In today's episode, I'm talking about what happened when I lost my keys on a walk with my dog and immediately spiraled into worst-case scenario thinking - and what a Buddhist monk on Instagram reminded me about training our brains toward positivity instead of panic.

I share the story of catastrophizing in the forest, only to find my keys safely in my car, and explore why our brains are wired to obsess over what could go wrong instead of what could go right.

We'll explore how we can train ourselves to shift perspective from panic to possibility.

Question to carry into your day: Where in your life are you defaulting to worst-case scenarios - and what would it look like to train your brain toward possibility instead of panic?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Let's Stay Connected:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about something vulnerable - getting pulled into drama that brought me right back to 8th grade, and what my friends taught me about listening to your body and knowing when it's time to leave.

I share what happened when I found out someone was talking about me in unkind ways, and how my friends Karen and Betsy helped me see that sometimes you just need to switch schools.

We'll explore why leaving isn't failure - and why protecting yourself is sometimes the bravest choice you can make.

Question to carry into your day: Where in your life are you trying to prove yourself in a room that's hurting you - and what would it look like to just switch schools instead?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Let's Stay Connected:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about what my friend's emergency root canal taught me about feelings - and why we can't postpone pain, no matter how inconvenient the timing.

I share the story of my friend thinking she could deal with her root canal in 2026, and how it connected to a woman in my group who was in despair.

We'll explore why catching ourselves at sadness - and tending to it early - is the only way to keep from hitting despair.

Question to carry into your day: What sadness are you postponing right now - and what would it look like to tend to it before it becomes despair?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Let's Stay Connected:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about what my yoga teacher said that completely reframed how I think about transitions - and why the first time through anything is always the hardest.

I share the story of my best friend Drea starting a new job and feeling disoriented and off-balance, and how something Greg said in yoga class reminded me that rhythm always comes if you keep showing up.

We'll explore why the "first side" of any change feels so hard and how to trust that you'll find your footing even when it doesn't feel that way.

Question to carry into your day: What transition are you in right now where you're still on the "first side" - and how would it feel to trust that rhythm is coming?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Let's Stay Connected:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about something I learned recently about shame - and how telling the truth to the right people can make it disappear.

I share the story of getting pulled into drama and feeling so ashamed about it that I almost didn't tell anyone. And how my friends became shame eliminators just by listening with empathy.

We'll explore why shame thrives in secrecy and how confession - bringing something hidden into the light - can set you free.

Question to carry into your day: What are you carrying right now that feels too shameful to say out loud - and who in your life might be a shame eliminator you could trust with it?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Let's Stay Connected:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about the night I hysterically cried in a parking lot after watching someone else launch their book - and how that moment that felt like total failure turned out to be a turning point I just couldn't see yet.

I share the story of grieving my old creative life, feeling completely hopeless about what was next, and how my friend Michelle's words came true months later when I realized my life had been quietly reorganizing itself the whole time.

We'll explore how life unfolds in ways we can't see while we're in the middle of it - and why the absence of answers doesn't mean the absence of movement.

Question to carry into your day: What moment in your life are you treating as proof that something is over - when it might actually be the beginning of something you can't see yet?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Let's Stay Connected:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about the moment my ex asked me what it would take to get back together - and how years of healing showed up in one sentence I didn't even plan to say.

I share the story of feeling the pull to give him a list of conditions, to manage what shouldn't be managed, and how I chose dignity instead - telling him he deserved to be with someone who loved him exactly as he is.

We'll explore what it means to love someone without asking them to change, and how real intimacy requires honesty over comfort.

Question to carry into your day: Where in your life are you trying to change someone to meet your needs - and what would it look like if you kept the focus on yourself instead?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Let's Stay Connected:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about how fear sabotages us - not with drama or rebellion, but quietly, by disguising itself as forgetfulness or procrastination.

I share the story of a client who stopped picking up her GLP medication right when it started working, and what happened when we named the sabotage for what it really was: fear of change.

We'll explore how recognition helps us see what's actually happening underneath our behavior - and how that awareness is what makes different choices possible.

Question to carry into your day: Where might fear be quietly sabotaging something that could actually help you right now?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Let's Stay Connected:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about what it looks like when someone meets your chaos with grace - and what happens when you forget to do the same.

I share the story of my friend Liz showing me what grace looks like in action, and how it made me realize I hadn't done the same for my brother.

Question to carry into your day: When someone's chaos spills into your life, instead of making their worst moment mean something about who they are, can you meet them with grace today?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Let's Stay Connected:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast

In today's episode, I'm talking about what needs to go out in 2025 - compartmentalization - and what needs to come in in 2026 - compassion.

I share what's been coming up in my sessions this month with clients who are trying to stuff down their feelings, and why compartmentalization for big-feeling people just means the feelings will explode or leak out somewhere else - often with food.

We'll explore how having compassion for your difficult feelings is actually stronger than pretending you're fine.

Question to carry into your day: What are you trying to compartmentalize right now - and what would it look like to have compassion for yourself for feeling bothered instead?

Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System.

Let's Stay Connected:

• Instagram: @mollycarmel
• Subscribe on YouTube
• Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages)
• Questions or want to share your story? Email me at [email protected]

An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast