What if the reason you feel stuck has nothing to do with your circumstances and everything to do with whose version of you you've been living?
In this refreshingly grounded episode of The Big Silence, Karena Dawn sits down with Case Kenny, mindfulness advocate, host of the New Minds podcast on SiriusXM, author of Bold of You, and the creator of some of the most widely shared wellness words on the internet. Together they talk love, joy and what it actually means to live as yourself.
What if the bravest thing you can do is refuse to let other people's words become your identity?
Case Kenny shows that you don't need a rock-bottom story to start over. Sometimes you just need to get honest about who you've been performing for.
(00:00) From Ad Sales to Mindfulness: the Shift That Started It All
● Why Case felt like he was "copying and pasting" different versions of himself in his twenties and why that frustrated him enough to change
● How launching a solo podcast at 29 became his most practical mindfulness practice
● The real definition of mindfulness he lives by: not just listening to yourself, but learning to talk to yourself
(11:11) Love, Independence & the Dependency Paradox
● The psychology concept from child development that Case believes should reshape how adults think about romantic relationships
● Why the point of a relationship is to amplify joy you've already built, not to create it for you
● How to stop self-sabotaging when independence is mistaken for distance
(21:11) The Case for Being Intentionally Cringe
● Why Case, a self-described introvert, leads dance music meditation events in public, and why that discomfort is the whole point
● The "beautiful mess effect": the research-backed reason we love vulnerability in others but punish it in ourselves
● How he writes in "golden retriever language" and why stripping away therapy-speak actually helps more people
(28:36) Bold of You — Reclaiming Your Identity from Other People's Labels
● Why "too dramatic," "too sensitive," and "too much" are other people's limits, not your identity
● The mindset shift behind his book: being stubborn about who you are is a bold act
● His daily writing practice, guided journaling events, and why community journaling is far more powerful than it sounds
Guest Resources
● Listen to New Mindset, Who Dis?
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