The Inspired Collective Podcast

This week on the Inspired Collective, Karli and Renee get delightfully honest about the unofficial list of things that make life better: girls trips, laughing until you cry, blasting songs that transport you back to childhood, fresh sheets after an everything shower, and the tiny moments when someone remembers something meaningful you said months ago. 

If you have been moving through life on autopilot, this conversation is your reminder to slow down and notice what actually fills you up. 

We’ve changed careers, built businesses, raised families, reinvented ourselves more than once and somehow became women in our mid-30s who generally look like we know what we’re doing.

Spoiler: we absolutely do not.

This week, we’re sharing the things we’re embarrassed to admit—from tying our identities a little too closely to productivity and struggling with parts of motherhood we thought would come naturally, to caring way too much about someone else’s opinion, avoiding three-minute tasks for six months, and yes…calling Apple because one of us didn’t understand how to double-click her phone.

But somewhere between the vulnerable and the objectively embarrassing, we realized something: maybe some of the things we’re ashamed to admit aren’t actually embarrassing. Maybe they just don’t match the imaginary version of ourselves we thought we’d be by now.

Let’s talk about the “shoulds,” the contradictions, and the very human reality that none of us have it all figured out.

A little delusion might actually be necessary to build the life you want.

You have to believe you can start the business before you know exactly what you’re doing. Apply for the thing you might be under qualified for. Walk into the room and decide you belong there before anyone else confirms it.

That’s the good kind of delusion.

But then there’s the other kind...the kind where every ex is a narcissist, every friend is jealous, every consequence is “the universe redirecting you,” and somehow you’ve never once been the problem.

In this episode, we’re talking about the line between confidence, healthy delusion, and completely losing the plot. We get into reinventing yourself, betting on yourself before anyone else does, the vulnerability of starting over, and why real main character energy requires a healthy dose of self-awareness.

Because yes, romanticize your life. Believe ridiculous things are possible for you. Decide you belong in the room.

Just remember: everyone else is a main character too.

How many times have you said “sorry” today for something that didn’t actually require an apology?

Sorry to bother you. Sorry for asking. Sorry I didn’t text back. Sorry for saying no. Sorry for taking up approximately four inches of aisle seven at Target.

This week, we’re talking about our complicated relationship with apologizing—and how Girl, Stop Apologizing first made us realize just how often women use “sorry” as a way to stay agreeable, likable, and easy to deal with.

But years later, we’ve realized there’s another side to the conversation: sometimes… you actually should be sorry.

We’re getting into the difference between people-pleasing apologies and real accountability, why we apologize for tiny things but struggle with the big ones, the apology that doesn’t count if it comes with a “but,” and whether changed behavior matters more than the words themselves.

Plus, we play Sorry or Not Sorry—and apparently apologizing to mannequins is something Renee does now.

Maybe the goal isn’t to stop apologizing. Maybe it’s to know what you’re actually sorry for.

The Inspired Collective is officially one year old and somehow we have 43 episodes to prove it.

After a summer of travel, big life changes, motherhood, moving, slowing down and generally abandoning a few of the plans we swore we were going to accomplish, we’re finally back together for a much-needed catch-up.

Renee shares what it’s been like moving in with Patrick, Karli talks about spending the summer soaking up every minute before Oliver started kindergarten, and we get into the very important topics of moving in Texas heat, kindergarten homework, questionable sunburn remedies and whether or not anyone should ever move their own belongings again.

But we’re also looking back at the last year of The Inspired Collective....how nervous we were when we started, how much the podcast has changed, what we’ve learned from each other and why hearing from the women who listen has become one of our favorite parts of doing this.

Plus, we’re talking about what we want year two to look like: deeper conversations, more listener involvement, more Asking for a Friend, a little more silliness and hopefully a whole lot more of you.

Think of this episode as sitting down with your girlfriends after a summer apart and realizing you have approximately 47 things to catch up on.

In this honest, funny conversation, Karli is joined by her friend Katie to talk about the reality of working motherhood,  the mental load, the guilt, the invisible responsibility, and the constant tug-of-war between work, family, friendships, and self-care. With school starting the next day for both of their kindergartners, they get real about the chaos of parenting, the importance of a village, and how motherhood changes your priorities, your friendships, and even the way you see yourself.

We talk about gratitude all the time...but what about the thank yous we've carried around for years and never actually said?

In this episode, we're diving into the people who quietly changed the course of our lives: the teacher who believed in us, the family that stepped in when no one else could, the mentor who saw potential before we did, or even the stranger whose kindness showed up at exactly the right moment.

Before that, we're kicking off another round of Asking for a Friend, where we debate life's surprisingly relatable questions:

• Is it weird to obsessively Google how someone died?
• Is running a background check on your friend's new boyfriend ever justified?

Then we get honest about gratitude, vulnerability, grief, and why saying "thank you" can sometimes be harder than we expect.

Maybe someone changed your life without ever realizing it.
Maybe today is the day you finally tell them.

Somewhere along the way, women were taught that being taken seriously meant becoming serious.

Less personality.
Less humor.
Less color.
Less...you.

But what if that's exactly backwards?

In this episode, we're talking about why the women who leave the biggest impression aren't always the loudest or the most polished—they're the ones who are comfortable being fully themselves.

We dive into:

• Why women often feel pressure to "tone it down" professionally
• The difference between confidence and performance
• Why personality isn't unprofessional
• Reclaiming playfulness, humor, and joy as adults
• How authenticity actually makes you more memorable—not less respected

Because success doesn't require becoming someone else.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do...
is stop editing yourself.

What happened to the dreams we used to talk about so freely?

As kids, we dreamed out loud without overthinking it. We wanted to travel, start businesses, learn new skills, move across the country, and live big lives. Somewhere along the way, practicality took over and "maybe someday" became our default answer.

In this episode, we're talking bucket lists—the big dreams, the tiny dreams, the things we've been putting off, and the reasons we keep waiting for the perfect time.

We share what's currently on our bucket lists, the lessons that changed how we think about time, and why living intentionally matters more than ever.

If you've been telling yourself you'll do it later, this conversation might be your reminder that later isn't guaranteed.

Because life isn't waiting.

Remember when people used to ask what you wanted to be when you grew up?

Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped dreaming out loud. We traded adventure for practicality, postponed the things that light us up, and convinced ourselves we'll finally start living "when life slows down."

In this episode, we're talking about bucket lists, but not just the skydiving, safari, or travel kind. We're talking about the quieter dreams too: learning a new skill, taking a chance on yourself, spending intentional time with your family, building community, or finally pursuing something you've wanted for years.

Karli shares the deeply personal story of a teacher who changed her life forever and the lesson she left behind about living with intention. Together, we explore why so many of us wait for the "perfect time," why dreaming has somehow become embarrassing as adults, and how to start creating a life you don't have to keep postponing.

Because maybe your bucket list isn't about dying.

Maybe it's about finally starting to live.