The Favourite Self Podcast

What if feeling behind is not actually a sign that you are off track, but a sign that you have not paused long enough to recognize how much you have already grown?

In this episode of The Favourite Self Podcast, Carly shares a personal mid-year reflection on the first six months of the year and the unexpected emotions that surfaced while looking back. What started as a simple monthly recap turned into a deeper check in on growth, restlessness, gratitude, and the quiet pressure of wondering whether she should be further along by now.

Through five powerful lessons, Carly explores the difference between visibility and truly feeling seen, why confidence is created through action, how easily we normalize our own growth, and what it means to hold both deep gratitude and a desire for more at the same time. She also reflects on the tension between living in the gap and recognizing the gain, and why who you are becoming matters just as much as the milestones you have not reached yet.

If this episode resonates, be sure to follow and subscribe to The Favourite Self Podcast, and share it with someone who needs this reminder.

Key Takeaways:

• Visibility and feeling seen are not the same thing, and external validation cannot replace internal validation

• Confidence is not something you wait for before you begin, it is built through the very things you keep avoiding

• We normalize our own growth so quickly that we often miss just how much has already changed

• You can be deeply grateful for what is here while still desiring more for your life and business

• Living in the gap will always make you feel behind, but looking at the gain helps you recognize how far you have actually come

• Growth is not only measured by outcomes, but by the person you are becoming along the way

Carly's Links
Website: carlyottaway.com / webofwords.ca
Instagram: @‌itscarlyottaway / @‌webofwords_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyottaway

Coming Home: https://www.amazon.ca/Coming-Home-Path-Favourite-Permission/dp/1069218308

The Brand Mirror: https://thebrandmirror.com

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@favouriteselfpodcast

What does it actually take to build a business and a life that feel as good as they look on paper?

In this episode of The Favourite Self Podcast, Carly sits down with serial entrepreneur, brand builder, and founder Anna Lozano for a powerful conversation about identity, alignment, intuition, strategy, and what it really looks like to grow through transition. With more than 16 years of entrepreneurial experience, Anna brings such an honest perspective on building purpose driven businesses, navigating big pivots, and learning how to trust yourself more deeply through every season.

Together, Carly and Anna explore what happens after major success, how motherhood can shift the way you lead, and why the messy middle is often where the biggest identity shifts are happening. This conversation is such a powerful reminder that true momentum does not just come from doing more. It comes from building in a way that feels aligned, sustainable, and deeply rooted in who you are becoming.

If this episode resonates, be sure to follow and subscribe to The Favourite Self Podcast, and share it with someone who needs this conversation too.

Key Takeaways:

• Building a business in alignment requires both strategy and self trust

• Big success moments do not always bring instant clarity and often lead to new identity shifts

• The messy middle can hold some of your deepest growth, even when it feels unclear

• Motherhood can completely reshape the way you lead, work, and define success

• Real momentum comes from creating a business that feels good to hold, not just good to achieve

Anna’s Bio:

Anna Lozano is a serial entrepreneur and brand builder with over 16 years of experience launching, scaling, and exiting purpose driven companies. She is the founder of MAYA Pickleball, host of the top ranked podcast The Prosperity Playground, and curator of immersive female founder retreats in Mexico. Formerly the co-founder of Love Powered Co., which exited in 2022, Anna now focuses on building culture forward brands and experiences at the intersection of leadership, lifestyle, and legacy.

Anna’s Links:

Website: annalozano.com

Instagram: instagram.com/_annalozano

(Episode 4) The Visibility Stretch: What Publishing My Book Taught Me About Being Seen: https://youtu.be/4868HjQOBBg 

Carly's Links
Website: carlyottaway.com / webofwords.ca
Instagram: @‌itscarlyottaway / @‌webofwords_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyottaway

Coming Home: https://www.amazon.ca/Coming-Home-Path-Favourite-Permission/dp/1069218308

The Brand Mirror: https://thebrandmirror.com

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@favouriteselfpodcast

What if the reason showing up online feels so hard has less to do with strategy and more to do with safety?

