Episode 81: The Golden Spiral Path: Why Healing Isn't a Straight Line with Dr. Leslie B. Newman
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On this episode, Kathy sits down with Dr. Leslie B. Newman — psychologist, positive psychology educator, and author of A Daily Dose of Happiness — for a conversation about what happens when healing stops being a straight line.Dr. Leslie introduces her Magic Closet practice, a way of meeting a triggered emotional reaction with curiosity instead of judgment, and unpacks the difference between mindset and what she calls mood set — the emotional baseline we return to underneath our thoughts. The two of them trace her golden spiral path framework, a Wizard of Oz–inspired map for growth that circles back around rather than marching forward in a straight line, revisiting the same lessons with more capacity each time.
The conversation lands on a single word: deserve. Dr. Leslie shares how reclaiming that word after a narcissistic relationship became the title of her book, and what it means to receive good things without having to perform for them first.
This episode speaks directly to anyone who recognizes Type C coping mechanisms in themselves — people-pleasing, conflict avoidance, emotional suppression — and is ready to find their way back to feeling.
In this episode, Kathy & Dr. Leslie discuss:
emotional healing
people pleasing
emotional regulation
self compassion
positive psychology
mind body connection
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Meet Dr. Leslie B. Newman
00:02:04 The Magic Closet practice
00:07:55 Curiosity as the first step
00:20:22 Mindset vs mood set
00:23:49 Feelings words and embodiment
00:26:56 Relationships as practice
00:31:20 The golden spiral path
00:32:42 Triggers and defenses
00:36:10 Why healing isn't linear
00:39:49 Feeling the full spectrum
00:41:04 Writing through trauma
00:47:20 Masks and embodiment
00:51:06 What it means to deserve
00:54:14 Happiness isn't a destination
00:56:22 Positive psychology
Connect with Dr. Leslie B. Newman
Dr. Leslie Newman is an author, speaker, and change agent whose work explores the intersection of personal growth, emotional well-being, spirituality, and human potential. She taught mindfulness and positive psychology at the college level for seven years and developed the first online positive psychology course at her college.
Leslie is the author of A Daily Dose of Happiness: Bite-Sized Nuggets to Uplift Your Mood and Live the Life You Deserve and is currently completing her second book, From Kansas to Oz: A Nonlinear Life Path to the Power You’ve Always Had. Her work helps people navigate life’s disruptions with greater awareness, emotional regulation, self-trust, and embodied presence.
A series of spontaneous out-of-body experiences beginning at age nineteen profoundly shaped Leslie’s understanding of consciousness and human potential. Today, she blends psychology, mindfulness, spirituality, and lived experience to help others awaken to the deeper wisdom available within their own lives.
When she isn’t writing, speaking, or teaching, Leslie enjoys yoga, walking with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Archie, spending time in nature, and exploring what it means to live with greater joy, authenticity, and alignment.
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