
Start Your Week With Presence & Purpose
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Joanna Coles
Hi, I'm Joanna Coles.
Michael Wolff
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Joanna Coles
No other modern American president has impacted the world like Donald Trump. To understand his mercurial whims, we dive deep inside Trump's head.
Michael Wolff
Three days a week, Joanna and I deliver behind the scenes access and recount insider stories. From hidden health concerns to a alleged Epstein connections. We unravel the 47th president in a way you will not find anywhere else.
Joanna Coles
So search for Inside Trump's Head wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released three times a week on all major podcast platforms or tune in a day earlier on The Daily Beasts YouTube channel.
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Ashley Bentley
The Neurodivergent Experience Podcast presents Mindful Mondays. I'm your host Ashley Bentley, and this is your weekly space to breathe, reflect.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
And begin your week with presence and purpose.
Ashley Bentley
All October, we've been exploring nature as teacher, nature as healer. From walking off the storm to letting go with grace, each episode has been.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
An invitation to return to the wisdom.
Ashley Bentley
That lives all around us. And today we turn to one of my favorite lessons from the late spiritual teacher Ram Dass, who said, when you.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Go out into the woods and you look at trees, you just allow them.
Ashley Bentley
You see why they are the way they are.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Some are bent, some are straight, some are evergreens, some not. And you don't get all emotional about it, you just allow it.
Ashley Bentley
But he said, the minute we're near humans, we lose all of that.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
We start judging, comparing, measuring.
Ashley Bentley
And today we explore what it means to turn people, including ourselves, into trees.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
To allow, to soften, to stop trying.
Ashley Bentley
To fix what was never broken. As John Cabat Zen reminds us, give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is, and allow yourself to be exactly as you are. And for the neurodivergent brain and body, this practice of allowing can be radical, even revolutionary. We live in a world that often pressures us to mask, to contort, to perform.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
So learning to allow, to stop efforting.
Ashley Bentley
Our way toward belonging, is a deep form of healing. And let's explore what happens when we finally stop trying to prune ourselves into someone else's idea of enough.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
When you walk through a forest, you.
Ashley Bentley
Never think that tree's branches are uneven or or that tree should be taller, or that tree really needs to straighten itself out. You just see them bent, curved, scarred, lush, sparse, all part of one magnificent ecosystem.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
And yet when we look at people.
Ashley Bentley
And especially when we look at ourselves.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
We often forget this truth.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
We start to judge, to compare, to rank. We forget to allow. The practice of allowing begins with noticing.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Where we resist what is.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
And for the neurodivergent mind, this resistance can take many shapes. Perfectionism, self criticism, rumination, or the constant pull to do better. Our brains, wired for deep sensitivity, can become master pattern seekers. And when the pattern detection turns inward, it can morph into self surveillance.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Am I too much?
Ashley Bentley
Too loud, too quiet, too late, too early, too sensitive?
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
But here's the thing.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
The more we self monitor, the louder the nervous system hums.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
The amygdala, that little almond shaped part.
Ashley Bentley
Of the brain that scans for danger, starts lighting up.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Even when we're safe.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Judgment, whether directed outward or inward, is a threat signal.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
It tells the body, something's wrong here. Allowing, on the other hand, is the antidote. It signals safety. It tells the nervous system, you can rest now. Nothing needs to change in this moment. And it doesn't mean complacency, it means compassion. It's meeting reality as it is, instead of exhausting ourselves fighting it.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
And there's a story I love the.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Tale of a young woman who once asked a monk, master, how can I.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Let go of my anxiety?
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
The monk smiled and said, from the.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Moment you wake up, the world throws.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
A thousand things at your mind. Worries, comparisons, what ifs, deadlines, opinions, fears. And your mind, loyal to its purpose, tries to protect you by imagining every possible outcome. But in doing so, it traps you in an endless cycle of worry. And then he paused and said, to let go of your anxiety, you must return to the present moment. Listen to the birds, the wind. Each time your mind runs towards fear, bring it back to now. Because anxiety lives in your mind, but peace lives in the present. And the young woman bowed and said softly, so peace was never something to find, it was something to return to.
Ashley Bentley
And that line gives me chills every time.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Because returning is exactly what presence is. When we connect with nature, that's exactly what we're doing. We're returning. Returning to rhythm, to stillness, to simplicity. For most of human history, we spent.
Ashley Bentley
Nearly all of our time outdoors, in.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Direct relationship with the world around us.
