Cracking Open with Molly Carroll

Everywhere I turn, people are talking about menopause. Finally! This phase of life that used to be ignored, or even considered shameful, is now getting its long overdue spotlight as a worthy wellness topic and normal rite of passage for women. Oprah recently produced a special with a panel of experts on the subject of perimenopause and menopause. Naomi Watts has helped create a line of holistic be...

Life can often be so predictable. Each day I wake up, have coffee, get my kids to school, and go to work. But sometimes there are days when things happen that are completely unexpected. That sums up my experience interviewing today's podcast guest Brian Burns , and I could not be more grateful for it. Brian Burns is the award-winning writer and Executive Producer of the hit television series...

I always appreciate it when people tell the truth as they see it and don’t sugarcoat or beat around the bush. I trust that raw honesty and find myself reaching out to the truth-tellers when I need advice and support. Liz Pryor , today’s guest on the Cracking Open podcast is one of these incredible truth-tellers. She is the published author of two books: What Did I Do Wrong? , a book of advice on f...

For months now my team has been encouraging me to do a solo podcast episode where I talk, teach, and just riff about life, parenting, psychology, and anything else that I am inspired by that may also resonate with our listeners.   I initially had a lot of resistance to this idea.  Maybe it was the mixture of fear and the choir of voices telling me, “Who would want to listen to just me, and what wo...

More and more these days, I find myself drawn to people who are doing inspiring and brave things in the world but whose journeys along the way came with challenges, hardships, and “cracking open” moments that developed their characters, passions, and souls. Today’s guest is a beautiful example of this. Larry Zier is a father of four girls, a loving husband, and a successful owner of two occupation...

One day, while driving home after dropping off my daughter at school, I listened to a Mel Robbins podcast interview with Dr. Russell Kennedy . He shared how he had gone to medical school to become a doctor and neuroscientist, done hundreds of hours of therapy, become a yoga and meditation teacher, traveled to India, tried medications and plant medicine, and was even a stand-up comedian! And yet th...

Welcome to Season 4 of the Cracking Open podcast!  I am so excited to share with you all the wonderful guests we have lined up this season. Get ready for more incredible personal stories about cracking open moments, helpful tips and tools on how to handle the stressors of parenting, a deep look into how we can heal anxiety,  wisdom on how to live an honest and healthy life after addiction, and so...

Three years ago to the day that I lost my mom, the most devout Catholic I've ever known, I interviewed this week's podcast guest, who just so happens to be the daughter of a nun. Life is full of surprises, but rarely any accidents. Liz Dozier is the Founder & CEO of Chicago Beyond, an organization whose mission is to ensure that all young people have the opportunity to live a free an...

Have you ever had a conversation with someone you just met, where time seems to come to a standstill and it feels like you have known this person for years? This is exactly what it felt like when I interviewed Tami Simon . Tami is the Founder and CEO of Sounds True, a wildly successful multimedia publishing company that she launched more than three decades ago with a dream and one clear mission –...

Welcome to 2023. I am so glad you are here! While reflecting on this brand new year and today’s podcast episode, I was reminded of the classic Native American legend called The Tale of Two Wolves. An elder Cherokee is teaching his grandson an important lesson about life. “There is a fight going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil –...

Does this time of year bring up conflicting emotions for you? I know it does for me. I truly love buying gifts for my friends and family, attending holiday parties, and listening to Nat King Cole sing Christmas carols in all my favorite stores. But at the same time, I also carry around a pit in my stomach from the overconsumption of too many Christmas cookies and wine, and also from spending so mu...

In talking to friends about their Thanksgiving stories, I began to become even more curious about people's relationships, attachments, and personalities. Why are we so attached to some family members, but not to others? Why do we feel safe around some people, but want to avoid or run away from others? Why are some of us so uptight about cooking, while others can do it with ease? Why do we som...

