Mental health + daily life
Explore stress, emotional wellbeing, boundaries, relationships and the impact of grief or caregiving. Education and mentorship can sit alongside care from a qualified mental health professional.
NERVOUS SYSTEM INTELLIGENCE
Understand your responses.
You can understand a situation and still find yourself reacting in a familiar way. Under pressure, old patterns can take over—in your body, your relationships and your working life.
Together, we notice the cues, understand the patterns and practice different responses. Personal work begins with six weeks; workplace education brings that awareness into the way people lead, communicate and navigate change.
Awareness · Connection · Choice
We influence one another.
Our responses are shaped by experience, context and relationships. Noticing our own cues—and how we respond to the people around us—can open up more choices.
We explore regulation, co-regulation and the ways stress can spread between people, with an emphasis on curiosity and practical application.
THE PROCESS · PERSONAL EDUCATION + MENTORSHIPUnderstand your operating system.
Understand your operating system.
Create more choice.
Awareness becomes useful when you can do something with it. We work together to understand your responses, recognise patterns and practice changes that fit the life you’re actually living.
- 01
Understand your operating system.
We begin with your experience, strengths, current pressures and what you want to change. Together, we explore how your body’s responses, thoughts, habits and relationships interact.
- 02
Build awareness.
Notice your early cues: changes in energy, tension, attention, emotions and behaviour. We look at what is happening around you as well as what you notice within yourself.
- 03
Identify your patterns.
Map the situations, interpretations and responses that keep repeating. We explore what a pattern has been doing for you, what it costs and where you would like more choice.
- 04
Practice pattern interruption.
Create a manageable pause between a familiar cue and your usual response. We experiment with small alternatives, such as delaying a reply, taking a movement break or asking for what you need.
- 05
Create your anchors.
Choose repeatable practices, reminders, boundaries and sources of support that fit your life. An anchor might be a daily check-in, a grounding sensory cue, movement or a conversation with someone you trust.
- 06
Change management, in real life.
Practice between conversations, review what works and adjust what doesn’t. We plan for busy days, setbacks and transitions, so change has somewhere to land beyond the session.
SIX WEEKS TO BEGIN · ROOM TO CONTINUE
Time to notice. Space to practice.
Our personal work begins with six weeks of collaboration. We move through these stages at your pace, with practical application and reflection between conversations. From there, we can continue building on what you’ve learned together.
We agree on your goals, session format, frequency and fees before beginning.
LIVE INTELLIGENTLY · WORK INTELLIGENTLY
Where this work comes to life.
LIVE INTELLIGENTLY brings these ideas into personal education and mentorship.
WORK INTELLIGENTLY explores them with leaders, teams and organizations.
These are two pathways within Nervous System Intelligence: one for personal life, one for workplaces. Mentorship is available as a direct, personal way to work with Christina.
For restorative experiences, explore THE RESET.
THE WHOLE CONTEXT
There is room for what you’re carrying.
Stress responses happen within a life: relationships, work, health, loss, belonging and the ways we cope. Our work makes room for that context.
Fatigue, recovery + long COVID
Make room for changes in capacity, identity and everyday demands. We can discuss supportive routines and communication alongside your healthcare plan. Long COVID and chronic fatigue are not simply stress responses; some people experience delayed worsening after activity, so support must respect individual limits.
Substance use + coping patterns
Explore what coping habits are doing for you, what you want to change and where additional help may be useful. This is a nonjudgmental conversation, not addiction treatment or medically supervised withdrawal.
Sleep, pain, hormonal transitions, financial pressure, loneliness and workplace culture can all be part of the conversation. We begin with what matters to you and stay within an educational and mentorship role.
GOOD TO KNOW
A few good questions.
What do you mean by Nervous System Intelligence?
It is a practical approach to noticing stress responses, patterns and how we influence one another. “Operating system” is a metaphor for how your responses, habits and context interact. The focus is on awareness, connection and finding more choice in everyday life and work.
How do Live Intelligently and Work Intelligently fit in?