Ashley Bentley
It's no wonder our nervous systems calm. When we step outside.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
We'Re coming home. And so the work of mindfulness, especially.
Ashley Bentley
For the sensitive or neurodivergent soul, isn't to fix ourselves.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
It's to remember ourselves, to return to the truth that we are already part.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Of the natural world, already allowed.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Already enough. When we practice allowing, we reconnect to.
Ashley Bentley
Our innate regulation system, the one that existed long before emails and expectations and self optimization.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
In psychology, we know that judgment activates the threat network in the brain, while acceptance and compassion activate the prefrontal cortex and the vagus nerve, both helping to.
Ashley Bentley
Support regulation and connection.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
So every time you catch yourself in.
Ashley Bentley
Self criticism and choose curiosity instead, you're.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Not just being passive, you're rewiring your brain. You're teaching your nervous system that safety doesn't depend on perfection, it depends on permission. And nature teaches us this lesson effortlessly.
Ashley Bentley
When I walk amongst the trees, I see community, not competition. Each tree is growing at its own.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Pace, bending where the light is reaching when it's time. And somehow it just all works. Albert Camus once said, autumn is a.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Second spring where every leaf is a flower.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
And isn't that beautiful? Even as nature lets go, it finds a way to bloom again, not through.
Ashley Bentley
Effort, but through surrender.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
And Dr. Martha Beck uses a metaphor I often share with clients. Approaching your anxiety or sensitivity like you would a wounded wild animal. You wouldn't shout at it or chase it or demand it to calm down. You'd approach it quietly, slowly, tenderly.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
You'd soften your gaze.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
And you'd let it come to you in its own time. That's what allowing looks like in practice. It's how we meet our nervous systems. It's how we meet each other, and it's how we meet life. So when you find yourself tightening against what is a feeling, a thought, a person, a sound, a change. See if you can soften your grip even slightly, and notice what it feels like to let the moment be what it is and to let yourself be what you are. Because the truth is, you're not here to be perfect. You're here to grow, to bend, to bloom, to rest, like the trees. This week, I want to invite you to take a simple walk. Nothing fancy, no goal, no step count, just you, the trees. And when you find one that catches your attention, I want you to pause for a moment and look at it closely. Its beauty, its majesty, its quiet endurance, and sense its strength. The way that it has weathered seasons and storms and still stands rooted in the same patch of earth. And then I want you to do something that might be a little uncomfortable. See if you can look for its flaws.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Maybe there's a dead branch or a.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Scar in the bark. Maybe it bends at an odd angle or carries knots and holes that seem out of place. And notice what happens inside as you begin to pick this tree apart. It feels strange, doesn't it? Almost unnatural. Something in you resists because some part of you knows that this isn't how.
Ashley Bentley
We'Re meant to look at trees.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
We're meant to see them, not perfect them. And that's the moment I want you to pause. Because that feeling, that resistance to judgment, that's truth.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
That's your inner wisdom whispering, this is.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Not how you were meant to see yourself, either. You see, when we pick ourselves apart, our bodies, our minds, our patterns, it.
Ashley Bentley
Feels familiar, but only because we've been doing it for so long. We've confused vigilance with care, criticism with accountability.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
But judgment doesn't make us grow straighter. It just makes us afraid to reach. So then I want you to find a tree that reminds you of you. Maybe it's resilient and scarred. Maybe it leans toward the light. Maybe it stands alone.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Or maybe it's cradled in a grove.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Whatever it is that calls to you, I want you to stand near it. And I want you to notice its roots and the shape of its branches and the way it stretches toward the sky in its own language of becoming. And let yourself fall in love with this tree, with everything that makes it itself.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Revel in its beauty, its story, its persistence.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
And notice how it holds both grace and imperfection, both strength and surrender. And see how it doesn't need to change a thing to be magnificent. And as you stand there, I'd like.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
You to realize that this tree is.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Not separate from you, that you are.
Ashley Bentley
Nature looking at nature.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
You are life admiring life.
Ashley Bentley
And when you fall in love with.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
This tree, you are, in truth, falling back in love with yourself.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
That is the quiet medicine of allowing.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
That is microdosing meaning.
Ashley Bentley
And as we move from the forest outside to the forest within, I invite you to begin your journey inward.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Because the same wisdom that lives in.
Ashley Bentley
Those trees also lives within you.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
And let's explore this together in our practice of the forest of allowing. And if you are currently driving or.
