Today's guest of episode # 30 of the Mindful Influencer Podcast is Caryn Sullivan talking about Happiness through Hardship. 

Caryn is a two-time breast cancer survivor, Caryn Sullivan, spent nearly 20-years working in the world of sports and entertainment largely at Disney & ESPN and the Minnesota Timberwolves/Lynx. She performed well in an intense environment fueled by Diet Dr. Peppers and endless bags of baked chips.

It wasn’t until her wake-up call with stage IV cancer that she changed her focus from looking good to being well. She launched PrettyWellness.com to chronicle her journey toward wellness by sharing stories and lessons learned through her own hardship. Caryn loves to motivate people to thrive in their lives.

Caryn has been seen on The Doctor Oz Show, Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family and is a regular wellness contributor to WTNH-TV. Caryn has inspired thousands to embrace wellness through her motivational speeches throughout the country. Her book, “Happiness through Hardship,” a guide for cancer patients and caregivers was recently released on Amazon Kindle and the Amazon Kindle app for smartphones, PCs and Macs with proceeds donated to metastatic breast cancer research.

You can learn more about Caryn on her website & Instagram. Check out her book here.

Here's what you'll learn in today's episode with Caryn: 

[6:00] What is Happiness? And how do I find Happiness through Hardship?

Happiness is having peace in the moment & enjoying yourself. Being in a mindful state and experiencing what is around me.  You cannot be grateful and anxious at the same time. 

[12:00] How to Be Mindful of Your Energy to Be Happier

Caryn focuses in on bringing in positive energy into a space as often as possible.  She mentions that energy that people bring to the workplace and they are in a rush and are in a bad mood all the time.  If you have a mindset that is more positive - you can do the exact same thing and have a positive mindset about it.  Being mindful about the energy that you are bringing can turn your whole mindset around. 

[20:00] How to Use Guided Imagery to Heal

During her diagnosis - Caryn used guided imagery to get through it. This imagery took her to places like the beach which is her happy place. This helped her as she went through difficult times during her treatment to keep her calm.

We talk about the documentary Heal & how to use the power of mindfulness to heal yourself.

[22:45] Permission to Mourn Without Care

If you're having a hardship - give yourself 48 hours to mourn without care. Do what you need to do to get it out of your system. And after that 48 hours - you need to start to deal with it and get back to your new normal. This gives you permission to feel what you're feeling and then start to find your happiness through hardship.

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