Permission to Show Up

You say you don't have time to work on yourself. I want to challenge that. You have time. What you don't have is a boundary. And that is a very different problem with a very different solution. In this episode Kara challenges one of the most common things she hears from busy working Mums, that they just need to find more time. She does not accept that. Because time management is not what i...

Have you ever caught yourself wanting something more, and then talked yourself out of it almost immediately with this thought: I should be grateful for what I have. And just like that, the dream goes back in the box. If that landed, this episode is for you. In this episode Kara shares something deeply personal. She is recording from Sri Lanka, where her father grew up, and being here has brought u...

Don't make a fuss. Don't create drama. Sound familiar? Most of us were taught some version of this from a very young age. And most of us are still living by it today without even realising it. We ignore the gut feeling that says something is NOT right. We defer to the expert even when something feels off. We sit in the meeting with a thought we never say out loud. We smile and say fine when we are...

If asking for what you need feels selfish, needy or just plain impossible, this episode is for you. You have rehearsed the conversation a hundred times - the one where you will say what you need at work, to your boss, to your partner, to your parents - the one where you will say "I need help with this", or "I need you to step up." You practice is n the shower, in the car, lying...

You do not have to sell everything and move abroad. But you do have to make a choice. The question I get asked more than almost anything right now is: how are you actually doing it? Not the visas, not the curriculum. How did you go from a normal life with a house and school runs and a career to pulling your kids out of school and travelling the world as a family? And the honest answer is that it s...

Is there a place, a situation, or a version of your life you have been avoiding because going back feels like too much? Seven years ago Bangkok nearly broke me. Second burnout. Seizures almost every night. A broken knee. A life that looked impressive from the outside and felt completely hollow from the inside. And this year, as part of our worldschooling journey, I went back. With my husband and m...

You asked your mum. You asked your husband. You asked your best friend, your neighbour, the Facebook group, three people in a networking event and you even asked a stranger. And then you still did not do the thing. Sound familiar? In this episode Kara gets honest about why women starting businesses or making big decisions often have the strategy completely sorted and the confidence completely miss...

This one is definitely NOT going to please everyone. Because people-pleasing feels like one of the nicest things about you. You are thoughtful. You are considerate. You put others first. But in this episode Kara is going to offer you a reframe that might just change everything. People-pleasing is not kindness. It is control. And it has been keeping you small, silent and stuck for a very long time....

Every woman has one. That voice in her head that says who do you think you are, put it away, you are not ready. In this episode Kara introduces you to hers. Her name is La Signora. She is a grumpy Italian nonna on a balcony and she has been living rent free in Kara's head for years. Kara shares the moment she was running past a police station in Noosa, training for a 10km she had signed up for...

You did everything right. The grades, the career, the responsible choices — every box ticked, every person proud. And then you arrived at the life that was supposed to feel like the destination, and something felt off. Not ungrateful. Not dramatic. Just quietly, persistently empty. In this episode, Kara gets honest about the good girl role so many high-achieving women have been playing since child...

You already know what you need to do. You have known for a while. So why are you still not doing it? In this episode of Permission to Show Up, Women's Empowerment Coach Kara De Kretser speaks directly to the gap that keeps capable, qualified, driven women completely stuck. Not the gap in their knowledge. Not the gap in their strategy. The gap between knowing and doing. And what it actually takes t...

Have you ever tried to talk about your business and suddenly felt your voice shrink, a thing of ummm and aaaah coming out whilst you hesitate, your words stumble, and your confidence disappear? You’re not alone, and it’s NOT a business problem. It’s a confidence problem. In this 10–12 minute episode, we break down what  real confidence  actually looks like for women in business, entrepreneurs and...

This podcast nearly did not happen. Not because Kara De Kretser did not have anything to say. Because she was waiting for the perfect name, the right moment and permission from someone else. Sound familiar? In this first episode of Permission to Show Up, Women's Empowerment Coach Kara De Kretser introduces herself, her story and the real reason this podcast finally exists. Kara spent twelve years...