Live Intelligently brings this work into personal education and mentorship. Work Intelligently brings it to leaders, teams and organizations. Both sit within Nervous System Intelligence.
Do I need any background knowledge?
No. You can begin with your own experience and questions. We discuss the ideas in relation to your life or workplace.
How is this different from THE RESET?
Nervous System Intelligence focuses on education, awareness and practical application. THE RESET offers skin, body and sound experiences. We can discuss which starting point suits you.
What is the nervous system?
Your nervous system includes your brain, spinal cord and the nerves throughout your body. It carries information, supports sensation and movement, and helps coordinate responses inside and outside the body. It is one part of how we experience and respond to life—not an explanation for everything.
What are sympathetic and parasympathetic responses?
These are parts of the autonomic nervous system, which helps regulate functions such as heart rate and digestion. Sympathetic activity helps mobilise energy for action, including responding to stress. Parasympathetic activity supports functions such as digestion and recovery. Both are useful; the goal is not to switch one off or remain calm all the time.
What is the vagus nerve?
The vagus is a pair of cranial nerves connecting the brainstem with organs in the chest and abdomen. It carries information in both directions and is involved in parasympathetic functions, including aspects of heart rate and digestion. It is not a single “reset button” for wellbeing, and a simple exercise cannot diagnose or cure a vagus nerve disorder.
What is polyvagal theory?
Polyvagal theory is a framework that links autonomic responses with experiences of threat, safety and social connection. It is influential in some therapeutic and wellbeing settings, but several of its central physiological and evolutionary claims are scientifically disputed. We may discuss its language as a reflective framework, not as a diagnosis or a settled map of your nervous system. We distinguish it from established autonomic physiology.
What is a pattern, and how do we interrupt it?
A pattern is a recurring sequence of cues, interpretations, feelings and actions. For example, a difficult email might lead to tension, an immediate reply and later regret. Interruption means noticing the sequence and trying a different step: pause, save a draft and choose when to respond. We practice alternatives together rather than expecting willpower to do all the work.
What do you mean by anchors?
Anchors are practical cues and habits we choose together to make a helpful response easier to remember. Examples include a check-in before opening your inbox, a movement break, a boundary phrase or a trusted person to contact. They are personalised reminders and supports, not guaranteed physiological switches.
How long do we work together?
Personal work begins with six weeks, creating time to understand your patterns, practice and review what you notice. Support can continue beyond that by agreement. Session frequency, format, fees and what is included are confirmed before we begin. Workplace projects are scoped separately.
What happens between sessions, and how do we review change?
We choose manageable practices connected to your goals. You might notice a recurring cue, try a different response or keep a brief reflection. Together, we review what felt useful, where it was difficult and what to adjust. Progress is personal; six weeks is a starting period, not a promise of a fixed outcome.
Is this psychotherapy or medical treatment?
No. This work offers education, mentorship and practical reflection. It does not diagnose or treat nervous system disorders or replace psychotherapy or medical care. We can discuss how it fits alongside support from qualified healthcare professionals.
What are co-regulation and co-dysregulation?
These terms describe ways people can influence one another’s emotional and stress responses. A steady tone, clear expectations and respectful connection may help someone feel more settled; tension, urgency or conflict can amplify distress. They are useful descriptions of interaction, not diagnoses or a reason to blame someone for another person’s health.
Can we discuss mental health, long COVID or substance use?
Yes, as part of your lived experience, coping patterns, relationships and daily demands. Mentorship does not treat mental illness, long COVID or substance use disorders. Relevant medical and mental health care remains with qualified professionals; withdrawal from some substances can require medical supervision.
Can a Wellness Spending Account help with the cost?
Some employer Wellness Spending Accounts (WSAs) or lifestyle accounts may reimburse eligible wellness services, depending on the plan. Ask your plan administrator about the specific service, provider requirements and receipt details before booking. A WSA is different from a Health Care Spending Account or standard extended-health insurance; reimbursement is not guaranteed. Non-RMT body care is not billed as registered massage therapy.