The Raising Hope Podcast

You have been the strong one your whole life. The one who handles it. The one everyone leans on. The onewho shows up — always, without fail — regardless of what it costs you. In this episode Kristy gets real aboutwhat that identity actually costs, what it looks like when it starts to crack, and what it means to let it evolveinto something that finally serves you instead of everyone else. Including her own story of being passed overfor a role she had already been doing for a year — and what her body did when she kept going anyway.What we cover:• Who the strong one actually is and how she got that way• The real physical and emotional cost of carrying too much for too long• Kristy's story: the senior director role, the betrayal, Covid, and the decision that changed everything• Julie's story: VP of HR, two kids under five, laid off overnight — and what she found on the other side• Four practices for letting the strong one identity evolve without losing yourselfLinks:Becoming Here Waitlist → HEREComment BLUEPRINT on @raisinghopepodcast latest post to enter the giveawayBook your Next Move Blueprint Session → HEREFollow on Instagram → ⁠@raisinghopepodcast

If you’ve ever been praised for holding everything together — and you’re exhausted from it — this episode is for you.Renee Calhoun is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over a decade of experience in trauma, family systems, and human trafficking prevention. In this conversation, we dig into the real roots of over-functioning: where it starts in childhood, why it gets praised, and what it’s quietly doing to your body, your relationships, and your kids.We cover: • The family roles that shape how you show up as an adult • Why over-functioning isn’t controlling — it’s hypervigilant • The generational patterns Xennials and Gen X are finally breaking • What the breaking point usually looks like — and what comes after • Practical tools to interrupt the cycle without burning everything downFree resource: Renee is offering a free journaling guide for over-functioning women on her new site, Therapy Snacks — use code word HOPE to download it for free.Find Renee at TherapySnacks.com or  ReneeCalhounLMFT.com. Book directly with her if you’re in Pennsylvania or New York. Enjoying the show? Here are two ways to go deeper:🔗 Download the free “Who the F*ck Am I Now?” workbook — the starting point for women who are ready to stop surviving and start figuring out what’s next. [link]📩 Ready for your next move? DM me NEXT on Instagram @kristygiarratano

What if the life you’ve been living isn’t wrong — it just needs to be rewoven?This week I’m sitting down with Laura Nespoli, strategic storyteller, founder of Meshin Movement, and author of the newly released memoir-meets-workbook Threads of Me and You. Laura spent 20 years helping brands like Google, Meta, and Southwest Airlines shape their stories — and from the outside, her life looked exactly like it was supposed to.Until it didn’t.At 38, something cracked open. And what followed was a two-year journey through emotional breakdown, childhood trauma, identity crisis, and ultimately — a complete reweaving of who she was and what she was here to do.In this episode we talk about: • What it actually means to be a highly sensitive person and empath — and why so many high-achieving women don’t know they are one • How your body keeps score long before your brain catches up • The cycle of beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and actions — and how to hack it when you have zero self-worth to start with • Why growth in one partner can feel threatening to the other (and what Laura and her husband actually did about it) • The concept of wonderlust — and why curiosity about your inner world is the fuel for everything • What self-awareness looks like in practice (hint: it’s not a vibe, it’s a skill)And her most powerful mic-drop of the episode: “You don’t need to tear it all down. Your life doesn’t need to be rebuilt. It needs to be rewoven.”If you’ve ever felt like something was missing but couldn’t name it — this one’s for you.Connect with Laura:meshinmovement.comThreads of Me and You — [Grab it on Amazon HERE]Ready to figure out your next move?DM me NEXT on Instagram or grab your Next Move Blueprint™ Session [HERE]Don't forget to subscribe wherever you're listening so you can get updated whenever an episode is available.

The in-between isn’t a crisis. It’s a portal. 🌀That low hum that never quite goes away. The grief that makes no sense because nothing has died — except something has.The old version of you is being released. The self you built piece by piece through every achievement, every title, every role — she’s in the process of letting go. And that’s a loss, even when it’s the right one.You can be grateful for your life AND feel like something important is missing. Those two things are not in conflict.This is not depression. This is disorientation. And disorientation is a sign that you’re growing — that the next version of you is trying to emerge.Website- you can get my free workbook and book your Next Move Blueprint Session™

You're not burned out. You're not broken. You're in the in-between — that disorienting threshold where the oldidentity no longer fits and the new one hasn't fully arrived yet. In this episode, Kristy goes deep on what thisstage actually is, what it feels like from the inside, and what it actually takes to move through it. Including herown story, a client story, and a five-part framework that goes way beyond "trust the process".What we cover:• Why the in-between is not the same as being lost• What this stage actually feels like (and why it's so disorienting)• Kristy's own years in the in-between as a single mom and nurse• Rachel's story — 18 years into a career that stopped fitting• Five things that actually help you move through itLinks:• Comment BLUEPRINT on @raisinghopepodcast latest post to enter the giveaway• Book your Next Move Blueprint Session → BOOK HERE• Follow on Instagram → @raisinghopepodcast• Comment BLUEPRINT on any post to learn more

