We are often taught that we need to be individualistic to stand out in a crowded world. Where there is truth to that statement, what happens when you obsess too much about being an individual? In this week’s episode, Kaylin discusses the fault lines of individualism and how our actions can determine if we follow the status quo or our own voices. As with everything in life, too, individualism has a light-and-shadow dyad. We’ll talk about Jung’s concept of individuation, ego inflation, archetypes, personal stories, and more.

If you’re highly sensitive, you can often hear, “You’re too sensitive,” “Don’t take things so personally,” and other statements that impact your true self. You can feel like you’re too much for people and the world in its entirety, leading to a divergence of the Self. You can be who you want to be in your vivid inner world, but to other people? You choose how much to release in every situation with each individual. This episode explores how feeling too much in childhood can lead you down a path away from your authentic self. An inner world can be a safe haven, but it can also prevent you from growing into the person you are meant to become. You can regain your footing in adulthood — at your own pace and on your own terms. 

Feelings and emotions are what make us human. For some of us, however, overwhelming feelings can lead to greater disturbances in life. When you drown in your feelings instead of sitting with them, they tend to overtake your life. This episode talks about general feelings – specifically anger. How can we let go of a feeling when it seems to consume us? Passion is considered a good thing, but when does it cross the line? How can you maintain your authentic self throughout the process? We’ll delve into those questions, “pop psychology,” and more in this week’s episode. 

In this week’s episode, Kaylin brings you along for what it looks like to have high-functioning depression. It often doesn’t look like “traditional” depression, as it’s easier to hide the symptoms underneath a curated mask. Those who truly know you may know you’re depressed, but not everyone will pick up on it. Kaylin talks about how 3 p.m. has been a recent witching hour for panic attacks, what depression looks like for her, and what typically helps her during these challenging times. Although she isn’t through her current depressive episode, it’s still important to shed light on the behind-the-scenes thoughts and emotions underneath glowing achievements and highlight reels. Even when your resolve and purpose are shaken, here’s to better days ahead.

In this week’s episode, we discuss something everyone must deal with in their everyday lives: rejection. Kaylin details her rejection journey and narratives toward self-acceptance, from a childhood fixation on being everyone’s favorite to current ruminative conjurings and how to fill past and present voids. Rejection and the loss of an assumptive world could find their way into job searches, being passed up for a promotion, relationships with others, writing projects, and more. (And don’t even mention “K” texts and how they lead to downward spirals!) She talks about how rejection makes her feel and what she does to mitigate the effects when rejection is seemingly hard to bear. What you do with the rejection matters, especially when your ego wants to go in a different direction. The silver linings of rejection, just like most situations and roadblocks, can be used for deeper reflection and healing of your inner child and other parts of yourself.

This episode relates to Kaylin’s Master’s thesis/Capstone work, which centers on “Playing the Self: How Narrative RPGs Foster Identification and Transformation for Highly Sensitive People.” By applying the updated HSP-R Scale, we discuss the eudaimonic benefits of narrative Role Playing Games (RPGs) for HSPs. Storytelling, the element of choice, parasocial relationships, identification, transportation, and other topics are fair game! Of course, we will mix in some theories and models, but the heart of this episode is Kaylin’s love of video games, especially “Skyrim” and “The Witcher 3.” The two games mean so much to her and so many others. This work aims to continue reducing stigmas for sensitivity and video games by showing HSPs how they can reconcile the parts of themselves. Video games have been integral to Kaylin’s life, from conversation starters to mental health interventions. Narrative RPGs (and other narrative forms) have such intrinsic value for HSPs – and everyone! 

Happy 10 Years, Hourglass Media! 🎉 Having a company is not for the faint of heart. Kaylin reflects on what Hourglass Media has meant to her for the past decade, from failures to successes and everything in between. Her musings include the company’s beginnings in her childhood bedroom to the present-day blank slate. So many moments, relationships, projects, and writings have culminated in 10 years of highlight reels. On the opposite end, Kaylin also talks about the “shadow” side of owning a business, from depressive episodes, letdowns, client red flags, and more. Although Hourglass Media looks different than her vision in 2015, at the end of the day, it is a business Kaylin is proud to call her most authentic professional love.

You’ve likely heard that everyone has a shadow self, and you may have even heard about the dark triad of personality and temperament. In this episode, Kaylin reveals the “dark triad” of high sensitivity: perfectionism, workaholism, and overwhelm. This work stems from a grad school paper and her own experiences. The three aspects tend to correlate to an obsession with time and energy – at least in her everyday landscape. We discuss the shadow side of being an HSP, from melancholia and being a control freak to impostor syndrome and obsessive, rigid tendencies. Some of us tend to keep a full plate, too.  

In this week’s episode, Kaylin talks about things that no longer resonate with her, from the true crime genre and many facets of social media and large crowds to many aspects of life in between. Your 20s and 30s are truly formative as we continue to uncover more of who we are so we can lead a more authentic life. We move and change across the lifespan, and it can be jarring to not like something as much anymore or to develop a deeper sensitivity to something — especially as an HSP! 

If you’re an HSP, have you ever felt like something is wrong with you? Or that you have to overly explain your temperament trait? In this week’s episode, Kaylin revisits what it means to be an HSP with the sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) gene. She tackles three common misconceptions that HSPs can face in everyday life and across the lifespan. Some can be frustrating. Some can be liberating. More than 20% of individuals across the world are HSPs, so raising awareness is the first step!

