Clarity On Fire

Welcome to another episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly advice segment where we answer listener questions about life, career, relationships, existential angst, and anything that helps you become a more whole, fulfilled version of yourself.   This month we answered questions from:   Supportive but Struggling, who’s been struggling with her mental health while watching close friends move on to new phases of life. How can she be a good friend and support their milestones without bringing more loneliness and sadness on herself?   Priya, a self-admitted over-thinker who’s worried that she might be in denial about why she re-downloaded dating apps. Is there an uncomfortable truth she’s refusing to see? And how do we even begin to untangle the difference between fearful thoughts and our intuition?   We also got a very interesting update from Ready to Rebel, who wrote to us back in June of 2022 to ask if it was possible to have both freedom and stability in our careers!

If there’s one thing literally everyone has in common, it’s the desire for something in your life (maybe many things) to be different.    Humans aren’t satisfied (cue Hamilton: I will never be satisfied!!

A few weeks ago I was on a call with one of my current clients, Danielle, who’s actively looking for new jobs so that she can finally get out of a job that’s been draining her for a long time.   Like a lot of people in her situation, Danielle is a little worried that she’s going to lose sight of what matters – that she’ll be perusing job postings and get confused about what makes sense for her and what doesn’t, or that she’ll end up in an interview and get dazzled by talk, but won’t recognize a truly bad fit.   So, to help her stay calm, confident, and focused on what she wants – a job that’s going to be a great fit for her Passion Profile, which is Thriver – we came up with a few filter questions she can ask herself as she considers any new possibility.    It was so helpful for her that I decided everyone could use a list like hers … so, that’s what Kristen and I came up with!   In this month’s brand-new Side Chat, we share the top 3 questions you should ask yourself, according to your Passion Profile, when

Just a couple years ago, Austin was working in a job that he always thought he wanted, but turned out to be all wrong for him. Even though he’d been preparing for this job for years, he trusted his gut and ultimately quit.   Since then, Austin’s life has been like a choose-your-own-adventure novel: he’s lived in a Buddhist monastery, worked as a ranch-hand with cowboys in South Dakota, dug up dinosaur bones in Montana, taken care of stray dogs in Costa Rica, property-sat a retreat center in Wyoming, lived on a farm in Ireland… and that’s just a few of his many adventures!   As you might imagine, he’s learned a ton about himself through all of these experiences, and they’ve helped him redefine what an ideal job means for him.    And if you’re thinking, “Wow, that sounds so cool! But there’s no way I could do that…,” Austin will be the first to tell you that his lifestyle is far more accessible than you ever thought possible.   Listen in as we get into…   How he knew when it was time to quit his job, and the f

Welcome to another episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly advice segment where we answer listener questions about life, career, relationships, existential angst, and anything that helps you become a more whole, fulfilled version of yourself.   This month we answered questions from:   Corina, who’s struggling at the moment to make enough money to cover her basic needs. What’s our advice for how someone can focus on getting clarity when they’re also in survival mode?   Brittany, who’s torn between whether to pursue career advancement right now, or a job that’s not as demanding so that she won’t be so overwhelmed by the challenges of balancing work and parenting. She has two interviews coming up — one job is more about career advancement, the other would be more balanced but involve less growth. How can she know for sure which path to pursue?    Slippage in the System, who gets really close to what she wants, then gets excited about how it’s FINALLY happening … only for the thing to slip through her fingers.

Calling all fellow bookworms, library nerds, and general lovers of literature — it’s time for another book club episode of the podcast!    Whenever there are five Fridays in a month, we devote the extra Friday to a book that we can’t get enough of.   And wow, we REALLY cannot get enough of Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy.   This book is incredibly popular for the best of reasons — there’s a rapidly growing group of smart, conscious, compassionate people who want to parent their children in a way that helps them develop into confident, emotionally intelligent, authentic, successful adults.   But before you assume this book isn’t for you — because you aren’t a parent yet, or don’t want kids, or because your kids are long grown — know this: We’ve been telling ALL of our clients to read this book because it’s SO good at helping you learn to parent yourself.    All of things we struggle with in adulthood — people pleasing, perfectionism, procrastination, anxiety, depression, difficulty feeling your feelings — ste