Ashley Bentley
Operating heavy machinery, please ensure to pause.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
The recording when you can safely come back into stillness.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
And just find a comfortable position. You could be lying down or seated. And ensuring that your body is fully supported and nice and warm. And whenever you're ready, feel free to gently close your eyes and take a slow, full breath in through your nose and sigh it out through your mouth.
Ashley Bentley
And just feel your body begin to.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Settle, the gentle pull of gravity anchoring you into the here and now. And imagine you are standing once again in a forest, the same forest that has been with us throughout this October journey. But this time.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
It feels different.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
The air is softer.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
And the light.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Golden, filtering gently through the branches. And you begin to walk along a narrow path lined with trees of every kind. Some are tall and straight, and some are lean and twist. And some are scarred. Some are newly budding and some are already bare. And as you walk, you begin to notice the quiet truth that each tree is exactly what it is. Without apology, without self doubt. It isn't trying to be taller or greener or straighter. It simply is. And yet the forest is perfect. Not because each tree is, but because all of them are allowed to be. And let that truth sink into your body as you walk. Good. That's right. You pass a birch tree. Its bark is pale and peeling like paper. And then you see a gnarled oak tree with a hollow that holds rainwater. And then you notice a young sapling swaying beside an ancient pine. Each has its place. Each belongs. And now imagine stopping before one tree that feels like you. And notice its shape, its texture, its story. It might be strong and rooted, or maybe a little bent from years of weathering. However it stands, it is enough. Take a deep breath in. And as you exhale, whisper inwardly. I am allowed to be as I am. And feel the relief that comes with that truth. Your nervous system unwinding, your breath deepening, your body softening into trust. Good. That's right. As you continue walking, you hear something nearby, a faint rustle in the underbrush. And you pause. And out of the shadows steps a small creature, timid, trembling, the shape of your own worry or self doubt made visible. A wounded wild animal. And notice its eyes, alert but wary. Notice how it holds tension in its tiny frame. This is the part of you that has always tried to protect you. It isn't broken, it's just afraid. And kneel down softly, offer your open hands. You don't need to say anything. Your calm presence is enough. And you feel it inch closer, step by step, until it rests its head near your palms. And you feel its trembling ease, slightly matching the rhythm of your breath. And you whisper to it gently and lovingly, saying, you are safe. You can rest now. And in that moment, you realize that allowing isn't something you do. It's something you become. A presence that no longer demands, no longer resists, no longer rushes to fix, just being here with what is. And the creature melts into light and dissolves into the forest floor. And you stand once more, feeling lighter, as if something within you has exhaled. And ahead you come to a Clearing. And at its center is a massive tree, ancient, radiant, golden in the afternoon sun. Its roots spread wide, its branches stretch toward the heavens. This is the tree of allowing. A mirror of your own capacity to meet life as it comes. And you step closer and you place your palm against its trunk. And you feel its warmth, the slow heartbeat of earth itself pulsing through the wood. And you breathe with it, Inhaling in, drawing in acceptance, and exhaling out, releasing judgment. Inhaling in, drawing in compassion. And exhaling out, releasing control. And with each breath, you feel more grounded, more open, more like yourself. And a breeze stirs the canopy above. And a cascade of leaves come drifting down. Reds, golds, ambers, swirling around you like blessings. Each leaf carries a message. You are a part of this rhythm. You are allowed to rest. You belong to this moment. And let the leaves settle gently around you. And let the forest hold you.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
And now.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
As we come to the end of this forest journey.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Bring your.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Attention to the soft rhythm of your breath. The inhale and the exhale. Like the tide.
Ashley Bentley
Always arriving.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Always returning. And can you now imagine that with each inhale, you're breathing in a brilliant golden light through the crown of your head, receiving this luminous energy. Feel it pull in a living current of awareness flowing through you. And as you exhale, imagine this light.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
Cascading down the length of your body.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Like a waterfall of warmth and radiance. Inhaling in, drawing light in through the crown of your head. And exhaling, letting that light expand through.
Ashley Bentley
The whole constellation of your being.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
This light is intelligent, alive. It knows where to go, touching every cell, every molecule, every hidden corner of your body with its gentle brilliance. And with each breath.
Ashley Bentley
Feel this luminous.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Nectar spreading through your heart, your ribs, your spine, infusing every organ with ease, balance and warmth. Each inhale, wakeful, spacious awareness. And each exhale, deep, effortless rest. Filled with life, filled with light, filled with knowing you are breathing the same light that moves through the forest, through the sky.
Ashley Bentley
Through every living thing. And take one last, deep breath in. And as you exhale, whisper inwardly.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
I return to myself.
