Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Ann McCormick
Hi Carrie Ann, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have been a seeker all my life. Always digging into my own awareness and very introspective. I had to go it alone a bit as I have to dance to the beat of my own drum. Not everyone has the desire or is willing to take the risk to peer into their own darkness. It was this feeling of being “different” or the “black sheep” that had me sharing my most intimate, vulnerable feelings and thoughts with just my paper and pen. After years of keeping my most authentic self hidden, it became too much and I distinctly felt that it was time to open up and share my gifts with the world.
It had actually never occurred to me that my affinity for stringing words together was something that many do not have the ability to do and that my unique way of seeing the world is not all that different from that of others. The difference is my willingness to expose myself and let go of what is no longer serving me, even when it’s incredibly scary…and brave. Being transparent and willing to change direction at 50 gives others permission to do the same.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I always longed for a mentor – someone who could help me walk through all the most dense emotions. I had minimized my trauma when my definition of trauma was under-developed. So too were my coping skills and my ability to regulate my emotions. I was absorbing the energies of other people and did not even realize it. I remember writing that I wasn’t sure why I was feeling a certain kind of way, since everything was going well for me. Truthfully, the Internet has been a godsend while doing this work. I have been able to meet and connect with my tribe. I have found some unconditional acceptance and love that I had begun to believe was unavailable to me. I’ve been influenced by so many mentors, and I’ve been so delighted with the support and tutelage I have found in the Austin spiritual community.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I share feelings. When I was teaching high school English on the east side in 2019, I discovered Kwame Alexander and this quote on a poster resonated with me beyond anything from any other writer: “Poetry: A get-together of emotions/Ideas with wings/Words that soar” This is what I hoped to do with my writing all these years and it is what I wanted for others – that feeling of your words SOARING after you pen them. I am so proud to be able to write about something that feels so unique to me that others can connect with.
I’ve had several friends who supported me by buying my memoir in 2017 who messaged me or told me that it sat on their nightstand for weeks…calling to them, yet they were fearful to begin. That was really affirming for me. I began to realize that words are my brand of alchemy. They transmute for me what needs turned to gold and I have approached a spot on my journey where I can allow this in real time…and, even in the company of trusted soul friends. This is precisely what draws soul-seekers to me and also why it has been paramount for me to realize that those I love may come and go…but love really is forever. And, as I’ve begun to share with my clients, my essential learning in this past year is that, in my experience, “Love is everywhere. We get to choose with whom, and in what capacity to express it.”
I’m proud that my brother, upon publication of my short memoir, I Wanted MORE Than This, told me that it absolutely was not an easy thing to write and share in this way. I am also quite proud that I am able to connect with so many people at this soul level to walk awhile alongside them.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Austin feels good…and alive. I only just moved into the city proper in June of 2023, but every time I’ve gotten a view on my commute of the Austin skyline, from any direction, I feel a surge. It kinda charges my battery. I understand the vibe of Old Austin, like so many lament. I know that even when I first considered ATX as a possible new home back in 2011, that I still have no real idea of what it was like in the halcyon days.
But I have a vivid imagination and I know how I feel when I am here and I think we can still reclaim some of those experiences now, even amongst the rapid growth, and the gentrification. I am grateful to be able to live inside the city so I may amplify these voices in service of compassion, sometimes, even over capitalism, and technology.
It’s a very interesting time in the life of this city and I am excited to learn more and get involved in change-making. I think we can merge all of these aspects of this city and keep a real cool energy or vibe here – by bringing a little tingle of bliss, and being kind no matter what.
There is kindness and authenticity here and it’s contagious.
Pricing:
- $5-$33 digital downloads & merch
- $111/hr private coaching
- $333/mo private coaching
- $1777 El Salvador Retreat
- Living Embodied = priceless
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.embodiedlivinghub.org
- Instagram: @carrieann.author
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carrieann.author
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carrieann.author
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/more-embodied-living-cedar-creek-4