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You can be incredibly self-aware and still feel stuck, and that gap can be exhausting. We sit with the part of growth that does not respond to better explanations, tighter logic, or another attempt to “fix” yourself. Instead, we lean into curiosity and a surprisingly effective tool for emotional clarity: writing bad poetry on purpose.

I’m joined by Margaret Bryden, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, author, and the founder of Sage Insight Therapy in Salt Lake City. Margaret shares why “bad poetry” is not a joke, it’s permission. When you stop trying to write something impressive and focus on what is honest, creativity becomes a doorway into self-understanding, resilience, and self-compassion. We talk about why emotions have their own logic, how shame isolates us, and how a blank page can help quiet the inner critic long enough for the truth to show up.

We also get practical. Margaret explains why poetry can be “journaling on steroids,” how metaphor and imagery can reach the heart faster than linear storytelling, and how poems can become a vehicle for connection with other people and with yourself. She offers a simple five-minute poetry prompt, points to research on expressive writing (including James Pennebaker’s work on stress and health outcomes), and reads a short poem that shifts perspective in a powerful way.

If you’ve ever said “I’m not creative” or “I’m not a writer,” this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more conversations on creativity and mental health, share this with a friend who needs a gentler way in, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or the first line of your bad poem. What are you carrying today?

Where to find Margaret

https://www.sageinsighttherapy.com/

https://www.sageinsighttherapy.com/thebook

https://www.instagram.com/sage_insight_therapy/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbryden

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle  a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

Kindness lands in ordinary moments and still changes our state of mind when we feel depleted. I connect self-compassion to confidence and show how gentle accountability helps us take small steps, learn, and choose again without self-criticism.

• noticing how small gestures restore calm and courage
• allowing ourselves to receive support instead of always being the strong one
• challenging the belief that we must feel confident before acting
• practicing gentle accountability by choosing a meaningful next step
• building self-trust by keeping small promises and celebrating follow-through
• replacing the inner critic with curiosity through kinder questions
• using positive intelligence and the sage perspective when we feel stuck
• walking through empathize, explore, innovate, navigate, and activate
• trying Pause Notice Choose to create breathing room and momentum
• reflecting on where kindness could make a difference this week

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle  a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

A fight can look like it’s about chores, texts, or tone, but underneath it’s usually about safety, belonging, and the fear of not mattering. I chat with relationship mentor Valerie Greene to get honest about what’s really happening beneath relationship conflict and why the same argument keeps coming back even when you swear you’ve already “talked it out.” If you’ve ever felt stuck between chasing connection and shutting down to protect yourself, you’ll recognize the cycle immediately.

We dig into anxious and avoidant attachment patterns without blame, and we name the real enemy: survival mode. Valerie shares how emotionally focused therapy, internal family systems ideas, and decades of couples coaching point to the same truth: you can’t solve the surface issue until both people feel seen. We talk about “feeling first, fact second,” the power of swapping accusations for curiosity (“I have a story that…”), and what it looks like to validate a partner’s experience even when you disagree.

We also unpack vulnerability in a way that’s actually usable. There’s victim vulnerability that keeps you stuck, and there’s empowered vulnerability that starts with self-compassion and turns into a clear request for support. You’ll leave with practical strategies for self-regulation, co-regulation, and creating a safer container for hard conversations, so conflict becomes information instead of a threat.

If you want better communication, deeper intimacy, and a more secure relationship, listen now, then subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these tools. What’s the one repeat conflict you’re ready to change?

Where to find Valerie

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/coachvaleriegreene

Website: https://coachvaleriegreene.com/

Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/val_greene/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV5fnakewbzMZ2yGU-eChqQ

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-greene

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle  a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

Your brain might be begging for a bigger plan, but what if the real breakthrough starts with a smaller moment? 

Let's walk through three words that create space for clarity and better decision making: pause, notice, choose. Pausing isn’t shutting down your life. It’s creating a tiny gap between a trigger and your response, especially before you reply to a hard message, pile another task onto your to-do list, or spiral on the same thought. Then we practice noticing with compassion: what feels most present right now, what you’re carrying that doesn’t need solving today, what patterns keep repeating, what drains your energy, and where stress is showing up in your body.

