Episode 20: The Practice Interview That Got Personal

Episode 20: Interviewing MyselfThis episode started as an experiment.I've been thinking about bringing guests onto Cat Unmuted because, if I'm being honest, talking to a camera by myself can feel awkward. I wanted to test-drive a set of interview questions I've been developing for future guests.So instead of interviewing someone else, I interviewed myself.What followed was a surprisingly honest reflection on who I am today, who I used to be, and the experiences that shaped the path between those two versions of me.In this episode, I share:• Why I see myself as both an author and a writer• The passion behind self-growth, self-communication, and reflective self-talk• The three major rock bottoms that changed the course of my life• Growing up between Japan and the United States• The lasting impact of a narcissistic stepmother and the beliefs I carried because of it• How my military experience became a turning point in discovering my own worth• Why my miscarriage became the hardest season of my life• The emotional dissociation, postpartum depression, and identity shifts that followed• The moment I realized I could no longer continue life the way I had been living it• Closing a business I spent nine years building• Discovering writing as something far bigger than a hobby• How grief unexpectedly revealed a new purpose• The role gratitude plays in keeping me grounded• Why resilience is more than simply "being strong"• The connection between physical health, mental health, and self-talk• What I would tell the younger versions of myself today• Why I believe courage is required before bliss can ever be foundThroughout this conversation, I kept returning to one idea:The hardest moments of my life didn't simply break things apart. They redirected me.The woman who desperately wanted to feel the sun, wind, rain, and freedom on her skin during the darkest days of her miscarriage is the same woman who is now writing books, building new projects, preparing for a move to Okinawa, and creating a life that feels more aligned than ever before.My goal isn't a life without hardship.My goal is bliss.Not constant happiness.Not perfection.Bliss, peace, freedom, and the courage to keep choosing the life that feels true.If this episode resonates with you, I hope it encourages you to ask yourself a few difficult questions of your own.Sometimes the answers are already waiting.Through Courage Comes Bliss. Get full access to Cat Unmuted at catlcarnell.substack.com/subscribe