It’s episode 10 of Wholeheartedly! This week, I talk with Piper White of The Primer Years about everything she has learned (so far!) in her 20s and how to navigate life when it isn’t how you always pictured it. We chatted a lot about what success means and how to be true to yourself, as well as her podcast, her experience with a 9-to-5 job, finding work you’re passionate about, her own mental health journey, handling others’ emotions, social media limits, and much more. You don’t want to miss out on Piper’s wisdom! anchor.fm/wholeheartedly

It’s no secret that grief can change the trajectory of your life. In this week’s episode, Kaylin talks about how grief has affected her own life, from experiencing two miscarriages and losing several loved ones to what it feels like to grieve the loss of a career you think you wanted and your perceived sense of self. We’ll also touch on collective grief and how it impacts our conscious and unconscious minds. (Grief manifests in many more ways, too.) There are some tears in this episode – and it wasn’t easy to get through. But, it’s comforting to bring these stories and emotions to light. anchor.fm/wholeheartedly

“Everyone that we’ve had contact with still lives in us.” While Spiritfarer is a “cozy management game about dying,” it is much more than it appears on the surface. Underneath its multitude of layers lies an experience that has the power to change perspectives and the way we view video games as an art form. Kaylin talks with Spiritfarer’s and Thunder Lotus Games’ Creative Director Nicolas Guérin about the rationale and inspiration behind this life-changing game. With more than one million downloads, it’s transforming the ways players look at death and how we view video games in general. We talk about how to become more comfortable with uncomfortable topics, like death and grief, as well as character development, our own grief journeys, managing your mental health when working on a game like this, and so much more. Listen now: anchor.fm/wholeheartedly

In this solo episode, Kaylin digs a bit deeper into what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person by shining a spotlight on five HSP traits, as outlined in Dr. Elaine Aron’s Are You Highly Sensitive? Self-Assessment. She gives examples of her own positive and negative attributes weave in and out of each trait, as well as remedies and ways to reframe the negative thought patterns in your daily life. We can begin to see our sensitivity as a strength and not a weakness. Listen now: anchor.fm/wholeheartedly

In the sixth episode of Wholeheartedly, I had a fruitful and honest conversation with Arden Cartrette, The Miscarriage Doula. We chatted about a whole host of things, including: her own loss story, why she wanted to start The Miscarriage Doula & Co., supporting people through pregnancy loss, mental health, stigmas, toxic positivity, how partners grieve, managing your mental health as an empath in a helping profession, parenting a rainbow baby, and more. At the end of the day, all of us are human, and it’s OK to grieve and honor how you feel at any given moment.

[*Trigger Warning: This episode centers on pregnancy and infant loss. Also, if you’re listening to this episode, Arden’s son can be heard playing in the background at certain points. Please be advised if this is triggering to you. (I totally understand and have been where you are.) These points are: 8:36 and 43:26.]

Listen now: https://anchor.fm/wholeheartedly

When life hands us challenges, we can sometimes dig through the garbage to uncover our true gifts and silver linings. In this guest episode, Kaylin chats with coach, trainer, and speaker Heathere Evans of Pivot, Inc. This episode has so many nuggets of inspiration and wisdom to help you reach a higher level of personal leadership. We talk about centering practices, workplace wellbeing, limiting labels, energy drains, empathic gifts, gratitude for jerks, our inner critic(s), how to be less armored, and so much more. Listen at anchor.fm/wholeheartedly

In this episode, Kaylin dives into the deep waters of change as she recalibrates her career, company, and overall purpose. She has gone back to basics to ask her inner child what she wants to be when she grows up. It can feel like you’re walking on a tightrope when you start to question your purpose and accept change while trying to navigate and maintain everyday life. She delves into some ways you can adjust your expectations and gain clarity through ikigai and wabi-sabi. Liste now: https://anchor.fm/wholehearttedly

In this first bonus episode, Kaylin opens up her audio journal to share more about her mental health origin story and its ripple effects on her life. Your mental health journey is not linear. Stops along the way are normal and can be some of the most transformative experiences. She talks about therapy, baselines and medication, silver linings, grief, your inner child, and more about why this podcast means so much to her. https://anchor.fm/wholeheartedly

We’re back! In this episode, Kaylin discusses how she broke up with toxic achievement addiction, her overachieving tendencies, one of the reasons for this mindset, and tactics to combat achievement addiction when it inevitably arises. We have a lot to unpack in this episode. If you’re a fellow overachiever, welcome! https://anchor.fm/wholeheartedly