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KATE MANSER

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KATE MANSER

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Former model Stephanie Douple: My journey out of addiction & into self-love

July 6, 2025 Kate Manser

⚡️I hope you love this one! Stephanie Douple has a fascinating story of being plucked off the streets of Vegas to become a model, then falling into addiction, and is now many years into a journey as a gifted therapist. She's funny, she's real, she's a beautiful soul.

👉Key points

(00:34) Meet Stephanie Douple

(02:29) How a guy named Breakfast in Vegas launched my modeling career

(05:20) Struggles with Addiction and Self-Worth

(15:22) The Path to Sobriety and Self-Discovery

(25:20) Understanding Harm Reduction and Sobriety

(33:09) Embracing Energy Work and Therapy

(36:03) Detaching from Results in Therapy

(37:23) Understanding EMDR and Trauma Integration

(38:25) Grounding Techniques for Therapists

(41:06) Overcoming Negative Thoughts

(42:45) Embracing Unique Life Paths

(44:41) Generational and Personal Healing

(01:00:20) Navigating Social Media and Mental Health

(01:08:14) Exploring Addiction and Dissociation

(01:14:25) Final Thoughts and Contact Information

Topics: how a guy named Breakfast in Vegas launched my modeling career, going from addiction to sobriety, disabilities, body dysmorphia, becoming a therapist, how to step into your higher timeline every night, and what it's like being a therapist for Gen Alpha clients.

About Stephanie Douple

Stephanie is the founder of Embrace Mind Health, which supports individuals with substance misuse and mental health challenges. Stephanie believes that a path that leads to saving yourself is aligned with supportive people who have been where you are, have walked the path before you, and are willing to sit knee-to-knee with you and support you while you find the answers within you. Stephanie lives near Austin, TX and enjoys sunshine, good food, and being silly.

This week’s show features a candid conversation in which we explore Stephanie’s journey through addiction, self-worth, and sobriety. Stephanie shares her background as a performing arts instructor and model, describing how external validation through beauty and success masked deep struggles with body dysmorphia, addiction, and self-acceptance.

She reflects on her experience growing up with physical differences and a chaotic family environment, which shaped her self-image and challenges. Stephanie emphasizes the difficulty of recalibrating self-worth away from external achievements toward intrinsic value, a process she describes as ongoing and requiring constant self-observation and compassion.

The episode also touches on the normalization of drug use in certain social circles and how Stephanie’s spiritual awakening and sobriety began in her thirties, leading her to a path of healing and self-love.


In this episode, you'll hear:

🦋 Self-worth must be recalibrated from external validation to intrinsic value, which is a lifelong and evolving process.

🦵 Body dysmorphia and negative self-talk can be managed by observing and naming the critical inner voice, allowing space for self-compassion.

🍷 Addiction often masks deeper emotional and spiritual pain; sobriety can be a path to rediscovering light, love, and joy in life.

🚧 Healing from trauma and addiction requires patience and acceptance that setbacks and struggles are part of the journey.

🎂 Spiritual awakening and self-love can emerge later in life, showing it’s never too late to transform one’s relationship with oneself.

What does living your most alive life mean to you? "Living my most alive life means that I am able to operate within the frequency of flow, being willing to forget everything I think I know so that I can have a new experience." --Stephanie Douple

🌐Follow Stephanie Douple Website

IG   / reels  

LinkedIN   / stephaniedouple  

👉Connect with Kate Manser ⁠thealivekate⁠

Visit Kate’s website

Get Kate’s free textspirations: Text ALIVE to 512-898-7850

Thank you for being alive with me ⚡️

Tags hope, love, story, fascinating, funny, real, beautiful soul, therapist\

How to be More Compassionate with Shelby Forsythia →

April 3, 2025 Kate Manser

**You will feel calmer and kinder after listening to this episode.** 👉Shelby is one of those people you meet who just exudes compassion but will push you to move in the direction you’re meant to go. This makes her a truly gifted grief coach.

