#131 - Advice to my younger self

Since August 2021, Happy Growing has been a big part of my life and there hasn’t been one week without a new episode. I have taken you on travels, recorded in closets in AirBnBs and somehow always had ideas and time that I wanted to share with you. Not to mention all the incredible guests & stories I got to learn about & share on Happy Growing.

I have been saying for a while how my life has been changing. In a way, it’s been changing drastically since I’ve started this podcast. But since last summer, more things have become clearer & clearer. I have found back to my dreams & been working towards them ever since.

With everything happening at the moment, I have decided to discontinue weekly episodes of Happy Growing. I don’t know when the next episode will find its way to you, but I know that it will.

There is so much happening in 2024 & I know that I will be telling you about it all. I can’t wait to see what I will be sharing with you first. I am so excited for 2024 & for this life!

Thank you for always being here & supporting me. It means the world. 

All my love,
Verena

Instagram: @happygrowingpodcast
Photography & Design: @eva_poglajen
Verena's Instagram: @verenaberndt_

Sometimes, your life turns out differently than planned. And that can be for many reasons. It might be that something unexpected happened, that you realised you actually want your life to be different, that your plans were dependent on another person and your relationship with them ended, or so much more.

No matter if your life changes for the positive or negative, you deserve to grieve the life you thought you might live. You deserve time to let go, say goodbye, or sometimes out your plans on hold and knowing that what you want will happen eventually, you just have to hold on a little while longer.

In this week’s episode, I talk about my current process of change and grieving a life I thought I would have. This episode is as personal and relatable as it is hopeful and full of encouragement and empowerment. Everything happens in its own time.

Instagram: @happygrowingpodcast
Photography & Design: @eva_poglajen

I don’t know about you, but for me, not following my dreams and fitting into society’s expectations and ideals instead, means living a life of unfulfillment.

This week, I talk about the internal conflict of following a life you want to life or doing it the way you should be. And the confusion of finding out what dreams and goals are really yours, and which you have been made to believe by others.
You learn how to find your right path in life and how you can embrace your freedom as an act of self-love and to support others.

If you were on your d3athbed, what would you regret doing/not doing?

Instagram: @happygrowingpodcast
Photography & Design: @eva_poglajen

Happy Valentine’s Day, lovely people. If you celebrate it or not, today and the past few weeks have been all about love.

As we know, the most important love in your life is the one you have for yourself. It’s about the connection and relationship with yourself. As I’ve shared with you before, I went through a journey of finding back to myself and learning to love myself again last year. So, I put together all the amazing things that helped me along my journey of finding back to myself and that I know can support you, too. And there are quite a few that came to my mind.

This episode is as much a love-letter to you than it is to myself. Always remember your worth and what you are capable of.

Instagram: @happygrowingpodcast
Photography & Design: @eva_poglajen

The love-at-first-sight-happy-ever-after-loves, don’t we know them all? Or at least from film and books? Or maybe even from our grandparents, the older generation? But what is the reality of a love like this now?

Our fast-paced modern society seems to be applying all-present overconsumption, capitalism and an unrealistic want for a perfect life driven my social media to the reality of modern love. Modern love is seeing too many options, ghosting, being indecisive, unclear about who we are and what we want and about ending things as soon as they appear slightly inconvenient.

But can this be changed? How could you find the fight partner for you? How can we bring romance back and build a partnership that stays?

Instagram: @happygrowingpodcast
Photography & Design: @eva_poglajen

Opening up is one of the strongest and bravest things you can do. It’s something that you can be incredibly proud of.

Though, many of us are finding it difficult to open up, and that can be for many different reasons. Maybe you haven’t learnt how to, maybe you were told not to talk about feelings or maybe you have had a negative experience being vulnerable with someone. No matter your reasons, it’s all human, normal and something that’s part of your journey.

This week’s episode is about vulnerability in our society, now and in different generations. I talk about my own experience with being told not to show certain emotions, and share ideas on starting your journey of being more vulnerable.

Instagram: @happygrowingpodcast
Photography & Design: @eva_poglajen

It’s always about the next big move in life. It’s about the career progress, getting married, having babies, travelling to certain places and all the materialistic wishes becoming reality. But none of this is ever something on its own. There is so much more.

If you think back in time, how many first kisses, great meals, good conversation, laughs and cries and even smiles come to your mind? I’m sure there are many. And weirdly, sometimes we don’t even know why something has stuck with us and grown into such a special memory.

This episode focusses on all the seemingly small beauties of life. How they can bring you more joy and excitement for the future, and how they can even help you feel more grateful and positive about the present moment.

Instagram: @happygrowingpodcast
Photography & Design: @eva_poglajen

With a lot of personal growth that’s been happening over the past couple of months, I’ve had a lot of understandings and insights surrounding myself that I felt I wanted to share with my past-self. And with you.

I’ve done an episode giving myself advice before, in December 2021 (Ep. 20). A lot has changed since then and at the same time, I feel like I’m getting closer to a version of me I used to be.

This episode is full of personal talk, emotional support, important reminders and proof that we are in this together. We’re all doing life together and I know that much of this episode will speak to you very directly (and kindly).

Instagram: @happygrowingpodcast
Photography & Design: @eva_poglajen

Many of us see January as a rather depressing month. It’s still dark and cold, but the holidays have just passed and there isn’t much to look forward to. We have to adjust to the new year and there might even be pressures put on us by the capitalistic stream of ways to ‘better’ ourselves for the new year.

But there are many ways of making this month, and the following colder months, much more enjoyable, fun and a beautiful start to creating a year with many things you have never done before. It’s all about perspective and what you create.

Let’s romanticise January, let’s be the main character, let’s get cosy, slow down and experience new things. Let’s start the year the special way.

Instagram: @happygrowingpodcast
Photography & Design: @eva_poglajen

At the beginning of a new year we are always bombarded with new ways and products and subscriptions and plans to make ourselves ‘better’. But most of it creates stress and pressure and is far off from actually improving our lives.

There are really only very few things that make your life better, and non have anything to do with trying to make you ‘better’ - because you are already amazing and unique just the way you are.

In this first episode of 2024, I talke about your most important goals to work on this year and all of them come from my own experience and personal growth. Happy New Year and always remember to show yourself love!

Instagram: @happygrowingpodcast
Photography & Design: @eva_poglajen