Are you someone who is curious about who you are?

You want to learn how to feel more connected to your friends, family, and even yourself.

You are yearning to dig deeper to discover what motivates you to live a bigger life.

Or maybe you are searching for how to stand back up after being brought to your knees from hearing about a dear friend’s illness or constantly worrying about your teenage kids. 

Well, you are not alone. In fact, we are kindred spirits. 

I have been this way my whole life.  I have always been super curious, not only about my own personality but about everyone around me.  

My sister once told me that when I was in 6th grade, I wrote her a letter from camp saying I was sitting on my bunk thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up.

What? At summer camp? 

You mean I wasn’t writing about the awful food, water balloon fights, or crushes I had on the boys in the cabin next door?

Nope, I was pondering my greater existence.  Those who know me well may be thinking “ah yes, I am not surprised”.

If you find yourself pondering about your own existence, you will be very excited about this week's guest on the Cracking Open Podcast. 

Ashton Whitmoyer-Ober is a community psychologist, speaker, and certified Enneagram educator. She is also the author of Enneagram for Relationships, The Two of Us: A Three-Year Couples Journal and The Enneagram Made Simple. 

With a desire to see relationships strengthened and people empowered, she created Enneagram Ashton in early 2019. 

You may be asking yourself – what is the Enneagram?  

Ashton shares with us this incredible ancient system that will not only help you strengthen your relationships but also help you not take things so personally in life.

Because as we know (but it is so hard to remember), nothing is really personal.

Ashton and I not only talk about the Enneagram system and how it can help you make better decisions, live a healthier life, and step into your powerful self with boundaries and love, but we also dive into her own personal “cracking open moment” and how it led her to be the compassionate and badass woman and mother she is today.

So give yourself this time to take a walk, a drive, or make a cup of tea and listen to Ashton’s wisdom around the Enneagram to learn and love more about your true self. 

xo,
Molly



Learn more about Ashton Whtimoyer-Ober here 
Purchase Ashton's book The Enneagram Made Simple here

Find Ashton on Social:
Instagram
TikTok


Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook 

I will never forget one cold and dark February morning getting chills from head to toe while listening to Krista Tippet interview Trabian Shorters on her podcast On Being. 

Trabian was describing his visionary concept of asset framing. From social media to journalism, academics, and policy-making, asset framing is about seeing others’ assets before you witness their deficits. 

Trabian discovered that as humans we have a habit of seeing others’ problems and defining people in need by their problems rather than their gifts and aspirations. He realized that naming this task was necessary for healing, and for any family or world to flourish.

Being raised by his steady grandparents and determined teenage mother taught him two valuable lessons. First, if he can love someone the way God loves all of us, he will be okay. Second, in life, there is no surrender and no giving up.

It was this beautiful combination of determination and love that helped Trabian create his cognitive framework of asset framing. 

Trabian is a retired tech entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, and former vice president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation where he was responsible for $300M in active grants and endowments in 26 US cities.

His nonprofit, BMe Community, is an award-winning social impact network for innovation, impact, and storytelling. BMe includes more than 400 black leaders plus institutional allies committed to building “equity without stigma”.

Trabian is one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs and the catalyst of a national movement to define black people by their aspirations and contributions first and foremost, then to secure their fundamental freedoms to live, own, vote and excel. 

Today on the Cracking Open Podcast, Trabian’s intellectual research and massive heart teach us that all human beings are innately oriented and designed to heal and repair – it is simply in our nature.  

What a beautiful and hopeful world we would all live in if we could approach every human not by red or blue, the color of their skin, or gender identity, but by the deep knowing of Trabian’s words – “You can’t lift them up by putting them down.”


Learn more about Trabian Shorters here
Explore the BMe Community here
Take the Black L.O.V.E. Pledge here

Find Trabian on Social:
Instagram
Twitter


Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook 

How many of you look at your legs and bellies, and curse them for their shapes and sizes?

Do you feel shame about your body in any way, or restrict what you do or don't eat?

Do you worry about eating dairy, gluten, sugar, or meat, and wonder if you should be on a vegan, vegetarian, or keto diet?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone. An estimated 45 million people go on diets yearly, and 33 billion dollars are spent on weight loss and wellness products.

This is why we need the voice and wisdom of today’s guest Heather K. Jones - so we can all learn to accept and love our bodies and lifestyles.

Heather is a registered dietitian, New York Times author, and wellness guide. In today’s episode, she shares her raw and vulnerable story about how her own restrictive and destructive relationship with food kept her in fear of what she ate and created an unhealthy relationship with her body and food.

This disconnection from her body led Heather to numb her feelings with drugs and alcohol, and ultimately caused her to feel hopeless and suicidal. 

