Content Note Prior to Listening:
This episode includes discussion and references to childhood sexual abuse and suicidal thoughts. Please listen with care and pause whenever you need.
In this deeply personal episode of The Braver Women® Show, Leanne shares a conversation that reveals the quiet power of a specialised therapeutic relationship designed to reach places ordinary approaches often can’t.
Ally, a remarkable woman from the north of England, speaks openly about the childhood sexual abuse she endured and the decades of shame, anxiety, and 'otherness' that followed.
After years of searching for something that could truly touch the depth of her pain, Ally found in her work with Leanne the level of safety and structure needed for profound healing.
Within that carefully held space she discovered the courage to face experiences she once believed would define her forever.
Ally now calls this experience “the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” and offers her story as a gift to any woman who needs to know that the shame they carry was never theirs to begin with.
This episode explores:
• How childhood trauma silently shapes identity and self worth
• Why shame feels permanent - but isn’t
• How healing becomes possible when safety, responsibility, and a deeply committed therapeutic relationship come together
It’s an unpolished, profoundly human conversation about trauma, resilience, and the life changing impact of a therapeutic relationship unlike anything Ally had experienced before.
If this episode helps you, please share it with someone who might need hope today and leave a review to help more lesbian and queer women find these powerful conversations.
info@braverwomen.com
What does it really take to come out later in life, when you're married, a mother, and terrified of breaking everything you've built?
In this powerful episode of The Braver Women Show, Nichole shares her raw, honest journey of coming out at 50 after decades of hiding her truth.
From growing up in a conservative religious environment in Utah, to the fear of disappointing her family, to the moment she finally had the conversation with her mother she'd avoided for years, this is the story of what it means to let go of the life you were told to live and choose authenticity instead.
Nichole worked with me for 3 months in the Braver Women therapy programme, where she dismantled the fear, shame, and silence that had kept her stuck for decades. She didn’t just come out. She finally came home to herself.
If you’re tired of hiding, afraid of what coming out might cost you, or unsure if it’s too late to choose yourself, this episode is for you.
Ready to start your own journey?
https://braverwomen.com/
Join the Braver Women Facebook community and take your first step toward living with passion, purpose and pride: Click Here
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What if everything you believed about who you had to be, strong, self sufficient and always in control was actually keeping you stuck? How much joy does that leave for you in your life?
In this raw and powerful episode, I sit down with child centred councillor Suzy, a woman who, approaching 60, made the decision to stop surviving and finally let go to start healing.
Suzy grew up in the 1970s and '80s, a time when being gay meant staying silent. She worked in the corporate capital of banking in London and this reinforced the shame and the silence. That silence left emotional marks: anxiety, shame, people pleasing, and the constant sense of needing to earn her place. Even after building a life with her wife, the impact of those early years lingered.
When Suzy came to work with me in therapy, she was burned out, anxious, and disconnected from her own needs. Together, we unpacked the survival strategies that had helped her get through life but were now keeping her stuck.
In this episode, Suzy shares:
How anxiety and emotional control became her default
The invisible cost of always being the strong one
Why rest felt unsafe and emotional vulnerability felt impossible
The deep patterns of people-pleasing and self-abandonment
What changed when she finally put herself at the centre of her healing
Suzy’s story will resonate deeply with queer women who’ve spent years trying to keep it together while silently struggling. Her transformation shows that even after decades of carrying the past, it is possible to create a new emotional reality with the right support.
Links & Resources:
→ Join the Braver Women community
→ Learn more about the Braver Breakthrough™ Therapy Programme
→ Work with me directly - Book your consultation here
Do you feel stuck in your life? Ever feel like no matter what you do, you end up back in the same place?
Same doubts. Same fears. Same types of relationships. Same patterns that leave you questioning yourself.
In this episode, we get into the real reason it happens and why it’s not about willpower or working harder.
We’ll talk about survival strategies that once protected you but are now keeping you stuck in cycles you’re ready to break.