If you’ve ever typed something into a comment section and thought that’s the thing I couldn’t name — this episode is for you.A few weeks ago, I left a comment on someone’s Reel. Ten seconds, totally off the cuff: “This is the weird in-between stage nobody talks about. The old identity no longer fits, but the new one hasn’t fully formed yet.” Two hundred women liked it almost immediately.That doesn’t happen by accident. That happens when something is true and nobody’s been saying it out loud.So that’s where Season 2 starts — right here, in the in-between. Season 1 gave it a name. Season 2 is going to help you move through it.In this episode:    •    What the in-between actually feels like (and why it hits high-achieving women especially hard)    •    Why this stage is so disorienting — and why that’s not a sign something is wrong with you    •    What Season 2 is going to give you to work with    •    Why naming it is only the beginningIf you’ve been waiting for someone to just say it out loud — this is that episode. Welcome back.Ready to figure out your next move?DM me the word NEXT on Instagram → @raisinghopepodcastYou’ll get access to the Next Move Blueprint™ Session — a 45-minute personalized natal chart + Human Design reading that shows you what you’re built for, what lights you up, and how to move forward.Free workbook → “Who the F*ck Am I Now?”DM me WORKBOOK on Instagram → @raisinghopepodcastWork with Kristy: kristygiarratano.comFollow the podcast: @raisinghopepodcast on InstagramIf this episode resonated, share it with one woman who needs to hear it. You know who she is. 🧡

This is the Season 1 finale — and the episode Kristy has been building toward all season. After ten episodes of excavating the identity shift, the fear, the practical pieces, and the real cost of staying stuck, it’s time to talk about the one thing that changes everything: permission. What it is, why high-achieving women wait for it, why it never comes from the outside, and how to actually give it to yourself in a way that sticks.

We talk a lot about the risk of changing. We almost never talk about the cost of not changing. In this episode, Kristy gets honest about what staying stuck is actually costing high-achieving women right now — in their bodies, their identities, their relationships, their time, and their potential. This one might be uncomfortable. Let it be.Key Themes:• The physical signals your body sends when your life doesn’t fit• What chronic dissatisfaction does to your sense of identity over time• The relationship cost of running on empty• The time cost of waiting for the “right moment”• How high-achieving women stay in denial about the cost• What the first honest decision actually looks likeNext Move Blueprint™ SessionShare this episode with a woman you know who needs to hear it.DM “NEXT” on Instagram @raisinghopepodcast to learn about the Next Move Blueprint™ Session.

This is the episode you've been waiting for.You've done the identity work. You've sat with the questions. You've gotten honest about what you want. And now the practical voice is showing up — the one that sounds like your most responsible friend — asking: okay but how does this actually work when you have bills and kids and a life that depends on your income?Kristy gets completely real about the practical side of reinvention: her own contract nursing year (every unglamorous, strategic detail), the four-part financial framework she uses with every client, and the story of Rachel — a project manager who spent eight months planning for a leap she could have taken in two.This episode also names the three mindset blocks that disguise themselves as logic and stop women cold the moment they try to get concrete. Because the money stuff and the mindset stuff are not separate conversations. They never were.In this episode:— Why getting practical feels impossible (and what's really going on)— Kristy's contract year: the real version, with every unsexy detail— The four-part financial framework: floor, audit, bridge, timeline— Rachel's story: the spreadsheet woman and the ceramics class— The order of operations for an actual transition— The three mindset blocks hiding in your practical conversationYour one action from this episode: calculate your floor. Tonight. Just that.Book a Next Move Blueprint Session or Get The Free Workbook "Who The F*CK Am I now?": kristygiarratano.com/linksFollow on Instagram: @raisinghopepodcast

This is the episode for every woman who has built her entire sense of self on what she does — and is now terrified of who she'll be if she stops doing it.Kristy goes deep on the achievement trap: what it is, how it happens, and why the most successful women are often the most disconnected from their own sense of worth. She anchors the episode in her own experience of identity collapse during her reinvention, and shares the story of Dana — a 22-year executive who realized she had buried the most essential parts of herself in the name of building a career.This one will hit different if you've ever frozen when someone asked what you do. If you've ever felt like the title was the only thing holding you together. If you've ever wondered who you'd be if you walked away from all of it.In this episode:- The achievement trap: how high-achieving women confuse what they do with who they are- The identity collapse that happens mid-reinvention — and why it's not a sign you made the wrong choice- Dana's story: a 22-year executive who found the person she thought she'd lost- Three ways to start rebuilding a sense of self that doesn't depend on external validation- The truth about worth that nobody actually believes yetTake the Raising Hope Quiz: HERE Work with Kristy: HERENext Move Blueprint: HEREFollow on Instagram: @raisinghopepodcastIf this episode touched you, share it with one woman who needs to hear it. She'll know exactly what you mean.

