A Well Cared For Human: self-love strategies for transforming your pain into power

Will Your Goals Destroy You? The Hidden Cost of Ambition

Ambition can drive your greatest success—but it can also quietly burn you out.

In this episode, Kory explores the complex relationship between ambition and self-worth, and what happens when your goals start working against you instead of for you.

Through personal stories and grounded insight, you’ll learn how to pursue success without sacrificing your mental health or sense of self.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

If you’ve ever felt driven but exhausted, motivated but never satisfied, this episode will help you reset your relationship with ambition—and build a path that actually supports your life.

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Have a question? Ask Kory! Email [email protected] with any question or concern you have and the answer could be featured in an upcoming episode.

Show Description

After completing her show Who Killed My Mother? a true crime podcast, Kory received countless emails from all over the world asking: "How did you heal from everything that happened? How did you move away from all of the abuse, trauma, and mental illness to become the (mostly) happy, (mostly) healthy, and (mostly) successful person you are today? How can I be happier, healthier, and more at peace with myself and my life?"

Disclaimer: Kory M. Shrum is not a healthcare professional. This podcast is not a replacement for professional treatment or medication. The show and its episodes were created for the purposes of relaxation, inspiration, and entertainment only. If you have any health conditions please consult a healthcare provider.

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https://www.awellcaredforhuman.com

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Thank you for listening ! 💚

What happens when a warrior comes home—but no longer knows who they are?

In this powerful and heartfelt conversation, Kory sits down with award-winning fantasy author Zac Diamanti to talk about storytelling, trauma, and the long journey of healing after service.

Zac shares how his time in the military—and the difficult transition out of it—shaped his writing, especially in his cozy fantasy novel Guard in the Garden. We explore what it means to lose your sense of purpose, how creativity becomes a lifeline, and why the smallest moments—gratitude, connection, quiet joy—are often the ones that save us.

We also talk about:

This is a conversation about becoming human again—after everything that tried to take that away.

If you’ve ever struggled with purpose, burnout, or finding your place in the world, this episode is for you.

Many of us were never taught how to work with our thoughts and emotions. Instead, we were taught to fear the control they had over us.

In this episode of A Well Cared For Human, Kory shares an audiobook excerpt exploring the Mind and Emotions Pillar, one of the Four Pillars of Wellbeing.

Growing up in an environment where her thoughts and feelings were constantly dismissed, criticized, and invalidated, Kory learned to distrust her own mind. Like many people who experienced emotional neglect or trauma, she came to believe that her inner world was something dangerous that needed to be controlled or suppressed. But healing requires something very different.

In this episode, she explores how learning to befriend your thoughts and emotions can transform your relationship with yourself.

You’ll learn:

• Why many people grow up distrusting their thoughts and emotions

If your mind sometimes feels chaotic, overwhelming, or impossible to understand, this conversation offers a compassionate path toward clarity.

Your thoughts and emotions are not enemies. And learning to work with them can change everything.  If you want more tools like these, visit www.awellcaredforhuman.com

Many of us grow up learning to criticize our bodies long before we ever learn how to care for them. Maybe someone made hurtful comments on your appearance. Maybe you were bullied. Maybe the messages about what a body “should” look like slowly taught you to see your own body as a problem to fix.

In this episode of A Well Cared For Human, I share an excerpt from the audiobook of A Well Cared For Human, introducing the Four Pillars of Wellbeing and exploring the first pillar: your relationship with your body.

In this chapter, I talk about my own complicated history with my body, growing up with criticism, trauma, self-harm, eating disorders, and the long journey back toward healing and respect for the body I live in.

Your body carries your history, your experiences, and your survival.

In this episode we explore:

• The Four Pillars of wellbeing and why self-care is really about your relationship with yourself

If you struggle with body image, body shame, or feeling disconnected from your body, I hope this episode reminds you that healing is possible.

Your relationship with your body can change.

And it can become one of the most supportive relationships in your life. 

When your mind is racing and your nervous system feels unstable, you don’t need to solve your life. You need to slow your body down.

In this episode of A Well Cared For Human, I guide you through a grounding meditation I use when I feel internally chaotic, a simple practice called “Be Like a Log.”

