Unfolding with Kathy Varol

Imposter syndrome is something most people struggle with. Feeling like you’re not good enough for the job. Afraid the curtain will lift, and everyone will see your inadequacies. I thought I understood imposter syndrome fully. I thought I understood every way it impacted me. I was very wrong. The most damaging way imposter syndrome impacted me was something I never even realized.   

I’ve come to understand the saying “you are what you eat” in a very unexpected way. This new understanding explains why I look at my body with much kinder eyes than I ever have before.  

Does anyone else have an antagonistic relationship with clothing? Or is it just me? Here I’ll share why I have always resented clothing, where the relationship fractured, and how I’m trying to heal it.  

We dive into the damage of following a mind-over-body approach to life. When we allow our minds to be dictators over our bodies, and refuse to listen to the wisdom that’s in our bodies. When we create mistrust between our minds and bodies, placing them on opposing sides. I’ll offer up a perspective that has helped me heal the relationship with my body.  

“What is your relationship like with your uterus?” Take a moment to ask yourself that question. Turns out my relationship with my uterus has been very dysfunctional for a very, very long time.   

Here we dive into the difference between rationally understanding something (on a brain level) versus truly understanding something on an embodied level. I’ll share my experience with survivors' guilt and PTSD, and my journey from not identifying with those labels to finally having an understanding of what they mean for me. I’ll also share the role psychedelic therapy played for me and how it’s ne...

Every time a tree moves in the breeze, it’s moving in a way it’s never moved before. The wind will never be exactly the same. Never the exact same velocity or direction. And the tree is never going to be exactly the same. Never the same number of leaves, needles, or branches. There is beauty in being present for something that’s never been done before. The lesson from the trees is that even in doi...

Have you ever thought about how amazing your lungs are? I have. They are freaking incredible! I’ll let you in on my lung fan-girl thoughts.   

In this life, you get the privilege of being YOU. No one else in the history of the universe will ever get to have the experience of being you. Only you will get to experience the delightful thoughts that float into your head, seemingly out of nowhere. Only you will get to understand the depths of your feeling and the capacity of your love. You have a front-row seat to you. You get to love yoursel...

Let’s talk about the danger of controlling others. The damage it causes to relationships, and the way a power imbalance can create a control trap. Never forget, under control lives fear, not love.   

A baby is awe-inspiring simply because of their existence. Their being is delightful. But somewhere along the line, we start attaching the worth of people to what they accomplish. We start attaching our own worth, to what we can do or what we have done. But your worth is always there, simply for the fact of your existence. Afterall, you are the first and last time you will ever exist.   

Let’s talk about the major flaw in the chase of perfection. 

How often do you decide your path based on what you “should” do? Based on what other people expect of you. What would life feel like if you let your doing flow from your being? If the way you showed up was always an expression of your being? How would it feel to run toward the things that bring you alive, instead of forcing yourself to chase the things you think you’re supposed to chase?  &nb...

Life is meant to be a tango between “doing” and “being”. A beautiful unfolding dance that balances those two states. If you spend all your time “doing” - as I have for large stretches of time - you miss out on life. The dance falls apart.   

When you honor the path that’s right for you, instead of the path of obligation, you give both yourself and others a gift. When you honor what’s right for you, you become a beacon. You show others how to do the same, from a place of love. Honoring what you need, creates a doorway for others to honor what they need. Remember, love has nothing to do with obligation or guilt. When something is coming...

Have you ever noticed that the half-moon is very similar to the yin-yang symbol? But the difference between the moon, and the yin-yang symbol, is that the moon isn’t static. It changes. While on average, it’s balanced half and half, the moon flows through different expressions. Are you allowing yourself to be created in each moment? Fully present and honoring what you need? Or, are you clinging to...

I always viewed myself as a black sheep. This made me feel less than. It made me feel like I was fundamentally wrong. It made me feel separate from others. Part of the reason I felt like a black sheep was that I had mistakenly confused “different” as “bad”. But my perspective changed. Instead of seeing myself as a black sheep, I now know myself as a mother f*%#^ing rainbow sheep. Listen and find o...

Your voice has immense power. Your voice allows you to step out of the cages you’ve put yourself in. The truth will set you free. Be brave and let people see who you are. When you use your voice, that powerful act tells yourself that what you feel, what you think, and who you are MATTERS. When you use your voice in truth, it’s an act of self-love.

I used to think the past was fixed. A weight impacting who I am, and who I could become. I no longer believe that. The meaning of events will unfold as you’re fully ready to perceive them. While the past has happened, it is not complete. As you grow and learn your capacity to perceive changes, and because of that, your past can be one of your most powerful teachers. 

Perspectives shape how we see the world. If you feel stuck, if things aren’t fitting, if you’re not fitting, it might be time to try on a new perspective. This podcast shares perspectives that have been profound on my journey of unfolding into the fullest version of myself. A journey that continues each day. I created this podcast for a younger version of me. The version of me that was struggling...