How to Change the Meaning You Attach to Things (And Break Old Patterns)

Apr 30, 2026

In this embodied, real-time conversation, Julie Brumley walks listeners through a powerful shift: the meaning we attach to our experiences shapes our stories, emotions, and the way we move through the world.

Most of us think we’re reacting to what’s happening now… but often, we’re responding to what we expect to happen based on the past.

Through personal examples and guided reflection, Julie shows how old meanings - like “I’m too much” or “something is wrong with me” - keep us stuck in familiar patterns.

This episode introduces a simple, body-based practice to pause, question those meanings, and choose something new. Not by forcing positivity, but by creating space for a different experience.

This is the bridge between releasing the past and creating what’s possible.

Keywords

adoption, adoptee healing, somatic work, nervous system, trauma, identity, self-worth, meaning, emotional patterns, embodiment, relationships, belonging

Key Topics

How meaning shapes emotion, behavior, and expectation
Why we react from past associations, not present reality
Personal examples: breakdown, rejection, and conflict
Shifting from “something is wrong with me” to new meaning
The nervous system’s role in familiar patterns
A 4-step practice to change meaning in real time
Anchoring new beliefs through the body

Takeaways

You’re not reacting to now - you’re responding to past meaning
Old meaning → old story → old emotions → repeated patterns
What you associate becomes what you anticipate
You don’t get what you want - you get what you’re practiced in receiving
You can pause and choose a new meaning
Your body must experience the shift, not just think it
This is the bridge between release and creation

Chapters

00:00 – A conversation, not a lecture
01:00 – The bridge: releasing → creating
02:00 – Why meaning matters
03:30 – Associations + anticipation (Kelly Brock teaching)
05:30 – Real-life example: feeling excluded
07:40 – Old meaning: “something is wrong with me”
09:30 – Reframing breakdown → breakthrough
10:30 – Relationship + conflict examples
12:00 – The 4-step practice
14:00 – Anchoring new meaning in the body
16:30 – Somatic integration practice
18:30 – Releasing old story, receiving new meaning
20:20 – Choosing again in real time
22:00 – Closing reflection + invitation

Closing Note

If something stirred in you while listening… that’s not random.

It’s awareness.

Pause.
Ask what you’re making it mean.
And gently… choose again.

Links

Un-M-Othered: A Revolution in Adoptee Healing retreat

Pdf of my notes for reference

Website

Instagram: @juliebrumley_

Facebook: julierasbrum

TikTok: @juliebrumley_

YouTube: @julie_brumley