There's a layer to reinvention that most people skip over. This episode goes straight into it.Kristy gets real about what it actually feels like to be a mother in the middle of trying to find yourself again — the identity shift that happens when you pour everything into your kids, the guilt that shows up the moment you want something for yourself, and what it meant to do all of this as a single mom with no backup plan.This episode also includes a client story about a woman who finally gave herself permission to want more — and what happened when she did.In this episode:- What the "mom layer" actually is and why it keeps so many women stuck- The identity loss that happens when motherhood swallows everything else- The guilt of wanting more — and why it's conditioning, not conscience- What it's really like to reinvent yourself as a single mom- The reframe that changes everything: what your kids actually need from youTake the Raising Hope Quiz: HEREWork with Kristy: HERENext Move Blueprint: HEREFollow on Instagram: @raisinghopepodcastIf this episode resonated, follow me wherever you listen and share it with one mom who needs to hear it.

You know you’re stuck. You know how to move. So what are you actually moving toward?In this episode, Kristy shows you what life feels like on the other side of reinvention. Notmotivational BS. Real, lived experience. What changes. What you didn’t expect. How you actually get there.She also talks about how understanding your Human Design and astrology — knowing what you’re actually built for — is the key to real, sustainable joy. Not just happiness.Alignment.This is the episode that makes you believe it’s possible.Links mentioned:Take the free Raising Hope QuizApply to work with Kristykristygiarratano.com© Raising Hope Coaching 2026| kristygiarratano.com

You’ve done the work. You know you’re stuck. You know why. And now you’re sitting there thinking — okay, but what do I actually DO about it?That’s this episode.This week I’m breaking down the real, practical, no-fluff version of how you start moving when you’ve been frozen for what feels like forever. No toxic positivity. No “just take the leap.” Just the actual steps — the ones I used myself and the ones I walk my clients through.We’re talking about: • Why “what do I want?” is the wrong first question (and what to ask instead) • The small experiments that build clarity faster than any amount of thinking will • The identity wall that hits when you start actually moving — and why it’s not a sign to stop • Why doing this alone is one of the sneakiest ways reinvention gets derailed • How to know what “done” actually looks like for youThis is the H.O.P.E. Method in action. And it starts with one question — which I’ll give you at the end of the episode.If you’ve been listening and thinking this is exactly what I need but I don’t know how to do it alone — DM me the word READY on Instagram @raisinghopepodcast and I’ll send you something that’ll help.Next week: Episode 5 — Joy as a Practice. What life actually feels like on the other side. The real version, not the highlight reel.Connect with Kristy:Instagram: @raisinghopepodcastWebsite: kristygiarratano.com

Why You’re Really Still Stuck - And What Fear Looks Like When It’s Wearing a SuitYou know something needs to change. You’ve known for a while. So why haven’t you moved? In this episode, Kristy names the real reason high achieving women stay stuck - and it’s not what you think. It’s not a lack of motivation, a lack of clarity, or bad timing. It’s fear. But not the obvious kind. The sophisticated kind. The kind that sounds like wisdom, practicality, and responsibility. She breaks down the six disguises fear wears to keep you exactly where you are - and what it actually takes to start moving again. This one gets real. Links: Take the Raising Hope Quiz HEREApply to work with Kristy HEREWww.KristyGiarratano.comKnow someone who needs to hear this? Send it to them. 💜

You built the career. You’re raising the kids. You’ve hit the milestones. So why does it feel like something’s missing in this episode? Kristy breaks down why high achieving moms are especially vulnerable to losing themselves and why that’s not a personal failure. She digs into the identity shift that motherhood actually causes (it goes deeper than you think) and names the specific kind of emptiness that shows up when you’ve built a life that looks right on the outside, but doesn’t fit who you’ve become. This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about understanding you. And it’s a starting point. Links: Take the Raising Hope Quiz HEREApply to work with Kristy HEREWww.KristyGiarratano.comShare this episode with someone who needs it. 💜

Have you ever built a life that looks exactly right on the outside — the career, the title, the kids, the responsibility — and still felt completely lost inside it? That’s where this podcast begins.In this first episode, Kristy Giarratano — nurse, nursing leader, mom, and certified coach — shares the moment she knew something had to change. She opens up about what it feels like to be a high-achieving woman who has done everything “right” and still wakes up wondering: is this it?This is the origin story of Raising Hope: why it exists, who it’s for, and why your feelings of burnout, unfulfillment, and quiet desperation are not a character flaw — they’re a signal.If you’re a midlife woman, a working mom, or someone who is successful on paper but secretly done with the life you’ve been performing, you’re in the right place.Take my FREE quiz to find out where you are in your journey: HERERaising Hope