The Empowerment Diaries with Carleta 'Lita': Goddess of Growth & Life Coach

Pilot - Mindfulness and Self-Story: Navigating Life at 50

• Carleta aka Lita

Share episode

Send us a text

Mindfulness isn't just a buzzword—it's a survival strategy for navigating the complexities of modern life. Having reached the milestone age of 50, I'm sharing profound reflections on how our personal narratives shape our reality, and why questioning these stories is crucial for genuine growth.

Drawing from my experiences as a qualified hypnotherapist since 2009, I explore how hypnoanalysis and free association can help us uncover the often-false narratives we've carried since childhood. These stories—whether they're objectively true or not—influence our decisions, relationships, and emotional responses in ways we rarely recognize. Through practices like journaling, we can begin to identify patterns and question which parts of our personal mythology are actually serving us.

The heart of this episode centers on presence—that elusive state of being fully immersed in the now. As I've witnessed loved ones face unexpected health challenges just before retirement, I've come to understand that tomorrow is never guaranteed. The only moment we truly possess is this one. Using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and other practical tools, I share how to release anxiety, resentment, and overwhelm by anchoring ourselves in the present moment.

Perhaps most importantly, I discuss how we can all exist in the same physical world while experiencing completely different realities based on our individual life paths. This understanding makes comparison not only unnecessary but nonsensical. As we evolve and elevate our consciousness, it's natural for relationships to shift—these "little deaths" throughout life aren't to be feared but embraced as part of our journey toward becoming our most authentic selves. Join me in building a community where we can acknowledge both pain and joy as we support each other through life's continuous transformation.

Discounts 20%+ off Adaptogenic Coffee!
Enhance your day with London Nootropics' adaptogenic coffee. Perfect for focus, energy, and balance.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to and supporting *The Empowerment Diaries*! Your subscriptions help me maintain a consistent presence and continue creating meaningful content. As a token of gratitude, exclusive discounts are available to friends and supporters—be sure to check out the links in the show notes. Together, we can keep the conversation going and empower lives through every episode. Stay inspired, and thank you for being part of this journey!

Carleta aka Lita:

Yes, so welcome back., We're at episode five. Are you still with me? I am really so pleased to have this space. I've been wanting this space for such a long time and I understand at this moment there's a lot of talking to myself. I've gotten used to it. I've been on social media for a little while now and this episode is about setting the focus and the reason for the podcast.

Carleta aka Lita:

My whole goal in this space is to tap into a network and a community and, where engagement is encouraged, I'd love to be able to come on here and answer questions. I am no guru. I am definitely one to learn from the questions asked. I'm here to learn, I'm here to share my knowledge, I'm here to grow and I am really on connecting with people of like mind. In the meantime, my focus is very much on the story. I am really focused on my own self-healing and working with others focused on their own, also, building community, encouraging engagement, answering questions. There is a space on this podcast where listeners can send me messages. I would love to have some feedback on the previous episodes. I know they're short, bear with me. I understand that the average podcast is 20 to 40 minutes. Apparently. I have gotten used to working on platforms like TikTok and doing very short clips, so I need to really just get into that mode of speaking as I do to myself on a daily basis. I know again, it's been a long time since the last episode longer than I wanted anyway.

Carleta aka Lita:

I have been doing podcasts in my mind. There has been so many topics that have come up. Life is happening always, isn't it? I am 50 years years old, so it is to be expected that around me there are people that's transitioning from this world. Dementia, alzheimer's has been a feature, even with work, family. It really has brought it home to how we, or even I say plan life. I am in a space of tapping into today. There's no real future plan. I'm doing the best that I can to do the best that I can in this moment so that I can enjoy life as much as possible. It has been quite tiresome and a lot of the weariness has come from trying to go against the grain.

Carleta aka Lita:

I do read astrology, which helps me greatly. It allows me to tap into the time and the season. But I'm human. I often try to go against what I've read, beat the system, so to speak. But I'm learning quickly that actually you can have all things going on at the same time good things, bad things. It's all relative.

Carleta aka Lita:

Being able to take a breather, sit down and go into ourselves, regardless of what is going on around us, becomes priority. It's the prime focus for us to have creative ideas on how to move forward positively and also to exercise self-care. Mindfulness is the focus. So, as you know, I am a hypnotherapist as well qualified hypnotherapist since 2009. I love and enjoy doing therapy sessions. I do enjoy meditation.

