Plucky Not Perfect Podcast

Afraid of a Colonoscopy? Here’s What Helps (#42)

Fearful about getting a colonoscopy? I’m sharing practical colonoscopy prep tips, ways to manage anxiety, and encouragement for facing the fear of cancer screening.
As a stage 3 colorectal cancer survivor diagnosed through colonoscopy, I explain why early detection matters and talk through the three most common fears. 
You’ll learn simple strategies to make prep day easier, calm your nervous system, and feel more confident and relaxed going into the procedure.
Resources
Colonoscopy Prep Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/08ACyCt6R5lgsXyV9kPLMp?si=650315d96cc6441d
Recommended Podcast: What Everyone Gets Wrong about Colonoscopies: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iR5kJk050nCCCW7oyKI3F?si=81e415a6d2664ca5
If this episode helped you, please share it with someone preparing for a colonoscopy. And reach out to me at thecarriejobradley@gmail.com or on Instagram to let me know any results you want to share or any questions you have. 

How to Finally Feel Worthy (Without Achieving More) (#41)

What if the thing you’ve been chasing was never the thing that would make you feel worthy?
In this episode, I explore the arrival fallacy—the belief that once we hit a certain goal, we’ll finally feel happy, fulfilled, or “enough.” From striving for the perfect body to chasing achievement and simply trying to survive hard seasons, it’s amazing how the target keeps moving.
I realized that worthiness isn’t something you earn; it’s something you choose to believe.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly proving yourself or waiting to arrive at “enough,” this conversation will meet you right where you are.
Listen to the end for a simple journaling prompt to root this idea into your daily life.
Connect with Carrie:
Instagram: @CarrieJoBradley
Email: thecarriejobradley@gmail.com
If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts—it helps more people find Plucky Not Perfect!

Seeing Beyond the Darkness with Blind Storyteller Anne Mok (#40)

What does it mean to be plucky when life keeps throwing the unimaginable your way?
Carrie sits down with author, advocate, and newly-trained voice actor Anne Mok to explore resilience—not as a personality trait you’re born with, but as something forged in the hardest seasons of life.
After facing vision loss, chronic illness, grief, and caregiving challenges, Anne shares how she rebuilt her identity, found unexpected purpose, and created global community—all while learning to live one day (and one low-pain moment) at a time.
If you’re in a hard season right now, Anne’s story offers this quiet encouragement:
You don’t need to have it all figured out and you don’t have to have a five-year plan. Just take the next small step—and stay open to where it might lead.
Connect with Carrie on Instagram 
Connect with Anne
Instagram: @purposeinview
Website: purposeinview.com
If this conversation resonated with you:
Share it with a friend who might need encouragement
Leave a rating or review
Send Carrie a message—what part of Anne’s story stayed with you? 

The Secret to the Journaling Routine That Helped Carry Me Through the Hardest Year of My Life (#39)

In this solo episode, I walk through the structured journaling routine that helped carry me through one of the hardest seasons of my life—after cancer treatment, a failed ostomy reversal, and 40 days in the hospital.
But here’s the secret:It wasn’t the journaling that carried me. It was God.
Journaling simply became the space where I could process my thoughts, practice gratitude, and remember who God is and who I am.
If you’ve ever wondered how to start journaling—or how to deepen your reflection practice—I share the simple prompts that help ground me each day. 
If you’re new to journaling, start small. Just pick one prompt and see what happens.
Journaling doesn’t have to be perfect.One sentence counts.
For me, journaling has become a way to process my thoughts, remember how God has been at work in my life, and notice how I’m growing over time.
Let’s Continue the Conversation
I’d love to hear about your journaling practice.
What prompts do you use?
Is there one from this episode you want to try?
You can:
Comment on Spotify
Send me a DM on Instagram
Email me at thecarriejobradley@gmail.com
If you’d like:
The Attributes of God printable, or
A written copy of my journaling routine
Reach out and I’ll send it to you.
Links Mentioned
Courage Coaching with Carrie
Danielle Wiebe – Bloom Business Collective
Coach Jenn Moore
Meredith Hite Estevez – Art Is How God Loves Us
 

Rewrite Your Life Without Burning It Down with Michelle Hooey (#38)

What does it look like to rewrite your life without burning it down?
As I sat down with coach, author, and “Goldie’s CEO,” Michelle Hooey, she shared her powerful story.  Her daughter, Goldie, was born in 2023 with complex medical needs and spent nearly six months in the NICU, and still doesn’t have a diagnosis.
In this conversation we explore:
* what it means to be plucky in the face of uncertainty
* how burnout can unravel your identity
* why 15 minutes a day might be all it takes to begin rewriting your life.
This episode is about surrender, scrappiness, resilience, and celebrating the small wins.
Michelle’s new book, The Goldie Effect is available now! This memoir/self-help book shares her journey through trauma, uncertainty, and transformation — along with practical tools to help readers rewrite their own lives in small, sustainable ways.
At the heart of the book is the 15-Minute Rewrite: Because 15 minutes is just 1% of your day, and small shifts add up.
This episode is for you if you’re navigating uncertainty, a major life plot twist, burnout, or just need encouragement to keep going.
Connect with your host, Coach Carrie on Instagram
Connect with Michelle
Website: anchorlesscoaching.com
Instagram: @instagram.com/michelle_hooey
Her book: The Goldie Effect 
The energy audit is inside The 15-minute Rewrite

