424. Awaken to Your True Self: Breaking the Spell of Modern Living - Ulrika Sullivan & Kara Goodwin

Kara-Ulrika Authentic Awakening

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Kara Goodwin: Hello. Welcome everybody. I'm Kara Goodwin, and today I'm joined by Ika Sullivan and I'm so excited to do this. We're, we're both taking a little bit of a different approach with this episode. We're doing a, a true co-creative episode, a true collaboration where we're gonna take one episode and we're gonna kind of go back and forth.

Where we're answering or asking each other questions, answering our questions. We're both authors, so we're going to talk a little bit about our books and have that be kind of the backdrop of the conversation. But I'm really excited to. Have this sweet soul. We've, we've had these beautiful connections over email and over Zoom and, um, I'm so excited to do this where we're truly in this collaboration.

So, Ika [00:01:00] welcome and thank you so much for being on the Soul Elevation podcast.

Ulrika Sullivan: Yes. And thank you, Kara, for being on New Light Living podcast. I, I just love this concept of co-creation and collaboration and bringing two souls together that have a lot in common to co-create something completely new. Yeah.

So I'm super excited that we're kind of, uh, putting this episode on both of our channels and, and, uh, um, collective community together that we are reaching with this episode.

Kara Goodwin: Yes, and I so enjoyed your book, wisdom Beyond What You Know It. We have such a reflection in our stories, so that has been really fun.

And you have come from a corporate background in the Hustle, in the Grind. We both come from the medical science bioscience. Industries. Um, we actually worked at competiting com [00:02:00]competing companies, um, over time without realizing it. But we're, we're, and we were mothers of growing families and really pushing ourselves to the limit, really kind of not respecting our own boundaries.

And it's kind of like go full throttle at all costs and striving for perfection. And so reading your story was, and you were so vulnerable and so open about, you know, the programming that you were in and where that programming came from. You know, watching your mom go through this and watching her seemingly handle it, handle it so great.

Although you were, you, your eyes were open to the stress that she was putting herself in, but there were no boundaries. It was, you know, I can do all of this and I will do all of this, and I will be the one to suffer in order for it all to happen. Um. And then taking that into your own experience. So I, and then it all falling [00:03:00] and finding the grace in that, finding the fear originally in that, but also finding the grace in that.

So before we really dive into wisdom, beyond what you know, why don't you share a little bit about your background? Give us a little bio for yourself. Yes.

Ulrika Sullivan: Yeah. And thank you for that, Kara.

We'll start with me and then we'll head over to Kara's story as well, because I just really wanna mention before we go into my bio that Kara has, uh, a beautiful book coming out soon, authentic Awakening, and we're gonna talk more about that, uh, of course. But it's, that's a, um, such a testament to the need for, uh, really truly integrating.

Our awakening into our daily lives and what the impact of that may be. And we'll, we'll talk much more about that, but I really wanna honor your new book. Thank you. That's coming out soon. Uh, and I really, uh, would recommend everyone to read it, so thank you. [00:04:00] Going back to, to my story, and thank you for inviting, uh, just a little bio there.

Um, I'm, as you said, we have a very similar path, uh, as it goes. I, I started out as a, uh, scientist, but I always felt that there was something that was missing, at least in the beginning. I think it was also, I, I identified myself with my job and that was my personality and my, my value came from my career.

But then the universe really, uh, stepped in and said, Hey, Eureka, there's something more here for you. So now it's time to, to awaken. To that authentic self and, and take it from there. But, uh, the identity, and I think that's very common for a lot of people that, uh, the way we're taught what successes is often through a, um, [00:05:00] path of, of work, uh, a path of either taking on, uh, the role of, of being a mother or a friend or a partner, husband, wife, et cetera.

But it's, it's when we realize that there's something more to the roles that we are taking on. And I think that that was really the journey for me to, to truly connect with who I am beyond all the roles that I, I had taken on, because that was really the, the purpose in, in life that I was then laid out as a, as a path for me.

And yeah, so I. I think the, there are many, uh, souls that can identify themselves with that seeking of who am I really. And, um, the beauty of it in, in my case is that I have gone through it. It has not just been an idea or a nice concept. [00:06:00] Um, there, there is some, some very real experience behind, uh, that transformation that I've gone through.

And I, I'm using it in my work, uh, as far as being able to identify myself, like identify with others and holding space for that transformation for others. And, and, um, I think that's, that's really the, my path. Uh, and I know, I know I do my life's work now, uh, as a, um. Spiritual life coach and galactic astrologer.

And I utilize my, my talents and gifts, uh, very effortlessly now, which was never the case before because all the strive and back and forth and being exhausted in my, in my past career, it's, it was so clear I wasn't alignment with who I truly was. And, and there was more. So I don't know if that helps, but [00:07:00] as a bio, but it's, it's something that, yeah, it comes with, um, a, a deep experience of, of that process that it takes.