There are so many gems in this episode but one of my biggest takeaways is the importance of standing in your truth . Shaka shares his story with us about his own reckoning and realization that he initially wasn’t living his truth. Instead, he was living out an interpretation of his life rooted in his trauma. This trauma-informed life eventually led him into a 19-year imprisonment for 2nd-degree mu...

Are you someone who is curious about who you are? You want to learn how to feel more connected to your friends, family, and even yourself. You are yearning to dig deeper to discover what motivates you to live a bigger life. Or maybe you are searching for how to stand back up after being brought to your knees from hearing about a dear friend’s illness or constantly worrying about your teenage kids....

I will never forget one cold and dark February morning getting chills from head to toe while listening to Krista Tippet interview Trabian Shorters on her podcast On Being .  Trabian was describing his visionary concept of asset framing. From social media to journalism, academics, and policy-making, asset framing is about seeing others’ assets before you witness their deficits.  Trabian discovered...

How many of you look at your legs and bellies, and curse them for their shapes and sizes? Do you feel shame about your body in any way, or restrict what you do or don't eat? Do you worry about eating dairy, gluten, sugar, or meat, and wonder if you should be on a vegan, vegetarian, or keto diet? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone. An estimated 45 million people g...

What a way to launch Season 3’s Cracking Open Podcast!  Get ready for a deep and honest conversation about meditation, psychedelics, and how to obtain a positive mindset. Dr. Dan Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which...

I will never forget sitting next to my mother's bedside as she was taking her last breaths.  It was an out-of-body, shocking, and life-altering experience.  I felt honored to hold space for my mom with deep love and respect as she passed on.   At the time of her death, I was quite dazed and confused about a lot of things, but one thing I knew for sure was that the death of my mother would cha...

If you could ask yourself one question every morning that would allow you to tap into a heightened awareness of the world around you and your place in it, wouldn’t you? This question could not only help you feel more connected to yourself and your loved ones but also help you feel less depressed, anxious, or lost. It was this question that our Cracking Open guest Dr. Lisa Miller, professor in the...

What do Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and the Grammys have in common? Tehillah Alphonso.  I discovered Tehillah while reading my high school alumni magazine.  Tehillah and I both went to an all-girls Catholic school in Omaha, Nebraska.  Marian High School was a place that encouraged young women to live a life of pride in themselves, their grades, their faith, and how they walk in the world.  And...

I met Gina Muñoz 20 years ago at the wedding of one of my husband’s college friends on Martha’s Vineyard.  As a Midwesterner who went to a state college, I remember feeling a bit intellectually insecure with these, albeit incredibly kind, Williams college grads. Sitting around a fire, listening to their belly laughs while they told stories of the good ol' days, Gina sat down next to me, leane...

I will never forget the day I was in my therapist’s office sharing about how my anxiety was through the roof.  I was grieving the death of my father, saddened by my mother’s cancer diagnosis, and fearful that my husband’s business would have to close its doors.  I was the epitome of “down and out” in my life and marriage. My therapist had the ability to show deep compassion but also called me out...

Have you ever had a moment when you know you are in the presence of a true sage?  Well, that is exactly how I felt in the presence of Scott Anderson.  In today’s episode, Scott will openly share about his family's three generations' struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, and how these addictions can not only cause deep suffering, but also profound humility and grace.  Scott not only o...

“It’s not an easy road and there will be days you will not want to get out of bed and face your challenges… but through your struggles, your mess will become your message.” This quote is from our incredibly vulnerable and raw podcast guest today, Kelly Gunther, an Olympian skater known as the Comeback Kid for all the times she has had to persevere and come back from a challenge. Kelly’s comebacks...

“Never worry about the numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” This quote by Mother Teresa is one of Eric Plantenberg’s favorites, and I now know exactly why. While you are listening to today's guest, you will feel like you are the nearest person to him, and will be mesmerized by the wisdom he has attained from the ups and downs in his life.  Eric is...