On Opting Out & Building Self-Trust with Cait Flanders

Send Mara a quick text love note here!

Making decisions that are right and true for ourselves can feel like a sticky, uncomfortable process. What does it actually look like to go through the emotional ups and downs of deciding to live life differently than anyone you know?

Today’s guest, Cait Flanders, is here to share her experience. She is normalizing what it looks like to opt-out of traditional expectations and live a creative and intentional life.

Cait Flanders is the author of Wall Street Journal bestseller, THE YEAR OF LESS. Described by Vogue as “a fascinating look into a living experiment that we can all learn from,” it has been translated into 10 languages, and sold more than 190,000 copies. Her new book, ADVENTURES IN OPTING OUT, is a field guide to opting out of expectations, changing paths, and leading a more intentional life. Powell’s Books says it, “offers a sturdy and flexible framework to navigate whatever path you are currently on.”

In our conversation, Cait shares all about her experiences of opting out, growth and learning through experimentation, and working through the fear of trying something new. Whether you’re on the precipice of making a change or have walked this path many times before, Cait’s insightful stories will broaden your opting-out plans.

Tune in to hear more about:

• Why it’s not so simple to choose differently
• How to be less precious about your process, even though you don’t know where it will take you
• Why a contemplation period before opting out can feel longer than you think it should (and why that’s totally normal!)
• The squirmy process of actively standing up for yourself and your decisions 
• Navigating relationships as you opt in to the life you want
• Why you don’t need a “big picture” vision for your life to live more intentionally
• And why you’re never too small (or young, or old, or alone, or whatever) to make big decisions for your own life

Love Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review.

Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.

Hungry for more? Sign up for Mara's Spring Workshop Series here.