Kara Goodwin: Yeah. Another thing that stands out as I'm listening to you, describe kind of where you are now and where you were. It felt like such a shedding, like reading your story, it was kind of this shedding of the identity and something that really stuck out is when you left university and you got your, I think it was an internship that you got with your company, first of all, and.

It was seamless. It was, it was so easy. It just fell out of the sky. There was no interview, there was no resume, there was just a phone call. Somebody put you in touch with the right person and it seemed like it fell out of the sky. It

Ulrika Sullivan: did. And it

Kara Goodwin: was so aligned with you for, even though it did have all of these challenges and you were going a thousand miles an hour and you know, you, you were, you had your [00:08:00] fingers in a lot of pies and there wasn't enough of you to go around, but it was serving a purpose while it served a purpose, and then it was kind of yanked out from you when the time, when it had filled it its purpose.

Um, but I think that, that it's so easy to look at our journey and to think before we woke up for ex, if we wanna think of it that way, before we understood ourselves as more than the ego, as more than this material existence, that we weren't living true to who we were. But there is this whole path for us and everything.

It can be instruments to get us to where we are. And I think that was a beautiful, um, example of that where it was like that that was for you, you know, until it didn't, until it wasn't working for you anymore. But it's not like you can look back and be like, well, I, oh, I really regret that. I wish that my life, you know, I was so out of alignment at that time.

It's like, well, that was serving you [00:09:00] while it was serving you, and clearly it was the right step for you at that time. Um, you know, so it's, it's absolutely, it's easy to look back, I think, into, to kind of poo poo where we've come from, you know? And not think that it think that it wasn't serving our purpose.

Right. But your story is a testament to. No, that was the purpose, that was part of the awakening, even though it may not look like it, you know, on the outside.

Ulrika Sullivan: Yes. So what was it for you, Cara, as far as if you, we include a little, you know, journey bio for you, um, and what was your kind of shedding, if you will, and, and.

What was the best thing that came out of that?

Kara Goodwin: Yeah, so for me it was, I mean, it was similar in a certain extent. I, I'll start with a little bit of a bio just so that your listeners can understand me a little bit more and, and what I offer. I have my podcast is a Soul Elevation podcast, so I'm having a lot of [00:10:00] deep discussions in a lot of different ways, just like we are having now.

Um, exploring consciousness really for a long time, for several years, my podcast was called The Meditation Conversation, but I was really like, meditation was maybe the first year, and then it was all these expansive consciousness conversations, really not talking about meditation. So finally within the last couple of months, really I rebranded to kind of encompass more of like, this is really about the soul.

These are conversations about the soul. Not so much really about meditation. It comes up now and again, but it's not really the focus. Um. And then my book, your Authentic Awakening, A Guide to Everyday Spiritual Living is out now as a soft launch and then it'll be out everywhere globally on April 21st, 2025.

Um, I work with people spiritually. Um, a lot of that is like meditation is my jam. That's kind of how I connect with spirit. That's how I [00:11:00] help other people connect to spirit. But really my work, I feel, is connecting people to the spiritual nature of life to that aspect of themselves, which is eternal. And I feel that this is such a core wound that we're, especially in Western society, that we are cut off.

So many people are cut off from that and they're living. Only in the physical, you know, where it's just the five senses I trust, the five senses. I trust what, you know, the, the powers that be tell me. And we're not connecting with that intuition that we're receiving. We're not connecting with the guidance from our, I like to call them my divine team, um, our higher self, however you wanna think about it.

So that's my passion is, is in, is folding in that aspect of ourselves for a more complete existence. The way that I got to that. It was through tragedy, unfortunately. Um, I was living abroad with my family, my [00:12:00] husband and two kids who were young at the time. Um, they're teenagers now, but they were in primary school, elementary school.

And, um, we just had a series of tragedies while, you know, while we were living abroad, um, my started with the death of my sister-in-law. She took her life. She was a very close friend of mine. Um, three weeks later, our dog died. A few weeks after that, my stepdad, who had been in rapidly declining health, was having a, an operation on his brain stem.

Luckily, he came outta that just fine. You know, there was some recovery, but I, you don't know when it's the brain stem. It's like, is he gonna be able to walk again? Is he gonna be able to talk? You know, it's, but he's doing really remarkably well. Um, then my mother-in-law just a few weeks after that, was hit by a motorbike while she crossed the street.

And this is a woman we're grieving the death of her daughter, and then she's in the hospital recovering from this trauma. And then, [00:13:00] um, a couple of months later, my stepmom was in the ICU with a failing heart and she had a lifesaving heart transplant and which is a huge, huge, major surgery. And so all of that was happening with my husband's family being in the uk, my family being in America, and we were living in Italy.