In this episode: 🚑 Shelby’s story of the time she had a grand mal seizure ALONE in her apartment and how her life was saved

🩵 How to be more compassionate in your everyday life & tips to help you build your own “compassion muscle”

💝 How grief can be perceived as part of the sweetness of life

👓 Shelby explains what “grief glasses” are

💔 How to talk to people who are grieving

🥪 The weird story of visiting the spot Shelby laid mom's ashes & what it has to do with the best sandwich ever

🪴 How to be a good friend by skipping the effort & doing totally boring normal things together & so much more

...And so much more

Sorry if I come off a little fan-girly on this one…I am, in fact, a fangirl of this woman. I can be intense and have rough edges that are totally “me...” AND Shelby is an example of the love and authenticity I hope to be and share in my life. Both of these can be true, and this goes for all of our “conflicting” personality traits and hopes.

📌Life After Loss Academy: Start moving forward with peace, purpose, and even joy.

🌐Follow Shelby

@shelbyforsythia on IG

👉Key points

(00:00) Starting the Day with Gratitude

(00:45) Introducing Shelby

(01:49) Shelby's Journey and Expertise

(03:49) Life After Loss Academy

(07:17) The Concept of Growing Through Grief

(08:30) Personal Reflections and Metaphors

(09:38) Empowering Through Grief

(12:36) Integrating Grief into Life

(14:11) The Impact of Grief on Life Choices

(26:48) The Preciousness of Life and Voice

(40:13) Exploring Compassion and Boundaries

(40:39) The Impact of Grief on Compassion

(40:57) Recognizing and Responding to Suffering

(42:09) Personal Stories of Compassion

(44:24) The Gift of Space Holding

(46:01) The Universality of Grief

(48:15) Near-Death Experience and Its Impact: My grand mal seizure

(51:53) Life After a Near-Death Experience

(01:04:32) Romanticizing the Mundane

(01:16:38) Celebrating Life and Being Present

(01:18:14) Closing Remarks and Gratitude

👉Shelby Forsythia BIO

Shelby Forsynthia

Shelby Forsythia (she/her) is a grief coach, author, and podcast host. In 2020, she founded Life After Loss Academy, an online course and community that has helped dozens of grievers grow and find their way after death, divorce, diagnosis, and other major life transitions. Following her mother’s death in 2013, Shelby began calling herself a “student of grief” and now devotes her days to reading, writing, and speaking about loss. Through a combination of mindfulness tools and intuitive, open-ended questions, she guides her clients to welcome grief as a teacher and create meaningful lives that honor and include the heartbreaks they’ve faced. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine.

👉Connect with Kate Manser on Instagram⁠
Visit Kate’s website ⁠
Get Kate’s free textspirations: Text ALIVE to 512-898-7850

Thank you for being alive with me

In Be Alive with Kate Manser Tags alive, compassionate, life, love, hope

Story: Why I'm Still Alive (Part II) →

August 27, 2024 Kate Manser

In this second episode of a three-part series, Kate reflect on her journey from the depths of depression to finding joy and hope.

The story begins with a pivotal moment at Burning Man where the narrator makes a life-saving promise to stay alive for one more year. It chronicles the struggles of dealing with suicidal thoughts, the challenges of overcoming negative self-talk, and physical pain.

Through moments of despair, attending a Vipassana meditation retreat, and embracing a series of affirmative actions like therapy, coaching, and spiritual practices, Kate gradually finds a path to happiness.

The episode emphasizes the importance of small, intentional steps towards mental well-being and the incredible transformations that can result. Stay tuned for the upcoming final episode where the narrator will share more magical and transformative experiences.

01:00 The Burning Man Promise

02:32 The Impact of Scarcity and New Beginnings

08:05 A Tragic Loss and Its Emotional Impact

12:03 The Struggle with Suicidal Thoughts

14:18 A Lifesaving Promise and the Vipassana Retreat

20:58 Chronic Pain and Emotional Turmoil

23:37 Understanding Chronic Pain

23:50 Meditation Retreat Experience

26:40 The Power of Visualization

29:10 Saying Yes to Opportunities

34:01 Transforming Anger into Joy

39:06 Rewiring Negative Thought Patterns

44:02 Conclusion and Teaser for Next Episode


To connect with Kate Manser on Instagram⁠ Visit Kate’s website⁠ Get Kate’s free textspirations: Text ALIVE to 512-898-7850

Thank you for being alive with me!

In Be Alive with Kate Manser Tags alive, journey, struggles, happiness, experiences, hope

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