If you’re tired of feeling like you're living on repeat with patterns that aren't helping you in your life or your relationships anymore, this is where something different can finally start for you.
Most lesbian and queer women aren’t walking around saying, “I feel shame.”
They’re saying, “I don’t feel good enough.”
“I overthink everything.”
“I’m scared to be fully myself - even now.”
In this powerful and personal episode, I take you deep into the hidden layers of internalised shame - what I call the master emotion. It’s not loud. It doesn’t announce itself. But it silently shapes everything from your self talk to your style choices, your anxiety, and even your attachment patterns.
I break down how shame gets encoded in your nervous system as a child, how it fuses with your queer identity, and how it’s been running the show without you realising it. This episode includes my own story - growing up queer in a strict religious home, the emotional fragmentation that followed, and what I’ve learned through years of therapeutic work with LGBTQ+ women around the world.
We’ll unpack:
Why anxiety is often shame in disguise
The difference between guilt and shame (and how most of us get it wrong)
How people-pleasing, perfectionism, and fear of rejection are survival strategies
The concept of double internalisation and how your nervous system stacks risk
How to begin softening shame’s grip and reconnect with your real self
If you’ve ever struggled with not feeling enough, hiding parts of yourself, or feeling emotionally off even after coming out, this might be the episode that finally gives you the language and clarity you’ve been searching for.
It’s not a quick fix.
But it might just be the beginning of something real for you
"Inauthenticity is like choosing to breathe through a straw, rather than breathing freely..."
Those words stopped me in my tracks and they came from a hugely inspirational client I’ve had the honour of working with.
In this episode, I’m joined by a courageous, thoughtful, and deeply honest gay woman from North America who’s completed her Braver Women journey with me. And today, she’s here to share her story with you.
Amanda opens up about how she broke free from the grip of 20 years of stress, anxiety, and people pleasing... how she unpicked the storylines that once kept her boxed in by other people’s expectations... and how she stopped chasing her worth through overworking, perfectionism, and trying to ‘earn’ acceptance.
Like so many LGBTQ+ women, Amanda was existing not living. But that’s not where her story ends.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in the past, responding to scripts you never wrote... if you’ve ever silenced yourself just to feel safe... if you’ve ever wondered whether life could feel different - it can. And Amanda is living proof of that.
These stories aren’t just inspiring. They’re necessary. They remind us that transformation is possible and that there is life beyond the coping strategies and scripts we’ve long outgrown.
So join me in this episode as I talk with Amanda and celebrate her phenomenal journey.
Her bravery is a powerful reminder of what’s possible and my hope is that by listening, you feel ready to take some braver steps of your own.
If you want to break your patterns and learn to be braver, then you know where to find me:
If you want to be part of the worlds premier hub for therapeutic content and personal growth for LGBTQ+ women - Then join me here
Connect with me:
Love the podcast? Then I'd love to hear about it! Would you be kind enough to rate and leave a review? It helps other LGBTQ+ women around the world, find it too!
Thanks for being here.
Sending much love,
Leanne ;-)
If you want to feel deeply moved to change your life, to experience what it feels like to live a life of genuine authenticity and emotional freedom - from the inside out - Then you're not going to want to miss a moment of this story.
Today I’m going to introduce you to a very courageous client of mine who is using some of the insights from breakthroughs she’s experienced since working with me privately.
In this episode, Gemma is sharing the deeply personal story of how she changed her relationship with herself from the inside out. She’ll take you through the monumental shifts she made since working with me - breaking free from old survival patterns, facing fear head on, and untangling the years ofconditioning that told her she wasn’t enough.
She’s no longer paralysed by self-doubt. She trusts herself. She’s living with confidence, making bold decisions, and no longer sacrificing her own needs to make other people comfortable. And she’s sharing this with you because she knows what it’s like to feel trapped in your own head, questioning if change is even possible.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in self-sabotaging cycles as a lesbian or queer woman, if you’ve struggled with anxiety, if you’ve ever feared being truly seen - this conversation is for you. Because here’s the truth: You don’t just wake up one day and become confident. You have to unlearn everything that told you, you weren’t enough in the first place.
