Advertise on podcast: Vulnerability Hangover

i dont LOVE pain… obviously. and i’m assuming you don’t either. BUT what i’ve learned from my first full year post-grad, hopping around jobs & living situations & adding on new friends while seeing others less… is that (and prepare for a massively corny takeaway here, everyone) the hard seasons in my life are always the ones i look back on as significant markers of my growth. what i’ve begun to recognize is that these growing pains, as painful and uncomfortable as they may be… push me forward exponentially faster and further than anything comfortable could. the pain makes me stronger & ultimately, these hardships provide me with experiential evidence to show my future self one day when fear convinces me of my inability to make it through the next hard thing that comes along (because trust, it’s coming) with time & age & good reflection, i’ve been discovering a path to finding comfort in the uncomfortable. peace in the pain. the hope of growth moves me forward. and more than any of that, the joy of female friendship carries me ahead. and honestly, especially friendship with my bestest friend sadie. i hope you get a little taste of all of this and more in the episode. and i hope you leave with a bit more gratitude for ur growing pains. with love, caroline

being in ur 20s in the digital age is an uphill battle… literally. that uphill battle is something I once heard referred to as cringe mountain, and the term has stuck with me ever since. we are all in one of three positions in relation to said mountain:  at the bottom (pre-climb)on the climb (try-hard & embarassing as it may be)on the other side of the mountain (fulfilling ur dreams)i know where i want to be… because in my experience, to be cringe is to be free. and if u think me using that phrase is cringe, then i love you but it may be time for a vocabulary & mentality reset3 okay bye now but pls listen ty ily

tis the season of shamelessly inviting uncomplicated joy, growing pains, and self-induced hangovers into your life. also, for me, a season marked by embracing the duality of being sick to my stomach that the implied “you” are inevitably going to perceive me… whilst also recognizing that it's exactly what i’ve willingly signed up for with this whole thing.  anyways, here’s a little why behind the question i’m sure some of you are asking: “do we really need another person to start a podcast?” & i’m not in the business of trying to prove myself to all of you, but if you’d listen to my little voice memo, it will hopefully help you understand my why just a bit. *side note: i saw a video once of brene brown speaking about something called a vulnerability hangover. the term immediately struck me. & sat with me. & really, genuinely inspired me. because of her definition, i was finally able to articulate that awful, post-opening up, gut-wrenching feeling. as a chronic oversharer… i know the feeling all too well. i've wanted to center a podcast around the concept ever since. what a dream that i'm finally able to make it happen! & what a dream that there are so many brilliant researchers putting niche human experiences into words that give us a more complete understanding of ourselves. i'm no emotions researcher (yet), but i'll do my best to do the same:)

Ashley Abercrombie is an author, podcast host, and champion of people. She has written two books, Love is the Resistance and Rise of the Truth Teller. Additionally, she co-hosted a podcast titled ‘Why Tho’ from 2018 to 2022. Ashley was in ministry in the nonprofit justice world for over 20 years, and she recently pivoted to the creative world. Ashley was raised in North Carolina by a single mom, and her experience growing up largely informed how she understood the term feminism.  In this episode, we discuss the power of advocacy, while emphasizing the importance of picking your battles. We are a fragile people, and fighting tooth and nail to get every person on our side of history for every single issue is only wasting our own time and energy. We can only do so much. In the midst of the chaos of this world and the energy-sucking work of disagreeing… disagreeing… disagreeing, we talk about the importance of leaning on your people. Finding good people that see us and love us as we are. They fight for us. They fight with us. This makes all of this a lot easier, and it restores some of the energy that was sucked out from all of that fighting. Sources: "Is Less Really More?" An essay from my substack, After Hours https://ashleyabercrombie.substack.com/p/is-less-really-more  Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans  https://www.amazon.com/Year-Biblical-Womanhood-Liberated-Covering/dp/1595553673  Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View on Women by Sarah Bessey https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Feminist-Invitation-Revisit-Bibles/dp/1476717257 Prey Tell: Why We Silence Women Who Tell the Truth and How Everyone Can Speak Up by Tiffany Bluhm https://www.amazon.com/Prey-Tell-Silence-Women-Everyone/dp/1587434784 We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie https://www.chimamanda.com/we-should-all-be-feminists/ Favorite Ted Talk “The Danger of a Single Story” https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/comments Why Tho Podcast: "Why Women Are Still Not Equals Tho" https://podcasts.apple.com/lb/podcast/why-women-are-still-not-equals-tho/id1437939954?i=1000434667357  The Will to Change by Bell Hooks https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Will-to-Change/bell-hooks/9780743456081 Love is the Resistance: Learn to Disagree, Resolve the Conflicts You’ve been Avoiding and Create Real Change by Ashley Abercrombie Rise of the Truth Teller: Own Your Story, Tell it Like it is, and Live With Holy Gumption by Ashley Abercrombie