Then one day Heather had a “come to Jesus” moment where she knew she had to change her negative thoughts, relationship with food, and hatred of her body... or she might die.

In this deeply authentic episode, Heather teaches us how to be honest with ourselves and become aware of the constant critical loop in our brains that is energetically creating a low vibration, which is in turn depleting our bodies physically, mentally, and spiritually.

She shares with us that “your relationship with food is a good reflection of your relationship with yourself.  Because how you nourish your body is very reflective of how you nourish yourself.” 

Heather’s personal and professional story will give you hope and support around how to cultivate a loving relationship with your body.

She provides wisdom on how our suffering is actually not even about the food itself, but about creating self-love and looking deeper inside our traumas to find out what is going on inside of us, instead of always focusing on the outside of our bodies.

My hope is that the next time you look at your body after listening to Heather’s episode, you realize it is not the size of your legs that defines you, but the deep healing of your soul that is your true power. 

Learn more about Heather K. Jones here.

Find Heather on Social:
Instagram
Facebook


Links to Resources Discussed in this Interview:
Healy Necklace
You Can Heal Your Life by Louisa Hay
Kiss The Ground Documentary


Learn more about Molly Carroll here.

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook 

What a way to launch Season 3’s Cracking Open Podcast!  Get ready for a deep and honest conversation about meditation, psychedelics, and how to obtain a positive mindset.

Dr. Dan Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which focuses on the development of mindsight and teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families, and communities.

He is also a highly published researcher and author. His five New York Times bestsellers are:

• Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence
• Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human
• Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
• The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline (both co-authored with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.)

Dr. Siegel's accomplishments are undoubtedly admirable, but it's his wise stories and compassionate tips and tools on how to feel more balanced, grounded, and alive in your body, mind, and spirit that I believe you will remember forever from this episode.

Join us as we discuss a meditation practice he created called the Wheel of Awareness.  This meditation helps heal trauma and PTSD and creates an understanding that no matter your sexuality, color of skin, economic status, or even species – we are all deeply connected. And it is this connection that helps combat anxiety, depression, and loneliness (FYI this meditation is available for you at the end of the episode). 

We talk about his view on psychedelics as a healing method, as well as his new book coming out on November 15th –Intraconnected: MWe (Me + We) as the Integration of Self, Identity, and Belonging.

 And of course, Dr. Siegel shares his own “cracking open” moment and how it changed him forever.

 This is an episode you will not want to miss!

 Welcome to season three of the Cracking Open podcast, I am so grateful you have arrived.

Learn more about Dr. Dan Siegel here

Find Dan on Social:
Instagram
Facebook


Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook

I will never forget sitting next to my mother's bedside as she was taking her last breaths.  It was an out-of-body, shocking, and life-altering experience.  I felt honored to hold space for my mom with deep love and respect as she passed on.  

At the time of her death, I was quite dazed and confused about a lot of things, but one thing I knew for sure was that the death of my mother would change me forever.  

One of the bigger transformations that occurred for me after my mom died was that I knew I could not walk this path of grief alone. I needed my therapist, family, and friends to help me heal this gaping hole.  And boy oh boy, do I wish that I had known our guest today on the Cracking Open podcast.  

Karen K. Moon, LCSW is a psychotherapist who specializes in grief and loss, and has over thirty years of experience working with individuals, families, and organizations. 

She counseled employees affected by the Oklahoma City bombing and the Columbine shootings and provided numerous bereavement groups for employees and families affected by 9/11.  These days she is based in Wayne, PA where she has a private practice. 

Karen served on the Board of Directors at Peter’s Place, Center for Grieving Children and Families for 14 years and is a co-founder and facilitator of a weekly adolescent girls therapy group (Safe Space for Girls). She often speaks at businesses and schools on current mental health topics and recently appeared on Kelly Corrigan’s Wonders podcast.

Karen has all the degrees, experience, and wisdom that one would want to help them with their grief. But her true gift is her open heart and calming spirit which allows you to show up with your ugly cries,  memories of your loved ones, and an endless amount of hope that you will survive this loss – whether it is death, divorce, or even sending your kid off to college. 

Regardless of whether you are currently in a state of grief or not, today's episode will give you loads of tools on how to be present and loving to yourself the next time grief comes into your life.

Learn more about Karen Moon here 


Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook

If you could ask yourself one question every morning that would allow you to tap into a heightened awareness of the world around you and your place in it, wouldn’t you?

This question could not only help you feel more connected to yourself and your loved ones but also help you feel less depressed, anxious, or lost.

It was this question that our Cracking Open guest Dr. Lisa Miller, professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at Columbia University, asked several 18–25-year olds while going through an MRI.  What she discovered is that when we contemplate this question we also tap into our innate, biological capacity for spiritual development.  

