Red Thread: The Fire Within

Katheryn
  • 5.0 (2)
  • ARTS

You are not behind. You are becoming.  Red Thread: The Fire Within is a podcast for women navigating reinvention — quietly, courageously, and on their own timelines. Hosted by Katheryn (Meek) Dunn, a tech leader, mother of four, and woman rebuilding her life after a career-defining plot twist, this show explores what it means to rediscover yourself in the in-between seasons.  Each episode blends personal storytelling, introspection, and bold motivation to help you reconnect with the thread that ties together who you were, who you are, and who you’re becoming.  Here, we talk about:  Reinvention in real timeQuiet confidence and soft powerGrief, identity, courage, and self-trustLetting go without falling apartLeadership, purpose, and meaningful impactBecoming the woman your younger self neededThis is not a show about perfection.It’s a show about returning to yourself. If you’re ready to stop comparing your timeline to everyone else’s, if you're craving clarity, connection, and the courage to step into your next chapter — you're in the right place. Pull the thread.Your fire is waiting. 

Episodes

  1. 23H AGO

    A Life You Don’t Have to Recover From (Season 1 Finale)

    Send a text What would it look like to build a life you don’t have to recover from?  Not escape from. Not numb yourself from. Not survive until the next vacation.  But a life that feels sustainable. Aligned. Livable.  In this Season 1 finale of Red Thread: The Fire Within, we bring together everything we’ve explored — letting go, discernment, commitment, momentum without burnout, and identity after reinvention — and move into integration.  Because reinvention isn’t about creating a new version of yourself.  It’s about creating a new way of living.  In this episode, we explore:  The quiet moment where everything begins to changeWhy burnout is often a signal of misalignment — not weaknessReinvention as a whole-body experience (mind, nervous system, habits, energy)The cost of overfunctioning in leadership and lifeWhy sustainable change is built through small daily choicesHow to stop performing growth and start embodying itSeason 1 has been about rebuilding your internal foundation.   This episode asks the deeper question: What kind of life are you building on top of it?   Between Seasons: Practices to Carry Forward   Before Season 2 begins, I invite you into three simple integration exercises: The Energy Audit — Identify what gives you energy and what drains you.The Boundary Check-In — Notice where you’re overextending out of habit.The Identity Statement — Clarify what the version of you you’re becoming values — and honor it in one small daily action.You don’t need to overhaul your life. Just begin noticing.    Season 1 was the foundation. Season 2 will move into embodiment — mental health, physical health, emotional resilience, habits, leadership, and conversations with others walking the path of reinvention in real life.   You don’t need fixing. You need remembering. The fire was always yours. Pull the thread.    Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    13 min

  2. FEB 4

    Identity After Reinvention: Living as the Person You’ve Become

    Send us a text Reinvention doesn’t end when the decisions are made. It ends when you start living as the person you’ve become. In this episode of Red Thread: The Fire Within, we move into one of the quietest — and most powerful — phases of change: identity after reinvention. This is the space where growth becomes embodied. Where boundaries stop being something you explain and start being something you live. Where you release the need to be understood, and begin trusting yourself more deeply. This conversation is about what happens after the urgency fades — when you’re no longer actively reinventing yourself, but learning how to inhabit your life differently. We explore: The disorientation that comes when the old identity no longer fitsLetting others catch up to your growth (or not)The gap between who you know yourself to be and how the world still sees youBoundaries as identity, not defenseReleasing the need to explain or perform your healingWhy ordinary days are where reinvention actually sticksHow to live as the person you’ve become — quietly, consistently, and without apologyThis episode is for anyone who has done the inner work… and is now learning how to be the new version of themselves in real life. Not becoming. Being. Listener Reflection As you listen, sit with this question: Where in my life am I still performing who I used to be instead of inhabiting who I am now? You don’t need to rush the answer. Let it meet you gently. This episode marks the emotional hinge of Season 1 — the shift from rebuilding to integration. Next episode, we’ll close the season with a reflection on building a life you don’t have to recover from — and how mind, work, energy, and identity come together to support long-term reinvention. If you’re in your reinvention season, you’re in the right place. Pull the thread. 🧵🔥 Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    12 min