So we were kind of like isolated because you know, as each of these things are happening, regular life is happening as well. My kids are going to school, my husband's traveling for work. So it wasn't like we could really be with these people who were suffering that, you know, and were suffering along with them, and we couldn't even really be together very easily.

So. That really pulled the rug out from under me. I had been living, you know, by that time I was no longer working the corporate life. I had stopped working in order to move abroad for my husband's job. Um, but I really needed a lifesaver at that point because [00:14:00] li I mean, I, the, I just felt like the ground was always move.

I was, it was like my house was built on sand, you know, and it was like, what's gonna shift today? I just wasn't recognizing my life anymore. And, um, I turned to meditation for that. And it was, I had tried meditation before on my own. I had even tried to learn it there in Italy with some, you know, clinics that I'd come across.

But nothing was kind of moving the needle for me. You know, it's like when I was doing it by myself, it really ultimately felt like I was just sitting there closing my eyes and my mind was racing and I was like, well, I'm not really meditating. This is not what I hear about when people talk about meditating.

And then when I tried it in person, it was in Italian and I just, it was like too much of a language barrier where I wasn't really able to relax. I was just trying to ke to keep up. And so. I remember walking my kids, uh, I was walking home from dropping my kids at school and I just [00:15:00] had this inner dialogue with a God that I didn't even know if he existed, if he knew who I was.

Um, I didn't really feel worthy. I hadn't really been living a life aligned with spirit. So it was one of those like, well, I'm just, I remember when I was a kid and I used to talk to God in my head before I went to sleep, and I'm gonna do that because I don't know what else to do. I need something, you know, and I don't even know what I need, but I just need help.

And so I was like, you know, I've always been drawn to meditation. I've never been able to keep a practice, um, or get anywhere with it. So if meditation would be something that would help me through this time. Guide me, guide me toward, you know, a lesson on how to do it, or a teacher or like, help me find a way to utilize this practice if it's even the right thing for me.

And so then looking back, it's clear how quickly things [00:16:00] happened from that point. But of course when you're moving forward in time, it, there's so much going on. You know, I had so much going on in my life that. It wasn't as clear to me the synchronicities that started coming in, you know, the, I didn't even know what that word was at that time.

But, um, looking back, it's like, wow, things really started to take shape and, and the path really started to appear, um, from that point. But, you know, it wasn't like somebody, you know, came out of the sky and was like, okay, follow me. Young one. You know, it was, it, it, it happened, you know, in a more practical way, but also looking back with a lot of mystery.

So I began with meditation. I began with a very secular approach. You know, I wasn't, I, I wanted to keep the spirit. I wasn't so sure about the spiritual side. I didn't wanna get into any sort of cult or anything like that. So it was like keeping all of that part of it at bay while really just trying to understand like, if I do this with my breath, it makes my mind do this, [00:17:00] it does this to my nervous system, you know, and that's really what I was looking for.

And then over time. It became a much deeper spiritual practice, but that, you know, I was slower to accept that part of it. And now that's, that's what I meditate for, you know, is, is strengthening that part of myself. And that's how, like I said, that's how I, I help people. So, um, yeah, that's my, that's

Ulrika Sullivan: beautiful, Kara, because I think for both of us, it, it was a moment when we were open opening up to a different path.

Mm-hmm. And were open to see the, the possibility for something else. And, and for those who are listening or watching this, there will, there is always a moment where you are asked or getting, uh, an opportunity to choose a different approach from. What you've always done, and I think you so beautifully described your [00:18:00] process of, or your, uh, life story about how that opening happened.

And for everyone that might look different, but, uh, in hindsight it's like so evident to see that, okay, that was my moment where I was, uh, asked by the universe or, or whatever you wanna call this force beyond us that we are getting an invitation to align with. And that's right. That's so, um, and that opportunity is, is there for everyone.

But I should also say that. It's nothing that can be forced. Often it, we feel it comes upon us, this, uh, you know, rock bottom or whatever we gonna call it. But in, in hindsight, we see that it's a divinely orchestrated ba based on where we are in our soul journey. And I think that's the, that's the [00:19:00]perspective also, that there is a, some sort of plan, right?

If we call it plan, that's the logical way of, of looking at, uh, that word. But it's all this stress and, uh, struggle through our lives that we perceive being a stress and struggle, uh, is often the signs that we are receiving that we're out of alignment with that natural flow of, of our soul's journey. And I think those invitations that mine and yours that you're describing is.

Is something that is just, um, some sort of evolution in our soul's journey that we're offered at certain times.

Kara Goodwin: Yes.

Ulrika Sullivan: Um, so what's the best thing in your, you know, if you were to say like, 1, 2, 3 words about what the best thing is that has come out of your path so [00:20:00] far, uh, that you can say, okay, I love this.

