Unleashing Her Wild is part of the most recent set of releases from the Golden Brick Road Publishing House collection. This book contains a beautiful collection of stories by women for women: stories of strength, power, emotion, and heart. The authors encourage women everywhere to approach their feminine nature wholeheartedly but at the same time to not feel the need to conform to society’s traditional definition of feminine.
Read the interview below with two of the co-authors from Unleashing Her Wild to start a new decade with some great inspiration and insight.
Kristine (Kiki) Carr, co-author
- In your chapter, you mention having several different career paths. What was the reasoning behind pursuing some of these particular paths?
When I lived my life in a way that was how everyone else thought I should live it, linear and safe, I found myself in a state of sorrow and confusion. I was unhappy every day and made the decision to break free. When I broke free, I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I began trying new things and exploring. I knew they weren’t life-long commitments, just trial and error by my own volition. I still made some choices because I thought the title would gain me respect, and I even made some because I mistakenly thought the position would bring me joy. Either way, they all helped me to learn what I want and don’t want out of life (something I had never let myself explore before).
- There are many people who would like to follow in your footsteps but are afraid to do so for various reasons. What advice would you give to them?
It’s not necessarily easy to go against the grain, ignore what everyone is telling you to do, or let go of your fears. However, it doesn’t have to be hard either. We as humans make it hard on ourselves. If we close our eyes and drown out the noise and ask ourselves, “What makes me happy?”, we can tap into the essence of who we are. In my chapter I talk about the importance of going back to our child selves because often they have more answers than we do.
Once you understand what makes you happy, your job is to act on it - Every. Single. Day. Your job is to go toward what fuels your joy, take the steps, and make the changes (big and small) on a daily basis. When we are living lives that fuel us, we are better able to take care of the world around us.
Your fear will hold you back from making changes, but ask yourself this: Would you tell children to follow joy or follow fear? We never stopped being children, so what are you telling yourself?
- What would you say to people who think reconnecting with their inner child is silly or a waste of time?
Everyone will find a different practice that works for them but for me, the inner child practice is a big reason for my happiness today. Somewhere along the way of “growing up,” we unlearned who we are and what we want to do on this planet. As children, we had dreams and aspirations, we connected with what we were inherently good at, we acted on intuition, and we went toward what made us happy out of natural survival instincts. Babies aren’t born wanting to stay in what brings them fear, and children actively run away from what makes them unhappy. As adults, we become satisfied with settling. When we can connect to our child selves, we connect to the true essence of who we are and what brings us joy (without all the outside influence). It’s a powerful tool for those who are seeking happiness. Let me tell you, from a person who has been there, when you are in utter sorrow, you don’t care if something seems silly, you will try anything to help yourself when you value yourself.
- What does living the #GBRAuthorlife mean to you?
The #GBRAuthor life has been a way for me to live out something I never thought possible. It’s a platform for me to get out of it what I put into it. It’s an instant connection with hundreds of women and a way for me to take the steps I want in my career. I’m so glad I didn’t have to take this journey alone because I think I may have let the fear take over. And that’s what tools and practices are there for: to assist us to grow past what we thought possible.
About The Author
Kiki Carr was born in Ontario, Canada and grew up in a small city east of Toronto. Graduating from Ontario Tech University with a bachelor’s degree, she focused her studies on domestic violence, women’s studies, victimology, and psychology in order to understand why people do what they do. After graduation, she spent years working in the social services field, after which she jumped into various entrepreneurship roles, from being editor of a Toronto wedding blog to co-founding a branding agency and opening a micro-coworking space with a wellness atmosphere. Kiki is a passionate entrepreneur living a life full of colour.
She is also a freelance writer and best-selling author who focuses on personal development, human interest pieces, mindfulness, mental health, and storytelling. In 2019 she was published in her first co-authored book, Unleashing Her Wild, with Golden Brick Road Publishing House, and her second co-authored book, She’s No Longer Silent, is set to launch Spring 2020. Through her writing, Kiki’s goal is to empower others to empower themselves so they can create a life they love.
Follow Kiki on Instagram: @carrkristine
S.C. Vollmer, Co-Author
- What made you want to sign on as a co-author with Unleashing Her Wild?
I’ve been a wildly courageous being from my very first breath, and so I instantly resonated with the project. I enjoyed adding my voice to a collection of stories all stemming from this internal fire — this desire to ground into the immense potential that is feminine and within all of us. I had been meaning to develop a writing project separate from my academic writing and when I heard about UHW, I dove in head first . . . an extra push came from a long-time friend and mentor of mine who had told me that the only thing he regrets was not starting to write earlier in life . . . and so here we are!
- In this day and age, with people constantly glued to their phones during their commute and their screens at work, do you think human connection is more necessary than ever before?
I think there is a need to keep connections personal, absolutely. Do I think that this is not possible with technology? No. I see and am a part of the many benefits that “screens” have provided with respect to connecting, mobilizing, empowering, educating, etc. In fact I have an Internet penpal I met online back in the A/S/L days of AOL chat rooms and although we have never met in person, we have been a part of each other's lives for almost 30 years! However, I am also a strong believer in connecting to our natural world. To the ground, the water, the sky, and the life that all this brings into being. If you have never stopped to smell the roses (ha!), I wonder if you also never stop to appreciate your connection to others. I am getting a lot of garden imagery right now — tend to human connections as if they are the very nutrition you need and they depend on you to grow.
- In your chapter, you suggest that readers should get their hands dirty, covered in the mud of re-shaping the world. What is one of your favourite ways to do so?
Active listening. Genuine, up close and (un)comfortable, in-person, undivided attention. Without judgement — a space for expression. Just as you cannot fix what isn't broken, you cannot re-shape that which you aren't aware of. I also think we don't need to look much further than within ourselves. Re-shaping yourself, listening to yourself, knowing yourself . . . this is often much harder than might be expected. I think I also need to mention healing yourself so that you can heal others — I'm not sure if I entirely agree with the idea that broken people break people but I don't doubt there is some truth there.
- What does living the #GBRAuthorlife mean to you?
Connections, empowerment, genuine uplifting and support, friendship, achievements, and personal growth.
About The Author
SC Vollmer can usually be found with her head in the clouds or a glassy-eyed, distant look in her eyes. "I'm thinking" is her only source of nutrition. After traveling coast-to-coast in Canada and starting and stopping more businesses than she cares to admit (does having a "5pm lemonade stand outside a bus stop" as a seven-year-old count?), she has decided that, yes, multi-coloured LED backlights on keyboards were worth it. With almost more degrees than one can count with their (one) hand, she has confirmed that being paid to think is so far the best thing that's happened yet. And so, after promising to get a "real job," SCnow spends most of her time back in academia, fusing software engineering and painting into quite a few hours per day coding (playing) in Virtual Reality, creating artistic 'scapes and envisioning the future of how the world could be. Kinesthetically speaking, proprioception is the best.
Connect with SC Vollmer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kitt-kat/
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