What if the wake-up call you’ve been avoiding is actually pointing you toward the life you were meant to live?

In this episode of Wellness in Every Season, Autumn Carter sits down with Erica Carrico, an award-winning life purpose and business coach and founder of Soul Business Collective. After a life-altering kidney cancer diagnosis, Erica was forced to confront the truth that the life she had built—a corporate career, marriage, and lifestyle—was deeply out of alignment with who she truly was. Instead of ignoring that realization, she chose to rebuild her life from the ground up.

Together, Autumn and Erica explore how major life disruptions—like cancer, divorce, burnout, or emotional exhaustion—can become powerful catalysts for discovering deeper purpose. They discuss the importance of slowing down, recognizing the friction in our lives, and learning to listen to what our bodies and intuition have been trying to tell us all along. Erica also shares how purpose isn’t a single destination but something that evolves as we grow, heal, and reconnect with our authentic selves.

Throughout the conversation, Erica introduces the three powerful questions that help people begin uncovering their life purpose: what you love, what you’re naturally gifted at, and how those two things can create value in the world. She also shares insights from her book Awaken Your Purpose, which guides readers through the healing, reflection, and clarity needed to begin living a purpose-driven life.

You can learn more about Erica’s work and connect with her through her website ericacarrico.com, follow her on Instagram @ericalynncarrico, or find her book Awaken Your Purpose on Amazon, Audible, Kindle, and Apple Books.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings." 

Episode 195: Listening to Anxiety — What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You

What if anxiety isn’t something to silence, but a signal your body is asking you to listen to?

In this episode of Wellness in Every Season, Autumn Carter explores a powerful shift in perspective around anxiety. Instead of immediately trying to push anxiety away, what if we approached it with curiosity? Autumn shares her personal experience with ADHD and anxiety, including the moment she realized how closely the two can be connected. Sometimes we don’t recognize anxiety until it’s suddenly quieter — and that awareness can open the door to deeper understanding.

This episode invites listeners to reconnect with the body and notice how emotions often show up physically before we attach thoughts to them. Autumn guides you through a short somatic awareness exercise designed to help you identify where anxiety lives in your body and what it might be trying to communicate. From tightness in the chest to tension in the stomach or shoulders, these sensations can offer insight into stress, past experiences, and areas where healing or attention may be needed.

As part of a global podcast collaboration supporting mental health awareness, this episode also highlights the work of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). If this conversation resonates with you and you’d like to support their mission of providing education, advocacy, and support for people navigating mental health challenges, you can learn more here: https://www.nami.org/?campaign=509521

If anxiety has ever left you feeling confused, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself, this episode offers a gentle reminder: your body holds wisdom, and learning to listen can be a powerful step toward regulation and healing.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings." 

What does grief really look like when the casseroles are gone, the paperwork is done, and your heart still feels cracked wide open?

In this episode of Wellness in Every Season, Autumn Carter sits down with Diandra Ford-Wing for a raw and deeply human conversation about loss, healing, and the long road of learning how to live after someone you love is gone. After the sudden loss of her mother, Diandra stepped away from her thriving career to give herself the space to grieve—an experience that eventually gave rise to her debut novel, Red Bird.

Together, Autumn and Diandra unpack the reality that grief is not neat, short, or something you simply “get over.” They talk about the emotional weight of losing a parent, the importance of giving yourself permission to pause, the role of therapy and support, and how creativity can become a lifeline in the middle of pain. Diandra also shares the meaning behind Red Bird, how her mother’s love continues to shape her life, and why protecting your peace matters so much when you are walking through heartbreak.

This episode is for anyone carrying grief, supporting someone who is grieving, or trying to understand how loss reshapes identity, purpose, and wellness. You can connect with Diandra and follow her work through her website and social media: booksbydiandra.com, Instagram @diandrafordwing, and LinkedIn under Diandra Ford-Wing.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings." 

What if the emotions rising in you aren’t random at all—but signals asking you to slow down, listen, and respond with more care?

In this episode of Wellness in Every Season, Autumn Carter explores what it really looks like to tune into the emotions that are coming up for you instead of pushing them down, reacting on autopilot, or carrying them until everything spills over. Drawing from her own life as a mom of four, she shares how stress, overstimulation, and dysregulation can build quietly beneath the surface until one small moment feels like the final crack in the dam.

Autumn walks through how to pause and check in with yourself in real time, identify what you’re actually feeling, and notice where those emotions may be living in your body. She also unpacks how present reactions can be tied to past experiences, stored stress, or old patterns that no longer fit who you are now. This episode is a gentle but honest invitation to get curious about your triggers, soften your inner response, and choose reflection over shame.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, reactive, stretched thin, or like your emotions are louder than you want them to be, this conversation will help you slow the swirl and reconnect with yourself. Because healing often starts by noticing what’s happening beneath the surface—and choosing to meet it with compassion.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings." 

What if wisdom isn’t just something that comes with age—but something we can actively cultivate through reflection and intention?

In this episode of Wellness in Every Season, Autumn Carter sits down with Dr. Laura Gabayan, a physician, researcher, and contributor to Psychology Today, to explore how journaling can become a powerful pathway to deeper wisdom and a more meaningful life. Through her groundbreaking Wisdom Research Project, Dr. Gabayan interviewed 60 adults across North America to uncover the eight scientific elements of wisdom: resilience, kindness, positivity, spirituality, humility, tolerance, creativity, and curiosity.

During the conversation, Dr. Gabayan shares how her own life—including navigating chronic illness and profound personal challenges—led her to explore wisdom through a scientific lens. Together, Autumn and Dr. Gabayan discuss how journaling helps calm the mind during difficult moments, create space for honest reflection, and reveal the bigger picture in life’s challenges. They also dive into how wisdom intersects with wellness, parenting, resilience, and personal growth.

