Keep Looking Up with Caroline Kraddick

In this week’s I share my experience at improv and getting out of our comfort zones to the 6-4-2 rule to obsessions and more! Tune in! Keep looking up!

On Episode 40 of this week’s , I’ve talked about my skincare routine on social media but I decided it was time to devote a mini-episode to skincare, one of my passions! I run through my exact day/night routine and share the three things that have transformed my skin - skin cycling, BHA’s & repairing my skin barrier. I break everything down so if you’re a skincare newbie, I got you. Let me know if you have any questions at all and like I said in the episode, do your own research based on your skin’s needs! All the products I used are on my stories and LTK/Amazon storefront (link for both in my IG bio!)

This week at , I took a poll recently and y’all wanted me to talk about making and maintaining friendships. I go into the phases we all go through during different times and types of friends we all have at some point in our lives and their purpose. I also like to emphasize how you should not put pressure on your friends to be the answer to all of your needs. It’s the joy of friendship and appreciating the core group that we have in different points of our lives! Let me know what resonates with you! Keep looking up on it! (This will also make sense once you listen to this week’s podcast!)

It’s a new month which means it’s a new book for KLU Book Club! The Four Agreements is basically required reading in my family, it was my dad’s all time favorite book that he would quote constantly and really implemented the teachings into his every day life. If you didn’t read the book, don’t worry because I recap the Four Agreements and discuss the biggest takeaways from it so there is still an opportunity to learn! Since I talk a lot about self help and growth on the , I’ve been drawn to my spiritual favorites but sometimes they can feel woo woo and overwhelming if you’re just beginning your growth journey. So for next month’s book, we will be doing “Hello, Molly!” by Molly Shannon which is a memoir but feels like a self help book because Molly is leading by example and teaching you things inadvertently by sharing her life experience in a light, refreshing but poignant way. I highly highly recommend listening to Molly read the book instead of reading it, if you can, because hearing her inflection and timing truly makes the whole experience so much better. If you have any books you’d like to be included in Book Club, please let me know!! Keep Looking Up!

After my incredible weekend in Vegas seeing ’s new limited residency, I just had to give a recap of the highlights, talk about how we all should have a “North Star” to look to emulate and go ahead and play my interview with Kelly again in case you missed it the first time! I hope all you Miss Independents enjoy!

We’ve explored many sides to my dad over the last couple of weeks on this series. My dad was known for his humor, creativity and kindness but as we’ve discussed in previous episodes, Kidd had a talent for finding and cultivating young talent. So it was no surprise that what started out as a radio bit that resembled “Making The Band” turned into an actual real boy band that opened for major artists like Janet Jackson and Destiny’s Child. Dr. J Mack Slaughter was the youngest member of that band and someone I have known since I was a little girl completely enamored with all the boys in the band that my dad created. J Mack’s journey with Sons of Harmony led him to LA where he was incredibly successful, landing numerous television shows and a movie with Kenan Thompson. Even though he was at the top of his game, J Mack felt incredibly unfulfilled so after some soul searching, he left his life in LA to move back to Texas to pursue a career in emergency medicine. Betcha didn’t see that one coming! J credits my dad for his career in medicine and we had the most beautiful conversation about my dad’s impact on him. To make things even more full circle, my dad’s death brought us both back to music, playing together for numerous gigs benefiting Kidd’s Kids or just for fun with my old band CC & the Dad Bods. 😂 Speaking of Kidd’s Kids, J Mack is now one of the physicians that attends our trip in November every year. Although J Mack is an accomplished doctor with a huge social media following, with his own nonprofit organization and a family of his own with three incredible children, I will always remember him as the incredibly generous and earnest sixteen year old. Backstage at Jingle Ball at Six Flags, sitting down with a ten year old, four eyed little girl at craft services. J Mack and I are connected in so many ways at this point, my dad made sure that he would always be in my life in some capacity. Another example of how my dad is still protecting me and for that I’m extremely grateful. I hope you all enjoy. .jmack

We are back with another episode of for Kidd Kraddick Legacy Month, this time with the men of the show and . I find the older I get, especially with my career ventures and passions being so similar to my dad’s, I find myself craving his advice, direction and validation. The beautiful thing about this series and with having the radio family my dad left behind so accessible to me is that the advice, direction and validation can come through them now. JSi and Al gave me some incredible insight, as they spent years observing and learning from him. The most interesting part of this podcast was their answer when I asked what the trajectory of the show and everyone’s career would have been if dad hadn’t passed. As we discussed last week, the fact that the show is still going is a testament to the loyalty and connectedness of the cast. As a daughter, it makes me incredibly proud to see them carrying the show on and continuing to influence people in positives ways every single day. We cried but we laughed a lot too. I hope you all love it.