Inspired by a verse from the 8th-century Buddhist text The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva, this meditation is about stillness, stability, and choosing not to react when emotions surge.

You’ll learn:

How to settle your body into a relaxed but ready posture

How to breathe in a way that calms your nervous system

Why longer exhales signal safety to the brain

How visualization can anchor you in the present moment

This is a short (15-minute), practical reset you can return to anytime you feel racy, reactive, or overwhelmed.

If you’d like more tools for transforming pain into power, sign up for my free, resource-packed newsletter at awellcaredforhuman.com.

What does it actually mean to have a healthy relationship with yourself? In this episode of A Well Cared For Human, Kory explores the four essential attributes that change everything: honesty, trust, respect, and open communication.

Drawing from Chapter Three of A Well Cared For Human, she examines how trauma, self-doubt, gaslighting, and survival mode interfere with these qualities,  and how we can begin rebuilding them.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from yourself, struggled to trust your instincts, or found self-care unsustainable, this episode offers a grounded, practical framework for rebuilding your foundation.

Because self-care is so much deeper than a checklist. Learn more at www.awellcaredforhuman.com

What if self-care isn’t about habits — but about the relationship you’re building with yourself?

In this episode of A Well Cared For Human, Kory explores the most important mindset shift behind sustainable self-care: moving from isolated self-care tasks to intentional relationship-building across the Four Pillars of Wellbeing.

Through personal reflection and an extended audiobook excerpt from A Well Cared For Human, this episode covers:

Why traditional self-care often fails

How trauma shapes our ability to feel safe and cared for

The role of creativity, self-trust, and meaning in healing

Insights from the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study

What changed between survival and true wellbeing

This conversation is for anyone healing from trauma, burnout, or chronic self-doubt — and for those who want self-care that leads to real transformation, not just coping. Learn more and sign up for Kory's free newsletter at www.awellcaredforhuman.com

This episode features Chapter One of the audiobook A Well Cared For Human, presented as a full audio reading. It introduces the tone, voice, and emotional foundation of the book, offering an immersive entry point into the audiobook, along with the author’s introduction and commentary.

In this episode:

Kory shares insights into the audiobook production process

An introduction to the core idea that losses can be leveraged for growth (the focus of Chapter One)

The complete author-narrated reading of Chapter One: A Well Cared For Human — Self-Love Strategies for Transforming Pain into Power

Like, comment, and subscribe for more audiobook content, podcast episodes, and audio storytelling. Learn more at www.awellcaredforhuman.com 

New Year’s resolutions often sound motivating—but they can quietly damage your relationship with yourself.

In this episode, Kory offers a gentler, more sustainable way to set goals—one that prioritizes wellbeing over self-criticism. Using the A Well Cared For Human framework, she walks through how to align your goals with your body, mind, spirit, and relationships, while paying close attention to the thoughts, language, and actions that shape how growth actually feels.

This episode explores:

Why results-based goals can harm your mental health

How to replace self-judgment with compassion

A practical framework for setting supportive, realistic intentions

Why the action itself—not the outcome—is the real win

If you’re craving growth without shame, this episode is for you. Learn more about how to become A Well Cared For Human by visiting www.awellcaredforhuman.com

Episode 145: Finding Balance in an Unbalanced World

In this week’s episode, Kory explores why so many of us feel exhausted, anxious, overwhelmed, or “out of sync” — and why none of it is a personal failing. Living in a fast-moving, hyperconnected world constantly pulls us off center. Add in the pressure to “get it together,” stay productive, and keep up with endless expectations, and balance becomes nearly impossible to maintain.

Drawing from the four pillars of wellbeing — Body, Mind & Emotions, Spirit, and Connection — Kory breaks down what imbalance really looks like, how quickly it shows up in our daily lives, and how to use gentle “counterweights” to restore harmony.

You’ll learn:

• Why awareness is the key to finding balance

This episode is for anyone who feels tired, stretched thin, creatively stuck, or disconnected from themselves. You don’t need to overhaul your life to feel whole again — just a few mindful shifts and a lot of self-kindness.

Listen now to reconnect with your center, replenish your energy, and remember that balance is something you practice, not something you perfect.