You’ll hear how a simple journaling practice can help you process emotions, build clarity, and move forward with greater faith instead of fear. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by life’s twists and turns, this episode offers thoughtful insights on how reflection and curiosity can guide you back to alignment.

Learn more about Dr. Gabayan’s work, books, and the Wisdom IQ test at:

Website: https://lauragabayan.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commonwisdombook

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

X: https://x.com/Laura_Gabayan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l.gabayan/

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

What if the thing you’ve been trying to fix… isn’t actually broken?

In Episode 191 of Wellness in Every Season, we explore a powerful and sometimes uncomfortable idea: you are already whole and perfect. In a world that constantly tells you you’re missing something—more success, more productivity, a better body, a different personality—this concept can feel almost rebellious.

I share a story that completely shifted my perspective: a centuries-old statue covered in plaster to protect its gold. It wasn’t until the outer layer cracked that people realized what was underneath. And that’s the invitation here. What if the stress, the tension, the exhaustion, even the emotional flare-ups aren’t proof that you’re failing—but signals that something false is cracking away?

We talk about how societal expectations, negative self-talk, trauma, and comparison can layer over your true self. We dig into how safety and self-trust impact not only your wellness—but even your intelligence and decision-making. And I’ll gently challenge you to pause after this episode. Don’t rush to the next one. Move your body. Reflect. Ask yourself what’s dimming your light.

If you’re feeling stuck in the same mental loops and want someone to help you peel back the layers, that’s exactly what I do in coaching. You can connect with me at wellnessineveryseason.com or follow along on Instagram and LinkedIn @wellnessineveryseason.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings." 

If you’ve been told “everything looks normal” but you still feel exhausted, inflamed, foggy, or stuck in chronic symptoms, this episode will challenge what you think you know about illness.

In Episode 191, I sit down with Dr. Brad Montagne, founder of Healthfullyu, to unpack what he believes is the real root behind most chronic conditions: gut dysfunction and systemic toxicity. Drawing from decades of clinical experience — and his own childhood battle with chronic illness — Dr. Brad explains how hormone imbalance, autoimmune issues, fatigue, mood struggles, infertility, and even chronic infections often trace back to the health of the gut lining and microbiome.

We talk about:

• Why chronic illness isn’t “just genetics”

• How stress hormones steal from your reproductive hormones

• What healthy digestion actually looks like (yes, we go there)

• Why many standard lab tests miss root causes

• The connection between toxicity, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction

• How personalized functional testing differs from protocol-based care

Dr. Brad also shares how he approaches complex cases — including Lyme disease, Candida, hormone dysregulation, and autoimmune patterns — and what reclaiming health actually requires.

You can learn more through his free ebook at hello.healthfullyu.com, explore his work at getmewell.net, or listen to his podcast, Your Health Reclaimed, on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you or someone you love feels dismissed, exhausted, or desperate for answers, this conversation offers a different lens on healing.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings." 

If you’ve been “doing the work” for years and still feel like you’re not getting anywhere, this episode will help you recalibrate.

In Episode 189 of Wellness in Every Season, we’re breaking down the truth behind transformation: it’s built on small, consistent actions — but only when they’re aligned in the right direction. We explore why growth often feels invisible at first (like roots growing beneath the surface), how one degree of misalignment can slowly take you off course, and why sometimes the most powerful move is not pushing harder — but adjusting your angle.

You’ll reflect on what might be holding you back: burnout, negative self-talk, reinventing the wheel, or chasing speed instead of direction. We talk about the power of compound interest in your wellness, when to release the throttle, and how tiny shifts practiced daily can completely change where you land five or ten years from now.

If you’ve been stuck, frustrated, or quietly questioning whether your efforts even matter, this episode will remind you that progress isn’t always loud — but it is powerful when it’s intentional.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings." 

Feeling understood isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s a nervous system exhale — and it can quietly shape everything from your stress level to the tension you carry in your body.

In Episode 188 of Wellness in Every Season, we’re unpacking what it actually feels like to be truly seen — and what happens inside us when that understanding is missing. We’ll explore where you feel most understood (and how your body responds when you’re safe), why feeling unseen can create friction in relationships, and how past experiences of being misunderstood can echo into the choices you make today.

This episode also includes a simple, practical body-based reset you can use anytime you’re holding stress: tighten everything, then fully release — like telling your whole system, “you can let go now.” It’s not about forcing peace. It’s about creating space for it.

If you’ve been clenching your way through life — at home, at work, in your relationships, or even inside your own head — this conversation will help you slow down, reconnect, and take a grounded next step toward alignment.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings." 

Ever feel like your business is thriving… while you quietly disappear in the background? In this episode, I’m joined by Kate Assaraf, CEO of DIP Sustainable Haircare, for a real, grounded conversation about building a business without losing yourself—especially when you’re also raising kids and carrying the mental load.

Kate shares how her obsession with reducing plastic (sparked during pregnancy and a very unsettling story about plastic pollution) led her to create high-performance, plastic-free shampoo and conditioner bars—without leaning on the typical “must-have” growth tools. We talk burnout that doesn’t just feel emotional—it shows up physically: sleep disruption, nervous system overload, and the confusing reality of “doing everything right” with diet and exercise… and still feeling worse.

You’ll hear what finally became Kate’s turning point, why stress management had to come before “more hustle,” and the boundaries that helped her rebuild her health (including reworking her calendar, switching to lower-intensity movement, and stacking small daily practices that actually work).

Want to explore DIP? Start at dipalready.com and follow @dipalready on Instagram. You can also find Kate online and through her writing, including her Forbes column.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."