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Cracking Open with Molly Carroll
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.
Cracking Open with Molly Carroll
The Leader Within: Shadow Work, Core Values & the Power of Human Connection with Thomas Droge | Ep. 104
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What 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 Carroll sits down with Thomas Droge, executive coach, Chief Mindfulness Officer, mindfulness speaker, and author of The Leader Within, to explore the practices that create real, lasting transformation.
Thomas brings over three decades of integrated medicine, qigong, meditation, and contemplative work into a raw, honest conversation about shadow work, living your core values, the healing power of human connection, and what happens when life cracks you open without warning.
You'll hear Thomas share the moment his wife came out of surgery paralyzed — and what that crisis revealed about love, presence, and showing up. This episode is for anyone feeling stuck, disconnected, or searching for deeper meaning in a noisy world.
Topics covered:
- Shadow work and embracing your "evil twin"
- How to identify and live by your core values (the precepts practice)
- Leadership as a human skill — for parents, teachers, and everyday people
- The psychology of not wanting to be a burden
- Ancient wisdom for modern mental health
- Mindfulness in the workplace and startup culture
- Finding your path when the template doesn't fit
xo
Molly
🌱 Please consider supporting the Cracking Open podcast on Patreon.
Resources and Links
Thomas Droge:
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook
The Leader Within — available now wherever books are sold.
Molly Carroll:
Website | Instagram | Facebook
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