Cracking Open with Molly Carroll

Three years ago to the day that I lost my mom, the most devout Catholic I've ever known, I interviewed this week's podcast guest, who just so happens to be the daughter of a nun. Life is full of surprises, but rarely any accidents.

Liz Dozier is the Founder & CEO of Chicago Beyond, an organization whose mission is to ensure that all young people have the opportunity to live a free and full life. Since its inception in 2016, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $40M in barriers to equity – from education, to youth safety, to health, wellness, and beyond.

Raised by her mother, a former nun, and a father who was incarcerated, Liz has long felt called to lead a life of service, to root for the underdog, to elevate those in need, and to shine a light into the darkness. Her career journey is a beautiful summation of all of these.

In 2009, Liz became the principal of Fenger High School, at the time known as one of the most violent and underperforming schools in the city of Chicago. Keenly aware of the correlation between these factors and the effects of traumatizing events outside of the classroom affecting these students, she quickly implemented many changes in the school that had dramatic and long-lasting positive effects on the school and its students' lives.

Under Liz's leadership, Fenger became the first Chicago school to institute CARE teams to surround youths in crisis, the entire staff became trained in de-escalation and trauma-responsive approaches, and the school implemented grief counseling and anger group therapy sessions.

The result? The school went from a 19% dropout rate to 2% and experienced double-digit increases in school attendance and graduation rate. Not only that, but Fenger became one of the district leaders in restorative justice, social-emotional learning, and academic interventions.

Liz is a beautiful example of how one person can make a massive difference in improving the lives of those around them. She inspires us to remember that we all have the power to stand up for individuals and communities who are marginalized, traumatized, struggling, and desperate for someone to shine a light into the darkness.

“I believe in people. Period. Full stop. I believe in the power of calling out inequities and calling in righteous and radical truth.” ~ Liz Dozier

Tune in and bear witness to the awe-inspiring radical truths that Liz shares with us on the Cracking Open Podcast today. I hope it inspires you to shine your own unique and special light out into the world.

Love,
Molly



Learn more about Chicago Beyond here

Follow Chicago Beyond on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, & Twitter

Follow Liz on Twitter

Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook

Have you ever had a conversation with someone you just met, where time seems to come to a standstill and it feels like you have known this person for years? This is exactly what it felt like when I interviewed Tami Simon.

Tami is the Founder and CEO of Sounds True, a wildly successful multimedia publishing company that she launched more than three decades ago with a dream and one clear mission – to disseminate spiritual wisdom. Now one of the top publishing companies for many of the leading teachers and visionaries of our time, Tami and her team of more than 110 employees are accomplishing their mission to wake up the world.

Sounds True now has the world's largest living library of transformational teachings that support and accelerate spiritual awakening and personal transformation.

Tami is not only creating shifts in consciousness through her life's work, however. She actually embodies what it means to live a life of awakening and transformation in her own personal journey which she intimately shares with us in this week's podcast.

In fact, Tami admitted to me that this was one of the most intimate interviews she has ever given. Not only do we talk about the "why" behind her creation of Sounds True, but we also take a deep dive into her marriage, and discuss one of her deepest desires – to have soul freedom and help others discover their pure potential.

This interview also held deep personal meaning for me. When my dad died in 2011, and again with my mom's death in 2019, there were days I had to drag myself out of bed. Yet even in those darkest of times, I was intuitively drawn to Sounds True's website time and time again. I always felt comforted as I clicked on their website, looking for support and solace in my grief.

I have continued to turn to Sounds True when I find myself asking the bigger questions about my existence in this life, or even simply searching for tools to help my clients in the Cracking Open Coaching Program.

Sounds True not only provides free resources, online courses, in-depth programs, and events, but it is also the home of many best-selling and beloved authors such as Pema Chödrön, Danielle LaPorte, Marianne Williamson, and Eckhart Tolle. Their newest endeavor is the recent launch of Sounds True One – an online membership that provides access to life-changing teachings and resources to support a soul-filled life.

I have an immense amount of gratitude for this incredible library of spiritual resources that Tami Simon has helped bring into the world, and it is an absolute honor to share her story and life's journey with you all today.

May her words, stories, and wisdom launch you into 2023 with an open heart, the courage to make any changes you may need or desire, and the deep knowing that you are never alone.

