Repressing your creative expression is making you sick

Your creative revival, Healing through art & Unleashing your craft.

One of the moments where I’ve felt the most sick in my life was the year 2016. It was the peak of one of my shadow careers.

You know… the careers we settle for when we aren’t willing yet to surrender to our true calling.

I co-owned a gym. Was the fittest I had ever been. Had die-hard clients as a fitness and health coach… and I was soul sick. That got quickly translated into physical sickness.

I was dealing with episodes of acute anxiety and asthma that didn’t fully make sense.

I knew my heart longed to fully surrender to the type of work I am currently doing but I didn’t have the spiritual stamina to fully embrace it.

So, I repressed many creative endeavors.

To this day, I am still convinced that the episodes of anxiety and even the asthma were related to that repression.

I am not just talking about the emotional repression, the grief, the sadness and the fear you might experience when you are going through a dark night.

I am talking about the repression of my creative spirit.

Why am I so sure? Because in 2018 when I made a bigger leap into my work, combined with the shadow integration that was needed, the symptoms dissipated.

And I have heard many creatives and clients tell me similar stories.

Your creative expression is a healing force

In my most recent episode of ENHEARTENED, I sat with Amie McNee. I think of her as the creative cheerleader in chief.

In the interview, she said this:

“We need to understand that the creative act is instinctual… We’ve been doing it since the beginning of time. When we repress that instinct, it will hurt the body. And when we honor it, it will heal us.”

And of course I was in full resonance.

Together, we explored the sacred intersection of creativity, soul, and liberation in a world that often dismisses or commodifies the artist's heart.

This conversation is a balm for artists, creators, and visionaries who have felt unseen, silenced, or stuck in shame around sharing their gifts.

Whether you’re sitting on masterpieces the world hasn’t seen or navigating the terror of being truly witnessed, I think that episode carries medicine for you.

We dive deep into:

• The ancestral repression of artistry and reclaiming your creative inheritance

• Why art literally heals and what happens when you repress your soul’s voice

• Building nervous system safety to withstand the exposure of being seen

• Why creative block is perfectionism in disguise

• The difference between protecting your art and playing small

• Why every artist must go through the void of being unseen

• How to coronate yourself as the artist you already are

• Amie’s spicy truths about self-censorship, Instagram, and artists refusing to market themselves

• And a fierce reminder: We need you. And we need your art. Now more than ever.

Episode 7 of ENHEARTENED with Amie McNee Is Live

*PS: If you find value in the HeartCast, please support the show by subscribing and leaving a review on your favorite streaming platform.

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• All Platforms: https://www.xavierdagba.com/podcasts/enheartened-with-xavier-dagba

In gratitude and reverence,
— Xavier

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**Enrollment for SEEN is now open!

If you’re sitting on buried gifts, unwritten truths, or a voice that’s suffocated by shadow material… I want to invite you into SEEN.

SEEN is a 6-week journey I created for creatives, leaders, and visionaries who are tired of hiding.

It’s where you’ll dissolve visibility wounds, reclaim your voice, and build the somatic capacity to be witnessed in your power.

SEEN is the place where shadow integration meets radical self-expression.

Save your seat HERE.

Early bird bonus:

Sign up before April 17th and receive access to a live bonus integration session on Sunday, April 20th at 10am ET… This is more than a bonus. It’s a live pre-initiation that will share with you the somatic map of visibility and how to work with it to unleash your expression.