Kara Goodwin: Yes, this piece. Well, there's some, what I would call like low hanging fruit, you know, where it's anybody who's gonna develop a meditation practice, it's, it's cumulative for one thing. So you'll feel better right away when you meditate even for the first time. Um, I say that and then I'm like, well, you know, I had all those experiences before.

It was like, it felt good, but I didn't really know what I was doing. Um. But once I understood like, oh, there's a method I can follow and, and there's a rhythm to it. And I got into that, you know, every time I meditated I felt better. But there is this cumulative effect. So it's never a one and done where it's like, oh, I meditated that one time three weeks ago, and now everything's great.

You know, it's this practice that we change ourselves as we meditate. And so the, the kind of low hanging fruit is a sense of in an [00:21:00] increased calmness, increased security, kind of that understanding that. I may have complications and challenges that come into my life because I'm living this human existence and I'm part of modern living, so things do creep up.

You know, there are relationship issues where somebody, I still get triggered or I might trigger somebody else and I have to deal with the fallout of that, or you know, things that I wish. To be part of my creation, take more effort than what I, you know, I wish I could snap my fingers and, and things kind of fall into place in my favor without a lot of work.

And, you know, that doesn't always happen that way. But there's this inner calmness that, you know, is more unshakeable and not completely unshakeable. You know, it's still, again, still part of this human experience and still experiencing human emotions, but, but it is much more of a calmness. Um, and, uh, [00:22:00] I don't get triggered as easily.

For me, that's huge. And it also emanates out. So it is the, the ability, you know, I love, I'm so honored when people will say, you know, that they feel calmer in my presence. And I mean, what a beautiful gift to be able to, um, feel that you're affecting people in that way. And then. In the book, I share some of the weirder experiences that I've had.

Um, I personally love when things get weird. That's when things get interesting for me. So, um, I'm one of those, I, I really relate to the memes that you'll see around where it's like, you know, you're at a dinner party or something and nobody wants to talk about past lives or aliens or, you know, purpose or any of these things.

And I'm like, I totally relate to that. Like, I really enjoy when things get weird [00:23:00] and from a, from a mainstream perspective. So I talk about in the book some of my quantum experiences as well, where I am drifting off to sleep, but I don't actually fall asleep. I start seeing things, I start getting, I start hearing things.

I start, um, you know, seeing geometric patterns or, um, sometimes I'll see like. Scenes from a different period of time. Um, sometimes insights come in all at once and I can see like all of these solu like, you know, one ideal solution to a problem that I'm having, but how it helps in like all these myriad ways that my conscious mind hasn't picked up on yet.

Um. And so that's really to me, this experience of myself as more than the human. It's, it's this experience of myself as pure consciousness and accessing other realms we could call it. It's, there are lots of different ways to think about it and I [00:24:00] think different people would describe it in different ways, but it would be accurate to say accessing other etheric realms.

I mean, I can at times perceive myself even moving through like a barrier between one consciousness level moving through like almost like a, in a way it's kind of like a birth canal, you know, where it's just this concentrated. Uh, area where things are changing very quickly, and then you get out on the other side and you're in, like, things look different, things feel different.

Um, and I don't, I often don't have a sense of exactly like where I am, you know, I don't have like language to be like, oh, now I'm in the sixth dimension, or anything like that. I just, it just is what it is. I'm like, oh, this is different from where I was, you know? Yes. Well, that's, and I've been here before.

I haven't been here yet,

Ulrika Sullivan: you know.

Kara Goodwin: Sorry, go ahead.

Ulrika Sullivan: No, I'm, I'm with you there. I love the weirdness of, uh, I think [00:25:00] we are gonna go from weird to, uh, natural. Yes. What you're describing now is very much, uh, the way I experience also where we're heading mm-hmm. As far as our own, uh, consciousness expansion as, as humanity is, is within.

And, you know, whatever is weird now, uh, number of years ahead of time here or in, in our time space continuum, it, it's, well, that's how it is. Yes. So, uh, I think how exciting will that be? Yeah. And, and to, um, demystify. That we are a multidimensional being that can experience in, in physical realm, uh, other realms at the same time.

And that's okay. Right? Yeah. It's, it's always been there, but it's this, uh, experience of, of it becoming part [00:26:00] of us. Now we're connecting with those parts of ourselves that are multidimensional. So I, I, yeah, I think we're, we're both very, um, love those called weird topics and, uh, and often it also is a, um, to be a way show of that, uh, and, and putting words to it or, uh, ways of connecting with others that, um, de.

Demystifies or, or lowers the fear around those types of experiences.

Kara Goodwin: Yeah. I love what you're saying about it. You know, eventually this, we're headed in a, in a way that it will become more understood and more commonplace. And I feel that people like Dr. Joe Dispenza, um, Greg Braden. No. Or, uh, is that right?

