Can't Sleep?
A Sleep Story and Guest Writer in this weeks FeelsKit
If I had a superpower, it would be sleep. I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, and usually drop into a deep sleep quickly.
Until about a month ago, when I started waking up multiple times a night and struggling to fall back asleep.
Sleep challenges are incredibly common, and the reasons can be different for everyone, stress, nervous system activation, lifestyle habits… or maybe falling asleep with a laptop on your chest (guilty).
For this week’s FeelsKit, I reached out to my friend Dani who creates sleep stories (among other amazing tools). We met years ago when I was leading hands-on trainings, and recently she made a big life transition that led her to start creating tools to help people rest.
She wrote a bit about the journey that led her there, and shared a short sleep story with you as well.
I hope you enjoy :) - Ash
The Brain Quirk I Didn’t Know Had a Name
Hi, I’m Danielle Eve (she/her), aka Dani.
A few months ago, I learned there’s a term for something I’ve experienced my entire life: hyperphantasia, an exceptionally vivid visual imagination. When I close my eyes, I don’t see darkness. I see full scenes playing out in colour, with sound, texture, and emotional weight.
My brain is basically an overachieving film student who never learned about work-life balance.
This sounds like a superpower until you’re trying to sleep and your brain decides now is the perfect time to produce a full cinematic experience. Add ADHD, anxiety, CPTSD, and perimenopause, and you’ve got a nervous system that treats bedtime like an extreme sport.
For years I tried every sleep “tip & trick” the internet promised. What worked for others was either too boring (my ADHD brain rejected it instantly) or too interesting (which kept me awake analyzing it). Sometimes a tool would work for a while and then suddenly stop, sending me back online late at night searching for the next “hack.”
Eventually I realized something important: the tool that works for you has to actually work for your nervous system, not mine, and probably not the one in the wellness Instagram post.
Why “Just Use What Works” Is Hard Advice
In nervous system regulation, business, and most areas of life we’re told to optimize, there’s one skill nobody talks about enough:
Learning to hear your own signal through all the noise.
Everyone has opinions.
Use this app. Try this supplement. Follow this routine. Be productive this way. Rest this way.
But if the tool doesn’t match your wiring, your brain, your body, your capacity, it’s just more noise.
I spent 15+ years in corporate strategy (Target Canada, Mercedes-Benz, ATB Financial, Tangerine Bank) watching brilliant people burn out trying to fit themselves into systems that didn’t match how they actually functioned. Then I did the same thing to myself as an entrepreneur.
The shift came when I stopped asking what should work and started asking:
What does my nervous system actually need right now?
Not what a productivity guru says.
Not what worked for a friend.
Not what the research says should work.
What creates a felt sense of resonance in my body when I try it?
That’s the skill.
The Sleep Story: What Happened When I Finally Listened
So back to the hyperphantasia problem.
Once I stopped forcing myself into meditation practices or sleep routines that didn’t fit my brain, I asked: What would work for a brain that creates cinema?
The answer: give it something specific to watch.
Sensory-rich narratives that occupy the “movie theatre” in my head so anxious thoughts can’t hijack the space. Soft imagery. Slow movement. Gentle settling, things that mirror what the body naturally does when it’s safe to rest.
“The Drop That Found Its Lake” is a short sleep story about a raindrop traveling from cloud to lake. No drama. No stakes. Just falling, joining, settling, the quiet reminder that you can be held by something steady.
I started creating these audio tools for people whose brains need engagement without activation. Something gentle to follow when their thoughts won’t let go.
Not because I’m a sleep expert.
Because I paid attention to what my nervous system was asking for and it worked for me.
Will it work for you? Maybe. Maybe not.
But the deeper invitation is this: notice what actually helps your body soften.
Maybe you need silence.
Maybe rhythmic sound.
Maybe a warm bath and a book.
The practice is learning to recognize the quiet internal “yes, this.”
LISTEN TO SLEEP STORY BELOW
About Dani
Danielle Eve (she/her) works with neurodivergent entrepreneurs, artists, and small business owners to build businesses that actually fit their capacity and nervous systems.
With 15+ years in corporate strategy (including roles at Target Canada, Mercedes-Benz, ATB Financial, and Tangerine Bank), she now blends strategic consulting with trauma-informed nervous system tools like sleep stories, somatic practices, and meditation.
Her work is grounded in a simple belief: sustainable work and rest both start with learning to listen to your own nervous system.
You can explore her audio library, business resources, and consulting work here:
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/danieve
Work in the Wild: (free toolkit for sustainable visibility): https://bit.ly/WorkintheWildkofi
Private & Semi-private Movement classes: danieve@gmail.com