Circling Back - Stories From The Soul

Breaking Barriers, Sharing Raw Emotions, And Celebrating The Journey To Growth.
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Monthly

Stories From the Soul is a podcast that dives into the unspoken truths of life, love, and growth. In each episode, we explore deeply personal stories of triumph over mental and emotional barriers, particularly within traditional families and workplaces where open dialogue is often stifled. Through authentic conversations, reflections, and transformative advice, we shed light on taboo topics like mental health, emotional well-being, and the journey to self-acceptance. Whether you’re navigating difficult transitions, seeking connection, or looking for inspiration, this podcast offers a safe space to hear yourself in the stories of others—and to know you’re not alone. Listen to real stories. Find your growth. Heal your soul. tariromundawarara.substack.com

  1. Sep 24

    Episode #23: I’m No Longer Going to Set Myself on Fire to Keep Others Warm

    There is a version of generosity that slowly erodes you.  It's the giving that doesn't fill you—it hollows you out.  I've known this pattern personally. The instinct to anticipate what someone needs, to keep the peace, to absorb discomfort, to make things easier for someone else. And because it can look like kindness, it's easy to mistake self-abandonment for generosity.  In this episode, I sit with the phrase, "I will no longer set myself on fire to keep others warm."  What I've come to understand is that the pattern often goes deeper than the person in front of us. Somewhere along the way, we may have learned that giving keeps us needed, being needed keeps us close, and staying close keeps us safe.  But what happens when that old agreement is no longer serving us?  This is a reflection on boundaries, vulnerability, self-awareness and learning to remain in relationship with ourselves whilst still caring deeply for others.  🧭 In This Episode  ✨ Why an "empty cup" isn't always about physical tiredness.  ✨ How we can become disconnected from ourselves whilst appearing deeply present for others.  ✨ Why someone else's disappointment can sometimes feel more uncomfortable than our own discomfort.  ✨ How we end up carrying emotions, tension and expectations that don't actually belong to us.  ✨ The power of asking: "Is this mine?"  ✨ Why boundaries aren't walls—they can be honest expressions of vulnerability.  ✨ Why "I am allowed to have a limit" can be such a powerful statement.  ✨ What changes when we stop managing other people's experience of us.  🌿 Listener Takeaway  I am allowed to have a limit.  I can care about you and still be running low.  I can love you and still say no.  I can want to show up for you and still acknowledge that I cannot do it like this right now.  That isn't selfishness.  That's honesty.  ==== Connect with me: Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/tariro/guided-meditationsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtariromundawarara/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TariroMundawarara-mo7vk Podcast: Substack: https://tariromundawarara.substack.com/podcast YouTube: https://buff.ly/l6RIeDNSpotify: https://buff.ly/Vd5lPUrApple: https://buff.ly/jPdzdR5 Get full access to Tariro Mundawarara at tariromundawarara.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode #23: I’m No Longer Going to Set Myself on Fire to Keep Others Warm

  2. Sep 10

    Episode #22: Being OK With Where You Are

    For years, I believed that growth meant constantly working on myself.  Meditation. Therapy. Journalling. Reflection.  Each practice brought me closer to myself, but somewhere along the way I realised something unexpected: there wasn't another problem to solve. There wasn't another layer that needed unpacking. There was simply an invitation to stop striving and begin appreciating.  In this episode, I reflect on a recent conversation with my IFS therapist that led me to take a pause from therapy—not because the work is finished, but because I've reached a place where I can simply be. I explore what it means to become your own best friend, to see yourself with kindness instead of judgement, and to recognise that sometimes growth looks like standing still rather than moving forward.  In This Episode  ✨ Why personal growth isn't meant to become another performance.  ✨ The surprising freedom that comes from not always needing to fix yourself.  ✨ How asking "Do I see myself?" transformed my inner world.  ✨ The shift from living by "should" to living by "want".  ✨ Why every journey needs seasons of reflection as much as seasons of growth.  Listener Takeaway  If you take one thing from this episode, let it be this:  You don't always need another breakthrough.  Sometimes the next step on your journey is to stop, breathe, and appreciate the person you've already become.  Reflection Question  If there was nothing left to improve today, what would you allow yourself to enjoy?  Connect with me: Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/tariro/guided-meditationsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtariromundawarara/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TariroMundawarara-mo7vk Podcast: Substack: https://tariromundawarara.substack.com/podcast YouTube: https://buff.ly/l6RIeDNSpotify: https://buff.ly/Vd5lPUrApple: https://buff.ly/jPdzdR5 Closing Thought  There comes a moment on every journey when you stop climbing, pitch a tent, and take in the view.  Don't rush past those moments.  They're part of the journey too.  Honour your truth. Keep growing. Keep becoming. Get full access to Tariro Mundawarara at tariromundawarara.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode #22: Being OK With Where You Are

  3. Sep 3

    Episode #21: You're Not Triggered. A Part of You Is.