Need a little clarity, guidance, or just a fun pick-me-up?   Then today’s your day, because we’re back with another Message from the Universe episode! ✨

If you’ve heard us say it once, you’ve probably heard us say it a million times:   Your career doesn’t have to be linear.   It doesn’t even have to make logical sense!    When you think of your career more like life — something that unfolds in a winding, often mysterious, hopefully joyful, but sometimes difficult path — then it’s easier to make peace with the journey.   The two of us walk our talk, which is why in this month’s Side Chat we’re talking about two BIG changes we just made to our own careers.   Here’s a sneak peek!

My former client Kara is one of those women who was good at doing what she was “supposed” to do.    She went to college, studied engineering (just like her dad), and became an engineer. She also got married and had kids, all while progressing in a very demanding field.    But eventually, as life tend to do when it isn’t built on the sturdiest, most authentic foundation, things started to fall apart. Kara went through a divorce, became a single working mom, and was faced with a whole new reality.   She’d spent 20 years checking a lot of boxes, only to realize that she wasn’t satisfied and desperately needed a change (and a break).   In this month’s interview with a normal person, Kara and I talk about what it’s like to leave a career after so long and start something entirely new.   Listen in as we talk about…   How she realized it was time to move on Her advice for women who are in more traditional, heavily-masculine-energy-type fields like engineering Taking an 8-month sabbatical from working, and what she

Welcome to another episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly advice segment where we answer listener questions about life, career, relationships, existential angst, and anything that helps you become a more whole, fulfilled version of yourself.   This month we answered questions from:   Anonymous, a sensitive and empathic person who people at work often pick on (sometimes very publicly) because she’s an easy target. What’s the best way to handle bullies in the workplace?   Unfulfilled in Ohio, a highly credentialed professional whose job is literally and figuratively killing him. He’s never been an entrepreneur but has two potential opportunities he could explore. If both would be equally fulfilling, but one makes some use of his credentials and the other doesn’t, how does he decide which to do? Is it possible to start two businesses at once?   Marina, who is thinking of re-entering the workforce after staying home with her kids (and getting a Master’s degree, NBD) for the last few years. How can she let her

Did you know that the median age of a woman being diagnosed with ADHD is 38 years old? Wild, right?!    Not only are so many girls with ADHD overlooked as kids and teenagers, but the boys who get a diagnosis at a young age are expected to “grow out of it” once they become adults.    There are countless misinterpretations about this disorder. So it’s no wonder that most adults with ADHD feel confused, overwhelmed, and worst of all, ashamed that doing this whole “adulting” thing is so much harder for them than other people.    That’s why we’re so grateful that Kristen Carder has made it her mission to help adults with ADHD learn the truth about how their brain works, accept themselves, and get access to the resources and community they need to build a life that works for them.   Listen in as we get into…   The most common misconceptions about ADHD vs. what’s really true An overview of the symptoms of ADHD, and how they show up in adulthood (some of these will surprise you!) Why you don’t need to be consistent

Last month we did an episode many of you told us you really liked where we dove into our newest thoughts on some big ways to have a career you love.   One of the tough-but-true points we made in that episode was that your ability to have a healthy career (or relationship, or anything) that you love hinges upon your emotional maturity … or lack thereof.   We promised we’d be back with a full-length episode about emotional maturity, and here it is. This one is SO jam-packed with helpful info you can put into practice immediately!   Listen in as we get into…   Why you might struggle with fear or conflict, or become extremely emotional or shut down when things go wrong  How we end up in relationships (including ones at work!) with emotionally unavailable or dismissive people Why you struggle to trust yourself and your intuition How you can develop more emotional maturity and resilience, including how to not freak out when things go wrong, trust yourself more, have great boundaries, and create a really strong se

