Leading From Wholeness: Unpacking Gatekeeping, Play, and Somatic Healing with Taina Brown
In this episode of The Empowered & Embodied Show, hosts Kim Romain and Louise Neil sit down with coach, strategist, and feminist scholar Taina Brown to explore how true leadership begins with integration—not perfection.
Together, they examine the hidden toll of gatekeeping, the fragmentation of identity in professional spaces, and why reclaiming joy, play, and embodiment are essential tools for showing up whole.
Together we offer a transformative lens on how we lead, especially in systems that reward suppression over self-expression. From somatic tools to funk music to LEGO coaching, this rich conversation invites you to come back to yourself—and lead from there.
How Gatekeeping Shows Up in Leadership—And Within Ourselves
Gatekeeping isn’t just institutional—it’s deeply personal. Whether in academia, the workplace, or coaching spaces, gatekeeping thrives where perfectionism and fear are left unexamined. Taina shares how this culture fragments us and limits our potential to lead with integrity.
Key Points:
Gatekeeping as Protection: Many leaders unconsciously gatekeep to mask imposter syndrome or lack of managerial training. This leads to stagnation and distrust.
Fragmentation vs. Wholeness: We’re often taught to split ourselves between roles—but Taina reminds us we are not Horcruxes. Wholeness is the foundation of good leadership.
Internal Gatekeeping: The most damaging gatekeeping is often the one happening inside us—where one part of ourself suppresses another.
Big Idea: “Don’t let one part of yourself gatekeep another.” This powerful quote from Taina is a reminder that integration, not perfection, is the real power move.
Play as Resistance: Reclaiming Joy and Embodiment in Leadership
One of the most unexpected and joyful themes of the episode is the reclaiming of play—not as frivolous, but as essential. From improv to dancing to LEGO, the hosts and Taina explore how play reawakens creativity, regulation, and confidence.
Key Points:
Redefining Play: Louise shares how play isn’t what it looks like—it’s how it makes you feel. Even doing chores with music can become playful.
LEGO in Coaching: Louise’s use of LEGO in coaching unlocks stuck thinking by shifting focus and reengaging the body and imagination.
Movement as Medicine: Taina highlights funk music as a somatic and cultural tool for joy and liberation, particularly for Black communities.
Why It Matters: Play supports nervous system regulation and helps us reconnect with ourselves—especially when we’re in survival mode.
Somatics and the Journey Back to the Body
After a traumatic hospitalization and living with fibromyalgia, Taina turned to somatic practices as a way to rebuild connection to her body. Her training in somatic CBT became both a personal and professional turning point.
Key Points:
Somatics as a Backdoor to Healing: When traditional talk therapy felt too overwhelming, somatics offered Taina a gentler, more embodied entry point into recovery.
Body Trust Is Hard—and Necessary: Especially for those with chronic illness or trauma, rebuilding trust in the body is a nonlinear process that requires grace and curiosity.
Wholeness Starts in the Nervous System: In her workshops, Taina integrates emotional intelligence with somatic awareness to help others regulate and lead more effectively.
Insight: A regulated nervous system is essential for navigating ambiguity and reducing reactivity in leadership and life.
Wholeness as Leadership Strategy
This episode challenges the idea that professionalism means compartmentalization. Instead, Taina, Louise, and Kim advocate for leading with the “beautiful totality” of who you are—mind, body, and heart included.
Key Points:
No More Masks: Fragmentation wastes energy. Wholeness is not just liberating—it’s efficient and sustainable.
Leading from Wholeness Is Contagious: When you show up fully, you give others permission to do the same.
The Ripple Effect: Embodied leadership doesn’t just transform individuals—it reshapes teams, cultures, and systems.
Mic Drop: A split thing cannot evolve. Growth requires integration, not fragmentation.
Key Takeaways
Gatekeeping is a Leadership Crisis: Whether it’s external or internal, gatekeeping blocks progress, trust, and innovation.
Play is a Somatic Reset: It’s not frivolous—it’s how we regulate, reconnect, and remember who we are.
Somatics Offer a Bridge: When we can’t think our way through pain or uncertainty, the body often holds the wisdom.
Wholeness is Power: Fragmentation may feel safe, but integration is where real strength—and real leadership—emerge.
Healing is a Leadership Practice: Bringing our whole selves to work is not indulgent—it’s necessary for sustainable impact.
“You are one person. You are not fractured across roles or relationships. Integration is the real leadership strategy.”
Key Moments
[00:00] Welcome + Episode intro
[01:35] Meet today’s guest: Taina Brown
[04:58] Naming and challenging academic gatekeeping
[08:46] Gatekeeping in coaching and helping professions
[12:59] Gatekeeping as protection: fear of being “found out”
[15:14] Unrealistic expectations and imposter syndrome at work
[17:41] Reframing failure with Emergent Strategy
[20:02] Play as a path to learning and growth
[21:23] What if we welcomed the human behind the curtain?
[29:29] Why pushing through isn’t always the answer
[34:00] Fragmentation: stop being your own gatekeeper
[36:01] “Mitigate the ambiguity”: the somatic impact of uncertainty
[39:15] Using somatic CBT in professional development workshops
[43:49] Head, heart, and body: wholeness as a leadership strategy
[45:27] Final reflections and calls to action
[49:08] Where to find Taina online
[50:31] Closing thoughts and listener invitation
About Taina
Taina is a former feminist scholar turned strategy whiz trained in somatic CBT methods. As a personal and professional development coach of over 15 years, she helps leaders and their teams show up as their best, values-aligned selves so they can do good work. She’s also the cohost of the Messy Liberation podcast with Becky Mollenkamp.
Website: https://ifthanand.org
Instagram: https://instagram.com/tainambrown
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tainambrown
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tainambrown
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