Carleta aka Lita:

I am about using practical tools Practical tools to tap into the story. So hypnotherapy is one modality I really enjoy using hypnoanalysis. Hypnoanalysis is still using hypnosis to help clients relax. It's about focusing on the story. From childhood till now, there's a process called free association that we use to help facilitate clients to tap into their story, and it really doesn't matter if what we remember clients remember is true or not. What's important is to tap into how we are feeling about a given subject and do our utmost to try and elevate that feeling. I'm 50 now. I seem to love it.

Carleta aka Lita:

What I do note is that a lot of stories that we tell ourselves from childhood up just aren't true. A lot of the time, we make decisions based on the story and those stories can affect us our whole lives. I think emotional intelligence is understanding that many people, many of us, will have our own take and perspective on any given scenario and we will tap into our version of truth. I don't think that a huge percent of the population intend on lying. It's just that we see things in our own way. We have systems whereby, for example, if an incident happened, more witnesses are called forward so that the police can understand and get a better idea of what happened, because it's all relative. It's about our emotion at the time. When we're balanced, we might see something in one way. If we're upset, we'll see it in another, and how those emotions and feelings affect all the decisions that come next becomes really important.

Carleta aka Lita:

I am very much about journaling Write your story. Years ago, one of the sessions I had with a coach, I walked in and I was asked to take a seat, relax Candles were being burned and I was asked to write my story Beforehand. I was asked the question as to what my favourite story was as a child and I do remember saying actually I quite like Cinderella, and the coach had said well, you know she was a woman, of course. I say of course, but she actually didn't particularly like the fairy tales and often the fairy tales that we tend to latch on to are those that we identify with and that was a bit profound for me. I never really thought about it that way until then. I started journaling more frequently. I had started before then, but this was different Journaling, not with the idea of sharing it with anyone, but taking some time to sit down and exercise self-care and just put all your experiences down from zero till now.

Carleta aka Lita:

Each time you do the exercise, different things will come up and put it away for a while and then, when you've got another opportunity, take out the journal, take out your work and really start reading through, questioning what in your story is true, how many of the events that you can recall that you're still carrying with you that are actually true. For example, when people talk about finances and definitely we understand in the UK the value of a £5 in 2025 is very different to the value of a £5 in, say, 1970s. This is the kind of understanding that we need to tap into when we're telling our story, because what we accept as okay, that sounds reasonable today, may not have been reasonable years gone. I was raised in a generation where corporal punishment was the norm. In fact, I was quite fortunate I'm a 70s baby, so by the time I got, prior to that, my parents and their parents they would have been caned or they had their ruler used on them to enforce discipline. Today we have politicians talking about banning all forms of corporal punishment. So, time and season, what was acceptable then is not acceptable today. Our awareness changes is not acceptable today, our awareness changes. So, even judging our past story and carrying that story, we need to at some point acknowledge that that story is possibly what's blocking our progress today.

Carleta aka Lita:

And the fact of life is we attempt to live this life based on yesterday's experience. But today is all new. Even if we do not always see it, and I am known to go into a day and almost forget that is a new day. I do use practices now to make sure that I am as present as possible. It took me a long time to get to this point and I know I still have a long way to go. It's the focus on being present that helps a lot of us deal with our anxiety. It's the focus of being present that allows us to release all kinds of uncomfortable feelings Jealousy, resentment, anger, stress. The feeling of being overwhelmed often comes from focusing on yesterday, worrying about tomorrow and, trust me, I have had a lot of time in my life worrying. I am still working on it. In previous episodes I discussed my use of emotional freedom techniques and I am using emotional freedom techniques on a daily basis.

Carleta aka Lita:

My mornings start with a wake up. I love to use the hope process as I give gratitude for the day, ask for forgiveness and tap into the moment as much as possible. There has been sadness. One of my closest family members just recently this year found out she was not so well. My faith is such that I understand fully. The time here is short and it is for us to make the most of it. So many dreams and aspirations, so many ideas as to what life would be like now To see someone looking forward to retirement, only to find that they will not be in great health when retirement comes. It is a reminder that the only time we have is now.

Carleta aka Lita:

I am really keen on being part of and building a positive community, one that acknowledges pain, acknowledges that there are a number of things that we need to do whilst we go through birthing process. Life is not easy. I know there's a trend of putting smiles on faces and imagining things are all okay. I think this is like a positive movement let's be positive and things will be positive. And on a level, apparently, science does concur If we think and speak positively, things will be positive. You cannot force your core to think something it doesn't think, and that's where practices like emotional freedom techniques, hypnotherapy, having a positive peer group those kinds of things come into play whilst we go through our individual and collective birthing process, to encourage us to tap in, feel what we feel in this moment, check in on our beliefs, our story, really tap in and let it go. Emotional freedom techniques can help us tap in immediately. It may need a few sessions and I am most comfortable in facilitating sessions, either on a one-on-one and or group setting.