Welcome to another episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly advice segment where we answer listener questions about life, career, relationships, existential angst, and anything that helps you become a more whole, fulfilled version of yourself.   This month we answered questions from:   Allie with the ADHD, who recently got an ADHD diagnosis and is wondering … how much of the things that stress her out are “real” stressors, and which are “just me trying to function” stressors?   Juliette, who’s reluctantly ready to go back to the working world after a sabbatical, but is freaked out by how many high-profile companies seem to want you to sacrifice everything and make work your top priority. Is there any way to go back to the working world and not end up in a toxic hellhole?!    Nihilistic Nelly, who’s realizing that her worldview is actually kind of depressing, and doesn’t want it to be that way. How can she go from automatically thinking, “What’s the point, the world is terrible?” to actually having hope and f

Need a little clarity, guidance, or just a fun pick-me-up?   Then today’s your day, because we’re back with another Message from the Universe episode! And oooh, it’s a good one. ✨

Back in May of last year we did an episode that quickly became a classic: 6 ways to love (and keep) your job for years and years. It hasn’t even been a year yet, but we’ve been mentally adding to that list ever since! So, in this month’s brand-new Side Chat, we’re back with a sequel to that conversation. No need to listen to last year’s episode first, though you’ll definitely want to after hearing this new list! Listen in as we talk about… Why focusing on figuring out what job you want really, truly DOES NOT MATTER, The one trait you need to develop that will make or break your life & career fulfillment, What your childhood blueprint is, and why you’ve got to examine it before making any kind of life or career transition, And a lottttt more! Come leave a comment after you’ve listened to share how this episode resonated with you! APPLY TO WORK WITH US 1:1! How awful would it be to keep quitting jobs, over and over, thinking you just haven’t found the right one yet … when really, the solution is to work o

A year ago, Kim Scott found herself in an all-encompassing funk.   Nothing was going right. Issues with family were popping up, friendships were coming apart at the seams, and she was totally unsatisfied with her job.    She vaguely remembered a time, too long ago, that she had mojo — when she was vibrant and alive and full of energy — but hadn’t connected with that version of herself in so long, it was hard to believe she’d ever existed.   In this month’s new interview with a normal person, my former client Kim and I got into how she went from totally groove-less to getting her groove back in less than a year.   Listen in as we talk about…   How she lost her groove in the first place and found herself overwhelmed by problems, Some major signs that you’ve lost your energy and zest for life, The most important thing to do every day if you want to deeply enjoy life again, Some really fun and inspiring stories about what’s happening for Kim now that she’s turned things around.   Come leave a comment after you’

We’re baaaack! Did you miss us?

Yep, you read that subject line right — starting today, we’re taking a hiatus from the podcast!

Like many of us, Jamie Hillman spent years following the typical life roadmap that was supposed to lead to happiness.    Go to school? Check. Get a job? Check. Generally figure out how to be a functioning adult? Check.    But somewhere along the way, she started to question… Where is this roadmap even taking me. Who created it in the first place? And (most importantly), if I’m doing everything “right,” why do I still feel lost?   All that questioning led to an overconsumption of books, articles, personality assessments, podcasts — anything she could find that would help her finally get some answers to the big life questions that kept plaguing her.    Eventually, she realized that no expert could answer these questions for her … she’d have to go inward to find the answers unique to her and the life she wanted to create.    As Jamie developed her own intuition and self-trust, she wanted to help other women go through the same process. So … she wrote a book about it! (Check it out: 7 Signposts: Find Your Directi

Welcome to another episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly advice segment where we answer listener questions about life, career, relationships, existential angst, and anything that helps you become a more whole, fulfilled version of yourself.   This month we answered questions from:   Early Entrepreneur, who’s torn between taking it slower in her business-building efforts so that she can enjoy her lifestyle, or amping up the hustle so that she can make money faster. Isn’t there an inevitable amount of extra work it takes to build a business, anyway? Is it even realistic to think she could grow a business while enjoying a good lifestyle?   Shelby, who’s gone from being adamantly against the idea of marriage, to now being in favor of it for herself in the future! But how does someone who’s been vocally critical of something turn around and tell her friends and family that she’s changed her mind?     Nonplussed with myself, who’s recently achieved a lifelong dream after years of work (and many years before tha