Unraveled & Unwritten

We've all become familiar with "safe spaces," right? Well, I realized recently that this podcast serves that purpose for me. And hopefully, for you too. On this podcast, I basically wear my heart on my sleeve. And I do this for a couple of reasons: It's kind of just "how I am" I want to be open with you. I want to share what I'm experiencing, or have experienced, so that you feel less alone, and m...

You've heard that expression "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence," right? And I'm sure you've ALSO heard the expression "the grass is greener where you water it." I started thinking a lot about those expressions after I watched an episode of "Bluey," and was thinking about the different meaning behind each. THEN I started thinking about grass being greener because you water...

Most of us want to feel understood, right? Understood by our friends, family, colleagues, society... I realized something recently though, about the act of understanding. In order for you to feel understood, there has to be a desire from someone else to actually understand you. You can explain yourself until you're blue in the face. But if someone doesn't have a true desire to understand you, they...

Do you consider yourself a considerate, thoughtful person? Me too. Buuuuutttt...do you ever find yourself being SO considerate and SO thoughtful and SO kind that you start to feel angry about it? And then resentful? Again, me too. There's a reason for that, you know. And it's not because of the people you're helping. Well, not entirely. Some of it actually has to do with you, and what you're choos...

You know who Britney Spears is, right? If you don't, you have to have been living under a rock for the last 20 years or so (and I mean that in the most loving way possible). Britney, like many of us, has been through a lot. But unlike most of us, she's been under a microscope for a vast majority of her "a lot-ness." Her Instagram account confuses me every time I look at it, and while I'm not surpr...

Did you know Mother's Day is tomorrow? Well, if you didn't, and have a Mom or Mom-type you want to spoil, hit "Play" on this episode as you skedaddle yourself over on to Target, Hallmark, Nordstrom, See's Candy...you get the picture. Mother's Day can be amazing. And Mamahood can be awesome. But it can also be...NOT amazing. And NOT so awesome. Life is complicated and complex. And our relationships...

How do you feel about your Mom and Mother's Day? Much of society tells us that our mothers are nearing Saint-hood, and we should be grateful for everything they sacrificed and do/did for us. But a lot of us don't have, or didn't have, great relationships with our mothers. And Mother's Day often serves as a reminder of that. If you've ever stood in the greeting card aisle at Target for 20 minutes t...

What do you do when you make a mistake? Now what do you do if you make the same mistake a few times? Do you beat yourself up about it, or do you say "oops," realize you're human and (shocker!) NOT perfect, and move on? So many of us end up being such a*sholes to ourselves, and that doesn't feel good, right? Why do we do that? And how do we change that? As much as it pains me to say, there are alwa...

You know how when you're going through a tough time, you just want someone to talk to? Someone that will listen without judgement? Who doesn't interrupt you, and just lets you "get it all out?" That's what this episode ending up being for me. A place to share some of what has been weighing my heart down lately, and left me feeling emotionally depleted. It's hard to always show up as sunshine and r...

You know how aggravating it is when you hope something will go differently, and time after time, it doesn't? I totally understand. There have been so many instances in my life where my little flicker of hope doesn't get extinguished, regardless of what does or doesn't happen. And while I do love having hope, sometimes I am tempted to snuff it out. Why? Because as long as that hope is still flicker...

Don't you love how you realize you have a shared interest with someone, and once you start talking to them, you realize you have even more in common than you thought? That's one of my intentions when I have guests on the show - I want all of us to see that there is more that connects us than divides us, and that was my experience with Eric Rutin. Eric and I connected over a shared love of Hallmark...

Have you seen that episode of Friends where Rachel's talking about love and says "it's a tricky business?" So is grief. When we're mourning a loss, people often tell us that "the pain goes away, or lessens, with time." But does it really? Or do we just become accustomed to feeling the pain and sadness...so it SEEMS like it lessens over time, but what's really happened is that we've learned how to...

Have you ever had a botched haircut? Or a hair coloring session that left you wondering what the f*ck the stylist was thinking? If so, did you speak up? Did you let the stylist know you weren't happy with the services they provided? If you did, good for you! If not, then you may want to give this episode a listen. (By the way...even if you DID speak up, I still invite you to listen!) I share about...