Yeah, I think Greg Brighton. Um, but you know, there are these more people taking a more scientific approach to the [00:27:00] mystical, and I think that they're starting to unlock some of the keys that would, that make it less mysterious and more like, oh, if you, if your body chemistry does this, if you help your body do this, or you help this chemical to produce in your pineal gland or whatever it is, then the result is you're more likely to experience these types of things.

Um, you know, and for me there's still that mystery to it. You know, it's not like I am doing a specific kind of breath work, and it is launching me consistently into other realms, but I think that we're getting closer and closer to that. And I think that there probably are people who have these consistent experiences.

Well, I mean, you can take mushrooms, you can take psilocybin and, you know. And, and still that's not gonna be a hundred percent. There are plenty of times that those don't launch you into another realm that you experience. But, [00:28:00] but that is a little bit more cause and effect. You're much more likely to experience that under psilocybin.

Um, yeah. But it, but you were saying you were gonna take it to the natural world too. And I know that through your book you talk about that, the importance of the connection with nature and you so beautifully outline like what it's, what we get from spending 30 minutes out in, you know, on a hike in the sun touching a tree, or, you know, even just working with like essential oils and taking that natural substance and what we get from that.

So can, can you share a little bit about what we experience through the natural world on this planet? Hmm.

Ulrika Sullivan: Yes, and I, I, I'm very passionate about, you know, the embodiment of, of our consciousness, basically, which is the connection with, with earth and our [00:29:00] elements that we are in here, in the physical plane.

And I love that you're bringing up the body because all of the, all of the experiences, I think what we are, do, what we are refining as human species is really how powerful the body is in terms of healing, um, abilities. And I think we we're just scratching the surface about how we naturally, the, the talents and gifts that we carry in our DNA, our soul, uh, we're, we're just starting to flower from within there when it comes to realizing what we're capable of in a human body as a soul.

And, uh. Um, you know, through, through, um, time we have been very much told what to do. Like, if you have an illness, you have to take this, this medicine, right? But that is not, that's an instruction that comes from the external. Uh, but what we're [00:30:00] discovering now and what you're bringing up too, and, and is how we discover our healing abilities in concert with our environment.

Because the, the environment is already whole. The earth is already, you know, in balance. It's, it's, it's us as the construct that we are. We, we, uh, so eagerly puts ourselves outta balance with our environment and, uh, to find that, uh, return to the natural flow both within and without is, is really, uh, powerful and, you know, nature.

I think sometimes we, we have our mind coming up with how, um, not important nature is or our environment. And we have, you know, historically come, come far too far away in a way from natural [00:31:00] flow of energy and frequency. And we're on our way back now to appreciate the, what, what we were placed in, and the environment that we were placed in, and the, the powers that are, are available to us at all time.

So I think that the path, as much as we want to have these high level conscious experiences right, as much we're also, uh, as a human being desiring to, to return to, uh, the physical realm and, and integrate with the earth and, and the, the senses. So I think that's part of authentic awakening, right? To, to balance that, uh, because the mind often wants to take us out of here and, and often that's mind driven.

Uh, but the soul is, is of a different caliber. It's, it's a, um, our soul essence is, is [00:32:00] part of it all, which means that we're part of as much the physical realm as el any other realm. Mm-hmm. So I think the, this is, this is the balancing act that we are in, uh, right now as humanity. Like how do we integrate this existence to be harmonious at all levels and not just, uh, expanding our, our, um, consciousness experiences beyond the physical, but also how do we experience nature?

Integrating your wisdom with a, with a tree's wisdom, for example. And, and, uh, taking a teaching from a plant that has, uh, been around for millions of years, way before, uh, being like us. So it's like this, this beautiful, um, dance. Yeah. I love that word. Dance. Yes. Well, if

Kara Goodwin: you [00:33:00] think about the, you know, you're a galactic, you know, you have, you help people to understand their galactic origins, and yet there's this really beautiful groundedness to your presence and your work.

And I love what you're talking about in terms of how the mind can convince us that. You know, this earth experience is inconsequential. You know, I mean, and that's kind of a little bit of where we've gone in the beginning of this, where it's like we were overvaluing, both of us have experienced like the physical is what I trust.

The physical is what I'm interested in. The physical is what I need to focus on and I'm gonna, that's what I'm gonna trust. And then it's been this expansion of like, wait a minute, there's more. And this interest in curiosity and exploring that more. But it's also, you know, I'm sure you exper you see this too and and have experienced it to some extent.

At some point. I know I have. Where it's like, [00:34:00] oh, I am a multidimensional being, I have these galactic connections. And then it's discounting the human experience. Like, oh, I don't even wanna be here. You know, I don't even, and, and personally I haven't gone that far, but I do know that that is like not uncommon where people, as they start to see that their star seeds or they feel this strong connection with another, with other star systems, it's like, I don't even wanna be here.