The question is, “Can you remember a time when you held a deep connection to a loving guiding force in life, call it God, universe, or nature?”

In this week’s episode of the Cracking Open podcast, Lisa talks about her own data and science that proves we are all hard-wired to cultivate a spiritual practice and what she calls an "awakened brain". The awakened brain can insulate us from trauma, anxiety, and depression, and increase our grit and love so we feel more grounded in ourselves and everyone around us. We also talk about her own incredible spiritual journey.

Dr. Lisa Miller has a loving heart and deep soul, and you will enjoy hearing about her own incredible spiritual journey.

Lisa is a New York Times bestselling author of The Spiritual Child, and her latest book is called The Awakened Brain. She is the Founder and Director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program and research institute in spirituality and psychology, and has held a joint appointment in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical School for over a decade.

Dr. Miller is a graduate of both Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her doctorate under the founder of positive psychology, Martin Seligman. Dr. Miller speaks and consults around The Awakened Brain and The Spiritual Child for the US Military, businesses, schools, universities, and mental health and wellness initiatives.

In this episode, Dr. Lisa Miller will not only awaken your brain but enlighten your heart to the validation of the neuroscience of spirituality which can help us all feel more whole and healthy in our mind, body, and spirit.

Learn more about Dr. Lisa Miller here. 

The Spirituality Mind Body Institute

The Awakened Brain

Find Dr. Lisa Miller on Social:
Instagram
Facebook

Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook

What do Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and the Grammys have in common? Tehillah Alphonso. 

I discovered Tehillah while reading my high school alumni magazine.  Tehillah and I both went to an all-girls Catholic school in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Marian High School was a place that encouraged young women to live a life of pride in themselves, their grades, their faith, and how they walk in the world.  And Tehillah has done this in spades.

New-Jersey-born and Nebraska-raised, Tehillah Alphonso is a Nigerian-American musician based in Los Angeles, California.

Though Tehillah was introduced to music at an early age, her musical endeavors truly began in 2014 when she was accepted into an elite teen summer intensive called A Cappella Academy.

A proud Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Southern California, Tehillah received her B.M. in Popular Music Performance from the Thornton School of Music and was named the 2020 Outstanding Graduate. While a full-time student at USC, she served as Business Manager and Music Director of USC’s premiere a cappella group, and five-time ICCA champions, the SoCal VoCals. Her time with the VoCals created opportunities to perform in legendary venues such as the Staples Center, the Rose Bowl, and Carnegie Hall.

Shortly after graduating, Tehillah quickly made a name for herself as a session singer and vocal arranger. She has sung in a number of films and television series, including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Affair, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Space Jam 2 (2021), Encanto (2021), and Sing 2 (2021). 

She has also shared the stage with notable artists, including NIKI, Björk, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo. In November 2021, she was nominated for her first GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals” for her arrangement of “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke, performed by LA-based choir Tonality and conducted by Alexander Lloyd Blake,

Tehillah shares her journey of growing up in the Midwest, and how it was her parents’ work ethic that installed in her the motivation and drive to succeed in Los Angeles' music industry. She talks about how being a backup singer is exactly where she wants to be on the stage and blesses us with her strong and memorable voice by singing a capella live in this episode. 

What do a belief in yourself, hard work, and following your dreams have in common? It will feel very clear to you after listening to this week's episode of Cracking Open.

 Learn more about Tehillah Alphonso here

Find Tehillah on Social:
Instagram
Facebook
Listen to her Grammy-Nominated Song, "A Change Is Gonna Come"

Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook

I met Gina Muñoz 20 years ago at the wedding of one of my husband’s college friends on Martha’s Vineyard.  As a Midwesterner who went to a state college, I remember feeling a bit intellectually insecure with these, albeit incredibly kind, Williams college grads.

Sitting around a fire, listening to their belly laughs while they told stories of the good ol' days, Gina sat down next to me, leaned over, and said, “Hi, I'm Gina. So where did you go to college?”  Her question and awareness instantly transformed my feeling of being “other” into feeling accepted into the group.   

This is one of Gina’s great gifts in the world – she has an unassuming way of making anyone around her feel less alone, more accepted, and completely at ease.  As a gay, Mexican American woman who grew up in a Catholic family in Texas, she has a deep and empathic understanding of the many struggles that face those who are trying to find their place in the world. And she knows all too well that representation in mainstream society does not often reflect who those teens and adults identify as being on the inside and/or outside. 

