Cracking Open with Molly Carroll
by Molly Carroll, MA, LPC
Latest episode
The Gift of Letting Go: Motherhood, Identity, and the Empty Nest…
The Gift of Letting Go: Motherhood, Identity, and the Empty Nest…
About this podcast
What happens when life brings you to your knees and forces you to discover who you truly are?
Cracking Open is the podcast for anyone who has faced a defining moment of crisis, grief, trauma, or rock bottom and found themselves transformed by it. Hosted by Molly Carroll, licensed therapist, TED speaker, published author, and coach, each episode dives deep into the raw, real stories of actors, athletes, thought leaders, healers, and everyday warriors.
Whether it was the loss of a loved one, addiction, childhood trauma, incarceration, or an unexpected life collapse, these "cracking open" moments shape everything: how we parent, love, work, lead, and connect.
What you'll discover:
• How trauma and crisis can become the greatest catalysts for growth
• Tools and insights from mental health, healing, and personal transformation
• Honest conversations that normalize struggle and celebrate resilience
If you're navigating grief, trauma recovery, personal growth, or a major life transition, or you simply want to feel less alone in your human experience, this podcast is for you.
Subscribe and join the conversation.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 113 episodes
- The Gift of Letting Go: Motherhood, Identity, and the Empty Nest with Claudia Hinz · 50 minI'm recording this intro from a very quiet house. I just dropped off my daughter, my last kiddo, at college. On the drive home, it hit me: I feel most at ease and most alive as a…
- Kat Courtney: Ayahuasca, Ibogaine, and Learning to Be Human · 58 minI've interviewed over 100 people on this podcast, and this conversation hit me in a way none of the others have. It made me reflect deeply on my life and what is still holding me…
- How Death Doulas Help Us Live Lighter with Karen Callahan & Jen Tadjedin · 1 h 0 minQuick heads up: we are talking about grief, death, and all that we can learn from this deep topic today. I know, I know, stay with me. Because we spend so much energy avoiding…
- Kathy Eldon: Don’t Despair, Don’t Give Up Grief, Loss, and Finding Light After Tragedy · 51 minI’ve been sitting with a strange kind of grief lately, the kind that comes from something good. Both my kids will be in college soon, and I know how lucky I am to say that…
- Jodie Patterson on Staying Curious When Your Kids (and Your Identity) Are Changing · 1 h 0 minThis fall, my youngest, my last one, leaves for college. Twenty-one years of being a mom, and I’m standing at the edge of a chapter I don’t know how to close. When my son left…
- Afraid AI Is Replacing Human Connection? Jack Swift on Leadership, Consciousness, and the Human-Machine Era · 57 minI don't know about you, but even though I use AI almost every single day, there is still a part of me that gets nervous about it. I love nothing more than sitting across from a…
- Why Small Talk Is Making You More Lonely (And What To Do Instead) · 19 minI recorded this episode in the middle of one of the most emotional weeks of my life. My daughter Cora was three days from graduating high school, and I found myself at backyard…
- I Want to Be Wild: Emma Tynan on Letting Go of More and Coming Home to Yourself · 48 minI found Emma through Maria Shriver's newsletter, and her words stopped me cold: "I no longer want more. I want to be wild." I felt my whole body exhale. Because I knew exactly…
- The Leader Within: Shadow Work, Core Values & the Power of Human Connection with Thomas Droge | Ep. 104 · 53 minWhat does it mean to truly lead not just in a boardroom, but in your relationships, your family, and your own inner life? In this deeply moving episode, therapist and host Molly…
- Molly Magic: The Power in Life's No's and Not Yet's · 23 minYou got a NO this week. Maybe more than one. Someone said no to you. Or your kid came home with that look on their face. Or you've been trying and trying, and the door just won't…
- Shaka Senghor: How to Escape Life's Hidden Prisons and Be Free · 57 min · Episode 102Whenever someone asks me for a word that describes how I want to live, my answer is always the same. Freedom. Not just personal freedom, but freedom in my mind, my body, and my…
- Welcome to Episode 1 of Molly's Magic: Reset Your Nervous System in Minutes · 19 min · Episode 1Welcome to Molly's Magic. I’m Molly. A mom, a therapist, an author, a podcast host, and a TED speaker. The alchemy of these roles has brought me here. Molly's Magic is simple…
- 100th Episode Part 2: Coming Home to the People Who Know Me Best · 1 h 6 min · Episode 100Welcome back to Part 2 of our 100th episode. If you have not listened to Part 1 yet, pause here and go back. Truly. Tommy, Lisa, René, Leo, and Cora brought everything. And your…
- 100th Episode: Coming Home to the People Who Know Me Best · 1 h 2 min · Episode 100In this special two-part 100th episode, you’ll hear something a little different—the everyday, deeply human stories of the people closest to me. From navigating the loss of a…
- Serena & Lily Co-Founder Serena Dugan on Creativity, Courage, and What Matters Most · 54 min · Episode 99As we approach our 100th episode, I’ve been revisiting a few conversations that have stayed with me long after the microphones were turned off. Bill Valentine’s episode was…
- Learn How Terminal Cancer Taught Successful Wealth Manager Bill Valentine the True Meaning of Life · 58 min · Episode 98In times of uncertainty, we need reminders of what truly matters. Today’s episode is a profound lesson in hope, love, and perspective—one that gently calls us back to presence…
- Learning to Trust Your Guides with Psychic Medium MaryAnn DiMarco · 59 min · Episode 97Throughout my life, clients and friends have often described me as a bridge—a bridge between science and spirituality, between practical cognitive tools and trusting your…
- From Rock Star to Soul Guide: Dr. John Price on Transformation and Purpose · 1 h 17 min · Episode 96Have you ever had one of those months where you just can’t climb out of a dark hole? That was my October and November. My son had a health scare (instant compassion for every…
- How to Find Hope in Unexpected Places: Lessons from CNN Hero Maggie Doyne · 1 h 0 min · Episode 95From the moment Maggie Doyne and I joined our Zoom call, there was an instant recognition—a connection of the heart. We share a love of children, the Oregon coast, and a deep…
- Stop Talking About Creativity and Start Living It with Author Nicole Meier · 37 min · Episode 94What happens when one of your dearest friends also happens to be one of the people you admire most in your professional world? That’s exactly the conversation I get to have…