    We've all experienced it.  Someone makes a comment. A message goes unanswered. A particular tone of voice lands differently. Before we know it, we've reacted in a way that doesn't feel like us.  But what if the reaction isn't all of you?  In this episode, I explore one of the most powerful ideas I've encountered through Internal Family Systems (IFS): that we are not our reactions. Instead, a protective part of us steps forward when something in the present reminds it of the past. This subtle shift—from identifying with the reaction to becoming curious about it—creates space for healing, compassion, and choice.   In This Episode  ✨ Why your reactions are usually about history, not the present moment.  ✨ How protective parts develop as intelligent survival strategies.  ✨ The difference between being blended with a part and leading from Self.  ✨ Four practical steps to work with emotional triggers.  ✨ Why asking better questions leads to deeper healing.  Listener Takeaway  If you take one thing from this episode, let it be this:  You are not your reaction.  A part of you is reacting.  And when you learn to meet that part with curiosity instead of judgement, everything begins to change.  Reflection Question  The next time you feel triggered, ask yourself:  Which part of me is reacting, and what is it afraid would happen if it didn't step in?  Connect with me: Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/tariro/guided-meditationsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtariromundawarara/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TariroMundawarara-mo7vk Podcast: Substack: https://tariromundawarara.substack.com/podcast YouTube: https://buff.ly/l6RIeDNSpotify: https://buff.ly/Vd5lPUrApple: https://buff.ly/jPdzdR5 Closing Thought  Healing isn't about becoming untriggerable.  It's about building such a trusting relationship with your parts that they no longer have to take over.  Honour your truth. Keep growing. Keep becoming. Get full access to Tariro Mundawarara at tariromundawarara.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode #21: You're Not Triggered. A Part of You Is.

  4. Aug 6

    Episode #20: Are You Enduring Your Life Instead of Enjoying It?

    There is a subtle but profound difference between surviving life and truly living it.  In this episode, I explore how many of us have unknowingly become trapped in a cycle of endurance. We push through our days, chase the next milestone, and postpone joy until some future moment when life will finally feel complete. Yet the more we wait, the more life quietly passes by.  This reflection is an invitation to stop preparing for life and start participating in it. To savour the ordinary moments, reconnect with what makes you feel alive, and remember that this moment—not some future version of it—is your life.   In This Episode  ✨ The difference between enduring and enjoying life  ✨ Why many of us have learned to equate productivity with worth  ✨ How "someday" becomes a trap that keeps us disconnected from the present  ✨ The importance of savouring ordinary moments  ✨ Four practical ways to bring more joy, presence and aliveness into everyday life  Listener Takeaway  If you take one thing from this episode, let it be this:  You do not have to wait for life to become perfect before allowing yourself to enjoy it.  Reflection Question  What is one thing you used to love doing that you've quietly stopped making time for? Connect with Tariro  Insight Timer: https://www.instagram.com/iamtariromundawarara/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtariromundawarara/Substack: https://tariromundawarara.substack.com/YouTube: https://buff.ly/leHyE65Spotify: https://buff.ly/WkAB1M7Apple Podcast: https://buff.ly/eFwlZZy Closing Thought  This is not the dress rehearsal.  This is the life. The invitation is not to endure it, but to experience it fully.   Honour your truth. Keep growing. Keep becoming.  Get full access to Tariro Mundawarara at tariromundawarara.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode #20: Are You Enduring Your Life Instead of Enjoying It?

  5. Jul 30

    Episode #19: The Hidden Cost of Being Strong

    In this episode of Stories from the Soul, I explore the hidden cost of always being the strong one. The part of us that learned to stay independent, capable and self-sufficient isn't broken—it's trying to protect us. But when strength becomes armour, it can quietly disconnect us from the very thing we long for most: connection.   This is a reflection on vulnerability, self-protection, and the courage it takes to let ourselves be seen.  ✨ What you'll discover:  Why the "strong one" is often a protector part, not your true Self.   The hidden exhaustion that comes from carrying everything alone.   Why vulnerability isn't weakness—it's honesty.   How strength can become armour that prevents connection.   Four practical ways to soften and begin letting people in.   Why asking for help may be one of the bravest things you'll ever do.   Get full access to Tariro Mundawarara at tariromundawarara.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode #19: The Hidden Cost of Being Strong

  6. Jul 23

    Episode #18: Why You Can't Trust Yourself (And How to Start Again)

    Every time I ignored what I felt. Every time I stayed when I wanted to leave. Every time I said yes when I meant no. Every time I overrode my instincts to keep the peace, gain approval, or avoid discomfort. Get full access to Tariro Mundawarara at tariromundawarara.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode #18: Why You Can't Trust Yourself (And How to Start Again)

  7. Jul 16

    Episode #17: When Your Identity No Longer Fits

    You've become the person everyone knows you to be.  And yet something feels off.   For me, it began as a quiet discomfort.  A subtle feeling that I was performing a role rather than living as myself.  Get full access to Tariro Mundawarara at tariromundawarara.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode #17: When Your Identity No Longer Fits

  8. Jul 9

    Episode #16: The Four Phrases That Can Transform Your Relationships

    Telling someone we're proud of them may feel awkward because encouragement was never modelled for us.  And admitting we're wrong can feel like annihilation because somewhere deep inside, a younger part learned that being wrong meant losing love, respect, or belonging.   Get full access to Tariro Mundawarara at tariromundawarara.substack.com/subscribe

    Episode #16: The Four Phrases That Can Transform Your Relationships
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Stories From the Soul is a podcast that dives into the unspoken truths of life, love, and growth. In each episode, we explore deeply personal stories of triumph over mental and emotional barriers, particularly within traditional families and workplaces where open dialogue is often stifled. Through authentic conversations, reflections, and transformative advice, we shed light on taboo topics like mental health, emotional well-being, and the journey to self-acceptance. Whether you’re navigating difficult transitions, seeking connection, or looking for inspiration, this podcast offers a safe space to hear yourself in the stories of others—and to know you’re not alone. Listen to real stories. Find your growth. Heal your soul. tariromundawarara.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Breaking Barriers, Sharing Raw Emotions, And Celebrating The Journey To Growth.
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Tariro Mundawarara
  • Show Website
    Circling Back - Stories From The Soul