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June 9, 2025 46 mins

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If dreaming feels silly, selfish, or out of reach — you’re not alone. In fact, you might just be hearing echoes of childhood messages that told you to stay small, play it safe, and be realistic.

The messages we absorbed in childhood — about obedience, achievement, and staying “realistic” — still shape the way we show up as adults.

In today’s episode (our first with a guest!), I’m joined by my longtime friend and counselor Becky Stevenson to talk about why adults stop dreaming… and how to get back in touch with the playful, curious, creative part of yourself that still wants more.

We dig into the psychology of performance-based love, how fear of failure gets rooted early, and why so many of us feel stuck in lives that look successful on paper… but feel hollow in practice.

You'll learn simple tools to reconnect with your imagination, rewire the default voice in your head, and start dreaming again — one small step at a time.

HERE ARE 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

1️⃣ You didn't come up with the belief that dreaming is foolish on your own. 

That idea was modeled, taught, or reinforced in childhood - and it can be unlearned.

2️⃣ Your brain is wired to protect you, not dream for you. 

Those soundtracks that say "stay small" are outdated and you can rewrite them.

3️⃣ Imagination is a muscle-and it remembers. 

Look to your inner child, your past joys, your forgotten hobbies. Your imagination is waiting to be unlocked.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, this one’s a beautiful beginning.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Becky Stevenson Counseling

Check out all my coaching and course offerings - Coachcarlene.com

MORE FROM ME

Follow me on Instagram: @coach_carlene

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