And when you're ready to break your patterns and become braver, then you know where to find me.
www.braverwomen.com
If you want to be part of the worlds premier hub for therapeutic content and personal growth for LGBTQ+ Women - Then join me here
Connect with me:
If you love the podcast - Then I'd love to hear about it! Would you be kind enough to rate it and leave a review? It helps other women around the world find it too!
Thanks for being here.
Sending much love,
Leanne :)
In this episode, Leanne talks about her own experience with heartache anxiety. She provides a popular and relatable talk that gained so much gratitude in the Braver Women community for her raw honesty and relatability when she first shared it five years ago. She's sharing it outside of her community for the first time - Breaking the mould on what traditional therapists do!
If you're a lesbian or queer woman who's going through hell right now following on from a breakup - this is going to help you.
Leanne provides some actionable insights that helped her move past the hurdle of hurt to finally recover - With one golden nugget concept that has brought relief to so many women who listened to this when she first published it.
If you're not a part of the incredible Braver Women Facebook Community - then you're missing out on the deeper conversations, group only videos, peer support and resources that Leanne has put together to help you stop cycling around in insecure anxious patterns - that you won't find anywhere else.
Like this episode? Share it - You'll be supporting other lesbian and queer women to access something that could make a difference to their life right now.
Book a Consultation with Leanne
For lesbians and queer women, relationships aren’t just about dating—they’re about identity, belonging, and the search for real connection in a world that hasn’t always made space for us. But if you find yourself caught in cycles of attachment anxiety, fear of abandonment, or stuck in emotional dependency, it’s not about what’s wrong with you—it’s about what’s missing inside, I'm going to reveal to you what's going on deep underneath the emotional pain you're experiencing, but more importantly, what you can begin to do about it from a self-help perspective. In this episode, I’ll challenge how you think about abandonment, love, and self-trust to move you from feeling helpless and lost to being more in control. We’re going beyond labels and theories and getting into what’s happening beneath the surface. If you’ve ever found yourself gripping onto relationships, fearing rejection, or losing yourself in love, this conversation is one you won’t want to miss.🎧 Hit play now and let’s dive in.🌎 The Braver Women Website: www.braverwomen.com📖 The Braver Women Journal for LGBTQ+ Women: Available on Amazon📅 Book a Consultation with Me:➡️ Schedule your consultation here💬 The world’s premier hub for therapeutic content and personal growth for lesbians and queer women."➡️ Join Here📲 Let’s Stay Connected:InstagramTikTokYouTubeLinkedIn📩 DM me your biggest takeaway from this episode—I love hearing what lands with you!💜 Love the show? Please LIKE and leave a review. Share this episode with someone who needs it. The more we talk about these struggles, the more you move out of the shadows and into taking up your space - without shame or hiding. 🚀 Ready to start your braver journey? Visit www.braverwomen.com to learn more.
From Braver Women to Britain's Got Talent
What does it take to step onto the Britain’s Got Talent stage and perform in front of millions? Confidence. But not just any confidence—the kind built from the inside out.
In this exclusive episode of The Braver Women Show, I sit down with Al Start, a much loved gay singer-songwriter, composer, musician and published author, who used the Braver Women Journal for LGBTQ+ women to silence her limiting beliefs, step onto the Apollo Theatre stage in London, and perform with Ravi’s Dream Team Choir on Britain's Got Talent—winning the Golden Buzzer from Alesha Dixon! 🌟🎶
With Simon Cowell watching, Al took that stage, surrounded by powerful voices, but fully stepping into her own. What you didn’t see on TV was the deep self-work that made it possible. In this episode, we talk about:
🔹 How the Braver Women Journal helped her silence limiting beliefs and take the stage
🔹 The emotional road to self-belief and stepping up braver as a gay woman
🔹 What it felt like to perform on a televised stage, hear the crowd roar, and watch that golden confetti fall
If fear has ever whispered, You’re not good enough—this episode is for you. Al’s journey is a powerful reminder that bravery isn’t about being fearless but showing up despite the fear.
