Hi everyone!
I hope you have had a wonderful summer. I’ve missed being with you! My July was spent soaking up precious time with my family, relaxing, and hitting the pause button on the daily rush of life. It’s so important to remember to take time for ourselves to refill our cups in all the ways we need.
One of my favorite things I did during my break was re-listen to all of the amazing guests that have visited the Cracking Open podcast thus far. And – WOW! We have had some spectacular guests in Seasons 1-4! I was astonished all over again by the profound wisdom, intriguing conversations, and depth and vulnerability of every single guest that has come on the podcast.
In fact, I found myself in such deep awe and gratitude, that I decided to gather some of my favorite clips from the past four seasons and put together a recap episode filled with golden nuggets of wisdom that were shared by some of our guests.
It was honestly really hard to choose which ones to highlight because each episode shares an immense amount of wisdom, truth, and vulnerability. But in order to avoid making this episode several hours long, I followed my gut and chose several clips that I know you will love revisiting again too…
Bill Valentine
Season 1, Episode 12
This conversation is still one of our most downloaded episodes. Bill, a loving father, devoted husband, and stage 4 pancreatic cancer patient took a little bit of the precious time he had remaining to remind all of us that what matters most in life is giving and receiving love.
Dr. Lisa Miller
Season 2, Episode 21
Dr. Lisa awakened us all with her groundbreaking approach to insulating ourselves from trauma, anxiety, and depression through spiritual practice and what she calls an “awakened brain”. This best-selling author and professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at Columbia University uses neuroscience to awaken our brains, enlighten our hearts and validate the path of spirituality to lead a more whole and healthy life.
Shaka Senghor
Season 3, Episode 27
After his trauma-informed life landed Shaka in prison for 19 years, he was able to find his ultimate freedom within the very system that was designed to take it all away from him. Since his release from prison, Shaka has garnered multiple awards and fellowships, started nonprofits, visited the White House, been interviewed by Trevor Noah and Oprah, given TED talks, and written two incredible books about redemption and fatherhood. His story will inspire you for years to come.
Dr. Mary Claire Haver
Season 4, Episode 39
Dr. Haver is inspiring, educating, and empowering thousands of women to navigate menopause with confidence by helping them create sustainable, healthy habits. This Board Certified OB-GYN, owner of the Mary Claire Wellness Clinic, and author of the book and program The Galveston Diet is an extraordinary champion of perimenopausal and menopausal women everywhere.
Elizabeth Lesser
Season 2, Episode 13
Elizabeth’s book Broken Open was what I turned to when my father died, and it radically changed my life and helped me survive my deep grief and loss. She is a New York Times best-selling author many times over, has worked with Oprah in a variety of endeavors, and is one of the most wise and open-hearted people I’ve ever met.
Liz Pryor
Season 4, Episode 37
Liz is an incredible truth-teller and the go-to advice guru on friendships and family for multiple media outlets, including Good Morning America, Forbes, and People. Her scrappy wisdom about everyday life resonates with all of us.
Trabian Shorters
Season 3, Episode 25
Trabian is one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs and the catalyst of a national movement to define black people by their aspirations and contributions first and foremost, then to secure their fundamental freedoms to live, own, vote, and excel. His visionary concept of asset framing reminds all of us that we can’t lift others up by putting them down.
Dr. Russel Kennedy
Season 4, Episode 34
Widely known as “The Anxiety MD”, Dr. Kennedy specializes in the art and neuroscience of helping people recover from anxiety disorders and gives us a unique and never-before-seen understanding of what anxiety truly is and exactly how it can be successfully treated.
Brian Burns
Season 4, Episode 38
This award-winning writer and Executive Producer of the hit television series Blue Bloods on CBS, HBO’s Entourage, and Will Ferrell’s hit comedy film, Daddy’s Home blew me away when our conversation traveled into the topics of loss and sobriety, and the importance of connecting more deeply to ourselves in order to strengthen our connections to our loved ones.
Tehilla Alphonso
Season 2, Episode 20
This young, brilliant, and extremely talented musician has worked with Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo and has sung in multiple hit movies (Encanto, Sing 2) and television shows. Her Grammy-nominated arrangement of “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke is gorgeous and the perfect way to end our recap.
I created the Cracking Open podcast to help people feel less alone and more hopeful. There is so much light, even during our darkest hours, and our Cracking Open moments are what teach us the most about life and love. I look forward to being inspired alongside you in Season 5.
Love, Molly
P.S. Do you know what the common thread is among all of the guests that have visited the Cracking Open podcast? The answer might surprise you… they put themselves first.
They have been through the ups and downs of life, like we all have. They have faced hardships, challenges, heartbreak, and loss. They have come face-to-face with life-changing, life-defining moments. And in those moments, they chose themselves.
They chose to heal; to live their truth; to show up with vulnerability and authenticity; to radically shift their circumstances; to go for the dreams they had been holding back on… it was their time and they knew it and leaned into it.
Are you ready to put yourself first? Are you ready to choose YOU?
It’s Your Time: 6-Month Group Coaching Program with Molly Carroll
Starting September 2023
Interested in learning more?
Book a free discovery call with Molly Carroll here.