  3. JAN 27

    Momentum Without Burnout: Moving Forward Without Losing Yourself

    Send us a text Momentum feels like success. But it’s also where burnout often begins. In this episode of Red Thread: The Fire Within, we talk about what happens after things start working — when opportunities grow, visibility increases, and forward motion starts asking for more than it gives back. This conversation is especially for leaders, builders, and anyone creating something meaningful — a business, a brand, a new role, or a new version of themselves — who doesn’t want to recreate old patterns of overdrive, self-sacrifice, or exhaustion in the name of progress. Drawing from lived leadership experience, reinvention seasons, and the realities of building momentum in both careers and creative work, this episode explores how to keep moving forward without losing yourself again. This is not about slowing down for the sake of slowing down. It’s about learning how to move sustainably. What We Explore in This Episode Why momentum often turns into pressure instead of progressThe difference between momentum as proof and momentum as practiceHow leadership burnout is often caused by over-responsibility, not overworkThe hidden cost of visibility and constant availability when building a brand or businessWhy burnout is feedback — not failureHow to redefine momentum as repeatable alignment instead of accelerationListener Invitations (Reflection + Integration) As you listen, consider these questions: When momentum builds, do I feel grounded — or pressured to keep proving myself?Where have I confused being indispensable with being effective?Am I building something I want to live inside of — or something I feel obligated to keep feeding?What part of my momentum is asking me to override my own limits?What would sustainable success actually look like for me in this season?These aren’t tasks. They’re invitations to lead yourself differently. Why This Matters (Research Foundations) This episode is grounded in lived experience and supported by research on burnout, motivation, and leadership sustainability: Burnout & misalignment — Psychologist Christina Maslach, PhD, shows that burnout often begins not with failure or overload, but with success that requires misalignment between values and demands.Motivation & well-being — Psychologists Edward Deci, PhD, and Richard Ryan, PhD, creators of Self-Determination Theory, demonstrate that momentum driven by external validation increases output but decreases well-being over time.Leadership & systems — Research on leadership sustainability shows that managing energy, boundaries, and identity matters more than simply managing time.Momentum doesn’t have to cost you your health, creativity, or presence. You’re allowed to: Move forward without rushingGrow without self-sacrificeBuild something that doesn’t consume youIf momentum is building in your life right now, this episode is your reminder to choose how it builds. Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    13 min

  4. JAN 20

    Staying When It Gets Hard: The Quiet Power of Commitment

    Send us a text Clarity is powerful. Commitment is quieter.  In this episode of Red Thread: The Fire Within, we move into what often comes after the decision, the part no one glamorizes: staying.  This conversation is about the stretch where motivation fades, novelty wears off, and the real work of reinvention begins. It’s about why commitment matters more than inspiration, and how consistency — not intensity — is what actually creates change.  Drawing from my experience training for and completing a marathon, as well as seasons of leadership, growth, and reinvention, I share what it looks like to stay the course when the work feels repetitive, heavy, or unseen.  This episode is for anyone who’s made a choice, and is now wondering how to keep showing up.   Listener Invitations (Reflection + Action)  As you listen, consider these questions:  Motivation vs. commitment What are you relying on motivation to sustain that actually requires commitment instead?Consistency over intensity What part of your life needs steady presence right now, not a burst of effort?Tired or misaligned? Ask yourself honestly: Am I tired — or am I misaligned?Reframing commitment What commitment in your life deserves to be honored instead of questioned?Redefining success What kind of success are you actually working toward — one you want to achieve, or one you want to live with?These aren’t tasks — they’re invitations to listen more closely to yourself.   Why This Matters (Research Foundations)   This episode is grounded in lived experience and supported by research on perseverance and habit formation: Grit & perseverance Psychologist Angela Duckworth, PhD, shows that long-term success is driven less by talent or motivation and more by sustained effort over time (Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance).Habits & consistency Research by psychologists Wendy Wood, PhD, and David Neal, PhD, demonstrates that routines and identity-based habits — not fluctuating motivation — are what sustain behavior change over the long run.Commitment isn’t rigidity. It’s integrity.   If you’re in a season where staying feels hard, uncelebrated, or lonely, this episode is for you.   The fire isn’t in the spark. It’s in the staying.   Pull the thread.   Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    16 min