In this episode of The Favourite Self Podcast, Carly unpacks what is really happening beneath the surface when entrepreneurs struggle to post consistently, share their story, or fully show up online. She reflects on the overwhelm that comes from conflicting social media advice and explains why the real block is often not a lack of strategy, but a nervous system response to visibility, vulnerability, and being seen.

Carly breaks down the different protective responses that can show up in your content, from over-explaining and overworking to freezing, hiding, or watering down your message. She also shares why done-for-you marketing can only go so far if you are not fully embodying your message, your authority, and the version of yourself your brand is asking you to become. This episode is a powerful reminder that the goal is not to force yourself to be visible, but to create enough safety in your body that visibility no longer feels like a threat.

If this episode resonates, be sure to follow and subscribe to The Favourite Self Podcast, and share it with someone who needs this reminder.

Key Takeaways:

• Content resistance is often a nervous system response, not a strategy problem

• The fear of showing up online is usually rooted in what visibility represents, not the post itself

• Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses can all shape the way you create and share content

• Your brand can only reflect what you are willing to embody and believe about yourself

• The most magnetic content comes from safety, self trust, and embodiment, not performance

• Done-for-you marketing works best when it supports your voice, not replaces it

• Real visibility starts when you stop treating your resistance like failure and start seeing it as information

Carly's Links
Website: carlyottaway.com / webofwords.ca
Instagram: @‌itscarlyottaway / @‌webofwords_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyottaway

Coming Home: https://www.amazon.ca/Coming-Home-Path-Favourite-Permission/dp/1069218308

The Brand Mirror: https://thebrandmirror.com

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@favouriteselfpodcast

What if healing is less about fixing yourself and more about learning how to trust yourself again?

In this episode of The Favourite Self Podcast, Carly sits down with registered social worker, clinical therapist, and founder of Healing Recovery Centre, Morgan Weatherup, for a conversation about psychedelic-assisted therapy, microdosing, entrepreneurship, and the deeper work of coming home to yourself. 

Morgan shares how her path into this work began, how her understanding of healing has evolved, and why real transformation often happens when we stop rushing to the breakthrough and allow ourselves to move at the pace we are actually ready for.

Together, Carly and Morgan explore the many paths healing can take, from traditional therapy and nervous system work to holistic approaches, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and microdosing. Healing Recovery Centre’s psychedelic therapy program is rooted in safe, supportive, trauma-informed care, with an emphasis on preparation, the medicine experience, and integration as part of the process.

This episode is a powerful reminder that healing is not one-size-fits-all. Sometimes the deepest medicine is not about bypassing the pain or forcing the breakthrough, but learning how to listen to your body, trust your inner wisdom, and choose the path that feels aligned for you.

If this episode resonates, be sure to follow and subscribe to The Favourite Self Podcast, and share it with someone who needs this conversation too.

Key Takeaways:

• Healing is not always one big breakthrough. Often, it is the slower work of integration and self trust

• Psychedelic-assisted therapy is one pathway that can support deeper self-reflection, self-discovery, and transformation when held in a safe and supportive environment

• Microdosing and holistic healing can help people reconnect with their inner wisdom in a different way

• Preparation and integration are essential parts of the healing process, especially when working with deeper therapeutic modalities

• High achievers are often being called to deeper healing because they know there is something more available to them

• Entrepreneurship can be a powerful mirror for growth, visibility, and identity shifts

• You do not have to heal all at once. You can move as slowly as the slowest part of you is ready to go

Morgan’s Bio:

Morgan Weatherup is a Registered Social Worker, clinical therapist, and the founder of Healing Recovery Centre, a mental health and wellness clinic based in Newmarket, Ontario. Her work blends clinical therapy, holistic healing, and psychedelic assisted approaches to support deep, transformational change. Morgan specializes in trauma, eating disorders, and relational healing. 

