Why Being “Appropriate” Is Holding You Back From Healing

This episode marks the official beginning of a deeper season of Human(ing) Well.

In this first episode of 2026, Amber Cabral names something she has not said out loud enough before: humaning well was never meant to be clean, sterile, or palatable. While the four pillars of the Human(ing) Well framework: health, wealth, relationships, and growth remain the same, the way Amber is willing to talk about what lives inside those pillars is evolving.

Today, Amber reflects on why earlier conversations stayed closer to what felt professionally acceptable and politically correct, and why that approach, while not wrong, was incomplete. She explains how avoiding topics like desire, intimacy, shame, the body, attachment, fear, power, and unspoken needs keep people fragmented and stuck, even when they are doing everything “right” on the surface. People struggle because of what is happening inside them - the parts of themselves they have been taught not to name.

This episode sets the tone for the season ahead. You will hear why being mindful and respectful with language still matters deeply, and why avoiding the full range of human experience in the name of safety or professionalism actually limits healing. 

Reflection Questions:

• Where have I been honest, but not whole?
• What parts of my experience feel off-limits, even to myself?
• What am I avoiding because it feels messy, exposing, or uncomfortable?
• What might become possible if I allowed myself to examine all of me, not just the respectable parts?

If you are willing to stay with the discomfort of deeper honesty, Amber believes this season will be profoundly liberating.

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Amber Cabral

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Watch Amber’s TED TALK here.

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