  5. JAN 12

    Choosing What Stays: Discernment After Letting Go

    Send us a text Letting go creates space. Discernment decides what fills it. In this episode of Red Thread: The Fire Within, we move beyond release and into the quieter, more deliberate work of choosing what stays. I’m recording this episode just after running the Chevron Houston Marathon — an experience that became a living metaphor for discernment. Marathon training required saying no to things I wanted to do, not because they weren’t good, but because they weren’t aligned with what I was choosing in that season. And that same principle shows up everywhere in life — relationships, careers, leadership, and personal growth. In this episode, I share: How discernment showed up in my own life — from marathon training to stepping into people leadershipWhy saying yes to everything slowly drains what matters mostHow commitment and intentional choice create clarity, not restrictionWhy the goals that fulfill us often require letting other things fall awayThis conversation isn’t about doing more.  It’s about choosing with care. Listener Invitations (Reflection + Action) As you listen, you may want to pause and reflect on these questions: Notice your yes-es What are you currently saying yes to that quietly pulls energy away from what matters most?Pay attention to what you protect Finish this sentence: “The thing I am most protective of right now is ______ — and that tells me something important.”Consider the trade-offs If you fully committed to what matters most in this season, what would naturally fall away?Name what you’re choosing What are you willing to structure your life around right now — not out of pressure, but out of purpose?Practice discernment as self-trust Write down: “The next season of my life requires me to be more intentional about ______.”These aren’t tasks — they’re invitations to listen more closely to yourself. Why This Matters (Research Foundations) This episode is grounded in lived experience and supported by research on motivation and choice: Intrinsic motivation & values-aligned goals Psychologists Edward Deci, PhD, and Richard Ryan, PhD, creators of Self-Determination Theory, show that goals rooted in personal values — rather than external approval — are more sustainable and fulfilling.Choice, commitment, and satisfaction Behavioral psychologist Barry Schwartz, PhD, author of The Paradox of Choice, explains how too many options and external pressures can disconnect us from satisfaction, while intentional constraints create clarity.Discernment isn’t rigidity. It’s honesty. If you’re standing at a crossroads, deciding what stays and what goes, this episode is for you. Pull the thread. Your fire knows what matters. Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    14 min

