Liberation with Shale

Liberation with Shale Liberation-based therapist and coach specializing in holistic approaches to mental health.

Have you heard of neurofeedback? Most people haven't — even though it's been around for over 50 years.It's a brain train...
08/13/2026

Have you heard of neurofeedback? Most people haven't — even though it's been around for over 50 years.

It's a brain training technique that works directly with your brain's electrical activity to support regulation, without relying on medication or requiring the kind of insight and self-reflection that talk therapy needs to be effective.

I first saw its impact almost by accident, working with a client during my internship whose life transformed over the course of a year. That experience stuck with me, and years later I trained in it myself — both as a practitioner and, eventually, on my own brain.

In my latest post, I walk through what neurofeedback actually is, why it's not more widely known (hint: it doesn't fit neatly into how insurance and pharmaceuticals shape our mental health system), and why I think it deserves a place in more people's mental health toolkits.

Link: https://liberationwithshale.substack.com/p/how-neurofeedback-changed-my-life?r=6jrzbb

08/12/2026

I was really moved by an art show and music performance I got to see in Lamu on Sunday. The music reminded me of childhood, traditional Swahili songs sung by young talent. And the art totally blew me away 💥🤯

Truly excellent 🤌🏾 Marui Simon and Sheila Bayley

People sometimes ask, why have children? This is why. Young people bring new life, new ideas, new inspiration into the world. And we all benefit from it. Thank you for being here, thank you for being you, and thank you for the courage to create.

08/05/2026

This week's piece is a personal one.

People often ask what it actually looks like, in practice, to "regulate at the root." Not as a concept, but as a daily habit. So I decided to answer honestly, using my own life as the example.

At the center of it is dual awareness, a practice of checking in on what's happening inside me and what's happening around me, often at the same time. But the real turning point wasn't the noticing itself. It was learning to meet what I found with compassion rather than criticism. That shift is what actually opened things up.

I also wrote about my toolbox, and it's a wide one: meditation, yoga, long walks, acupuncture, massage, neurofeedback, bathhouses, prayer, breathwork, and plenty of unstructured time to just think or daydream. I don't run through it like a checklist. I reach for whatever the day actually needs.

None of this came easily or quickly. It took years of small adjustments to build a life that could hold a full practice, a young child, a partner, a household, and still leave me intact. And I've come to accept that what I need keeps changing, which means the practice never really finishes.

If any of this resonates, I'd love for you to read the full piece and subscribe for what's coming next.

Link: https://open.substack.com/pub/liberationwithshale/p/what-it-actually-looks-like-to-stay?r=6jrzbb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

07/31/2026

I'm starting something new.

I've launched a Substack. It's a weekly publication about the nervous system, but from an angle I don't see enough of: where the body's stress physiology meets the systems that shape us.

For years I was told some version of "you're too sensitive, too anxious, too much." Maybe you've heard that too. What I've come to know, in this work and in my own life as a trauma survivor, is that the anxious, watchful part of us usually isn't malfunctioning at all. It adapted to conditions that were real. It learned its job too well.

We all get broken and damaged in this life. It's part of how we learn. My work, and this publication, is about helping us get back to ourselves, back in the business of thriving, and back in touch with the freedom that naturally moves outward once we've had the chance to heal deeply. Because I believe the peace we want to see in the world has to come alive inside us first.

The first piece is live now. If it resonates, I'd love for you to read it and subscribe so you get each week's. Link: https://liberationwithshale.substack.com/p/your-nervous-system-isnt-broken?r=6jrzbb

I was recently quoted in in a piece on the best books for chronic pain ✨The book I recommended is Gabor Mate's When the...
07/30/2026

I was recently quoted in in a piece on the best books for chronic pain ✨

The book I recommended is Gabor Mate's When the Body Says No — one I come back to again and again with clients navigating unexplained or persistent pain.

Maté's core message: pain is often a physical response to a lifetime of suppressed emotional truth. For people who have been dismissed by the medical system, this book offers something rare — language for what they've been experiencing.