I have been working over the last few months on a very special project to commemorate and celebrate the beautiful legacy of my dad, in honor of the 10 year anniversary of his passing on July 27th. For the whole month, is dedicated to interviewing people who knew him intimately and were inspired by him.
I’ve had many full circle moments while doing this podcast but this interview with Kellie Rasberry takes the cake. The way I see it, without Kellie there would be no Kidd. That famous Kraddick Rasberry chemistry was tangible to everyone who listened. It was usually a rollercoaster of roasting, pushing each other’s buttons in a way only they knew how and some tender moments. Like when Kellie told my dad that he was so hard to shop for that she was going to bring back his mother from the dead for Christmas 😂
Kellie has been on the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show for 29 years. To have a career that long in such a mercurial industry is impressive but being on the same show for 29 years is almost unheard of. We conducted this interview in my dad’s radio studio that he moved into in 2001, where the show still continues over two decades later and I got to stand in his spot and interview his “work wife.” It doesn’t get much more full circle than that. We had a very candid and cathartic discussion and I think y’all are going to love it. Thank you Kellie, for everything!

Wrapping up June by sharing some of my favorites from the month ! I share my recipe for the “nature’s Gatorade” that I’ve been making before tennis, the formula to smell like a heavenly summer goddess and my favorite show. Have you guys seen the cottage cheese/chicken sausage/mustard trend that’s going around? Would you try it? Let me know!

You may know her from TikTok or IG as but to me, she’s my bestie from college, Ashley! Within minutes of being reunited, we were back to being those two Texas girls in the same musical theatre program with rollers in our hair, crying over a boy in a sandwich shop. Not at the same time, of course. It’s no wonder Ash has built such a big community of followers on TikTok in a short amount of time. She is vivacious, hilarious, supportive & relatable so I’m excited to share her with those of you who don’t know her yet. We had a wonderful conversation about transparency on the internet, the ability to disconnect work from self worth and of course, we took many strolls down memory lane. Be sure to check out our GRWM and let me know what you guys thought of the episode!

Another solo episode! A little bit of Q&A from you all, a little life update and a little perspective on happiness is not a destination but a choice that we have to make daily. Connecting with you guys and hearing you share stories and ask questions is one of the things I am most grateful for on this platform so just a reminder that I love you all!

It’s the first book club episode of ! In case you missed it, we are doing a community book club and the first book was “Ask and it is Given” by Ester and Jerry Hicks. As I was recording this episode, I realized I picked quite a heady book that may seem mystical and woo woo but I explained the science behind it and the impact this book has had on me. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from it!
◦ You are co-creating with God/The Universe to make your perfect life. Any desire that is on your heart was out there a purpose and all you have to do is program your mindset to believe that you are worthy and able to receive those desires.
◦ There is a three step process to manifesting and the second step is where people usually get stuck and don’t see their desires come to fruition. The first step is to simply state the desire. The second step is to keep up the thoughts matching it. This means believing that it is already yours but more importantly, that you are worthy of receiving these blessings. If you don’t believe that you’re deserving of these manifestations, your brain will always find a way to prohibit you from accomplishing them. The last step is to let go, not fixate on it (because your focus will be on the lack of whatever it is you’re trying to manifest) and let the universe/God set everything else up for you, including the timing and people involved.
◦ Road trip analogy - if you know you’re on the way during a 14 hour road trip, you can choose to say “Are we there yet?” and fixate on how uncomfortable you are or how your friends are going to arrive at the destination before you. Or you could….enjoy the ride. You know you’re going to end up at your destination at the time you’re going to be there, no use in stressing about the process.

The ten year anniversary of my dad’s passing is next month so to honor him, I am interviewing influential people in his life for every episode in the month of July. Along with that, the book club next month is my dad’s absolute favorite book that he read every year, “The Four Agreements.” So I hope you’ll join me for next month’s book club!

We’re live! After six years, is releasing her most personal album to date, “Chemistry,” on June 23rd and we got to talk about her writing process, how the music industry has changed since her last record, processing heartbreak and more. I have had Kelly’s face on my vision board as a dream guest for this podcast for almost two years and I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that she took the time to speak so vulnerably and openly with me. Available anywhere you stream podcasts!

Yes, you’re reading that correctly. I had high hopes when I started that I would get to speak to really impactful people that were willing to share and be vulnerable at the hopes of helping others. Never did I think I would be able to sit down with one of my literal idols…no pun intended, about heartbreak & her new album, musical theatre and our love of baths 😂 but here we are!
Be sure to check out my interview with on tomorrow’s episode, available on all podcast platforms.