Dr. Jennifer Buckley is an Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Azusa Pacific University. After attending Azusa Pacific University for her undergraduate degree, Dr. Buck received her master's at Fuller Seminary and then her doctoral from Claremont Graduate. She was raised in a Quaker Christian church in Friendswood, Texas, so much of her Christian education was formed around the promotion of women being encouraged into leadership positions in Christian spaces. Thus, when she arrived at higher education, she fought for a more equality-based understanding of women’s role in the church through an Egalitarian interpretation of scripture.  In this episode, Dr. Buck addresses three of the main arguments employed by those who do not believe in elevating the female voice in Christian spaces. By offering context into different scriptures that have been used to argue against women in Christian leadership, Dr. Buck opens the possibility for a new and fresh understanding of scripture– one that seeks to liberate and promote rather than silence and oppress— this is the word of God that we know and love. This is the Jesus we know and love. Sources: Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church by Nijay Gupta  A Church of Her Own: What Happens When a Woman Takes the Pulpit by Sarah Sentilles  To Be Welcomed as Christ: Pursuing a Hospitable Evangelicalism and the portion “Herstory: Reclaiming Women's Voices for the Evangelical Tradition” by Dr. Jennifer Buck

Dr. Carol Lynn Patterson has been practicing ministry for over 20 years. She has been in pastoral ministry for the last 15 where she served on the staff of a large church; she has been the transitional pastor of a small church, a regional pastor within the regional denomination of American Baptist churches, and she is currently the associate pastor of a church with 5,000 members.  Dr. Patterson offers insight into the reality of the intersectionality of race and gender for Black women in the Christian church, especially as it pertained to how it affected her experience becoming a licensed minister. She explains why ‘feminism’ has a history of excluding Black women and therefore why ‘womanism’ is a more inclusive term that centers women’s stories while ensuring the stories centered aren’t specific to only allow space for white women. She also talks about how so much church hurt, as valid as it may be, could be prevented by living out the hospitality as it is defined by the gospel.  Sources:  Beyond the Stained Glass Ceiling: Equipping & Encouraging Female Pastors by Christine A. Smith Marvin McMickle Robert C. Rogers Music: Avocado on Hash Browns by baegel

In this episode, I am joined by my sweet, talented, and creative friend Ava Thigpen to have a conversation about burnout. In 2022, burnout seems to be affecting people at a more intense and more frequent rate than ever. Most people I talk to about this subject confirm that they have experienced some level of burnout within the past few years.  SO, In a post-covid world, how do we navigate a new pandemic of widespread exhaustion?  One point of comfort is that we really and truly are in this together. You are not alone in this feeling of complete emotional fatigue bordering on despair. In our 45 minutes together, Ava and I unpack our personal experiences with varying levels of burnout. We also take some time to reflect on various experts' research on the matter. An incredibly helpful source that informed much of our conversation was Emily and Amelia Nagoski's book, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.  I loved having Ava, who is and has been an artist for most of her life, on the podcast to discuss the ways in which we can recognize early signs of burnout and work to prevent them. We also offer advice on how to get out of the kind of burnout that feels so completely suffocating. I have honestly listened to this episode 3 times since we recorded just to remember all the useful bits of wisdom that were dropped in an attempt to pull myself out of mild bots of burnout. Hope you guys enjoy it just as much. Let's dive in! Song: Much Too Much by Lennon Stella

In this episode, I am joined by my friend Carson Thorpe!  Carson bravely shares her experience with addiction & substance abuse of prescribed drugs. Throughout the episode, I am repeatedly and consistently astounded by her honesty and authenticity as she reflects on all of her feelings surrounding her struggle with addiction. We cover so many topics under the general umbrella of addiction, so there is something for everyone in this episode. Some things we discuss include the harm of stereotyping, the experience of hitting rock bottom, mental health first aid, college's effect on addictive behavior, the isolation of struggling with addiction as a young person, and why reaching out for help is the bravest thing any of us can do. What I can promise from this episode is a unique perspective that will offer you the chance to elongate your spectrum of empathy.  Let's Dive in! Song: Good Looking by Suki Waterhouse