Love,
Molly



Check out the amazing library of resources at Sounds True

Explore Sounds True One 

Follow Sounds True on Instagram

Connect with Tami on LinkedIn

Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook

Welcome to 2023. I am so glad you are here!

While reflecting on this brand new year and today’s podcast episode, I was reminded of the classic Native American legend called The Tale of Two Wolves.

An elder Cherokee is teaching his grandson an important lesson about life. “There is a fight going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other wolf is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."
 
Then the elder placed a hand on his grandson and said, “The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The grandfather simply replied, “The one you feed.”

So instead of setting New Year’s resolutions (which statistically often fail), I encourage you to instead ask yourself, “Which wolf do I want to feed this year?”

Listening to today's conversation with Angie DeGeronimo is the perfect way to learn how to feed the healthy and more loving wolf inside of you.

Angie is a habit change expert, transformation coach, and author of The Little Wonders Playbook, which provides guidance on simple, daily habits that can drive positive change in every area of your life. 

She has over 20 years of experience in the holistic health and fitness industry and pioneered the first multi-service wellness center in Silicon Valley to incorporate holistic health and wellness coaching in order to address physical, social, and emotional health.

Angie is a sought-after consultant to Silicon Valley executives and Fortune 500 companies in high performance and executive leadership. Her list of clients includes Google, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, and Stanford School of Medicine. 

She has a special way of guiding us all toward self-compassion, joy, and realistic goals to feed the kind, generous and truthful parts of ourselves as we come into 2023.

May this year be full of goodness for you.

Love,

Molly



Learn more about Angie DeGeronimo and the Little Wonders Playbook here

Check out Angie's 90-Day Transformational Program here

Connect with Angie:
Facebook
Instagram
TikTok

Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook

Does this time of year bring up conflicting emotions for you? I know it does for me.

I truly love buying gifts for my friends and family, attending holiday parties, and listening to Nat King Cole sing Christmas carols in all my favorite stores. But at the same time, I also carry around a pit in my stomach from the overconsumption of too many Christmas cookies and wine, and also from spending so much money!

This leads me to often ask myself, “In all this holiday rigmarole, is something missing?”

One morning while sitting in silence, I heard in response, “Yes, something is missing, and it is presence.” Gulp.

We all know that presence is hard to come by this time of year with the busyness of the holiday season, as we attend parties and performances, wrap up year-end work deadlines, and check off our “to-do” lists.

But what I'm realizing is that our presence truly makes the best presents of all.

So I am gifting you the presence of this week’s special podcast guest, Candace Blair. 

Candace has been teaching Kundalini for over 10 years, is an experienced sound healer, a certified “Cacaoista”, a shamanic reiki practitioner & a lead coach for the “Alchemy of Becoming” methodology.

But her story was not always one of yoga and meditation. Achieving what she thought was the American dream as a high-salary finance executive on the trading floors in Zurich and London, she was caught up in a lifestyle of drinking, smoking, and partying, while also going through a challenging divorce.

When severe back pain brought her to tears on the trading room floor, Candace realized that she needed to stop her destructive lifestyle and uncover what was missing from her life. Thus began her transition from an unhealthy life of chaos and imbalance, into a new life filled with harmony, healing, and peace.

In this Cracking Open Podcast episode, Candace not only shares her story of stepping into her true self with patience and love, but she teaches us about the amazing healing practices of Kundalini yoga, reiki, sound healing, and cacao ceremonies – all healing modalities that can help us heal our physical and emotional pains, and also bring us back to our breath, our hearts, and yes - our presence. 

As a very special gift for all of you, Candace performs the most beautiful crystal bowl sound healing at the end of the episode that will open your heart to receive more love, release trapped emotions in your body, elevate your mind, and
raise your consciousness to experience more JOY.

Candace is a gift to us all, and this episode is my gift to you. May it inspire you to be more present during this wonderful and busy time of year.

I am so deeply grateful for each and every one of you.

Merry Everything and Happy Always! See you next year!

Love,
Molly

Learn more about Candace Blair here

Check out Candace's upcoming events here

Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook

In talking to friends about their Thanksgiving stories, I began to become even more curious about people's relationships, attachments, and personalities.