🎧 Tune in now and be inspired to take your own bold leap!
📌 Mentioned in this episode:
💡 Love this episode? Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe to The Braver Women Show!
Contact Al Start at Go Kid Music
Grab your copy of the Braver Women Journal
Want to connect with Leanne and Braver Women - Click here
In this episode, I’m breaking down:
🔹 Why self-help can’t fully reach the deeper layers of healing for LGBTQ+ women or minority groups
🔹 The difference between coping strategies and actual transformation
🔹 10 key signs to help you recognise that it’s time to move beyond self-help and into real, lasting change. The unique patterns that are common, from growing up in a heteronormative world
🔹 How therapy can help you process the unprocessed—and why that really matters
This is the follow-up to Episode 5, where we talked about tools for self-change. But today, we’re taking it a step further—getting real about when self-help falls short and how to know when it’s time to reach out for professional support.
If you’ve ever thought, I get it, but I still don’t know how to actually change, this episode is for you.
🎧 Tune in now to learn when self-help isn’t enough—and what to do next.
Click here to request and book an Initial Consultation
🔗 Links & Resources:
📌 Join the Braver Women Facebook Group for deeper discussions and support.
📌 If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend who needs to hear it!
In this powerful, jam-packed episode, I guide you through a realistic and therapeutic approach to creating lasting change, with a focus on emotional growth and healing for queer women. Forget the quick fixes and surface-level resolutions—this is about transforming from the inside out.
We’ll explore:
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Key Insights:
This episode is more than just advice - it’s a toolkit for transformation that will resonate long after January’s hype has faded. Whether you’re just starting or ready to deepen your journey, this episode will equip you with actionable steps to take control of your growth.
The Braver Women Journal for LGBTQ+ Women - The 6 Step Guide to Transform Your Self Confidence
Join our incredible Braver Women Community
Ready to work with me and want to find out more? Get in touch here - info@braverwomen.com
Learn more on YouTube - Braver Women | Leanne C. Jones
If you're dreading Christmas – whether it’s because of loneliness, anxiety, or the thought of sitting across from family members who don't get you – this episode’s for you.
I know how tough this time of year can be, especially if you’re dealing with family estrangement or bigoted relatives.
I’m sharing 8 powerful, no-nonsense strategies to help you stay grounded, protect your mental health, and get through the holidays without losing yourself. These aren’t just for Christmas – they’re tools you can use daily to build confidence, communicate better, and stand stronger in who you are.
Plus, I’m answering a question from someone in the Braver Women community who's facing this exact struggle. If you're alone this year, you don’t have to let loneliness or feelings of inadequacy take over – let’s face this head-on. www.braverwomen.com
Come and Join the Braver Women Facebook Community Here
Connect with me on Linkedin here
Connect with me on Instagram here
Connect with me on Facebook here
Connect with me on Youtube here
In this Braver Women Show Podcast episode, host and therapist, Leanne C Jones introduces lesbian fiction author, Rain McAlister. Rain is a courageous gay woman from the West Coast of Ireland. Rain has bravely faced a lifetime of intense anxiety and the heavy burden of childhood trauma, which caused her to live in fear and avoid leaving her home for years.
Join us as Rain opens up about her incredible journey to rediscover her self-worth, build her confidence, and free herself from shame and fear after working directly with Leanne in Braver Women. She shares how she reached milestones she never thought possible and the powerful impact of overcoming societal pressures, discrimination, and self-doubt. At one point, Rain was told she couldn't be helped and had given up all hope, seeing Braver Women as her last chance.