In this episode, one of my closest pals, Emma Grace Condon, returns.  This time, however, she is asking me the questions. We cover the changes I have seen in myself as a result of the past year of living away from home, and we unpack why it is that no one wants to talk about how lonely the transition can be. We also discuss where I land on the introvert/extrovert spectrum, how much we hate ice breakers, how both good and bad change is hard, finding the lifestyle that brings you the most joy, the stereotype of college students becoming liberals, and what I missed most about Louisiana. My first year of college was a combination of exceeded and unmet expectations. managing disappointment and relishing the freedom of independence. learning so much I was fairly certain my brain would explode and unlearning concepts/ideologies that no longer fit with my values.  I'm not exactly sure why it's so rare to receive advice about the difficulties of freshman year of college, but it is. And that lack of transparency and honesty about the painful reality of life away from home made the struggle I felt in my first semester extremely isolating. Come to find out I wasn't alone in my struggle. Not even a little.  The fight to establish a new identity with no external expectations while holding on tightly to the parts of myself I hoped to keep was both empowering and terrifying. I no longer had the safety net of my family and friends who had known me my whole life to remind me of my character when I was feeling lost. All I had was myself. I always said I wanted to leave home so that I could become an individual outside of the expectations the people in my life had unwittingly placed on me, but when the time came, was I ready?  I wasn't... but I don't think anyone ever is.  I think that's part of the bravery of it all. Stepping into something you're not ready for but learning how to manage along the way. In retrospect, I recognize the courage it took to move across the country and start from scratch with friendships and with myself. I also recognize the bravery and vulnerability it took for me to show up authentically every day to new and unknown people, striving for deep connection.  It may feel like I just gave away the entire episode, but there's so much more, so, Let's dive in! Song: Little Freak by Harry Styles

In this episode, I am joined by one of my best friends in the whole world, Emma Grace Condon. As two people on opposite ends of the spectrum in regards to approaching conflict, we provide perspective for each extreme, and how everyone can search for a healthy medium response to conflict in their own lives.  Conversation flows and bouncing ideas off one another feels safe. This episode was one of my favorites to record & I think it will be one of the most enjoyable to listen to. Conflict is present in each of our lives, and understanding why others approach it the way they do can help us empathize on a deeper level, and resolve conflict more effectively. Let's dive in!

Taylor's perspective has the ability to enlighten every person who listens with open ears and an empathetic heart. She discusses her experience growing up Mixed in Southeast Louisiana, the hurt she experienced from schools and churches because of racial insensitivity, and the importance of representation (in the media, in important rooms where decisions are being made, etc). I am honored to have had this powerful conversation with her and learned so much about the difficulties growing up Mixed in a predominately White region. Let's dive in! Song: h3h3 alternative podcast intro

In this episode I am joined by the lovely Mia Sernich to discuss the dangers of collective thinking and how we can expand our perspective by taking a step out of our own shoes to see something from another person's viewpoint.  We talk about how high school is a minefield of judgment and the fragility of reputations that are built on a person's ability to fit in rather than who the person is at their core. It's a fascinating conversation that I am so happy Mia joined me in, and I hope you all enjoy it. Let's Dive in!

My wonderful, fabulous, extremely well-spoken best friend & big sis is on the podcast this week! We get veryyy honest in a particularly long episode about our unique experiences growing up, despite being raised under the same roof. We also discuss how/ why we are so close, and what makes our sisterhood so special & healthy. Everything she says holds power, truth, and love. I hope you listen, learn, and are inspired to hug your siblings/ cousins/ parents/ friends when it's over, because family (whether biological or chosen) is so so so important.  Let's Dive in! Song: Goodie Bag- Still Woozy

In this episode, Ashton and I talk for the first time since 8th grade! We discuss life since the beginning of high school, finding yourself at an age when most people just want to fit in, and how he has become a better version of himself over the years. It was so fun catching up, and Eva joins us at the end to talk about their relationship: how they met, how they better one another, etc. Let's Dive in! Song: Mine by Bazzi

Eva and I talk through our experience growing up with divorced parents and how it's affected our perspective on relationships. She also opens up about her reaction to discovering her brother was born with a cleft lip and palate and how she has taken action steps through Smile Train to raise awareness for other children like him. We reminisce, laugh, and get reaaal serious all in just half an hour. Let's dive in! Song: A-Punk by Vampire Weekend