The Distracted Dreamer
Get ready to confidently and unapologetically go after dreams! Welcome to The Distracted Dreamer Podcast.
Today is the day you’re going to pull your dreams off the shelf and bring them to the forefront of your life. You are never too tired, too busy, too old, too young, too anything to pursue your dreams.
Imagine… the joy and excitement of doing what lights you up. Your dreams are yours. No one gets to take them from you and no one gets to chase them - except you. Your dreams are there to guide you, to inspire you and to show you that yes, there is something more in store for you.
You see, the size of your dreams don’t matter - it could be running a marathon, reading a book series, perfecting that family recipe, traveling the world, or learning to dance.
I’m Carlene Bauwens, entrepreneur, Life Coach and now host of The Distracted Dreamer podcast. I’m here to show you how to kick distraction to the curb and grab hold of your dreams. Your happiness matters. You have a big, beautiful, amazing life to live. And you've only got one of them. Welcome to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast.
Episodes
77 episodes
#76: Debunking the 10-step morning routine — and what to do instead
Someone out there is selling you a 10-step morning routine. Wake up at 5am. Meditate. Journal. Cold plunge. Green smoothie. Visualize your goals.Maybe you've tried it. Maybe it lasted four days.Here's the truth: you don't need a p...
#75: "Why Would She Want to Hear from Me?" Why Women in Midlife Stop Reaching Out — And How to Start Again
Somewhere between the kids leaving, the career shifting, and the pandemic teaching us that staying home was actually fine — a lot of us stopped reaching out.One un-sent text at a time. Tomorrow we tell ourselves. Tomorrow, I'll...
#74: Why You Feel "Meh": The 4-Step Framework to Finally Fix It
Have you ever made a promise to yourself that you'd do something important… and then avoided it?The truth is, every time we say something matters and don't act on it, we erode our confidence. Do it long enough and you stop trusting yours...
#73: How to Lead Yourself Through Midlife — and Why the People You Love Need You To
We don't talk about this enough: the years after raising kids, after caregiving, after decades of showing up for everyone else — those years are not the winding down. They are not the epilogue. They are a new chapter opening, and it might just ...
#72: Feeling Lost? How to Recalibrate What You’ve Outgrown
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to keep living a life that no longer fits… just because it once did.I’m talking about that moment when you realize you don’t want what you used to want—and how unsettling that can feel. But...
#71: The Tiny Winks You're Missing: How Life Quietly Supports You
What if life is quietly supporting you… and you’re just too busy to see it? In this episode of The Distracted Dreamer, I’m sharing a few recent moments that felt like tiny “winks” — the kind of perfectly timed experiences that remin...
#70: The Empty Nest Shift That Makes You Ask: Who Am I Now?
The empty nest isn’t just about your kids leaving home.It’s about who you are when the house gets quiet.In this episode, I’m sharing what it really feels like to move from being everything to your kids to parenting adult children — a...
#69: A Stress Plan: 4 Ways to Take Charge Before It Hits
Most of us try to manage stress when it’s already happening.We see stress as something that just happens to us.But what if it’s something we can prepare for?In this episode, I share a coaching story that completely ...
#68: When Stress Hits: 3 Ways to Regain Control
There are moments when stress doesn’t politely knock — it barges in. Your heart races. Your thoughts scatter. Everything feels urgent. And suddenly, you’re not leading your life… you’re reacting to it.In this episode of The Distracte...
#67: The Science of Slowing Down: Breaking the Produce More Mindset
For years, we’ve been told to produce more, optimize more, multitask more. And somewhere along the way, we started believing our value lives in how much we get done.In this episode, I’m diving into the science of slowing down — and what ...
#66: When Letting Go of Success Is the Best Answer
DREAM STUDIO IS OPEN: JOIN HEREWhat if the bravest thing you could do right now is let go of something that’s working?There’s a moment when everything looks good ...
#65: How to Pivot When Life Disrupts Your Plans
Let’s face it—life happens.Wherever you are right now, whatever kind of pivot you’re navigating—whether it’s a winter storm, a diagnosis, or a missed deadline—I want you to know this:A pivot doesn’t mean you’ve fail...
#64: You’ve Changed. Build Habits That Honor Who You Are Now
Hop on the Dream Studio Waitlist HereHave you noticed that the things that used to work — the food routines, the money habits, the way you moved or worked or dreamed — just don...
#63: What Self-Care Actually Looks Like for Women in Midlife
Join the Dream Studio Waitlist HereWhat if self-care in midlife has nothing to do with face masks or spa days and everything to do with remembering who you are?In this...
#62: 5 Simple Ways to Finally Start That Thing You Keep Putting Off
Click here to hop on the Dream Studio WaitlistIf you’ve been circling around that thing you really want to do… but somehow, it keeps getting pushed to “later”? Yeah. This is yo...
#61: The Surprising Reason You’re Holding Back on Your Dreams and How to Fix It
DREAM Studio WaitlistEver shared your dream with someone you love, only to walk away feeling… smaller?You’re not alone. In this episode, I’m talking about the surprising...
#60: Encore: Why I Don’t Set Goals in January (and What I Do Instead)
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODEGOAL WORKSHOP WAITLISTMY 2025 WRAPPED GUIDE AND PODCAST EPISODENew year en...
#59: Encore: You’re Never Too Old to Chase Your Dreams
Every year, I see the same cycle play out:New goals in January.Burnout by March.Back to self-doubt and people-pleasing by summer.Sound familiar?This time, let’s do it differently.In this encore episode, I walk y...
#58: My Top 3 Book Recs to Make Space for What You Really Want Next Year
Have you ever read a book and thought, “This was written for me”?You see yourself in every story, raising your hand and saying, “Yes, that’s me.”There’s nothing like picking up the right book at the right t...
#57: Your 2025 Wrapped: A Simple, Fun Way to Reflect on Your Year
Download the guide: CREATE YOUR "MY 2025 WRAPPED hereIt’s that time of year…The time when Spotify and Apple Music tell you which songs you’ve played on repeat all year.But it g...
#56: Becoming the Version of You Your Dream Requires
When we talk about dreams, we usually talk about action — what we need to do, fix, plan, or check off the list. But what if the most important part of dreaming… is becoming? In this episode, I’m flipping the script — and inviting yo...
#55: How to Manage Year-End Overwhelm and Reclaim Your Joy (Part 2)
You’ve done the inner work — now it’s time to manage everything swirling around you.In Part 2 of this two-part series, we’re shifting outward. From the ever-growing to-do list to tricky family dynamics, from outdated tradition...
#54: How to Manage Year-End Overwhelm and Reclaim Your Joy (Part 1)
This time of year can bring so much beauty… and so much pressure.So many of us are trying to hold it all together — deadlines, family dynamics, holiday expectations, and a to-do list that just won’t quit. You’re not imagining it ...
#53: Don’t Wait for January: Start Dreaming About 2026 Now
This is the time of year when everyone’s telling you to plan your next big move. But you can’t imagine thinking about that now with the busy holiday season so near. What if 2026 didn’t start with a plan… but with a dream?What...