Gina relocated to New York City over twenty-one years ago and has a diverse work background within the realms of law, healthcare, and education. For over fourteen years she has had a thriving solo law practice in NYC. In addition to her legal career, she is the Director of Provider Information at the Care Management Company of Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. Gina also assists in teaching public speaking at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy.

But if you ask Gina where her heart and soul reside, it is in advocating, fundraising, and being the board president for The Trevor Project. 

The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) young people.  They believe the LGBTQ+ community deserves a welcoming, loving world, and they wake up every day dedicated to making that a reality. 

In today’s episode, Gina shares her coming out story and how, at a young age, she actively chose to not be what her parents, grandparents, or friends wanted her to be.  She said, “No, I was determined to be who I was and who I want to be.” 

This is an episode about showing up in your truth, overcoming hardships within your sexuality and families of origin, and knowing that everything you need to know lives inside of you. 

It is an honor to call Gina a friend and mentor who embodies the concept of learning to accept yourself in order to accept all those around you.

Learn more about Gina Muñoz here.

Learn more about Molly Carroll here.

Get your free Body Emotion Map.

Find me on Social: Instagram and Facebook

I will never forget the day I was in my therapist’s office sharing about how my anxiety was through the roof.  I was grieving the death of my father, saddened by my mother’s cancer diagnosis, and fearful that my husband’s business would have to close its doors.  I was the epitome of “down and out” in my life and marriage.

My therapist had the ability to show deep compassion but also called me out on my denial when necessary.  She said, “Molly, you need help and I think you should begin with the book Fierce Intimacy by Terry Real."

Terry’s “say it like it is” attitude, transparency around his own marriage, and tips and tools, have literally saved my marriage and my soul.  After listening to today’s episode I believe your relationships will also benefit from his ability to teach about communicating, not from the adaptive child but the wise adult.

I’m so grateful that Terry not only said yes to being a guest on the podcast but said yes during a very busy time in his life with his new book, US: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship, releasing on June 7th.

It was this “yes” that brought forth an interview where we talked about how to be a present life partner and a loving parent.  He opened up about how his abusive childhood could turn into anger and grandiosity, but with deep internal work, it is now intense love and compassion for himself and others. And that he wrote his latest book to help us all remember how we can transform when there is unity and connection in relationships versus separation and disconnection.

Terry is an internationally recognized Family Therapist, Speaker, and Author. Terry founded the Relational Life Institute, offering workshops for couples, individuals, and parents with a professional training program for clinicians wanting to learn his RLT (Relational Life Therapy).

Terry is the best-selling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression, The New Rules of Marriage: What You Need to Make Love Work, Fierce Intimacy: Standing Up to One Another with Love, and his latest book US: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship.

His ideas on men’s issues and couple’s therapy have been celebrated in venues that include Good Morning America, The Today Show, 20/20,  Oprah, and The New York Times.

When I look back 10 years ago, sitting in my therapist’s office really struggling in my life, I know for sure that today I am a better wife, a less anxious human, and a more compassionate mom thanks to Terry Real.

Learn more about Terry Real

Terry's books

Find Terry on Facebook


Learn more about Molly Carroll
Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find Molly on Instagram and Facebook

Have you ever had a moment when you know you are in the presence of a true sage?  Well, that is exactly how I felt in the presence of Scott Anderson.

 In today’s episode, Scott will openly share about his family's three generations' struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, and how these addictions can not only cause deep suffering, but also profound humility and grace.

 Scott not only openly talks about his “cracking open” moments but also shares with us how his personal story has brought so much more depth to his professional life.

 Scott built 3 for-profit businesses, including an agency that he ran for over 25 years and later sold to his employees. He has combined his business acumen with his experience as a licensed mental health therapist to establish the not-for-profit, AtEaseUSA.org, which develops and deploys leading-edge PTSD treatment technology in partnership with Tel Aviv University and the Israeli government.

 Scott’s experience in business is matched by his premier training in coaching and therapy. He trained at the preeminent Coaches Training Institute and is certified by the International Coaching Federation (IFC).

He also graduated summa cum laude with a master’s degree from the University of Nebraska School of Clinical Counseling.

 Yes, Scott has all the degrees and accolades but, in the end, 

this sage teaches us that what matters most in life is making a daily choice around asking yourself one question, “How am I going to live knowing everything one day is going to go away?”

 Today I would invite you to live by soaking in Scott’s story about sobriety, survival, and most importantly love.

Learn more about Scott Anderson here: https://doubledareyou.us/

Find Scott on Social:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottandersonms/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottandersonmentalhealth/

Learn more about Molly Carroll here: https://molly-carroll.com/
Get your free Body Emotion Map: https://mollycarrollprograms.com/map

Find me on Social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollycarrollinc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Molly-Carroll-Inc-420796934793507