Why am I here? And. The importance of the human experience. And you know, you're, if you, he are here incarnated on the planet, it's purposeful, you know, you wanted to come, nobody forced you to come. And you've got these skills and your connections with the galaxy and the cosmos is critical for what you're kind of landing here.

The opportunity that not only you have to experience as a human, but also that these [00:35:00] cosmic energies that are part of who you are get to help the, the planet get to help the Earth. So it's kind of like a, a yes and you know, it's both. Um, but it can really help to change our perspective and get out of that loop of like, but I'm not even an Earthling.

I don't wanna be here. You

Ulrika Sullivan: know? I love that you bring that up. Um, yeah, because there is this, I mean, what I do is that I'm, I'm. Uh, sharing an energetic blueprint that includes galactic soul incarnations, uh, that really blows people's minds sometimes because it's, it's so expansive. But then, so the readings often are a download of, of like, wow.

And then the integration of that into daily life comes after in, in the coaching process, which is as if, if not [00:36:00] even more important than, you know, getting a download. And, and a, the, the sky opens up right through a reading, but. The most important work comes how, what do we do with that insight? How do we experience ourselves differently?

What are some of the perspectives that we want to change and integrate and how we show up in, in our daily life? Right? That's the work. And I feel as a, um, yes. Grounded, uh, person with, with this multidimensional perspective is that's part of my life's work to, to integrate and, and the, the galactic spirit multidimensional perspective with, yeah.

How do, can we, um, serve the whole, um, at the phys on the physical plane, right? And that's. That's what I believe also. You do Very much so. Uh, having read your beautiful book, most [00:37:00] of it, I, I didn't get through all of it, but it's, it's so evident that that's one of your passions as well to, to see this integration happen.

Um, because that's really where the value comes. Uh, it's not necessarily that we know the knowledge of knowing that I have galactic connections with the Platy or, uh, Orion Constellation and that our soul has had experiences in the past, in the past. Uh, but that we can also trace that to some of the energy playing out in our current life and understand the bigger picture in a different way.

But for you also, um. Uh, being so passionate about the integration of, and bringing it down to the sometimes simple daily lives and, and seeing something or another person, a relationship in a different light, that's where that, [00:38:00] that's where the impact Yeah. Happens in, in the small everyday choices that we make based on a, a different perspective.

So yeah, it, it's very easy that mine wants to get carried away with all these, for example, galactic. Yeah. You know, all these, uh, all kinds of things, right. And, and everything is right. Whatever our interest is, is, is right, in my opinion. Mm-hmm. And there's a reason for being curious about certain things.

But when we scale it back to our, our soul essence, like, what am I, what am, how am I showing up differently? Based on all the, the wisdom that I'm, uh, coming into. Mm-hmm. Like, that's a great question to ask ourselves. Like, how, how am I, uh, how am I showing up or running my life differently?

Kara Goodwin: Absolutely. Yeah.

You know, and another thing that, what you were just [00:39:00] saying and, and what I've read in your book too, brings up is the role of creativity and how we have this. And, you know, again, going back to our, our kind of origins and living in that kind of linear, fast, fast-paced way, but also within the confines of expectations, whether that is what our.

Employers expected of us, what we felt that we were expected to do or be as parents, as spouses, as citizens, kind of always raising our hands to be, you know, I'll do that, I'll do that, I'll do that. Um, yeah. But the, you know, it's all within kind of the confines of what other people expect, what, what we think they need from us, and then living in a more creative flow, um, that is [00:40:00] outside of the perspective of.

You know, main, the mainstream or expectations and kind of feeling into what is this moment call for and so forth. But do you wanna share a little bit about the role of creativity and, and how, what that has played in your awakening? Mm,

Ulrika Sullivan: yeah. And I'm curious about hearing your perspective on this too, and how it's linked also to what you said earlier about this inner calm, this inner, um, yeah, and, and creativity In my experience, I mean, I personally, I'm not that like traditionally good at painting, for example, but that's not what we're talking about.

Many, many, uh, you know, the expectations around creativity is that it, it's, uh, sometimes has to be through a, um, creating something for in form. But creativity that I've come to learn is very much our soul essence, like our, our inner child's playfulness in [00:41:00] whatever setting that we're in. And, uh, it's more of a pure energy, an innocent energy that comes with creativity.

And, and just as an example, nowadays I allow myself a lot more flexibility in my day in terms of what I, uh, actually have myself booked to do. And what that allows is creativity. The, the, the freedom that I give myself in terms of, okay, what is it that I feel drawn to today to work on? What is it that I feel excited about?

Is it like I give myself that opening to say, okay, I'm going to follow, you know, my inner, my inner, um, child, call it that. Mm-hmm. And I don't know where that leads me today. But I know it's, it's like [00:42:00] something I feel I have to do, and it's playful energy. That's creativity for me. And this is really also I've come to learn is when I know that I am in alignment because, uh, that's a big shift from having a to-do list and say, okay, I need to do these things today because I need to get this done.