Why are we so attached to some family members, but not to others?

Why do we feel safe around some people, but want to avoid or run
away from others?

Why are some of us so uptight about cooking, while others can do it
with ease?

Why do we sometimes crave solitude while other times love being in
a large group?

I have found that one of the greatest times of year to take a deeper look into our choices, our triggers, and even our own souls, is over the holidays.

That makes this the perfect time to listen to attachment style expert Dr. Diane Poole Heller this week on the Cracking Open podcast!

Diane Poole Heller, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized speaker, author and expert in the field of attachment theory and trauma resolution.

This episode is going to blow your mind. Diane teaches us about the four different attachment styles: secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized. These are styles that we pick up in childhood and carry subconsciously into our adult behaviors.

Not only do we go deeply into each attachment style, but we also discuss Diane’s near-death experience, the power of hugging and playing, strategies for coping with, and healing, unresolved trauma, and how to recognize that there are lots of ways to love one another.

Her signature approach—DARe (Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning experience)—provides therapists and individuals with relevant skills and practical exercises that facilitate healing from attachment and trauma wounds.

Diane is also the author of three books: The Power of Attachment: How to Create Deep and Lasting Intimate Relationships, a practical guide to restoring and reconnecting with our innate secure attachment as adults; Crash Course, on accident trauma; and the audiobook, Healing Your Attachment Wounds: How to Create Deep and Lasting Relationships.

Her film, Surviving Columbine, aired on CNN and supported community healing after the Columbine High School shootings.

Diane’s training programs, books, lectures, and work as a therapist have helped countless people in their healing journey toward experiencing greater intimacy, wholeness, and more fulfilling relationships.

 
Not only will you walk away from this episode with helpful information about your attachment style, but you will also gain practical tips and tools on how to manage your emotions when you get triggered by the holidays, your family members, and yes - even different cooking styles.

xo,
Molly



Learn more about Dr. Diane Poole Heller here
Find out your adult attachment style here


Learn more about Molly Carroll here

Get your free Body Emotion Map

Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook 

There are so many gems in this episode but one of my biggest takeaways is the importance of standing in your truth.

Shaka shares his story with us about his own reckoning and realization that he initially wasn’t living his truth. Instead, he was living out an interpretation of his life rooted in his trauma. This trauma-informed life eventually led him into a 19-year imprisonment for 2nd-degree murder, seven of those years which were in solitary confinement. 

These dire circumstances would understandably crush most people's spirits. But Shaka was able to use this experience to uncover his own truth, envision a different future for himself, and hit the reset button on his true destiny.

I don't think there are many people in this world who can say that they were able to find their ultimate freedom in a system that is designed to take every freedom away from you. But then again, there aren't many people like Shaka Senghor.

The deep vulnerability that a life of imprisonment creates, forced Shaka into prolonged states of introspection and contemplation. In solitary confinement, he found his passion for reading and writing, and was particularly taken with Socrates' words, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” 

While examining his own life, he realized that he wanted to reclaim his authentic self, and vowed that going forward he would only live in the world in a way that honored his truth. Shaka asked himself the question, “How did I get here?”  And it was this question that changed his life and ultimately became a catalyst for getting him out of prison.

In the decade since Shaka’s release from prison, he has garnered multiple awards and fellowships, has lectured at universities, and has both started and worked with nonprofits seeking to lift people up.

Shaka has also visited the White House, been interviewed by Trevor Noah and Oprah Winfrey, given TED talks, and published two amazing books – Writing my Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison, and Letters to the Sons of Society: A Father's Invitation to Love, Honesty, and Freedom.

I hope that today’s episode inspires you to have some deeper conversations with yourself about living your own truth. Here are some questions to contemplate:

Are you honoring your truth?

Are you living a life based on your trauma, or on a story that does not serve you anymore?

How can you step out of your secrets into an examined life of truth?

Love,
Molly

Learn more about Shaka here

Purchase Shaka's book Letters to the Sons of Society here

Find Shaka on Social:
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Listen to Shaka's collaboration with rapper Nas (featured at the end of the interview) here

Learn more about Molly Carroll here
Get your free Body Emotion Map
Find me on Social:
Instagram
Facebook 

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