What do you truly deserve from life? And how often do you sacrifice your own needs to accommodate everyone else's expectations?

In Part 3 of our continuing conversation with Melissa Carey, host and behavioral health therapist Jim Ellermeyer explores the importance of self-awareness, personal boundaries, and creating a life that reflects who you really are.

Melissa opens up about her own experience of being highly intuitive and naturally accommodating others, often anticipating their needs before they even ask. She reflects on recognizing these patterns, learning to honor her own choices, and understanding that personal growth doesn't happen all at once.

Sometimes, what feels like returning to an old struggle is actually an opportunity to go deeper.

Jim and Melissa also discuss the freedom that comes from admitting "I don't know." Rather than viewing uncertainty as a weakness, they explore how curiosity and a beginner's mind can open new possibilities.

The conversation moves into Melissa's passion for sound-based mindfulness experiences, including Tibetan and crystal singing bowls, tuning forks, drums, humming, and breathwork. She describes how participants can embrace unexpected sounds, connect with a group, and discover their own experience of presence.

Melissa also shares her perspective on Reiki as a personal spiritual practice, her interest in aromatherapy, and her willingness to challenge conventional assumptions.

Throughout the conversation, Jim connects these ideas to 12-step recovery, behavioral change, and the importance of acceptance.

In this episode:

• Reclaiming your needs without abandoning compassion for others

• Setting boundaries around unsolicited advice

• Understanding why personal growth happens in layers

• Finding freedom in saying "I don't know"

• Exploring sound, rhythm, and mindful listening

• Reiki as a practice of personal awareness

• Challenging assumptions and opening yourself to new perspectives

• Accepting the present as a starting point for change

Remember: mindfulness isn't about having every answer. It's about being present, remaining open-minded, and choosing how you participate in your own life.

Connect with Melissa Carey:
https://intothespirithealing.life

Listen and subscribe to Fishing Without Bait:
Find us on your favorite podcast player and at:
https://www.FishingWithoutBait.com

Support Fishing Without Bait on Patreon:
Enjoy ad-free episodes and help us continue sharing conversations about mindfulness, recovery, and personal growth.
https://www.patreon.com/c/fishingwithoutbait

Pick up Jim's book:
Learn to Fish Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal and Adult Coloring Book

https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Do a kindness for yourself, and do a kindness for another.

In Part 2 of his conversation with Melissa Carey, behavioral health therapist Jim Ellermeyer explores these questions and more on Fishing Without Bait.

Melissa begins by discussing her introduction to Reiki and other energy-based practices, tracing her interests back to her education in music therapy and the mentors who helped shape her path. She explains her approach to Reiki, the importance of personal intention, and why she does not promise specific outcomes from a session.

The conversation takes a deeply personal turn when Melissa discusses raising four children, including the additional demands that can come with special needs. She speaks openly about loving her children while struggling with the responsibilities and expectations of motherhood.

For Melissa, an important turning point came when she realized she was allowing parenting books, family members, teachers, and society to determine how she should raise her children. By deciding to trust her own choices, she began to experience motherhood differently.

Jim and Melissa also examine the expectations placed on women, the importance of self-concept and self-esteem, and the challenge of recognizing what we deserve in relationships.

Jim asks a powerful question: What are the requirements someone must meet to be with you?

Melissa adds an important perspective: How can someone recognize respect, autonomy, or healthy relationships if they've never experienced them?

This episode invites listeners to consider how mindfulness, honesty, self-trust, and personal responsibility can help us build a life that reflects our own values.

Connect with Melissa Carey

Explore Melissa's work at Into the Spirit Healing:
https://intothespirithealing.life

Support Fishing Without Bait

Subscribe to Fishing Without Bait on your favorite podcast player so you never miss an episode.

Enjoy ad-free episodes and support our ongoing conversations about mindfulness, recovery, and personal growth on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/c/fishingwithoutbait

Continue your mindfulness journey with Jim's book, Learn to Fish Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal and Adult Coloring Book:
https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Learn more about the podcast:
https://www.fishingwithoutbait.com/

In Fishing Without Bait Episode 533, host Jim Ellermeyer welcomes Melissa Carey for Part 1 of a four-part conversation about mindfulness, anxiety, self-awareness, and reconnecting with ourselves.

Melissa begins with a powerful reflection on learning to love who she is today. From there, she and Jim explore her belief that we are already whole, even when layers of experience, relationships, expectations, and our own self-talk make that wholeness difficult to recognize.

Melissa discusses the anxiety and life transitions that often bring people looking for support and explains why listening is at the heart of her approach. Drawing from her background in music therapy and her work with sound, meditation, breathwork, and energy practices, she shares one deceptively simple starting point: notice your breath.

Jim and Melissa also discuss mindfulness during both difficult and positive moments, learning from obstacles, practicing coping tools before a crisis arrives, and why sometimes the most helpful next step is simply encouraging someone to seek an impartial ear through counseling or therapy.

This is Part 1 of our conversation with Melissa Carey.

Learn more about Melissa and her work with Into the Spirit Healing at:
intothespirithealing.life

Subscribe to Fishing Without Bait on your favorite podcast player.

Support Fishing Without Bait on Patreon and receive ad-free episodes:
https://www.patreon.com/c/fishingwithoutbait

Pick up “Learn to Fish Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal and Adult Coloring Book”:
https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4