Morgan’s Links:

Free Microdosing Video: https://youtu.be/9lccomPLEmw?si=SOrGvvWAIDbY8pfD
Website: www.healingrecoverycentre.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganweatherup/

Carly's Links
Website: carlyottaway.com / webofwords.ca
Instagram: @‌itscarlyottaway / @‌webofwords_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyottaway

Coming Home: https://www.amazon.ca/Coming-Home-Path-Favourite-Permission/dp/1069218308

The Brand Mirror: https://thebrandmirror.com

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@favouriteselfpodcast

What happens when you finally start trusting your voice, only to lose it completely?

In this episode of The Favourite Self Podcast, Carly reflects on the recent stretch of speaking, podcasting, storytelling, and visibility that has asked her to use her voice in bigger ways than ever before. After losing her voice following a keynote style talk at her old high school, she shares how symbolic that experience felt and what it revealed about her evolving relationship with being seen, speaking live, and trusting herself in the moment.

Carly opens up about her early roots in journalism, the perfectionism that kept her hiding behind the keyboard, and how podcasting has helped her move out of control and into presence. She also shares the full circle experience of returning to her high school twenty years later to speak to students, and why that moment felt so healing, expansive, and deeply meaningful. This episode is a reminder that your voice becomes stronger when you stop trying to perfect it and start trusting what wants to come through.

If this episode resonates, be sure to follow and subscribe to The Favourite Self Podcast, and share it with someone who needs this reminder.

Key Takeaways:

• Trusting your voice often requires letting go of perfection and control

• Podcasting and speaking can help you build confidence by bringing you back into your body and into the present moment

• You do not need to memorize every word to speak powerfully. You need to trust yourself and your message

• Full circle moments can become powerful mirrors for how much you have grown

• Sometimes being forced to slow down is actually an invitation to reflect, recalibrate, and protect your energy

Carly's Links
Website: carlyottaway.com / webofwords.ca
Instagram: @‌itscarlyottaway / @‌webofwords_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyottaway

Coming Home: https://www.amazon.ca/Coming-Home-Path-Favourite-Permission/dp/1069218308

The Brand Mirror: https://thebrandmirror.com

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@favouriteselfpodcast

What does success look like when the version you once chased no longer fits the season you are in now?

In this episode of The Favourite Self Podcast, Carly sits down with Kristina Bartold, co-founder and CEO of The Social Snippet, co-founder of High Vibe Women, and host of Community, for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, motherhood, ambition, community, and the identity shifts that come with building a business while growing a family. Kristina shares how becoming a mom reshaped her definition of her favourite self, moving her from constant motion and visibility into a season that feels more spacious, grounded, and rooted in home, while still leaving room for impact, growth, and meaningful work.  

Together, Carly and Kristina talk about worthiness, abundance, boundaries, scarcity, and what it really looks like to redefine success as your life changes. Kristina opens up about the early growth of The Social Snippet, the power of community in building a business, and the reality of trying to hold both a booming business and a deeply present family life at once. This episode is such a powerful reminder that success is allowed to evolve, and that you do not have to choose between being ambitious and being present.  

If this episode resonates, be sure to follow and subscribe to The Favourite Self Podcast, and share it with someone who needs this conversation too.

Kristina's Bio:

Kristina Bartold is the co-founder and CEO of The Social Snippet, co-founder of High Vibe Women, and host of the Community podcast. She helps entrepreneurs and small businesses grow their communities through social media, podcasting, and meaningful connection. Kristina is passionate about building businesses rooted in community, impact, and authentic relationships.

