The Authentic Social Club

Caitlin Atkinson

Welcome to The Authentic Social Club. A space for honest conversations, real talk, and coming back to yourself. Think of it as sitting down with your most genuine friends, the ones who skip the small talk and get into what's really going on. I share my own stories, experiences and learnings, and invite friends to do the same. Because when someone opens up, it gives others permission to do the same. This is a space to feel seen, to be encouraged, and to remember that showing up as your authentic self is always enough. So that you, me, and anyone else listening feels a little less alone in this, and a little more brave. soulvibeswithcaitlin.substack.com

  1. Conversations with Friends: On sensitivity, reframing creativity and outdated comfort zones

    Jun 14

    Conversations with Friends: On sensitivity, reframing creativity and outdated comfort zones

    Welcome to The Authentic Social Club, a space for honest conversations. About life. About the things we're figuring out, the things we've already messed up, and the things we're slowly starting to understand. Sometimes it'll be me on my own. Sometimes it'll be me with a friend. People who are ready to sit down and have a conversation. The whole idea behind this podcast is simple: someone has to go first. Someone has to be the one to open up, to say the thing, to be a little bit brave, so that other people feel like they can too. In this episode I'm joined by Lara, who is from Australian, has lived in Paris and now calls Lisbon home. After an early career spent supporting the growth of various startups, she founded The Creator Club, a community for and by ambitious meaning seekers, on a mission to connect founders, risk takers and bold thinkers. Which is also how we met, via The Creator Club! We kicked off with a question I love asking: what is something you've recently learned about yourself? And it opened up a really honest conversation about what it means to be a highly sensitive person and navigating life in alignment. We talk about moving abroad and where the drive to do so comes from, creating something of your own and the fear of not bringing any results, Liz Gilbert's theory of geniuses and ideas and what it really means to dedicate your work to something bigger than yourself. This episode will leave you 🌞 feeling less alone if you've ever noticed yourself feeling big emotions strongly 🌞 with a different way of thinking about creativity and the pressure to always be producing 🌞 with the question, whether the comfort zone you're in is actually (still) serving you… 🌞 and with the space to ponder on your Why. Questions to sit with What is something you've recently learned about yourself? Are you staying in your comfort zone because it feels right, or because leaving feels too scary? What would it look like to detach from the results and just trust the process? What is a belief you've been holding onto that might be worth challenging? Loved this episode? Share it with someone who might need it, and leave a rating or comment. It helps this little community grow. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit soulvibeswithcaitlin.substack.com

    1h 26m
  2. On proving yourself to nobody

    Apr 28

    On proving yourself to nobody

    Welcome to The Authentic Social Club, a space for honest conversations. About life, about the things we’re figuring out, the things we’ve already messed up, and the things we’re slowly starting to understand. Sometimes it’ll be me on my own. Sometimes it’ll be me with a friend. People who are ready to sit down and have a conversation. The whole idea behind this podcast is simple: someone has to go first. Someone has to be the one to open up, to say the thing, to be a little bit brave, so that other people feel like they can too. Welcome back (and also, welcome for the first time)! In this first solo episode, I’m sharing why I’m bringing the podcast back and why it looks a little different this time. I talk about what happened to my first podcast (launched in 2022, then quietly dropped when life got overwhelming), and how passion projects are so often the first things we sacrifice when our plates get too full. I also get into the big topic I’ve been sitting with lately: ambition, and where it actually comes from. For most of my life, my drive was fuelled by anger and a need to prove myself, a pattern I trace back to my years as a competitive athlete. It worked. But it also kept me stuck in a loop of tension, anxiety, and chasing a life I wasn’t even sure I wanted. This year, I decided to slow down, step back from freelancing, and ask myself an uncomfortable question a friend posed two years ago: Are you doing this because you want to, or just to prove something? This episode is about what I found when I actually stopped to look. Some questions to sit with after you listen: * What is your ambition or drive fuelled by, and what does it feel like in your body? * Are you moving towards something, or running away from something? * What’s something you want to do just because it lights you up, no logic needed? * What would you do differently if joy was the only reason you needed? Loved this episode? Share it with someone who might need it, and leave a rating or comment. It helps this little community grow. Find me on Instagram if something resonated! 👇 @theauthenticsocialclub And here's the article I mentioned about aligned ambition! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit soulvibeswithcaitlin.substack.com