  6. JAN 7

    The Art of Letting Go Releasing What No Longer Fits

    Send us a text Letting go isn’t a single decision — it’s a process.  In this episode of Red Thread: The Fire Within, I return to a promise I made earlier in the season: to talk honestly about what it means to release the roles, identities, relationships, and expectations that no longer fit who we’re becoming.  This conversation is personal.  I share how letting go showed up in my own life: from ending long-term relationships and knowing when it was time to leave my first marriage, to stepping away from familiar, comfortable career roles and taking a leap into people leadership when I felt the quiet pull to lead and help others.  We talk about why letting go is so hard, why familiarity can keep us stuck longer than we realize, and why clarity often comes after we release, not before.  This episode isn’t about rushing forward. It’s about making room.   Listener Invitations (Reflection + Action)  If you want to go deeper after listening, here are a few gentle invitations we explore throughout the episode:  Notice what you’re holding onto out of familiarity, not alignment Ask yourself: What feels known and safe, but no longer true?Acknowledge the version of yourself you may have outgrown Finish this sentence honestly: “The version of me that feels tired or resistant right now is trying to protect me from ______.”Allow space for grief, especially for imagined futures Consider whether there’s a life, identity, or future you need to acknowledge letting go of — even if nothing “went wrong.”Create intentional stillness Spend 10 minutes this week without fixing, planning, or scrolling. Ask: What wants to be released right now?Choose what you carry forward Write two simple lists: What I’m releasing and What I’m carrying forward.These aren’t tasks — they’re invitations to listen more closely to yourself.     Why This Matters (Research Foundations)   While this episode is grounded in lived experience, it’s also supported by well-established research on change, identity, and growth: Loss aversion & familiarity — Our brains are wired to prefer what’s familiar, even when it no longer fits (Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow). This helps explain why we often stay longer than we should — in relationships, roles, and identities.Identity and reinvention — Leadership research shows that growth rarely begins with clarity; it begins with discomfort and experimentation as we outgrow old identities (Ibarra, Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader).Ambiguous loss & grief — We don’t only grieve what we lose physically; we also grieve imagined futures and identities, which deserve acknowledgment to move forward in a healthy way (Boss, Ambiguous Loss). Letting go isn’t failure. It’s refinement.   If you’re standing between who you were and who you’re becoming, this episode is for you.   Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.   Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    13 min

  7. 12/28/2025

    It Takes a Village: When Life Interrupts the Plan

    Send us a text This week’s episode wasn’t planned — and that’s the point.  After my nephew Henry became critically ill and was hospitalized, everything else paused. What started as a routine virus escalated rapidly into a life-threatening infection that required emergency surgery, aggressive treatment, and constant vigilance. In the middle of that, I found myself living the very lessons this podcast is about: not through productivity or progress, but through presence, loyalty, and strength in unexpected forms.  In this episode, I share:  What it means to lean into your strengths during crisisWhy purpose sometimes shows up as steadiness, not successThe power of intuition, advocacy, and speaking upHow asking for help is not weakness, but resilienceWhat a true support system looks like when the village shows up, every damn day This is a story about love, community, reinvention, and remembering what matters when life interrupts the plan.   Thank you for giving this moment space. We’ll return to our regularly scheduled programming next week, but changed, in the best way.   Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    17 min

  8. 12/18/2025

    The Courage to Choose a New Story

    Send us a text What happens when the life you’ve built suddenly no longer fits? In this cinematic and deeply personal episode, Katheryn shares the quiet moment she realized she couldn’t return to the old version of herself and the courage it took to begin choosing a new story. Through raw storytelling, emotional honesty, and gentle research-backed insight, she explores the fear of wanting more, the discomfort of the in-between, and the small steps that help you move toward the life your soul has been whispering about. Listeners will learn how to:  • Recognize the moment a new story begins  • Understand why fear shows up before clarity  • Connect with their “future self” (inspired by Hershfield’s work on future-self continuity)  • Create simple identity anchors that shift internal narratives  • Release one belief, role, or expectation that no longer fits This episode weaves together lived experience with insights from post-traumatic growth research (Tedeschi & Calhoun), status quo bias (Samuelson & Zeckhauser), and identity-based behavior science — all in a grounded, accessible way. If you’re standing in the tender space between who you were and who you’re becoming, this episode is your reminder: You are allowed to want something different. And you are brave enough to choose it. Sources ReferencedTedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. — Post-Traumatic Growth Samuelson, W., & Zeckhauser, R. — Status Quo Bias Oyserman, D. — Identity-Based Motivation Hershfield, H. — Future Self Continuity Neff, K. — Self-Compassion & Resilience Baumeister, R., & Vohs, K. — Cognitive Load & Letting Go Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    12 min

