Insomnia Coach® Podcast

Around his 17th birthday, one sleepless night changed the way Joey felt about sleep. What had always happened naturally started to feel frightening, urgent, and impossible to stop thinking about.

Soon, sleep thoughts followed him through the day. Joey stopped going out, struggled to enjoy films, and tried everything he could think of to force sleep and silence his mind.

In this episode, Joey shares what changed when he stopped treating those thoughts like an enemy and started returning to films, sport, college, and nights out — even when anxiety came along.

Watch/listen to this episode

Lu spent most of her life trusting sleep. Then, after having her first baby, one sleepless night changed the way she felt about sleep. What once came easily started to feel urgent and fragile.

She researched, tried supplements and routines, and used medication during some very hard periods.

Medication helped at times, but insomnia still had a strong hold on her life.

In this episode, Lu shares how self-compassion, allowing anxiety to exist, and adding meaningful things back into her days helped her regain trust and leave the insomnia struggle behind.

Watch/listen to this episode

When Casaundra’s insomnia returned after getting married, sleep became the center of everything. She felt tired, went to bed, and then felt wide awake as anxiety took over.

She tried blackout curtains, headphones, melatonin, medication, food changes, no screens, less water, strict routines, and even six kiwis before bed. The more she tried to control sleep, the more sleep seemed to control her life.

In this episode, Casaundra shares how things changed when she started making life bigger than insomnia.

Watch/listen to this episode

Farrukh reached a point where sleep felt like something he had to figure out. Nights became something to prepare for, manage, and try to get right.

The more effort he put into fixing sleep, the more it took over. His attention, his routines, and even his days started revolving around whether he would sleep.

In this episode, he shares what began to change when he stepped away from that effort — and what it looked like to start living again without waiting for sleep to happen as he once wanted it to.

Watch/listen to this episode

Courtney’s insomnia didn’t just mean poor sleep — it meant panic. The moment she noticed she wasn’t asleep, her body would react. Fear took over. Nights became something to dread.

She tried everything — routines, supplements, medication — but nothing brought lasting relief. Over time, her life started revolving around sleep.

In this episode, Courtney shares how learning to trust her body helped her move out of the struggle and back into her life.

Watch/listen to this episode

Amber is a nurse, a mom, and someone used to solving problems. So when insomnia showed up, she did what she’d always done — researched, optimized, tightened her routine, and worked harder to fix things.

Nothing helped. Nights felt lonely and exhausting. Days started revolving around sleep.

Then she discovered a different way forward. Not controlling sleep, but moving away from the struggle. Not forcing calm, but allowing thoughts and anxiety to be there while focusing on actions that truly mattered. In this episode, Amber shares how flexibility, patience, and small everyday choices helped her move out of the fight — and back into her life.

Watch/listen to this episode

Abbie’s experience with insomnia didn’t just affect her nights — it slowly began shaping her days, her plans, and how much freedom she felt in her life. What started after a brief illness turned into constant pressure around sleep and an ongoing effort to make it go a certain way.

Like many people, Abbie tried to fix the problem. Earlier bedtimes, strict routines, supplements — all in the hope that sleep would finally come more easily. Instead, the struggle took up more space, and life began to feel smaller.

In this episode, Abbie shares what began to change when she stepped out of that struggle. Not by forcing sleep, but by shifting how she responded and re-engaging with her life. It’s an honest, grounded conversation about insomnia — and what can happen when the struggle stops running everything.

Watch/listen to this episode

Natasha’s insomnia began during the pandemic, when a single rough night grew into a pattern of worry and disrupted sleep. She spent a lot of time looking for solutions and trying different products, hoping something might quiet the fear she felt around bedtime and make sleep feel easier.

Things began to shift when she stopped treating sleep as something she had to fix. Instead of endlessly monitoring sleep, she allowed herself to do ordinary things again — watching TV shows she enjoyed at night, keeping morning plans, and making choices that reflected the life she wanted to live.

As she moved toward the things that mattered to her, nights became less of a struggle and sleep started to fall into place by itself. Today, sleep isn’t something she chases, and her days are no longer shaped by insomnia.

Watch/listen to this episode

Dan’s insomnia began suddenly. What started as a couple of sleepless nights quickly escalated into months of clock-watching, strict routines, and desperate attempts to fix sleep. The harder he tried, the more stuck he felt — and before long, he was convinced he was broken.

Everything changed when Dan began responding differently. Instead of fighting with his nights, he focused on easing the pressure, limiting clock-checks, and committing to meaningful actions during the day. Over time, he realized he could notice his thoughts without believing them, and his confidence in his body’s natural ability to sleep returned.

In this episode, Dan shares the ups and downs of that journey — and what finally made the difference.

Watch/listen to this episode

Kelly’s insomnia began after the birth of her first child. Sleepless nights quickly turned into panic-filled evenings, anxious days, and a desperate search for fixes that only made things worse.

Her turning point came when she realized it wasn’t her body that was broken, but the exhausting fight with sleep and her thoughts. By loosening her grip, letting go of rituals, and meeting thoughts with openness, she began to live more freely.

When insomnia returned during pregnancy, Kelly chose acceptance over fear. Instead of battling sleepless nights, she allowed them to unfold. The fear eased, sleep returned naturally, and today her life is no longer defined by insomnia.

Watch/listen to this episode