Finding Strength in Voice: A Conversation on Identity and Growth

from Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity · host Leslie Mathews

In this episode of Pulling Threads, Leslie sits down with Courtney Carter for an intimate conversation about what happens when you grow up in a small town and later realize you’ve been postponing your voice. They talk about the unspoken rules many of us learned early: stay agreeable, don’t take up too much space, don’t say the dream out loud, don’t make anyone uncomfortable. And then adulthood arrives and something shifts. You move. You leave. You enter new rooms. You start seeing how much of your personality was protection. Courtney shares what it was like navigating identity as a biracial girl in a small, isolated environment, how stereotypes and expectations shape self-expression, and why boundaries can feel terrifying when you were trained to keep the peace. Together, they explore people-pleasing, perfectionism, communication, and the slow return to self-trust. If you’ve ever felt like you edited yourself to fit in, this one is for you.💛 I trained in the official MBSR lineage at Brown University, continuing the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the original MBSR program at UMass Medical Center. And now I’m bringing this transformative framework to women navigating divorce, separation, heartbreak, and reinvention. 🧡 JOIN THE UPCOMING MBSR GROUP Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Women Navigating Separation, Divorce & Breakups Where neuroscience meets self-compassion to help you regulate, rebuild, and rise. 📅 Starts late January 🌐 Virtual (Florida-based, open to all women) #Boundaries #SelfTrust #Mindfulness #AuthenticLiving #NervousSystemRegulation

What this episode covers

In this episode of Pulling Threads, Leslie sits down with Courtney Carter for an intimate conversation about what happens when you grow up in a small town and later realize you’ve been postponing your voice.They talk about the unspoken rules many of us learned early: stay agreeable, don’t take up too much space, don’t say the dream out loud, don’t make anyone uncomfortable. And then adulthood arrives and something shifts. You move. You leave. You enter new rooms. You start seeing how much of your personality was protection.Courtney shares what it was like navigating identity as a biracial girl in a small, isolated environment, how stereotypes and expectations shape self-expression, and why boundaries can feel terrifying when you were trained to keep the peace. Together, they explore people-pleasing, perfectionism, communication, and the slow return to self-trust.If you’ve ever felt like you edited yourself to fit in, this one is for you.💛I trained in the official MBSR lineage at Brown University, continuing the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the original MBSR program at UMass Medical Center. And now I’m bringing this transformative framework to women navigating divorce, separation, heartbreak, and reinvention.🧡 JOIN THE UPCOMING MBSR GROUPMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Women Navigating Separation, Divorce & BreakupsWhere neuroscience meets self-compassion to help you regulate, rebuild, and rise.📅 Starts late January🌐 Virtual (Florida-based, open to all women)#Boundaries #SelfTrust #Mindfulness #AuthenticLiving #NervousSystemRegulation

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Finding Strength in Voice: A Conversation on Identity and Growth

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This episode is 1 hour and 8 minutes long.

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This episode was published on January 20, 2026.

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