For many of us in the queer community, navigating these challenges can feel overwhelming. Rain’s story shows the power of believing in ourselves and letting go of the lies we've been conditioned to think. By sharing our experiences in the LGBTQ+ community, we create connections, foster understanding, and inspire healing.
If you’ve ever felt different or struggled with anxiety, this episode will deeply resonate with you. Tune in to be inspired by Rain McAlister's remarkable transformation from fear to freedom.
1. You can access Rain's wonderful publications here
2. Connect with the Powerful Braver Women Facebook Community here
4. To Request a Consultation with Leanne - Click here
5. Want a topic covered on the Braver Women Show? Click here
Braver Women Client, Carol went from dreaming of being a writer to seeing her lesbian fiction novel, 'Charlotte and Me',on the shelves of Waterstones and all good bookstores. But this success didn’t come easily.
For years, Carol struggled with low confidence, anxiety, and low self-worth, stuck in relationships where she couldn’t truly value herself. Fear and unresolved trauma affected every area of her life. After years of receiving mediocre ‘band-aid’ therapy with minimal results, Carol hit a breaking point after a painful breakup.
That’s when she discovered Braver Women. In this episode, Carol shares how working with Leanne within the bespokely designed Braver Women Breakthrough Program helped her break free from anxiety, fear of rejection, and self-doubt. The Braver Women approach isn’t about quick fixes; it’s about being taught step by step how to integrate sustainable, brave therapeutic changes that allow you to truly transform, from the inside out. She's going to share with you how she did it.
Carol’s story of overcoming fear, embracing her sexuality, and stepping into her full potential is a testament to the power of doing deep work. Her journey proves that no matter where you’re starting from, you can rewrite your narrative and create lasting change in your life and relationships.
Carol shares her experience to inspire YOU, showing that no matter how stuck you feel, you can learn to show up braver, break through limiting beliefs, and live a life of authenticity and courage.
Carol's Publication | Charlotte and Me available here:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/charlotte-and-me/carol-margaret-leyland//9781068560712
Connect with the Braver Women Community Here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/359069712192635/
Get your copy of the Braver Women Journal for LGBTQ+ Women here | Available worldwide: https://amzn.eu/d/3zQc2QZ
Have a suggestion for an episode you'd like to see covered? You're welcome to contact me here: info@braverwomen.com or connect with me on social media:
Do you find yourself fighting an internal battle, struggling to feel enough, only to feel like you're making progress but not getting all the way there?
Good news - You need to lean into something that you perhaps think you've achieved, but it requires you to do some deeper heavy lifting.
If you don't know where to begin, I'm going to show you. If you're after a quick fix - This isn't for you.
In this episode, I'm sharing with you one of the most foundational steps you need to take to help you feel more solid inside, so you stop relying on people outside of you to determine how you show up in your life. This is going to be one of the most important episodes you can listen to if you're interested in lasting change that is going to hold you steady.
You can follow me here:
https://www.facebook.com/leannecjonesbraverwomen
Connect with me in the Braver Women Community here if you have questions or would like to suggest a topic to be discussed: https://www.facebook.com/groups/359069712192635/
Get a copy of the Braver Women Journal for LGBTQ+ Women here: https://amzn.eu/d/2UmYjTc
Teaching LGBTQ+ women how to become braver, so they can banish self-doubt, and anxiety to learn how to stop letting the noise from outside of them, dictate how they show up in every area of their lives.
Every episode of The Braver Women Podcast Show is packed with proven, actionable strategies and thought-provoking content from a therapeutic perspective, that you can implement now.
Courage comes, before confidence.
Order The Braver Women Journal for LGBTQ+ Women - Available Worldwide: https://www.amazon.com/Braver-Women-Journal-LGBTQ-Confidence/product-reviews/B0CRL46JWK/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews
Join me in the Braver Women Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/359069712192635/
Want to know more about me and my story?
https://www.youtube.com/@leannecjones/videos