Which is so common, right? How many years haven't we had a to-do list to, to take off? So it's completely different inner spaces in our, um, I call it, uh, some sort of, I, I feel it's very spacious inside as opposed to being very constricted inside and say, oh, I am tied to this to-do list. So, um, I think that's also a paradigm shift that we're in that.

We're aligning ourselves now with more of a spacious energy that takes us [00:43:00] somewhere, that takes us in a direction. And, and part of also that I know your, I love your, your chapter on bashful fear, um, what's called vanishing fear. Banishing Fear because it's to reclaim that sovereignty. And with that sovereignty comes an inner playfulness, an inner calm, call it that, or inner playfulness.

It's the same energy that we're connecting with. Um, that is, we can't be led wrong with that energy as a lead with any, but it has to come from within. And I think that's, that's really what I'm alluding to in, in, uh, in my book about creativity and, uh,

the. It's a big step to allow ourselves that flexibility and space in our lives. And it comes with [00:44:00]meditation, for example. Um, that is one tool to create that space. There's many other tools, but, um, yeah. How, how is that inner creativity? Where is that taking you?

Kara Goodwin: Yeah. Well, I love what you say. And there, you know, it coming down to the simplicity too, where it's like, even within the boundaries of creativity, we can feel like, oh, okay, the ways to be creative are to be artsy or to do creative writing, or be a poet or do performance or sing or play an instrument or whatever.

It's still like within the box of like, here is how we are creative, and I love what you're bringing in of the expansion of what creativity means. Like just being in that energy, that free flowing energy and something that, that, that sparks within me is yes, the to-do list, which I have [00:45:00] to admit, I still get satisfaction out of to-do list.

So I still do have a to-do list, but I am not afraid to take things off of my to-do list. If I'm like, Nope, that's, that's past now, that's not gonna serve. Um. But it, it not being a slave to it. And, and I then and I come up against that where I can, especially like the more that's on it, the more that I can just be really focused in like, I want to get these things done.

And there is a time and a place for that. You know, I wouldn't, probably the same for you wouldn't have been able to get to the point where I published a book if I didn't have some discipline. Sometimes that takes some planning and some sacrifice of like, yeah, I really would love to just go and dance with the trees and I also have a deadline, you know?

Yeah. But. The, you know, we can get in this auto automaton mentality where it's like, even just from the time we wake up, [00:46:00] until we head out the door for whatever it is we have waiting for us in the morning, we do the same thing at the same time every day. And it can feel that we are in a flow. It can feel very efficient.

So there's that side of it, and yet it can kind of keep us in this rut where we are just on autopilot and it's like, well this is what I do at 8 0 5. Yeah. And this is what I do at eight 10. Um, so it, it's that allowance of, okay, well what if I. Shake things up a little bit just to see what happens. Just to get some new energy in here and kind of give the space.

That's what I kept kind of feeling as you were talking about it, the spaciousness to allow new energy to come in because energy is in intelligence. It is. It's not like maybe intellect [00:47:00] intelligence, but it is intelligent. There is a cosmic intelligence that's running through all of creation and when we are so stuck in repeating the, what we've always done, we are just engaging with the same energies and not opening ourselves up to, maybe there's something different for me now, so I do like to, I do, I'm mindful in my own life, in the, the way that I live my life of, you know, of being.

Weary of being tied into like a specific, um, routine to the extent that I, you know, this is what I do at this time. I, I enjoy catching myself like, oh, you know, I could, a lot of times I'll just meditate as soon as I wake up, but today I'm being called to do my meditation a little bit later. Let's see where that takes me.

And it may not even, I may not even notice a [00:48:00] change, but I like that to push myself, to stay flexible and just let myself be carried in inspiration. Yeah. So,

Ulrika Sullivan: yeah. And then that makes me think of too, that it's, it's this balance again, right? It's necessary to have a structure, but what happens within that structure can be that creativity doesn't have to be the same, but it's like.

The structure has the, because that's my own experience too. I didn't have really a, any boundaries, especially how I let others influence me before. Mm-hmm. But with a structure, now I know who I am. I can also be freer on the insight to create, because I, I can, I know where my boundaries are now, and I can say, okay.

Yeah. So the, the essence of that creative force [00:49:00] grows with the, the more we know who we are, how the more we come into con contact, then remember who we are.

Kara Goodwin: Mm-hmm. I love that. So

Ulrika Sullivan: with that, what would you say? Kara would be like two, two tips or two resources, something that our listeners and viewers can take with them.

If they got inspired by this conversation, what would those two things be?

Kara Goodwin: Well, one would be just to, I, I feel this like loosening, like loosening the grip of everyday expectations and allowing that to, allowing that spaciousness, like what we've just been talking about, allowing the spaciousness to come in so that we can be more easily [00:50:00] led through inspiration of what is the next best thing for me for the highest good.

