The Distracted Dreamer

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The Distracted Dreamer

Carlene Bauwens

61 episodes

3 days ago

Send Carlene a text RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE GOAL WORKSHOP WAITLIST MY 2025 WRAPPED GUIDE AND PODCAST EPISODE New year energy can feel exciting. And it can be overwhelming. I get it. That's why I'm re-sharing one of your all-time favorite episodes, where I talk about not starting the year with resolutions, rigid goals, or pressure to "get it right." Instead, I'll walk you through the three things I don't do when starting a new year and how this softer approach might help you feel more grou...

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Self-Improvement

All content for The Distracted Dreamer is the property of Carlene Bauwens and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Send Carlene a text RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE GOAL WORKSHOP WAITLIST MY 2025 WRAPPED GUIDE AND PODCAST EPISODE New year energy can feel exciting. And it can be overwhelming. I get it. That's why I'm re-sharing one of your all-time favorite episodes, where I talk about not starting the year with resolutions, rigid goals, or pressure to "get it right." Instead, I'll walk you through the three things I don't do when starting a new year and how this softer approach might help you feel more grou...

Show more...

Self-Improvement

Episodes (20/61)

The Distracted Dreamer

#58: My Top 3 Book Recs to Make Space for What You Really Want Next Year

Send Carlene a text Have you ever read a book and thought, “This was written for me”? You see yourself in every story, raising your hand and saying, “Yes, that’s me.” There’s nothing like picking up the right book at the right time — the kind that sticks. In this episode, I’m sharing my top 3 book recommendations from the past year. One changed how I measure progress. Another taught me to say yes, even when I doubted myself. And the last gave me the tools to let go of what I can’t control. Th...

6 days ago

23 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#57: Your 2025 Wrapped: A Simple, Fun Way to Reflect on Your Year

Send Carlene a text Download the guide: CREATE YOUR "MY 2025 WRAPPED here It’s that time of year… The time when Spotify and Apple Music tell you which songs you’ve played on repeat all year. But it got me thinking—what if we could create a wrap-up of everything we’ve lived this year? Not just the music and the podcasts, but the full picture. I’m talking about the version of you who navigated joy, mess, growth, fatigue, love, doubt, laughter… all of it. Most of us skip this part. We speed into...

2 weeks ago

17 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#56: Becoming the Version of You Your Dream Requires

Send Carlene a text When we talk about dreams, we usually talk about action — what we need to do, fix, plan, or check off the list. But what if the most important part of dreaming… is becoming? In this episode, I’m flipping the script — and inviting you to stop obsessing over the to-dos and start focusing on who you need to be in order to actually live inside the dream you're chasing. Whether it’s motherhood, podcasting, writing a book, or traveling the world — your dream isn’t ju...

2 weeks ago

18 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#55: How to Manage Year-End Overwhelm and Reclaim Your Joy (Part 2)

Send Carlene a text You’ve done the inner work — now it’s time to manage everything swirling around you. In Part 2 of this two-part series, we’re shifting outward. From the ever-growing to-do list to tricky family dynamics, from outdated traditions to the pressure to say yes when you know it should be a no — this episode gives you the tools to handle it all with more clarity and calm. You’ll walk away with practical ways to protect your time and energy, navigate hard conversations without s...

3 weeks ago

27 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#54: How to Manage Year-End Overwhelm and Reclaim Your Joy (Part 1)

Send Carlene a text This time of year can bring so much beauty… and so much pressure. So many of us are trying to hold it all together — deadlines, family dynamics, holiday expectations, and a to-do list that just won’t quit. You’re not imagining it — it’s a lot. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we’re turning inward — it’s all about calming the swirl inside you before you try to calm everything around you. If you’ve been snapping, numbing out, or just feeling off lately, this episode will...

1 month ago

21 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#53: Don’t Wait for January: Start Dreaming About 2026 Now

Send Carlene a text This is the time of year when everyone’s telling you to plan your next big move. But you can’t imagine thinking about that now with the busy holiday season so near. What if 2026 didn’t start with a plan… but with a dream? What if you knew what you wanted for yourself next year? What if you could have the clarity in 15-30 minutes? You don’t need a goal or a plan yet. But this tiny pocket of time right now is the most powerful place to start dreaming about 2026. And i...

1 month ago

13 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#52: 7 Signs You’re Closer to Living Your Dream Than You Think

Send Carlene a text Ever wonder why some people seem to actually bring their dreams to life—while yours stays stuck in “someday”? Here’s the secret: it’s not about being the smartest, most disciplined, or most "together" person in the room. It’s about how you think, feel, and show up—especially when things get hard, boring, or uncertain. In this episode, I’ll walk you through the 7 powerful pieces of - think of it as a code of conduct for dreamers - I simply call it the Dreamer’s Code t...

1 month ago

31 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#51: Here’s Why Celebrating Yourself Isn’t Selfish — It’s Necessary

Send Carlene a text When’s the last time you really gave yourself credit, really celebrated yourself? Not just for what you did, but for what you overcame — or how much you’ve grown. I used to think that celebrating myself would come after I did something “big enough.” But what if celebration isn’t a reward for results — what if it’s actually fuel for the next step? Today I’m sharing some of the quiet ways I used to downplay my growth — and how I’m learning to claim my wins ...

1 month ago

18 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#50: Midlife, Menopause, and the New Brain You Didn’t Expect

Send Carlene a text I’ve been flooded with messages from you since last week’s episode — so many of you said, “This is me. This is what I’ve been feeling. And I had no idea what to call it.” You’re not alone. If you’re in your 40s or 50s, and your brain suddenly feels foggy, unmotivated, or like it’s just… off — this episode is for you. We’re talking about what’s actually happening to your brain in midlife, and why it’s not about aging — it’s about repetition, hormone loss, and disconne...