Key Takeaways:

• Success can change shape as your life changes, and that does not mean you are losing yourself

• Motherhood can shift your priorities while still expanding your ambition and impact

• Building a business through community and relationships is powerful, but it also requires stronger boundaries as your capacity changes

• Scarcity and hard seasons are part of entrepreneurship, but the right people can help bring you back to perspective

• You do not have to choose between meaningful work and meaningful family life, but you may need to redefine what success looks like in this season

Kristina's Links:

High Vibe Women Full Day Event: https://www.highvibewomen.ca/october-2026-event

Kristina's Website: https://kristinabartold.ca/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristina.bartold/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinabartold/

Community Podcast: https://kristinabartold.ca/podcast

Agency: https://www.thesocialsnippet.com/

Carly's Links
Website: carlyottaway.com / webofwords.ca
Instagram: @‌itscarlyottaway / @‌webofwords_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyottaway

Coming Home: https://www.amazon.ca/Coming-Home-Path-Favourite-Permission/dp/1069218308

The Brand Mirror: https://thebrandmirror.com

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@favouriteselfpodcast

What if your business, your relationships, your clients, and even your kids are all reflecting something back to you?

In this episode of The Favourite Self Podcast, Carly shares the powerful concept of the mirror effect and how your internal world shapes what you experience externally. She explores how this shows up in branding, marketing, leadership, motherhood, and personal growth, and why the patterns you keep noticing in your life are often not random. They are reflections.

Carly breaks down how your brand does not just mirror your audience, it mirrors you. From self trust and visibility to leadership and self worth, she unpacks the deeper identity work that has to happen before strategy can fully land. She also introduces her mirror framework and shares why the most important shifts happen when you stop trying to fix everything outside of you and start transforming from within.

If this episode resonates, be sure to follow and subscribe to The Favourite Self Podcast, and share it with someone who needs this reminder too.

Key Takeaways:

• Your external reality often reflects your internal beliefs, patterns, and self perception

• Your brand is not just a marketing tool, it is an identity amplifier

• Strategy alone will only take you so far if your identity and nervous system have not caught up

• The patterns showing up in your business, leadership, and relationships are often mirrors, not mistakes

• Real transformation starts when you stop judging what the mirror shows you and start getting curious about it

Email sign up/waitlist for new offer: https://webofwords.ca/#newsletter 

Carly's Links
Website: carlyottaway.com / webofwords.ca
Instagram: @‌itscarlyottaway / @‌webofwords_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyottaway

Coming Home: https://www.amazon.ca/Coming-Home-Path-Favourite-Permission/dp/1069218308

The Brand Mirror: https://thebrandmirror.com

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@favouriteselfpodcast

What if the real reason you have hit a ceiling in business has nothing to do with strategy and everything to do with what your nervous system feels safe holding?

In this episode of The Favourite Self Podcast, Carly sits down with High Performance Business and Leadership Coach Sarah Lambert for a powerful conversation about business growth, identity, nervous system capacity, personal brand, and motherhood. Sarah has helped hundreds of women scale their online businesses in a way that feels aligned, sustainable, and deeply supportive, blending high level strategy and brand building with subconscious identity work and nervous system informed leadership.

Together, Carly and Sarah reflect on a decade of entrepreneurship, the inner shifts that often come before the external results, and what it really means to expand your capacity for more money, more visibility, and more of the life you want to hold. Sarah shares how her own growth required her to move beyond hard work and hustle, and into a new level of self trust, embodiment, and leadership.

If this episode resonates, be sure to follow and subscribe to The Favourite Self Podcast, and share it with someone who needs this conversation too.

Sarah's Bio

Sarah Lambert is a High Performance Business and Leadership Coach for Entrepreneurs and a Mom of 2. Her work has helped hundreds of women scale their online businesses in an aligned and easeful way using Nervous System Informed Strategy and Leadership. She combines high level strategy and brand building with subconscious identity and nervous system work in a way that allows people to create unmatched results while feeling their best. 