Did you know that your brain functions in a different state as you're drifting off to sleep, and as you're awakening? Your subconscious is more open to suggestions during this phase, and that's why I try to stay away from all the negative stuff before I go to sleep, and for a while after I awake. That's what inspired me to drop this episode as a "bedtime story." I found this story really inspiring...

I know what you're thinking...she's talking about CCB's curling wand? Yes. Yes I am. This is actually a throwback episode. And one of my most popular. I'm an 80s kid, and I love CCB for the nostalgia factor. I follow her on IG, and when she posted a tutorial of how she curled her hair...man! Did those mean girls come out to play! If your curiosity is piqued, then give this episode a listen as you....

I mean, it's kind of obvious what this episode is about, right? Have you ever thought that you would do something, but then were kind of surprised when you actually DID it? That's how I feel about this milestone. In this episode, I just hit record and whatever was on my heart and mind to say - I said. This podcast is A LOT of things to me, and I share what those things are here. And yeah - I know...

You're probably thinking "what??? Why on earth is she talking about this?" Well, you'll have to listen to find out. But in a nutshell, it's about doing what makes you happy without giving a sh*t about what other people might think! BTW want to follow my friend and nail artist, Liza? Find her on IG @dasnailhaus! Did you love this episode? If so, I want to know! Send me a DM @itsactuallykristi on In...

You know how 90s fashion is making a comeback? Well, that includes jeans. The tapered leg jeans that I used to hate, and ending up loving, don't seem as "on trend" as they once were, and now wide-leg jeans are slowly starting to creep their way back in just like high-waisted jeans did. So anyway, I went jean shopping this weekend, and bought some jeans that I didn't love. I didn't HATE them, but I...

What do you think when you hear about someone choosing to homeschool their kids? "Oh - they're THOSE parents." "I bet their kids are weird." "What do they do to socialize their kids?" "What kind of example are they setting for their kids? They're never going to get a REAL job." Or do you think... "I wonder why they chose to homeschool..." "I've been thinking about that too. How did they even know...

How aware of your surroundings are you? If you walk out of a building at night, do you look around, or are your eyes glued to your phone? Are your keys out of your bag, or do you spend time fumbling for them when you get to the car? If you go out for a walk or go running, are you paying attention and listening to what's going on around you? I know this episode may seem a little different than the...

When you look at your relationships, romantic and otherwise, how do you feel? Do you feel good? Do you feel safe? Respected? Loved? What sort of relationships were modeled for you as a kid? What unhealthy behaviors have been romanticized or normalized in our culture? And if something is unhealthy...maybe even unsafe...do you know what to do? Do you know what options are available to you? I know th...

Are you thinking of that song "Real Love" by Mary J. Blige? I am too - but that's not what this episode is about. It's Valentine's Day, so I had to take this opportunity to talk about love. But Valentine's Day doesn't have to be about just the "romantic" aspect. What if we took this day to put more love into the world, whether we have a "special someone" or not? The world needs more love. And why...

Did you know that there are random acts of kindness that DON'T involve buying someone coffee or dropping off baked goods to your favorite small business? (BTW I encourage both) Anyhoo...there are so many opportunities to put more kindness out into the world. But many of us overlook them because they don't fit in the "Random Acts of Kindness Box." I feel like many of us think kindness has to look a...

You know that life isn't all sunshine and rainbows, right? I bet you're saying "Um...duh! Of course I know that!" Because...we all know that. But how do you handle those moments when life keeps throwing you curveball after curveball? Do you get knocked down, or do those curveballs just throw you a bit off balance? And even if the curveball makes you stumble and fall, are you able to appreciate how...

What alarms go off when something doesn't seem right, or feel good? And...do you pay attention to them? In this episode, I share about an experience I had with my son the latter half of 2022, where I was seeing lots of red flags, feeling uneasy...and I did nothing, until one day, NOT doing anything was NOT an option because my son deserved better. I realized that I should have trusted myself more...