  9. 12/15/2025

    The Middle: Where Becoming Actually Happens

    Send us a text The Middle is the most overlooked part of every transformation, the space between the life you’ve outgrown and the life you’re building next.  In this episode, Katheryn explores what it feels like to be in that in-between season where nothing is fully clear, but everything is quietly shifting. Through honest storytelling and grounded insight, she shares her own experience of navigating the uncertainty after a major career change and discovering why this messy, uncomfortable, directionless stage is actually where the deepest becoming happens.  If you feel stuck, floating, or unsure of your next chapter, this episode will help you see The Middle not as a setback, but as sacred preparation for what’s coming.  Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    11 min

  10. 12/07/2025

    Quiet Confidence Power Without Loudness

    Send us a text Quiet confidence isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room — it’s about learning to hear your own voice again.  In this episode, Katheryn shares what it feels like to rebuild your inner strength after years of being the fixer, the leader, the therapist friend, and the one everyone depends on. Through personal stories, honest reflection, and simple practices, she explores how to reconnect with your intuition and reclaim the calm, grounded confidence that comes from within.  If you’re in a season of reinvention, this episode will help you return to yourself — one quiet moment at a time.  Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    12 min

  11. 12/03/2025

    When The Plan Falls Apart

    Send us a text What happens when the life you planned… suddenly isn’t your life anymore?  In this honest and grounding episode, Katheryn shares what it really feels like when the plan you’ve worked so hard to build begins to unravel, not all at once, but thread by thread. From the unexpected layoff that ended her 20-year career in Oil & Gas and IT to the loss of identity, control, and certainty, she explores the quiet collapse that forces you to reevaluate everything.  This episode dives into:  The subtle signs your plan is no longer alignedWhat it’s like to lose the structure you relied onThe fear and freedom that come with the unknownWhy our attachment to “the plan” runs so deepHow clarity begins only after the dust settlesIf you’re standing in the in-between, grieving what ended while trying to trust what’s next, this episode reminds you:   You’re not lost. You’re being redirected.   Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    13 min

  12. 11/30/2025

    You Are Not Behind

    Send us a text “You Are Not Behind” You are not behind. You are becoming. In this deeply personal first episode, host Katheryn Meek opens up about the unexpected layoff that put a pause to her 20-year career in Oil & Gas and IT — and the emotional unraveling that followed. As a mom of four boys, a wife, a leader in a male-dominated industry, a mentor, and the “therapist friend,” Katheryn shares the raw truth about grief, identity loss, and rebuilding confidence after your life shifts overnight. If you’ve ever felt behind or unsure of who you are without a title or a plan, this episode will remind you: You are not late.  You are not lost.  You are becoming. Support the show Thank you for being here and for pulling on the thread with me. Every download, share, review, and moment you spend listening helps this community grow into something real, grounded, and heart-led. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the show, leave a review, or support the podcast through Listener Support on Buzzsprout. Your energy keeps this fire burning and I’m deeply grateful you’re part of this unfolding story. Pull the thread. Your fire is waiting.

    15 min
  • 12 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

You are not behind. You are becoming.  Red Thread: The Fire Within is a podcast for women navigating reinvention — quietly, courageously, and on their own timelines. Hosted by Katheryn (Meek) Dunn, a tech leader, mother of four, and woman rebuilding her life after a career-defining plot twist, this show explores what it means to rediscover yourself in the in-between seasons.  Each episode blends personal storytelling, introspection, and bold motivation to help you reconnect with the thread that ties together who you were, who you are, and who you’re becoming.  Here, we talk about:  Reinvention in real timeQuiet confidence and soft powerGrief, identity, courage, and self-trustLetting go without falling apartLeadership, purpose, and meaningful impactBecoming the woman your younger self neededThis is not a show about perfection.It’s a show about returning to yourself. If you’re ready to stop comparing your timeline to everyone else’s, if you're craving clarity, connection, and the courage to step into your next chapter — you're in the right place. Pull the thread.Your fire is waiting. 

Information

  • Creator
    Katheryn
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Red Thread: The Fire Within
  • Show Website
    Red Thread: The Fire Within