The start of another new year often prompts reflection. Sometimes, new years bring changes we knew we needed but were afraid to pursue. In this episode, Kaylin talks about how her reflections over the past year led to a more profound awakening and understanding of how to remain true to her authentic, actual self. It also led to a 2025 Word of the Year, “Homecoming.” This episode delves into some of the reflective paths she took while at several crossroads, from learning that it’s OK when your career path shifts and choosing not to chronically people please to walking away from hustle culture and taking accountability for your feelings and actions. Most importantly, she discusses how these revelations can lead you toward the reconciliation of your selves, acceptance, and self-love. Sometimes, you just need to make a change. Stay tuned for episodes every other Friday – starting now. It’s great to be back! 

This week's artwork was used with permission from Kaylin's son. ❤️

Welcome back to Wholeheartedly! Although it has been a while since our last episode, Kaylin turned on the mic for an episode she didn’t expect to record. At the end of July, she lost her 8 ½-year-old cat, Ilia Garnet. It’s never easy to lose a beloved pet, and as a Highly Sensitive Person/empath, it can be exceedingly difficult and heart-wrenching to experience every emotion during something like this. Kaylin talks about Ilia’s story, pet grief, grief theories, ways to cope, and more. Grief is not linear, and it affects us all.

This episode is dedicated to Ilia Garnet Staten, the best soulmate cat a girl could ever ask for. Thank you, Ilia, for spending your precious life with us and being such a good kitten. I’ll love you forever, Beanie Baby. ❤️

Dealing with toxicity can be an uphill battle for Highly Sensitive People or anyone who identifies as an empath. In this week’s episode, Kaylin defines toxicity in both individuals and situations, which can allow “toxic empathy” to work overtime. She also gives an example of a toxic work environment from the very beginning of her career and tips that help her navigate toxicity. Although this subject can be viewed as negative in many regards, you can always learn more about yourself and how you respond to the chaos surrounding you.

Welcome back for Season 3! It has been a while since Kaylin has been behind the mic (9 months, to be exact). It’s a long time coming! In this season's debut episode, she talks about what she learned on her hiatus, including dismantling hustle culture, where to prioritize time and energy, the comforts of nostalgia, and more. Don’t miss the first solo episode of this new season after a very Hollywood-esque hiatus. Join us for more conversations about finding your authentic self, managing being an emotional sponge, and reawakening parts of yourself.

To borrow a lyric from Jewel in the early 2000s, this solo episode is all about intuition. One of the most powerful human experiences is having a gut feeling. Kaylin shares how intuition can shape authenticity, help to reach pivotal decisions, allow you to expand your comfort zone, her own therapy journey and aha moments, examples of gut feelings, how to harness the power of gut feelings, and more. IYKYK. Listen now: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wholeheartedly

For someone with an always-on personality with doses of perfectionism and workaholism, it can be challenging to step away from the hustle and bustle to just… rest. After all, there’s always a deadline, a bill to pay, a project to complete, a chore to do… In this week’s solo episode, Kaylin divulges her kryptonite (well, one of them): not allowing herself to truly rest and relax. It’s a fear-based notion that many of us struggle with. The episode sheds light on how an imbalanced life can lead to burnout, overstimulation, physical ailments, and more. Kaylin doesn’t have it all figured out, but the first step is always awareness. 💫 Implementation and consistency are hard but well worth it to establish boundaries with yourself, push the reset button, and contribute to your overall happiness.

Change is the only constant in life. In this week’s episode, Kaylin gets behind the mic to discuss change. Accepting change can be challenging, especially for those of us who aren’t naturally spontaneous, become overstimulated easily, and allow fear to seep into our daily lives. Kaylin talks about some changes she’s experienced, how she has reacted to them, and some steps you can take to accept change in your own life. (It’s a nonlinear, lifelong process.) We hope you enjoy this episode, initially created on the Notes app on a cruise ship and fine-tuned in the Hourglass headquarters.

It’s the first interview episode after our hiatus! Today, Kaylin is excited to sit down with Alissa Boyer, Mentor for Highly Sensitive People and everything Soulful & Sensitive. We talk about getting in touch with our creative side, what it truly means to be a Highly Sensitive Person, sensation seeking, parenting as an HSP, pacing ourselves as overachievers, being assertive with your own needs, self-regulation, taking action, self-compassion, and where HSPs can naturally thrive. You don’t want to miss this episode if you’re an HSP or want to learn more about what it means to be highly sensitive.

It’s been a while! Kaylin dusts off her mic to give a life update, how she is reconnecting with herself and others, and some conscious coping mechanisms she has started to implement. She also talks about how getting back to basics is just what she has needed for reconnection. It has been a long five months without Wholeheartedly. Let’s dig in to the first episode in a season that will be full of solo and interview episodes! Welcome to Season 2!

Welcome back! In this long-overdue episode, Kaylin discusses how feeling overwhelmed manifests in all of the roles she attempts to manage on a daily basis. She touches on how shame and guilt play off of overwhelm, work-life integration, overstimulation, and more in this freshly-minted episode. Listen at anchor.fm/wholeheartedly.