    30 min
  3. Episode 29: How 5 weeks have felt like 5 months

    03/02/2024

    Episode 29: How 5 weeks have felt like 5 months

    My dear friends, Welcome back to Caitlin, my life and I! Or maybe I should rename it to Caitlin, my chaos life and I.  Honestly, the beginning of this year has already felt like months!! So much has happened, emotional rollercoasters. Slightly overwhelming.  Which is also why I’ve been behind with this podcast. But one thing I’ve noticed while recording this episode: I do still really enjoy doing this and will for sure prioritize doing the podcast again. It really helps me to reflect on things by speaking it out loud. And also listening to it again afterwards 😅. So what’s this episode about:  Well, I’ve been moving around a bit, turned my business upside down and ended up coming back to Portugal because I was in desperate need of a safe and chill place to be. To put it in a nutshell.  With being in a completely new life situation a loooooot of learnings have happened, which I tried to reflect on a little in the pod. From reminding myself about the connection between myself and the people closest in my surroundings to visualizations of me and all my moving “life-fields” and why it’s difficult to latch on to them from the outside. Over creating a space space for myself to finding balance between not just two, but multiple personalities.  As always, take what you need! I hope you can find some kind of inspiring thought in this episode.  And, please do let me know if you enjoy these kind of things, so I can take that into consideration when planning this year’s episodes :)! 3  If you value this podcast and the content in this episode, I kindly ask you for one massive favor: Please go ahead and leave a rating. More than anything this helps me and my little podcast to reach more people and create an even bigger platform to share thoughts and let people know “Hey, you’re not alone with this” 3. Thank you for your support. And if you would like to share your thoughts or leave a comment on this episode: Please do so! I highly appreciate it. You can comment right below the podcast episode or send me a message on Instagram @caitlin_atknsn . Forever grateful for you being here. Enjoy listening! See you later alligator! Caitlin This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit soulvibeswithcaitlin.substack.com

    23 min
  4. Episode 28: Feeling lost and not knowing where to go

    01/29/2024

    Episode 28: Feeling lost and not knowing where to go

    My dear friends,  Trying to be consistent with this is almost working. Let‘s see if I can uplevel myself in the next weeks :D !  At least I got my microphone working again, but I think I might have trashed it a little while traveling, so the quality is still not back to usual. But well, it‘s about the content and the message, right? That being said, this weeks episode is about feeling lost and not knowing where you belong. When nothing is a reassuring YES, but just a „yeah, could be nice“. Working alone, traveling alone. Although I really don‘t mind being alone, I have been feeling lonely lately.  The thing is though, this feeling is not going to just go away by moving to a new country again. It‘s something within me, that I need to work through and figure out for myself. How can I comfort myself. How can I give myself the security that I‘m craving so much.  All of that and the usual random babble in this weeks episode!  If you value this podcast and the content in this episode, I kindly ask you for one massive favor: Please go ahead and leave a rating. More than anything this helps me and my little podcast to reach more people and create an even bigger platform to share thoughts and let people know “Hey, you’re not alone with this” 3. Thank you for your support. And if you would like to share your thoughts or leave a comment on this episode: Please do so! I highly appreciate it. You can comment right below the podcast episode or send me a message on Instagram @caitlin_atknsn . Forever grateful for you being here. Enjoy listening! See you later alligator! Caitlin This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit soulvibeswithcaitlin.substack.com

    13 min
  5. Episode 27: Kicking off 2024 - new questions, confusions and the daily life hustle

    01/09/2024

    Episode 27: Kicking off 2024 - new questions, confusions and the daily life hustle

    My dear friends ☀️,  Welcome to 2024 and the first episode of the year!  Honestly, this first week feels like it‘s been a month already 😅.  The year is basically starting of with EVERYTHING new!!!  New work environment, travelled to a new place, working fully remotely. Exciting and amazing, no question. Buuuut also some new frustrations, questions and topics have come up through this experience. Things, that sounds super simple, but I just did not have on my mind. Or at least didn‘t pay enough attention to. To now notice, how important these things actually are to me to be able to feel comfortable and work effectively. But as everything, it‘s a journey. Many lessons to be learned along the way. And I will tell you more about it in the new podcast episode of Caitlin, my life and I!  If you value this podcast and the content in this episode, I kindly ask you for one massive favor: Please go ahead and leave a rating. More than anything this helps me and my little podcast to reach more people and create an even bigger platform to share thoughts and let people know “Hey, you’re not alone with this” 3. Thank you for your support. And if you would like to share your thoughts or leave a comment on this episode: Please do so! I highly appreciate it. You can comment right below the podcast episode or send me a message on Instagram @caitlin_atknsn . Forever grateful for you being here. Enjoy listening! See you later alligator! Caitlin This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit soulvibeswithcaitlin.substack.com

    17 min

About

Welcome to The Authentic Social Club. A space for honest conversations, real talk, and coming back to yourself. Think of it as sitting down with your most genuine friends, the ones who skip the small talk and get into what's really going on. I share my own stories, experiences and learnings, and invite friends to do the same. Because when someone opens up, it gives others permission to do the same. This is a space to feel seen, to be encouraged, and to remember that showing up as your authentic self is always enough. So that you, me, and anyone else listening feels a little less alone in this, and a little more brave. soulvibeswithcaitlin.substack.com