Michal Tolk - Integrative Life Coaching

01/23/2024

Reels are great, but I've been wanting to share thoughts that take longer than 90 seconds to record... so, you'll be seeing more of me on YouTube this year.

Here's a quick 6-minute video from my morning walk today 😊💕

Thank you for being here 💙🙏🏽If you're curious about how I might support you, you can schedule a free consult call with me at https://michaltolk.as.me/disc...

10/15/2023

Hey, there's a lot going on right now.

There's a lot going on in the world, in the news, in your personal life, in your body, and when there's so much happening all at once, you might be feeling anxious, stressed, angry, overwhelmed or even just numb or disconnected.

You want to feel even a little better, but "just take a deep breath" isn't cutting it.

✨️ If you're feeling ready for something more, join me on Thu Oct 26, 2023, at 7:00 pm EST for a community masterclass on re-connecting to your body's natural ability to rest deeply.

🧠 We'll dive into some of the science behind how your nervous system responds to threat, and you'll learn practical skills you can use to help regulate stress, release tension, feel safe in your body, and create a foundation of ease in your daily life to prevent burnout and overwhelm.

This class will be both informational and experiential.

Come ready to move, write, breathe, and imagine, and you can expect to leave feeling a little more relaxed, recharged, and refreshed.

My goal is to share a restorative experience while also empowering you with skills to navigate your own nervous system as you move through the world.

This event will also be interactive - you'll have the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, ask questions, and receive personalized guidance from a certified hypnotist and somatic coach.

Everything will be trauma-informed and grounded in consent.

Whether you're new to somatic work or seeking to deepen your practice, this masterclass is suitable for all levels of experience.

🎟 Tickets are pay-what-you-want, and replays will be available for those who can't make it live.

💙 Attendees will be limited to 25 people, so be sure to get tickets before they sell out.

I look forward to seeing you there 🤎

08/31/2023

This is vague on purpose.

08/31/2023

Feeling compassion doesn't mean you don't have boundaries!

Setting boundaries doesn't mean you can't feel compassion!

Sometimes, feeling compassion allows you to clearly see the appropriate boundaries to set.

Sometimes, setting boundaries gives you the safety that allows you to feel compassion.
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08/28/2023

Studies estimate that at least 40% of our daily actions are dictated by habit (some put it closer to 60-90%).

Most of the time, it's too energetically demanding to consciously decide what to do or feel, so our brain automates those choices based on past experience.

But most of those automations, also called habits, were probably not an intentional choice.

You didn't choose to start scrolling social media whenever you have a spare moment, or to feel anxious every time you hear your mother start talking with that tone.

Unfortunately, most of us never got a user's manual to how our brains work, and our habits have been formed by random circumstance or big cultural/corporate/political forces who often don't have our best interests in mind.

The workshop I'm leading tonight is that user's guide to your brain.

I'll share a simple 4-step framework describing how change happens in your brain, and give you some practical tools you can use to stop old habits in their tracks.

This framework applies to all change methodologies, so if you're familiar with tools like EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, CBT, and even things like yoga and meditation, this framework will offer an overview you can use to seamlessly combine and integrate other modalities.

AND as a fun bonus, I'll be sending out a guided self-hypnosis recording after the event that you can use to continue strengthening new connections on your own.

This class is pay-what-you-want, and replays will be available if you can't make it live.

Whether you want to break bad habits or develop new ones, or if you want to upgrade your skills helping clients change their patterns, this event is for you.

There are still a few hours left to get tickets - see my bi0 for the l!nk
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Photos are some things that have made me happy lately ❤️

08/18/2023

⚡️🧠⚡️

08/13/2023

I'm about to board my penultimate flight before I'm back home! ✈️

This trip has been incredible, and I can't wait to share more moments and insights from the past three weeks.

I also can't wait to be back home with the man I love, in the mountains I love, and in the flow of the work I love 😌

I'll only be seeing virtual clients for the next couple of months, and my books are open for a few new folks.

If you're interested in hypnosis, coaching, and somatic experiencing to help you rewire your nervous system, send me a message and we can chat about how I can help 💙

03/09/2023

💙
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03/06/2023

📢 I currently have two openings for integrative coaching clients!

I use a combination of hypnosis and supportive conversation to help you change any habit and reach any goal - whether that means finally starting that meditation or exercise habit you've been talking about for years, quitting smoking or fast food, or simply finding a way to spend enjoyable time with your family over the holidays without getting stressed out (true story).

Right now, I have space for in-person clients on Mondays at my office downtown or virtual sessions over Zoom on Thursday mornings.

I offer tiered pricing for accessibility and a free 30-minute introductory call to see if we'd be a good fit.

This work is genuinely magical and life-changing, and I would love for you to experience it! 😊

Feel free to message me with any questions - I look forward to hearing from you.

❤️

02/03/2023

It's really cool ❤️

01/30/2023

This idea originally comes from statistics, but it applies to all models of thought.

In every moment, there is too much potential stimulus to focus on - reality is too complex to be fully comprehended - so we create models to help us navigate and function in the world.

A model is a simplified representation of reality, a mental map that deletes information perceived as irrelevant and generalizes the rest while distorting much of that information to make it fit.

Maps can be incredibly useful, but the map is never the territory.

All beliefs, identities, philosophies, religions - EVERY THOUGHT is simply a mental framework that creates our experience of the world.

They're all wrong.

Some are useful.

If a model doesn't work for you, you have the freedom to release it and find another that can take you where you want to go.

01/28/2023

This can be a tough one to remember.

But the more you do, the more it becomes a natural lens through which to view other people, and you start to recognize that no one else's communication has the power to harm you.

💙

01/15/2023

Top books of 2022 ✨️

01/14/2023

A reminder to all teachers, coaches, parents, partners, and friends 🤍

01/14/2023

The next virtual rest workshop is coming up!

This is a fantastic opportunity to slow down, drop into a state of deep relaxation, envision your intentions for the new year, and reconnect to the healing wisdom of your own body and mind.

Check the link in my bio or message me to register ✨️

First slide reposted from 🙏🏽

01/09/2023

What is your intention for the year?

I want to know 🤍

01/02/2023

As I reflect on my intentions for 2023, this has become clear as my deepest desire - for all of us to live happy, fulfilling lives, free from suffering.

Experience has taught me that while suffering is ubiquitous, it is unnecessary.

Pain is inevitable.

Stress is inevitable.

Grief is inevitable.

Change, decay, and death are inevitable.

Suffering is optional.

Suffering arises when we forget who we are, when we confuse our most essential nature with the patterns of thought, feeling, and sensation that we have inherited from culture and life history.

Happiness and freedom are already present behind those patterns, like the blue sky always exists behind the clouds.

Our work, then, it to sharpen our perception to discern the essential from the non-essential, to clear away confusion, rest in truth, and take action from that place of clarity, calm, compassion, and love that is at the heart of all things.

When I am afraid to show up, intimidated by the work ahead of me, or uncertain of my next step, I return to this desire as my guiding star.

🌟 May this new year bring you back to the inner peace and joy that no external circumstances can take away🙏🏽

12/23/2022

Pause. Take a slow breath.

Ask yourself - what would feel good in your body right now?

Not what you think *should* happen. What *wants* to happen?

Maybe a yawn, a quick stretch, a wiggle, or just a moment to close your eyes and soften your jaw.

All beings need loving attention - including you.

May you find moments to offer that compassion and care to yourself and to the people around you this holiday season 💙