I’ll skip the “my childhood was perfectly fine, thanks for asking” preamble. You’re not here for the scrapbook. You’re here for the part where the ground starts to shift. The spirals, the second‑guessing, the endless what‑ifs that kept me frozen in place. I knew I wanted more, but I couldn’t make myself choose a direction. I stalled, I circled, I hesitated. I convinced myself that staying stuck was safer than making the wrong move.

This episode is the first chapter. The background to how I finally started thriving. If you’ve ever felt stuck in your own “before,” this one’s for you.

NOTE: This podcast was originally named Finally Thriving and Seriously Irritated. It has been renamed to The Flavored Word to coincide with the blog it's based on. This is one of three episodes from the original l ...