Carleta aka Lita:

This podcast is about connecting with others. I'd love to hear your story. I'd like to use this platform and this opportunity to talk through your story. I've mentioned before I like to read astrology. One of my interests is what they call the perfection chart.

Carleta aka Lita:

For the first time in my life, I've made a breakthrough in understanding how we can all be in this world but live in totally different worlds. We really do have completely different paths, so much so it's nonsense almost to compare ourselves with others. We'll have one person that is in the stage of life, phase of life where this year and maybe the next couple of years, their whole focus is about career, finances, and so another focus may well be about home, family, the past. So we're all channeled into our individual development areas and somehow the universe has us connecting with each other and supporting each other and guiding each other, but never forgetting that our individual path is what is to have our focus. We are the center of our hub. Having that understanding of how we fit in individually helps us connect intellectually, emotionally, spiritually to anyone that comes through. I am now seeing this life as a picture resonant of what's in my mind, in my soul. I fully understand that whatever comes to me is a direct resonance of what's within me. So the souls I'm hoping to attract will mirror the development and the steps that I am going through now and join the conversation.

Carleta aka Lita:

It's my understanding for podcasts to be successful, one needs to have a guests on to interview and have a discussion. I need to meditate on that and I would like to get more into the flow of sharing some of those thoughts I have where I seem to have a podcast all in my mind. I just don't take the mic out to speak about it. So this is episode five. And again, this is just five snippets, five episodes, just to set the context as to what my guests, my listeners, can expect. I would really love your feedback. Let me know what it is that you've liked about the podcast, what you haven't liked about the podcast. Let me know what you anticipate you will hear.

Carleta aka Lita:

Next. I have been working up in my mind a idea of having a retreat from my home. This is almost two years now in the running and I've changed focus again. I would really like to do retreats, but I think not in my home. I have made the decision that I would like to start it by doing online retreats. A friend of mine I met on TikTok a good couple of years now told me that she did online retreats and we'd spoken about it just briefly. I didn't listen too well because I was so focused on doing something from my home, but I've come full circle. So I will be looking at how I can go about doing online retreats. My activities I will be updating on my website. We've got the Buzzsprout link where the podcasts are hosted, and I do have a website that I'm working on because there'll be other links and opportunities in there to focus on coaching, self-development, wellness and, hopefully, the retreat.

Carleta aka Lita:

Hypnoanalysis is one of my beautiful therapeutic tools. I really enjoy it. That takes some commitment for anyone that wants to tap into their story in a one-to-one setting. That can't be done in a group. It's a very personal service and it does allow us to see our cycles, our life cycles.

Carleta aka Lita:

We get to an age where we understand the things that might annoy us in others often are something in ourselves, often are something in ourselves. You know the daughter that ends up doing things like the mother, the sibling that notices the father's behaviour, and you know that kind of thing, and it is then important, as we age, to learn to start to embrace it all good, bad and indifferent. It's not easy, I know. We aren't saints, we're human but to understand that everything that is going on is part of us, otherwise it just wouldn't be in our periphery. As we rise up and we support each other to be the best that we can be. Our life changes the housing, what we eat, our connections, connections, the type of conversation when you're journaling. Look back at your life. I know as we age, there's the conversation as to if you're still in contact with whoever you were in contact with in childhood or at a decade, at a life change. Some people, they have the same friends for life and that's their path.

Carleta aka Lita:

I have now understood that when we're changing, it is expected that significant people will change because you've elevated your mind, you've elevated your life. If people have not moved with you, they won't be with you when you've moved forward. We experience many little deaths throughout life and often we're very encouraging of others to go towards their goals. Move forward. Now is the time to embrace those little deaths, not fear them, because ultimately those little deaths are encouraging us to be the best versions of ourselves, letting go of all the unnecessary baggage.

Carleta aka Lita:

So thank you for being here. I am going to leave you now and look out for me. I do hope I will find some kind of communication towards the end of this podcast. I would look forward to you joining me as a member of the community and if you have any questions or suggestions, I'm open to it. I'm focusing on tapping into the divine feminine within. I'm here to offer life coaching, hints and tips for personal growth. It's all about empowerment. I'm open to listening and I would definitely love some interaction in the future. Thank you for being here.