Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun

This week on Crafted Connections, I’m joined by speaker, coach, facilitator — and full-on light beam of a human — Erika Petrelli Bayh.

We met briefly at a women’s leadership conference and instantly fell into a deep conversation about story, growth, and the contradictions of being human. This episode is a continuation of that energy: real, spacious, thoughtful, and full of grounded wisdom.

Erika’s work centers around social and emotional intelligence, positive psychology, and helping people elevate the best version of themselves — their “extraordinary,” as she calls it. But this conversation is far from fluffy. Together we explore what it looks like to navigate motivation, productive struggle, self-limiting beliefs, identity, darkness, sobriety, and the micro-movements that help us keep going when life is heavy.

If December has you reflecting, recalibrating, or taking stock of who you’re becoming, this episode will feel like a deep breath.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

✨ Why joy — not hustle — is the anchor of Erika’s work
 🧠 How positive psychology helps us move from “baseline functioning” to thriving
🔥 The nuance of productive struggle (and how to know when it turns unproductive)
🪞 Untangling self-limiting beliefs and outgrowing old versions of ourselves
🌑 Erika’s story of navigating her own darkness and choosing sobriety
🪜 The power of micro-movements when you can’t take big steps forward
🤝 Why we can’t get out of the dark alone — and how to recognize lifelines
🌿 Honoring contradictions: beautiful and terrible things can coexist
💬 Why telling the truth about where we are brings people closer to us
🔄 Giving others (and ourselves) permission to evolve

At the center of it all is Erika’s belief that extraordinary isn’t something outside of us — it’s something we notice, tend to, and practice every day. Even in the ordinary moments. Especially in the hard ones.

You Can Connect with Erika:

📍 Website: extraordinaryinyou.com
📲 TikTok: @erikapetrellibayh
💼 LinkedIn: Erika Petrelli Bayh

Want to Strengthen Your Own Story in the New Year?

If you’re navigating a transition, stepping into new visibility, or want your message to finally feel like you, this one-hour deep dive helps you clarify your narrative and show up with confidence.

🎥 Use code PODCAST to save 25%:
https://katelyncalhoun.as.me/story-strategy-session

Join the Conversation:

📲 Instagram: @CraftedConnectionsPod
📬 DM me your reflections or guest suggestions — I love hearing from you.

Crafted Connections is lovingly produced by Calhoun Creative Consulting, a strategic storytelling firm helping people and brands tell stories that resonate.

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Keep creating, keep connecting.