Choosing is where insight becomes action without the pressure of a dramatic makeover. Sometimes the next right move is sending the email, making the appointment, letting something wait, asking for help, or stopping the habit of checking something that won’t change. I also share a simple daily ritual to make this mindfulness practice stick, plus a free reflection guide with prompts you can use when you want things to feel even 10% lighter.

Grab your guide here

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle  a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

Confusion can be one of the loudest warning signs, especially when a relationship leaves you doubting your memory, your emotions, and your sense of self. I’m joined by Carine Van Hee, an artist, author, and speaker whose work shines a clear light on emotional manipulation, toxic relationship patterns, and the subtle ways control can masquerade as love. If you’ve ever thought, “Is it me?”, this conversation gives you language for what felt impossible to explain.

We talk about why many unhealthy relationships don’t start with obvious red flags. Carine breaks down the early “lovely” stage, how love bombing can push intimacy at high speed, and why that rush can set up isolation and control. We also draw a sharp line between ordinary conflict and abuse: conflict still has respect and repair, while abuse runs on a power imbalance where one person keeps the upper hand and makes the other carry the blame. Along the way, we name common tactics like gaslighting and silent treatment, and why rumination can be a clue that something deeper is wrong.

Healing is not instant, and we don’t pretend it is. Carine shares what it takes to rebuild self-trust, including noticing the abuser’s voice that lingers in everyday decisions and learning to interrupt mental loops. We also explore creativity as a practical path back to the body and back to intuition, whether that’s painting, knitting, cooking, sketching, or any form of making that helps you feel safe again. Carine also explains what readers will find in her book, “Is It Me: The Hidden System Behind Toxic Relationships,” designed to help people recognize the pattern and choose their next step with clarity.

If this resonates, subscribe for more conversations on change, self-trust, and creating what comes next, then share this episode with someone who might need it and leave a review so more listeners can find support.

Connect with Carine

Website

Instagram   Facebook and LinkedIn

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle  a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

Anxiety can feel like a glitch in your brain, but what if it’s actually a signal from your whole system? We sit down with Elke Scholz, a registered psychotherapist, certified EMDR therapist, and expressive arts therapist, to explore anxiety from both clinical experience and lived reality. The big shift is simple but powerful: instead of only trying to shut anxiety down, we learn how to listen to it, translate it, and respond with more self-trust.

We dig into why anxiety sometimes has no obvious trigger and how “out of the blue” episodes can be rooted in physiology. We talk food sensitivities (not allergies), low iron, hormones, and thyroid issues that can mimic anxiety and depression, plus why it matters to “cover the bases” when life looks fine on paper but your body says otherwise. Elke also shares her layered way of thinking about anxiety, from social and cultural beliefs to perfectionism, negative thinking, high sensitivity, and the deeper layer of trauma that often needs extra care.

Then we go practical. We explore a gentle body-awareness practice to rebuild trust in your own signals without becoming hyper-focused, and we make a strong case for creativity as nervous system regulation. Sketching, journaling, movement, and other expressive arts can interrupt rumination, process emotion you can’t yet name, and bring you back to presence. If you want more calm, clearer choices, and confidence you can actually feel, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it.

Where to find Elke

Website: http://www.lovingyourlifebook.com/

LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/elkescholztherapist

 http://www.lovingyourlifebook.com Grab your copy of Proven Calming Techniques that work in a few minutes. -  pdf

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle  a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

When you’re smart, capable, and driven, it’s easy to believe the answer to discomfort is more effort: more thinking, more optimizing, more self-improvement. But what happens when that approach stops working and you’re left with emotional pain you can’t logic your way through? That’s where this conversation gets real.

I’m joined by Jenna Smith, creator of the Resourcing Method, to talk about what it looks like to reconnect with the intelligence of your mind, body, heart, and spirit. We dig into why left brain dominance can keep high achievers stuck, why emotions are meant to be metabolized in the body (not suppressed or “solved” in your head), and how nervous system support can change everything. Jenna shares a memorable client story that captures the shift from control and perfectionism into presence and a calmer, more flexible way of responding to life.