Click the link to read the full piece 👇
https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a73230332/best-chronic-pain-books/

When I imagine my safe and peaceful place, it’s always here. Island air does something so good for me. A slower pace. A ...
07/24/2026

When I imagine my safe and peaceful place, it’s always here. Island air does something so good for me. A slower pace. A chill vibe. All the mangoes I could ever dream of. 🥭 💭

07/10/2026

It has been three years since my mom died.

It still hurts.

Some losses you will never get over. This grieving process has been about learning how to live with a pain that will always be there. Making room for it. Accepting it. Learning how to wear it like a beautiful gown instead of a heavy weight.

One way I have been able to feel close to my mom lately is leaning in on my beauty routine and self-care. My mom was a beautiful woman, and she taught me how to love being beautiful. She taught me that it’s not about how others perceive me, but something I can own and feel good about for myself.

I’ve always centered my self-care on how my body feels, lots of yoga, spa days, massages, acupuncture. But something new is happening with facials, makeup, and pedicures. Not for external validation. But I’m honoring the beauty my mom passed down to me.

I don’t think I fully realized how much my body was still bracing until recently.After having a baby and nursing for thr...
05/01/2026

I don’t think I fully realized how much my body was still bracing until recently.

After having a baby and nursing for three and a half years, I got used to being woken up every 2 to 3 hours.

And even after that phase ended, something stayed with me.

My body never fully relaxed.

I lived in this quiet, background state of stay alert, stay ready, without even thinking about it.

But over the past few months, that’s been changing.

Four months into neurofeedback, I’m finally sleeping deeply again, 7, sometimes 8 hours straight.

And it’s not just the sleep that’s different.

I feel less vigilant.
Less on edge.
More settled in my body.

And what’s been fascinating is how that’s showing up in small, everyday ways.

Like what I wear.

I’ve always been really sensitive to fabrics. Polyester has always been a hard no for me, it just never felt right on my skin. I’ve mostly worn cotton for years.

But recently, I started wearing more merino wool, and it feels different.

Softer. More breathable. More regulating.

And I realized, it’s not just about the clothing.

It’s about listening to my body instead of overriding it.

For a long time, I thought of my sensitivity as something to manage or push through.

Now I’m starting to see it differently.

What if it’s just information?

What if comfort isn’t indulgent, but actually part of how we regulate?

At this stage of my life, I feel more grounded in who I am, less focused on fixing, more focused on supporting.

And that’s changing everything.

Curious if anyone else has noticed shifts like this, whether through better sleep, nervous system work, or even something as simple as what you wear?

If this resonates and you want to explore it more deeply, I offer neurofeedback assessments where we look at what your nervous system is doing and how to support it.

No pressure, just information.

I’ve been making some really intentional changes to how I take care of my body over the past few months.Nothing extreme....
04/06/2026

I’ve been making some really intentional changes to how I take care of my body over the past few months.

Nothing extreme.
Nothing overwhelming.
Just steady, thoughtful shifts.

One of the simplest things I added was creatine.

I started taking it back in October, mostly because I wanted to build strength and support my metabolism.

But what surprised me is how much it affected my mind.

I noticed my thinking felt clearer.
My energy felt more stable throughout the day.
That low-level brain fog I didn’t even realize I had… started to lift.

And the more I’ve learned, the more it makes sense.

Creatine helps your body produce energy at the cellular level—including in the brain. And when your brain has the energy it needs, things like mood, focus, and overall mental clarity can improve.

It’s also connected to muscle and metabolic health, which are deeply tied to mental health in ways we don’t talk about enough.

Unstable blood sugar alone can show up as:
anxiety, irritability, mood swings, and fatigue.

So when we support the body, we’re often supporting the mind too.

For me, this has become part of what I think of as my “40-year glow up”—not in an aesthetic way, but in a deeper, more meaningful way.

I’m thinking about:
How do I support my brain long-term?
How do I stabilize my energy and nervous system?
How do I set myself up for midlife and beyond?

Creatine isn’t a magic fix.
But it’s been a really powerful support.

It’s helped me:
--stay consistent with strength training,
--feel stronger in my body,
--and have more clarity and capacity in my mind.

And that combination has made everything else feel more doable.

Curious if anyone else has experimented with creatine or noticed shifts in energy or focus from small changes like this—I’d love to hear.

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