Key Takeaways:

• Business growth is not just about strategy. It also depends on what your nervous system feels safe holding

• The next level of money, visibility, and success requires an identity shift, not just more hard work

• Real capacity is built by staying with discomfort instead of rushing to fix, avoid, or control it

• A strong personal brand gives you space to evolve, pivot, and grow while bringing your audience with you

• Sustainable success comes from alignment, self trust, and leadership that supports the life you actually want

Sarah's Links

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesarahlambert 

Upcoming Event: https://herlegacycollective.co/her-legacy-live-2026/ 

Freebie: https://learn.therosewoodagency.com/offers/8JY8MXv9?coupon_code=CARLY 

Carly's Links
Website: carlyottaway.com / webofwords.ca
Instagram: @‌itscarlyottaway / @‌webofwords_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyottaway

Coming Home: https://www.amazon.ca/Coming-Home-Path-Favourite-Permission/dp/1069218308

The Brand Mirror: https://thebrandmirror.com

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@favouriteselfpodcast

What if the discomfort you feel around visibility is actually a sign that you are growing?

In this episode of The Favourite Self Podcast, Carly shares the behind the scenes of launching the podcast, navigating a major visibility stretch, and moving through the fear that can come with being more fully seen. She opens up about the emotional side of sharing your work, the reality of receiving criticism, and why growth often asks you to trust yourself before you feel fully ready.

Carly also reflects on the journey of writing and publishing her book, and how that experience taught her that visibility is not just mindset work, but nervous system work too. If you have been feeling the stretch of putting yourself out there, sharing your story, or owning your voice in a bigger way, this episode is for you.

If this episode resonates, be sure to follow and subscribe to The Favourite Self Podcast, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Key Takeaways:

• Visibility will often feel uncomfortable before it feels safe

• Confidence is built by taking the step, not waiting to feel ready

• Being seen will stretch your identity, your self trust, and your nervous system

• Sharing your story can open doors, deepen connection, and create real impact

• Discomfort is not always a red flag, sometimes it is the doorway into your next level

Carly's Links
Website: carlyottaway.com / webofwords.ca
Instagram: @‌itscarlyottaway / @‌webofwords_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyottaway

Coming Home: https://www.amazon.ca/Coming-Home-Path-Favourite-Permission/dp/1069218308

The Brand Mirror: https://thebrandmirror.com

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@favouriteselfpodcast

How do you make the switch from the path others expect you to follow to the path of true alignment and authenticity?

In today’s episode of The Favorite Self Podcast, Carly welcomes Maria Tassi, co-founder of High Vibe Women and The Social Snippet, to dive into the transformative power of embracing your truest self. Maria opens up about the moment she realized that her life felt like it was mirroring outdated narratives and the steps she took to release those stories, ultimately stepping into an aligned role as a leader in purposeful business.

She shares how her entrepreneurial path wasn’t planned, but rather, serendipitous, filled with challenges that ultimately led to expansion and growth. Her story will resonate with anyone feeling lost or out of alignment in their own lives and offers practical insights on how to move through fear and embrace your unique inner wisdom. 

If you find Maria’s story inspiring, please leave a like and review on this episode and share it with someone who could use it. 

Key Takeaways:

• Everything is happening for you, not to you.
• True alignment comes when you honor your unique strengths and trust that your path to success will look different from others’.
• Fear is not something to overcome, but rather, a companion on your journey.
• Vulnerability is one of your greatest strengths, connecting you to yourself and your community.
• Expanding into our most aligned selves means leaving behind narratives that no longer define or serve us.
• What it means to show up as your favourite self.

Maria’s Links:
Instagram: @_mariatassi / @highvibe.women / @thesocialsnippet
Website: https://www.thesocialsnippet.com/
https://www.highvibewomen.ca/

Carly's Links
Website: carlyottaway.com / webofwords.ca
Instagram: @‌itscarlyottaway / @‌webofwords_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyottaway

Coming Home: https://www.amazon.ca/Coming-Home-Path-Favourite-Permission/dp/1069218308

The Brand Mirror: https://thebrandmirror.com

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@favouriteselfpodcast