We also get practical about self-trust and intuition. We explore self-trust as an actual relationship with yourself, how to tell intuition from anxious “ping pong” thinking, and what unconditional confidence looks like when it’s not tied to achievement, approval, or having a perfect day. If you’re tired of treating yourself like a problem to fix, you’ll leave with a gentle next step you can try right away, including a simple hand-on-heart practice and journaling as a tool to meet yourself honestly.

If this resonates, subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, share the episode with a friend who overthinks, and leave a review to help more people find the show.

Where to find Jenna

Website: 

Instagram   LinkedIn

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle  a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

A Crohn’s disease diagnosis can feel like a life sentence, especially when you’re told medication is the only option. I sit down with Jen Germain, a certified functional medicine health coach and founder of Compass Health Coaching, to share what changed when she started asking a different question: why is my body inflamed in the first place?

Jen walks us through her health crisis in 2020, the fear and frustration of being dismissed, and the practical steps that helped her reclaim momentum. We break down functional medicine in plain English, talk gut health and root cause healing, and unpack the autoimmune protocol (AIP) as a structured way to reduce inflammation and identify trigger foods through careful reintroduction. If you’ve been searching for functional medicine guidance, autoimmune protocol tips, or a realistic path to chronic illness support, you’ll hear what actually mattered day to day.

We also go beyond food. Jen calls out sleep and chronic stress as two of the most overlooked drivers of stubborn symptoms, and she shares mindset tools that make change possible, including her powerful reminder: you can’t heal a body you hate. We talk self-advocacy in healthcare, what to write down before appointments, and when it’s time to find a provider who will go deeper.

Connect with Jen

Website: https://www.compasshealthcoachingllc.com/

 https://www.instagram.com/compasshealthcoachingllc/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifergermain/

https://www.facebook.com/compasshealthcoachingllc

 Video Consultations

 https://compasshealthcoachingllc.practicebetter.io/#/62efebd9960d0837f69830ae/bookings?step=services

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle  a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

Grief can be lonely even in a room full of people and it can be confusing in ways nobody warned you about. When we lose a spouse, a child, a parent, or even a life role like a job or a marriage, we are not only missing someone or something. We are rebuilding a sense of identity, safety, and future.

I sit down with Dr. Lynn Banis, a psychologist, coach, and grief and resilience mentor, to talk honestly about what helps when life breaks open and you are left trying to figure out who you are now.

Lynn shares what surprised her most after experiencing compounded loss and why widowhood can feel so disorienting. We unpack brain fog, low motivation, and the nervous system’s fight or flight response so you can stop blaming yourself and start understanding what your mind and body are doing. 

We also name the hard moment when others assume you are “fine now,” even though the ache and the loneliness are still there. 

Lynn also offers guidance for friends and family who want to help but do not know what to say: show up, be specific, and skip the platitudes. 

You will find her free support community at WomenRisingTogether.org.

Connect with Lynn

LinkedIn

Facebook

Instagram

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle  a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

Falling asleep is often less about forcing sleep and more about creating the conditions where your nervous system finally believes it is safe to let go. This guided sleep story leans into that idea with a simple promise: right now there is nowhere to be, nothing to solve, and nothing expected of you. Using bedtime relaxation, mindful breathing, and a slow-paced visualization, the practice helps you shift from a busy mind into a calmer body.

From there, let's drift into a calming visualization, floating on the softest cloud beneath a sky full of stars. As thoughts pop up, we practice notice the thought, name it gently as “thinking” or “planning,” and let it move on like a cloud passing the moon. We also pause to remember one small peaceful moment from the day, because even a tiny spark of joy can shift the nervous system toward safety.

I close with affirmations you can whisper in the dark and a practical technique for insomnia and night waking: count your breath down from 10 to 1, restart when you need, and return to the count each time a thought pulls you away. If this helped, subscribe for more calming stories, share it with someone who needs better sleep, and leave a review with your favorite part of the wind-down.

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle  a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners