Healing Actually Isn’t Linear — You’re Not Broken for Feeling It Again
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
Release Date: 02/25/2026
How I Actually Made Friends As An Adult
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
I used to genuinely think that if you didn’t meet your friends in high school or college… you kind of just missed your opportunity. Making friends as an adult felt awkward, forced, and kinda intimidating. I never knew what to say, and it always felt like everyone already had their people. But over the past few years, that’s actually changed a lot for me. I’ve met more people and built more of a community than I ever have before, which feels wild to say as someone in their late 20's! So in this episode, I’m talking through what shifted, how I actually started meeting people, and what...
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Why Waiting to Feel Ready Is Keeping You Stuck
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
Ever feel stuck even when you want to change? Like you have ideas, goals, things you care about but you keep overthinking, waiting, or telling yourself you’ll start when you feel more ready? In this episode we talk about what that “stuck” feeling actually looks like and what it takes to start building momentum from that place, not after it. We get into: why starting can feel so hard how we procrastinate under the disguise of planning how overthinking quietly keeps you stuck the pressure to feel confident before taking action what momentum actually looks like in real life how...
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To Be Honest, I Didn’t Realize What This Dream Would Cost Me
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
You know that feeling of working toward something for so long, finally getting there, and then realizing it’s not as simple as you thought it would be? In this week’s “to be honest” episode, I’m sitting down with one of my best friends, Kelsey, to talk about what it actually looks like to follow your dreams and what no one really prepares you for once you get there. If you’ve ever felt pressure to have it all figured out, tied your identity to one path, or wondered if the life you’re building is actually sustainable… I think you’ll really relate to this one! We talk about: ...
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I Solo Traveled for the First Time… and It Didn’t Change My Life
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
I just got back from my first solo trip… and it didn’t change my life. At least not in the dramatic, “everything is different now” kind of way I think I was expecting. It wasn’t perfect. There were moments I felt lonely and overwhelmed. But there were also moments where I felt really proud of myself, really present, and more like me than I have in a while. So if you’ve ever thought about doing something on your own — traveling, trying something new, just getting out of your routine — but you’re scared it won’t be worth it or won’t live up to what you expect… this...
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What If I'm Not That Special?
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
Have you ever wondered if you actually have anything valuable to offer? Like you want to make an impact… but you don’t feel qualified. You want to create something meaningful… but you’re still figuring your own life out. You look around and everyone else seems more polished, more accomplished, more “ready.” So you wait. In this episode, we’re unpacking that quiet but heavy question: Do I need to be further along before I’m allowed to speak? We talk about: The pressure to be exceptional instead of just honest Where the belief that value = achievement might have come from...
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Healing Actually Isn’t Linear — You’re Not Broken for Feeling It Again
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
Have you ever thought you were finally over something… and then it hit you all again? You did the work. You cried. You processed it. You moved forward. So why does it still hurt? In this episode, we’re talking about the part of healing no one really prepares you for — the waves that come back around. The quiet shame of thinking, “I should be past this.” And the fear that feeling it again means you’re somehow back at the beginning. We’ll get into: Why we expect healing to be linear (even when we know it’s not) How certain dates, firsts, and seasons can reopen old wounds The...
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26 Unproductive Goals to Feel More Alive in 2026
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
Lately, I’ve had this unsettling feeling that I’m watching my life instead of actually living it. The days move fast, the routine feels heavy, and somewhere along the way the fun, curious, light parts of me started to go a little quiet. In this episode, I’m sharing why I’m choosing to maximize this year differently, not by doing more, fixing myself, or becoming a brand-new version of me, but by focusing on presence, joy, and 26 completely unproductive goals meant to help me reconnect with who I am. That’s where my idea for 26 unproductive goals in 2026 came from — a list of...
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To Be Honest, Growing Up Changes Everything
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
In this week’s To Be Honest episode, I’m sitting down with my cousin Sam for an honest conversation about loss, family, healing, and navigating relationships as you grow up. Sam shares what it was like growing up without her dad, who passed away before she was born and how grief can still leave a hole in your heart, even when you never got the chance to know someone. We talk about how that grief has changed as she’s gotten older, how her family has worked to keep his memory alive, and what it means to live with a piece of someone you’ve never met. We also talk about her relationship...
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You Don't Have to Hate Your Body to Feel Better in It
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
January is here, and so is the familiar pressure to “fix” our bodies, get disciplined, and finally become a better version of ourselves. If you’ve ever set fitness or health goals that were secretly rooted in not liking your body… you’re not alone. I’ve been there too. So in this episode of Always Becoming, I’m talking about what it looks like to take care of your body from a place of respect and love, not punishment, shame, or self-hate. This isn’t about giving up on goals or pretending you don’t want things to change. It’s about shifting why you’re doing it and...
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What If This Could Actually Be Your Year?
Always Becoming: Real Stories of Resilience, Healing, & Growth
As the year comes to a close, there’s so much talk about resolutions, glow-ups, and how this is finally going to be “your year.” And while a new beginning can feel exciting, it can also bring pressure, fear, and the quiet worry that nothing will really change. In this final episode of the year, I reflect on what it actually means to make a year your year. Not through drastic reinvention or unrealistic expectations, not in a "new year, new me" way, but in a way that makes space for growth without burning yourself out or expecting everything to magically change overnight. ...
info_outlineHave you ever thought you were finally over something… and then it hit you all again?
You did the work. You cried. You processed it. You moved forward.
So why does it still hurt?
In this episode, we’re talking about the part of healing no one really prepares you for — the waves that come back around. The quiet shame of thinking, “I should be past this.” And the fear that feeling it again means you’re somehow back at the beginning.
We’ll get into:
- Why we expect healing to be linear (even when we know it’s not)
- How certain dates, firsts, and seasons can reopen old wounds
- The difference between regression and integration
- Why feeling sad doesn't mean you made the wrong choice
- And how revisiting pain can actually be a sign of growth, not failure
Healing isn’t about never feeling it again.
It’s about feeling it differently, meeting it with more awareness, more capacity, and more self-trust than you had before.
If you’ve been feeling something you thought you already healed, you’re not broken — you’re human. And you’re not alone in it 🤍
✨Lets connect on instagram: @mikalen.co