2 months ago

28 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#49: Is It ADHD… or Menopause? (And What It Means for Breast Cancer Survivors)

Send Carlene a text Brain fog? No motivation? Can’t remember anything? You might be wondering — is it ADHD… or menopause? And what does either one have to do with chasing a dream? In today’s solo episode, I’m unpacking what happens when estrogen drops, dopamine crashes, and your once-focused brain suddenly can’t finish a sentence — much less a creative project. I’ll also share my own experience with breast cancer and what it means to rebuild your rhythm when hormones aren’t an option. If you’...

2 months ago

25 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#48: The Science of Recovery: How Your Nervous System Fuels Your Dreams

Send Carlene a text I used to think recovery meant sleep, a long walk, or a girls’ weekend — but even after all that, I still felt drained. It didn’t make sense… until I learned what was actually happening in my nervous system. In this episode, I’m breaking down the real science of recovery — how your body toggles between go mode and rest mode, and why so many of the things that look restful still keep you stuck in performance mode. We’ll talk about what true recovery feels like, why yo...

2 months ago

29 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#47: Steal My 7-Step Focus Routine and Make Real Progress on Your Dreams

Send Carlene a text Your dreams deserve more than scattered energy and half-finished to-do lists. They need your focus. In this episode, I’m sharing the exact 7-step focus routine I use behind the scenes to move my dream work forward — even when life gets full, messy, or distracting (which, let’s be honest… is most of the time). This isn’t about being more productive just for the sake of it. It’s about creating a rhythm that actually supports your creativity, your energy, and your...

2 months ago

22 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#46: Start Dreaming Again: A Mini-Workshop to Rediscover What You Really Want

Send Carlene a text Your companion guide for this special episode 👇 Start Dreaming Again: 3 Gentle Steps to Rediscover What You Really Want Here’s the thing no one tells you about “figuring out your dreams”… You don’t actually think your way there. You feel your way back. This episode isn’t about setting goals or chasing productivity. It’s a gentle, coaching-style mini-workshop designed to help you wake up the part of you that still wants something — even if that something feels blurry, burie...

3 months ago

34 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#45: How To Experiment With Your Dreams (Without Fear of Failure)

Send Carlene a text Click here to hop on Dream Studio Waitlist and get founding member perks! What if chasing your dream didn’t have to feel so heavy? For a long time, I thought if I was serious about a dream, I had to make a Big Plan and then follow it perfectly. You know… map it out, get it right, make sure I really knew what I was doing before I even started. But the truth? That pressure kept me stuck. What finally helped me move forward was learning to treat my dreams like a series of exp...

3 months ago

14 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#44: Learning vs. Doing: How to Know When It’s Time to Make a Move

Send Carlene a text What if all your “research” is actually a really sneaky form of procrastination? Let’s be real — I’ve spent way too much time thinking I was making progress just because I was learning. I had tabs open, courses saved, notebooks full of ideas… and still felt totally stuck. At one point, I even signed up for a course on how to code my own website. (Yep. Coding. Me.🙃) But here’s what I’ve learned — and am still learning: Gathering information only get's you so far. In this ep...

3 months ago

17 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#43: That Thing You're Avoiding? It matters. How to Do It Scared

Send Carlene a text What if the thing you’re avoiding is the very thing that could change everything? Let’s be honest—there’s probably a task sitting at the bottom of your list that’s been there for weeks. The one that low-key haunts you. It feels too big, too scary, too uncomfortable. And if you're like me, you've probably moved that one thing from Monday… to Tuesday… to “someday.” I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit—staying busy with all the easy stuff while the one thing that...

3 months ago

16 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#42: Daydreams are Born Here: The Surprising Science of Boredom

Send Carlene a text When was the last time you let yourself be bored? Really bored? Growing up, boredom was a normal part of life — long car rides staring out the window, endless summer days of “go outside and play” with no plan, and doodles on scrap paper that turned into wild ideas. Out of those empty spaces came creativity, play, and daydreams. But somewhere along the way, we started treating stillness like failure. Daydreaming got labeled as “slacking off,” and boredom became something to...

3 months ago

16 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#41: Embracing Self-Care and Recovery: Fuel Your Dreams and Prevent Burnout

Send Carlene a text Have you ever pushed through the week only to crash—your brain foggy, your body drained, your heart disconnected from your dreams? I used to fight those crash days, but I’ve learned they’re not failures—they’re signals. Our bodies are always whispering what they need, and when we ignore them, they shout. The good news? When we practice small, daily acts of self-care and recovery, those crashes get gentler, our energy steadier, and our dreams easier to hold onto. In t...

4 months ago

20 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#40: Perfectionism Is Stealing Your Dreams — Here's How to Take Them Back

Send Carlene a text This episode is one I needed to hear as much as I needed to record. Because perfectionism? It’s still something I wrestle with almost every day. It shows up when I try to write. When I go to share something personal. When I wonder if what I’m doing is “enough.” And here’s what I know now: perfectionism is stealing our dreams. In this episode, I’m opening up about my own struggles with getting stuck in the “not good enough” spiral — and how I’m using three mindset shifts to...

4 months ago

17 minutes

The Distracted Dreamer

#39: ‘Hard’ Is Part of the Dream: 6 Mindsets to Keep Going Anyway

Send Carlene a text I know what it’s like for the dream to feel so much harder than you imagined. I’ve been there—facing fear, self-doubt, unexpected curveballs, and the deep exhaustion that comes from caring so much. Because the hard parts make you want to throw in the towel, question everything, and wonder if maybe you were wrong for wanting it in the first place. That’s exactly why I wanted to have this conversation with you. Today, I’m opening up about the behind-the-scenes moments of my ...

4 months ago

18 minutes