I didn’t really have a choice on the topic for this week’s as this topic has been popping up in various forms lately and that’s grief. I’ve discussed grief before but didn’t share any tips (there aren’t really any) or perspective shifts that I’ve had about the topic so I thought I’d share that today. I get messages all the time asking how to “get through it” or “move on.” The fact of the matter is, I don’t think you ever do. Nor should you want to! The reason the pain is so big is because the love was so big, grief is unexpressed love. We don’t want to live with pain & sadness but we would not have those feelings without first having love and connection. Grief is a messy, unfamiliar, earth shattering tax on love. And it’s a tax most of us are willing to pay to have deep love in our life. And I think that’s beautiful. Keep looking up.

This week’s episode of is for the single girlies! Since I’m back in the dating world, I decided to dedicate this podcast to sharing some first date tips that will help you operate authentically while meeting new people. There are so many “rules” and games that are played at the onset that I don’t want to perpetuate because sometimes adding extra pressure or rules can add so much stress, so these are just things that I’ve been doing that have helped me keep a positive mindset and have a little fun along the way. What is your number one rule for dating that you always stand by?

This week’s , I share updates on exciting news happening in my life and the significance of the timing of it all! It’s all about trusting life’s timing and trusting that every moment is exactly right where it should be. And how to look at the timing of events in your own lives and the meaning. I also address the subject of fear and ways to learn from and also not be paralyzed by it! Tune in and DM your thoughts!

I was going to do an episode on about my female idols but that will wait until next week because I have learned far too much from last year’s birthday to this years birthday, not to share with you! I spent a lot of birthdays in my 20’s feeling like every year was just a reminder of all the things I hadn’t accomplished yet or milestones that my friends had met that I hadn’t yet so there was always a tinge of sadness in every birthday. After enduring some hardships earlier this year, I realized that just because you’re facing adversity in the moment, it doesn’t define every other aspect in your life. Yes I experienced some grief and loss this year but I also had a lot of moments of joy and accomplishment! The morning walks, dancing on tables with my friends in Mexico, launching a new podcast, settling into my first home, enjoying a new city, healing and working on new music. This was one of the best birthday’s I’ve had in a while, not because I had an insanely lavish celebration or trip but because I had the realization that I everything I could ever need or want and whatever I think I don’t have yet, will be mine when it’s time. If you have a hard time with birthdays or need some perspective on growth and getting older, I highly recommend listening to this episode!

This week’s : Journal THEN coffee. It’s the new golden rule, y’all. I talk a lot about journaling and what an effective tool it can be for regulating emotions, cultivating creativity and it’s basically free therapy. But there was a time I would open a blank journal and dread would overcome me, feeling like I was back in high school with a book report that I didn’t know how to start. So in this weeks episode, I walk you guys through how to habit stack to make sure journaling becomes part of your routine, how to start from scratch, some prompts and different journal techniques. I hope this inspires you to start this great habit for some self care because you all deserve it 😊 Keep Looking Up!

NEW ! I’m back with the shorter solo episodes! This week, I talk about the best things I’ve learned in therapy. They are things I’ve been working on over time and great tools to keep in your arsenal when you need them. Sometimes these small phrases and tips really have long lasting impact so I hope this is as helpful for you guys as it’s been for me!

NEW ! I’ve had some major changes in the last few months that has ended up affecting the podcast, in a positive way. I felt the call to share my journey and how I’ve been handling my mindset during a challenging time and so many of you resonated with it. So after many hour long, pour my heart out episodes, I’ve decided to start condensing the episodes to digestible small topics. I still have some ICONIC guests coming soon but everyone seems to like the solo episodes so I will continue with more of these. So of course for the first of these smaller episodes, we are talking morning routine. I got lots of interest when I talked about the Millionaire Morning concept by Mel Robbins and I put my own spin on it that works for me. So I share those five things that are non negotiable for me and how transformative this small routine has been for my mental health and productivity.

BOOK CLUB - after many many requests, we are finally implanting the KLU book club. At the beginning of every month, I will announce the book and I will have an episode out about the book at the beginning of the next month. The first book is “Ask and it is given” by Esther and Paul hicks and I will be talking about the book on June 1st. Stay tuned for more details on how I want y’all’s opinions and questions for the episodes on the book. I’m excited for this!

NEW EPISODE! As we know, I’m in my healing girl era and I’ve been taking the time to focus on myself and doing “the work” but what does that really look like and mean? This is what I discuss in today’s podcast! We always hear about the meditating, journaling and self work we should be doing but how do you start and when is it actually affective? I’ve had some breakthroughs in this area lately and I wanted to share my experience with all of you who are working on yourselves. I’m the happiest I have been in a really long time and I hope me sharing the tools on how I’ve helped myself get there are helpful for you too. Keep Looking Up!

