosing sobriety in 2023, Miki embarked on a journey of deep healing and personal growth, uncovering new creative depths along the way. She is currently working toward publishing her first book and sharing her insights through writing, music, and coaching.

Connect & Join the Community

• 💜 Patreon Community: Access guided meditations, mini-workshops, and exclusive coaching content at https://www.patreon.com/cw/MettaMomentum
  

• 📰 Weekly Newsletter: Subscribe to Softening Into Momentum for free reflections, practices, and soulful updates: Subscribe Here
  

• 📲 Follow Miki:

• Instagram: @mikimettamuse

• TikTok: @mikimettamuse

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mikimettamuse

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/MettaMomentum