Ashley Bentley
And stay in.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
This space for a few more breaths. The quiet hum of the forest, the stillness between heartbeats. The profound peace of being exactly as you are.
Ashley Bentley
Thank you so much for joining me on this week's mindful Monday. If you'd like to explore more guided.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Meditations, yoga, Nidras, bedtime stories and courses, you can find me on Insight Timer.
Ashley Bentley
Where we continue this journey of presence and purpose together. And next week we'll close out our Nature as Teacher series with episode eight.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Winds, Tides and Transitions Nature's Lessons on Resilience.
Ashley Bentley
We'll explore how the winds strengthen the.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Trees and how the tides teach us impermanence and how storms can clear the way for blue skies. It's a gentle reflection on how to move with life rather than against it.
Co-host (Mindful Mondays)
And how nature reminds us that resilience.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Isn'T about holding tight, it's about learning to flow.
Ashley Bentley
Until then, may you walk gently, notice.
Co-host/Guide (Mindful Mondays)
Deeply and remember you are allowed to be exactly as you are.
Acast Host
ACAST powers the World's best Podcasts Here's a show that we recommend.
Joanna Coles
Hi, I'm Joanna Coles.
Michael Wolff
And I'm Michael Wolff.
Joanna Coles
No other modern American president has impacted the world like Donald Trump. To understand his mercurial whims, we dive deep inside Trump's head.
Michael Wolff
Three days a week, Joanna and I deliver behind the scenes access and recount insider stories. From hidden health concerns to alleged Epstein connections, we unravel the 47th president in a way you will not find anywhere else.
Joanna Coles
So search for insider inside Trump's head wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released three times a week on all major podcast platforms or tune in a day earlier on The Daily Beasts YouTube channel.
Acast Host
Acast helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.
October 19, 2025
This Mindful Mondays episode, hosted by Ashley Bentley, centers on "The Art of Allowing" and offers a thoughtful meditation on embracing ourselves and others as we are—drawing wisdom from nature, especially the forest. Bentley weaves spiritual teachings, mindfulness practices, and neurodivergent perspectives, inviting listeners to move from judgment and self-correction toward acceptance and compassionate presence. The episode is part of the “Nature as Teacher” series and incorporates both poetic metaphor and practical exercises, especially tailored for neurodivergent listeners.
(01:26–02:29)
(02:42–03:36)
(04:31–09:04)
(06:06–07:29)
(07:33–09:34)
(09:34–10:14)
(10:14–12:45)
(12:45–16:18)
(16:18–32:26)
(29:05–32:26)
Ram Dass Metaphor on Trees and Allowing:
“When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you just allow them… But the minute we're near humans, we lose all of that. We start judging, comparing, measuring.”
— Co-host (01:53–02:24)
The Radical Nature of Allowing:
“For the neurodivergent brain and body, this practice of allowing can be radical, even revolutionary.”
— Ashley Bentley (02:42)
Judgment as a Threat Signal:
“Judgment, whether directed outward or inward, is a threat signal. It tells the body, something’s wrong here. Allowing, on the other hand, is the antidote. It signals safety.”
— Co-host/Guide (05:29)
The Monk’s Wisdom on Anxiety:
“To let go of your anxiety, you must return to the present moment. Listen to the birds, the wind... Because anxiety lives in your mind, but peace lives in the present.”
— Co-host (06:23–07:04)
The Kindness We Show to Trees:
“We’re meant to see them, not perfect them... That resistance to judgment, that’s truth. That’s your inner wisdom whispering, this is not how you were meant to see yourself, either.”
— Co-host (13:24–13:46)
Affirmation During Meditation:
“I am allowed to be as I am.”
— Co-host/Guide (18:49)
Restoring Connection:
“I return to myself.”
— Co-host/Guide (31:55)
The language throughout is gentle, inviting, and poetic, blending nurturing affirmation with practical mindfulness advice. Bentley and the co-host speak directly to the lived experience of neurodivergence, validating sensitivity and struggle while offering grounded hope through the metaphors and practices of nature. The tone is warm, patient, and quietly empowering.
Ashley Bentley closes the episode by encouraging listeners to continue exploring self-allowance and nonjudgment in daily life and practice. She introduces the next episode—focusing on "Winds, Tides, and Transitions: Nature's Lessons on Resilience"—teasing reflections on impermanence and adaptability. The closing message echoes the theme:
“May you walk gently, notice deeply, and remember you are allowed to be exactly as you are.” (33:33, Co-host/Guide)