This week’s episode of was extra fun, thanks to my friend from ! If you want to hear what is trending in weddings and events this year, tips if you’re trying to start a career in events or how a Gen X’er and a Millennial stay connected to new trends in general, you’ll want to give this episode a listen ✨

We’re back from our little sabbatical and there’s a new episode of live now! I have a life update and spoke about grief and the lessons I’ve learned over the last few months but I wanted to keep it semi-light, so this is an Obsessions’s episode! I discuss my spring/summer fashion favorites (the Canadian tuxedo is back in a major way) and the Coastal Cowboy aesthetic that is sweeping TikTok. I’ve linked all the outfits from my latest haul on .ltk so be sure to check it out by clicking the link in my bio or using to LTK app and searching my name 😘
https://liketk.it/44tMT

I am so freaking pumped for today's episode. This is a guest that I have been dying to talk to for awhile now, and we attempted to do a podcast together, probably like 10 months ago, but we both had some major technical difficulties and then she's just booked so I'm so grateful that we're able to circle back and do this interview with the one and only Monica Aldama from Cheer. I'm sure all of you watched Cheer Season 1 on Netflix during the pandemic and then Season 2 premiered about a year ago. I caught up with her on what life has looked like since the show. She's been on Dancing with the Stars and even has a best selling book! She is killing it, so it was really good to catch up with her and it's wild because I am from the DFW area, and when I first heard about Cheer I was just so shocked because the school is just 50 miles away from DFW-- from Dallas where I live, and they're winning national championship after national championship, and most people had never heard of them. Then they have this Netflix show, and Monica even says she thought it was going to be very popular amongst the cheerleading community, but they never expected the outreach to be as big as it was. I think a lot of that is because of the dynamics and the relationships that they showed in the show.
Monica's known to be kind of a tough perfectionist, and she expects the best from everyone and from her students. But as you watch, and see that she is kind of the mentor and a mother figure that a lot of these kids do not have growing up. I just really admire that. And she's showing that women can be both tough and soft. She has this incredible work ethic and drive, but always remains a soft place to land and a great listener to these kids. She gives such great advice. I need a Monica in my life... I’m trying to con her into going to dinner with me and becoming my life coach, because I think we all need a little Monica in our life. So this was a great interview. Let's just get into it. Here is Monica Aldama from Cheer.

Today’s may be my favorite solo episode I’ve done thus far! Last week, I talked about lesson’s I’ve learned lately and this week I share some tips and tricks that I’ve learned along the way to help me persevere during challenging times or when I’m in a funk. I’ll be going more in depth posts soon on IG but until then, listen to the podcast. I discuss my favorite motivational podcasts to listen to when I need extra encouragement, how to choose a better sad when you’re struggling with depression & anxiety, and how by tapping into things that used to bring me joy as a child, it makes me feel more like myself. Be sure to check out the podcast (all the info on where to listen is in my linktree in bio on my IG page) and I uploaded a new list in my store called Podcast Recommendations where I linked all the wellness goodies I shared as well, also in my linktree. Hope you guys love it, let me know what you think!

🌟 New Episode 🌟 It’s a solo episode this week where I share the lessons that I have experienced in the last chaotic couple of weeks. Most importantly, as a good friend of mine said, we need to stop hiding our valleys. Especially on social media. If we only see everyone’s peak and view from the mountain they just conquered, it can feel extremely alienating. So I learned last week that by sharing my challenges at the moment, it made a lot of you feel seen and understood. There is nothing better than the connection that comes from being vulnerable and that is why we are here. Be sure to give it a listen, this one is important. Love you all.

Let’s go ! Watching some football and preparing for the week ahead after a doozy last week. We did not have a new podcast last week with all the craziness with my little Ollie boy (I made a highlight with all the info if you don’t know what I’m talking about) but if you need a great one to listen to to make 2023 a good one, I highly recommend this one from . If you choose to accept the challenge in your podcast, I promise you, you will notice a huge difference in your attitude. Let’s have a magical week 😘😘😘

The final podcast for 2022 is officially live! or carolinekraddick.com to listen! We did a recap of some of my favorite moments thus far which reminded me how lucky I am to have this platform to interview such open and vulnerable guests. If you’ve missed a couple episodes, this is a great episode to get caught up before we start the new year.
GIVEAWAY - told me about Atomic Habits by and it totally transformed my year so I’m giving away 5 copies so you can start the new year on the right foot. All you have to do is comment your favorite moment or guest this year and you’ll be entered.