How to Not Quit on Yourself: Plucky Courage to Keep Going (#37)

This isn’t about keeping resolutions or trying harder. It’s about not quitting on yourself.
In this first episode of 2026, I explain what it really means to be plucky and why determined courage (not perfection) is the key to living an authentic, aligned life.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
What “plucky” really means and how to practice determined courage
Why perfectionism keeps us stuck (and how to move forward anyway)
The PLUCKY framework:
Proactive over reactive
Longevity over rushing
Underdog courage before confidence
Consistency that compounds
Kindness to your inner beginner
Yet — the mindset that keeps you going
If you’ve fallen off track, feel discouraged, or are tempted to quit, this episode will help you keep moving forward — imperfectly and bravely.
Resources
Book a free Courage Consult with Carrie 
Let’s connect on Instagram @carriejobradley

Reclaiming Life After Traumatic Brain Injury with Erika Brouillette (#36)

What happens when life doesn’t just take a detour—but completely reroutes your future?
In this deeply moving episode of Plucky Not Perfect, I’m joined by Erika Brouillette—mom, caregiver, advocate, podcast host, and founder of Reclaim: TBI Wives. Erika shares her story of becoming a full-time caregiver overnight when her husband suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, and how that moment reshaped her identity, faith, boundaries, and purpose.
We talk about:
Advocating for a child with special needs—and a spouse with a traumatic brain injury
Becoming a caregiver in the middle of crisis (and COVID)
Losing yourself in survival mode—and how to slowly reclaim who you are
The permission many women need to care for themselves without guilt
Setting boundaries after years of people-pleasing
Finding hope when doctors give none
Why community matters when no one else truly “gets it”
Gratitude, faith, and recognizing glimmers of hope in the darkest seasons
Erika also shares how her own healing led her to create a space for other women walking similar roads—women who are so often asked how their husband is doing, but rarely how they are.
This conversation is for anyone who has found themselves living a life they didn’t plan—and is learning how to keep going anyway.
Connect with Erika:
Website & Community: Reclaim TBI Wives
Podcast: Real Lives of TBI Wives
Socials: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
Connect with your host:  Carrie
 

Instead of “Let Me Know If You Need Anything,” Here’s How to Help a Struggling Friend (#35)

When someone you care about is facing grief, illness, divorce, or any major life shake-up, it’s easy to worry about saying the wrong thing… and end up doing nothing. After my own cancer journey and recovery, I learned firsthand what truly helps and what doesn’t.
In this episode, we cover:
Why something is better than nothing (even if you feel awkward)
How to check in without adding pressure or expecting a reply
Offering specific, practical help instead of “Let me know if you need anything”
Caring for friends from afar: texts, cards, gift cards, meaningful little touches
Supporting friends nearby: homemade food, errands, childcare, time together
What not to do when you're trying to help
A gentle reminder:
You don’t have to be perfect, just present. Plucky helps! Small gestures of care go a long way.
Email me at thecarriejobradley@gmail.com if you would like the companion guide to this episode, a free printable PDF with tangible reminders of how to help in a time of need. 
Let’s connect on Instagram @carriejobradley. 

Revolutionary Rest: Living Worthy with Heather Boersma (#34)

What if the bravest thing you could do was to slow down?  In this episode, Carrie talks with life coach, speaker, and author Heather Boersma about redefining success, finding rest, and living from a deep sense of worthiness instead of striving for it. 
Heather shares how years of chasing achievement led her to burnout and anxiety, and how she learned to live “from significance, not for it.” 
Together, they explore rest as a courageous act, how to realign with your core values, and why being present is the true measure of a meaningful life.
In this conversation:
The difference between living for success and living from significance
How burnout taught Heather to reimagine rest as strength, not laziness
Co-regulation, nervous system safety, and redefining identity beyond productivity
Courage, worthiness, and the beauty of slowing down
Practical ways to live from your values 
Resources & Links:
www.heatherboersma.com 
The Rest Revolution 
Connect with your host: www.instagram.com/carriejobradley.

Traveling Through Uncertainty as a Cancer Mom Turned Midlife Explorer with Jennifer Montgomery-Lay (#33)

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s “too late” to start over—or felt stuck between who you’ve been and who you want to become, this is the episode for you. 
Jennifer Montgomery-Lay’s story is one of unimaginable resilience. As a cancer mom for more than two decades, she’s spent much of her adult life caregiving. Instead of letting fear or past identities define her, Jenn has learned to lean into discomfort to step out into new adventures.
Jenn and Carrie met at a business networking event a few years ago. Back then Jenn didn’t have a business—just a quiet nudge that she was meant for something more. What she did have was courage.
In this episode, Jenn shares how her family traveled the world in the midst of heartbreak, chaos and uncertainty. She talks about how travel became a catalyst for healing, and how she’s now helping others rediscover themselves through adventure. We talk about perfectionism, giving ourselves permission to dream again, and what it really means to be plucky in midlife.
As Jenn said, “You’re gonna be okay. Even if you look silly. Even if you mess up. You can find people who believe in you until you believe in yourself.”
 In This Episode:
The uncomfortable moment that sparked Jenn’s reinvention
Life as a cancer mom: the raw truth, not the hashtag version
How a one-way ticket and a leap of faith changed everything
The healing power of travel and curiosity
Saying yes to new adventures (even when it feels scary)
Resources & Links: 
www.instagram.com/lifealloverthemap
Connect with your host: www.instagram.com/carriejobradley.