And you know, that may be. Maybe that's how people find, found this podcast episode, you know, where it was like, what do I need to hear right now? And there are things within this episode that really resonate that they can then explore nature or galactic or meditation, whatever it might be. Um, and the other piece to that is just that continuation of finding our own liberation.

And that does come through authenticity. So, you know, my book is called Your Authentic Awakening, and it's really about the, the life that we are here to live. And it's not always a straight line. From one point to another point, whether that is, [00:51:00] you know, we've both shared how our stories had a lot of meandering and wandering, and they've got us to where we are now.

But you know, you wouldn't necessarily expect where we were 20 years ago to have led to this conversation in public, you know? Right, right. And so it's that liberation that we have the opportunity for liberation that we have to kind of let go of the shackles of the mainstream and keep discovering the authenticity of who we are, not who we have been told we're supposed to be or not what we've been entrained to believe are the limitations of who we are, but rather the, the liberating all of that so that the real true US can shine through.

Ulrika Sullivan: Yeah. Oh, that's beautiful. Lots of wisdom there.

Kara Goodwin: Thank you. Well, and I would [00:52:00] love to hear you a answer the same question. So a couple of tips of what you would leave people with.

Ulrika Sullivan: Yes. I, the first thing that really made a difference for me was to dare to be curious about who you truly are. Um, if you've ever asked yourself the question, like, who am I?

And see what comes out, it's often a label of some expectation. But when, when we start to ask our ourself that question again, who am I really? And there, that's when the journey is starting. Uh, so that's the first thing. Dare to kind of ask that question, uh, to yourself and not. What other, like what other says.

Mm-hmm. Because it may be tempting to ask others like, who am I? Or what should, who should I be? But it, it is to use the tools that we have [00:53:00] talked about in this, uh, episode and meditation is, is not for everyone, but it's a, um, we can call it a communion with ourselves. And that's my biggest tip to kind of dare to do that, be courageous and curious in that energy because that opens a lot of other questions that we wanna ask ourselves after that.

Uh, right. And secondly, I would also, uh, partner. Someone because it's easy to be feeling that we are alone and, uh, very human trait to feel that we are, it's me and them, right? Which is also not part of truth is that we're not alone in all of our questions and discoveries that [00:54:00] we're making. 'cause there will be discoveries that we are here to discover.

Uh, I see that in everyone's astrology chart and galactic chart. What, what each individual soul is here to, uh, uh, discover that journey of both positive and negative experience sometimes, but it's easy to lean into the negative, uh, which is not, not always, um. Productive.

Kara Goodwin: Hmm. So I love that.

Ulrika Sullivan: Uh, yeah. That would be the second thing.

Um, I would advise to, um, yeah. Partner with someone who you feel that you can trust and that can listen to, to what comes up. Because it's a journey, it's a curio curious journey that we're on. Yes. Uh, to expand and to, um, feel who we truly are, not just based on what we see, but actually what's in [00:55:00] our heart.

So

Kara Goodwin: Beautiful. Well share how people can find more about you and connect with your work.

Ulrika Sullivan: Yes, my, I put out, uh, biweekly videos on YouTube under Reka Sullivan. So just search, uh, there and it has a galactic astrology reading there for every new moon, full moon. But I, my main work is really, uh, coaching. So I give readings as a download, uh, but I also, uh, coach and in for integration, and that's really where the juice of the work and everything is on my website, ika sullivan.com, uh, of what I offer.

So you are more than welcome there.

Kara Goodwin: Beautiful. How

Ulrika Sullivan: about you tell us how everyone can find you?

Kara Goodwin: Yes. So kara goodwin.com will have my book so you can get, you can. Get your copy now. If you're in the Continental US, I can ship you a signed [00:56:00] copy. It will be available globally starting April 21st on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and wherever you like to get your books.

Um, my podcast is Soul Elevation. So Soul Elevation. Yeah. Soul elevation podcast.com um, will get you all my episodes have been going since 2018, so oh, well over 400 episodes there to support your growth and, um, you know, my offerings, my, my meditation group and more, you know, getting a personalized energy transfer.

All sorts of things you can find on kara goodwin.com. And then social media, you know, uh, Instagram is where you can find me the easiest, which is Kara Goodwin meditation. I.

Ulrika Sullivan: Beautiful. Well, I think that wraps up our episode. Uh, I'm sure that, uh, whoever found this episode, uh, [00:57:00] found something a little nugget for yourself to take away from either Kara or I or something we co-created together here in this, this episode.

So thank you for watching and listening.

Kara Goodwin: Yes, thank you. And thank you so much, Ika. I'm so excited to have co-created with you. Thank you very much. Oh, thank you,

Ulrika Sullivan: Kara.

Kara Goodwin: Bye

Ulrika Sullivan: bye.