Claim OwnershipMolly Carmel
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Welcome to The Daily Ascent. I'm Molly Carmel — and this is the podcast I always wished existed: a bite-sized, on-the-ground spiritual note that can shift your thinking and your outlook on life. Because sometimes, that's all it takes — a small shift in what we choose to believe — to make the day a little better, and to make us a little more awake, alive… and ascending.
Each weekday, we climb together — rising above the noise, finding the flow, and getting grounded in what really matters so you can live your day with more meaning, connection, and ease.
Each weekday, we climb together — rising above the noise, finding the flow, and getting grounded in what really matters so you can live your day with more meaning, connection, and ease.
186 Episodes
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In today's episode, I'm talking about what it looks like when someone meets your chaos with grace - and what happens when you forget to do the same. I share the story of my friend Liz showing me what grace looks like in action, and how it made me realize I hadn't done the same for my brother. Question to carry into your day: When someone's chaos spills into your life, instead of making their worst moment mean something about who they are, can you meet them with grace today? Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System. Let's Stay Connected: Instagram: @mollycarmel Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) Questions or want to share your story? Email me at dailyascentpod@gmail.com An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about what needs to go out in 2025 - compartmentalization - and what needs to come in in 2026 - compassion. I share what's been coming up in my sessions this month with clients who are trying to stuff down their feelings, and why compartmentalization for big-feeling people just means the feelings will explode or leak out somewhere else - often with food. We'll explore how having compassion for your difficult feelings is actually stronger than pretending you're fine. Question to carry into your day: What are you trying to compartmentalize right now - and what would it look like to have compassion for yourself for feeling bothered instead? Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System. Let's Stay Connected: Instagram: @mollycarmel Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) Questions or want to share your story? Email me at dailyascentpod@gmail.com An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about how I taught myself to love hot yoga by going every single day for two weeks - even though I hated it at first. I share the story of my relentless best friend Josh convincing me to try, and how I decided to see if I could actually change my relationship with something I thought I just "didn't like." We'll explore how commitment - not motivation - is what creates real change. Question to carry into your day: What's something you've written off as "I just don't like that" - and what would it look like to commit to showing up for it consistently and see what changes? Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System. Let's Stay Connected: Instagram: @mollycarmel Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) Questions or want to share your story? Email me at dailyascentpod@gmail.com An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about what my 3-year-old godson taught me about curiosity, wonder, and using all of our senses to really experience life instead of just observing it. I share the story of him wanting to see and smell everything in my dog's travel bag - approaching dried fish skins like they were miracles - and how his openness reminded me what it looks like to approach life with genuine wonder instead of cynicism or the need for certainty. We'll explore how wonder requires vulnerability and how we can bring more curiosity into this new year. Question to carry into your day: Where in your life have you traded curiosity for certainty - and what would shift if you approached it with genuine openness instead of assuming you already know? Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System. Let's Stay Connected: Instagram: @mollycarmel Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) Questions or want to share your story? Email me at dailyascentpod@gmail.com An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about what happened when I broke my New Year's resolution on January 3rd - and why perfectionism is the real enemy, not imperfection. I share the story of reflexively reaching for my phone and playing Wordle before my morning practice, and how my yoga teacher told the exact same story that day. We'll explore why the goal isn't to never mess up - it's to learn how to mess up and keep going anyway. Question to carry into your day: What resolution or intention are you holding with too much perfectionism - and what would it look like to hold it with both commitment and self-compassion instead? Want to chat about working together? Me too! Visit https://www.mollycarmel.com to schedule a free call about my Stop Starting Over System. Connect with Molly Carmel: Instagram: @mollycarmel Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) Questions or want to share your story? Email me at dailyascentpod@gmail.com An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about what happens when we stop assuming we're incapable and let ourselves stay with discomfort long enough to learn. I share a personal story about facing a skill I wanted to avoid and what it taught me about self-trust and growth. We'll explore spiritual growth, emotional recovery, and a powerful reading from Keep It Simple about willingness and progress. Question to carry into your day: Where might you be deciding you "can't," without ever letting yourself find out? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If this episode helped you see yourself differently, consider subscribing or sharing it with someone who's learning to trust themselves again. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about how the resurgence of skinny culture can destabilize even the most grounded healing journeys. I share a story from my work with someone who was doing beautifully — and how cultural noise pulled her attention from her insides to her outsides. We'll explore spiritual growth, emotional recovery, and a grounding insight from Inner Harvest about choosing serenity over perfection. Question to carry into your day: Where have you noticed your attention drifting to the outside — and what helps you come back to yourself? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode I'm talking about a difficult but deeply clarifying leadership lesson: when letting go early can actually be the most loving and honest decision. I share the story of releasing an assistant I genuinely cared about, the moment a friend's advice challenged a lifelong pattern of staying too long, and how choosing based on the goal rather than personalities changed everything. This episode explores emotional maturity, spiritual growth, and the cost of carrying misalignment until it turns into resentment. We'll explore how Stoic wisdom helps us face reality without drama, why clarity can feel painful and still be right, and how ending something early can preserve dignity for everyone involved. Question to carry into your day: Where in your life might clarity be asking you to choose based on the goal, rather than the comfort of familiarity? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If The Daily Ascent helps you rise a little higher, I'd be so grateful if you'd subscribe, rate, and share the show with someone who might need it. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about the power of saying no — especially during the holidays — and how honoring your body's limits can be deeply restorative. I share a personal story about choosing rest over obligation and the surprising clarity that followed. We'll explore emotional recovery, boundaries, and a beloved reading from Melody Beattie about why saying no allows us to say yes to the good. Question to carry into your day: Where in your life is your body quietly asking for a no — and what might become possible if you listened? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about the winter seasons of our lives — those moments that feel dark, uncertain, or stripped down to the essentials. I share a story about supporting a friend who is in a difficult moment in her business, and the unexpected wisdom that arrived as autumn leaves fell across my windshield. We explore the quiet power of winter, the truth that every season holds meaning, and how resurgence is always preparing beneath the surface. Question to carry into your day: Where in your life might you be in a winter season, and can you soften into the possibility that something is gathering strength beneath the surface, preparing for its resurgence? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If The Daily Ascent helps you rise a little higher, share it with someone who might need a little light in their winter. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
Happy 2026, Ascenders!!! In today's episode, I'm talking about why casual indifference costs us more than we realize — and how choosing to live courageously open can change everything. On New Year's Day, I reflect on regret minimization, fear, visibility, and the decision to leave it all on the field. We'll explore Sharon Salzberg's teachings from Faith, why fear doesn't get to determine the limits of our lives, and what it means to live a big, beautiful life without holding back. Question to carry into your day: Where are you still playing it cool when what you really want is to go all in? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If this episode resonated, consider subscribing, sharing it with someone who's ready to live more boldly, or leaving a review. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about the art of letting good things end well — and how closure can be an act of love, not loss. I share the story of ending my podcast Food Shrinks with my dear friends Molly P. and Clarissa K., how at first I felt abandoned and angry, and how I came to see the ending as something whole and holy — a moment that made room for The Daily Ascent to be born. We'll explore how to recognize when something's complete, how to find the middle ground between holding on and cutting out, and how to let things end with grace and gratitude. Question to carry into your day: Where in your life might you be gripping too tightly or cutting too quickly — and what would completion look like if you met it with grace instead of fear? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If The Daily Ascent helps you rise a little higher, share it with someone who might need that reminder today. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about transformation through life's curveballs — spiritual growth born from collapse. At her book launch, my friend Alisa Kriegel shared how discovering her husband was gay shattered her life — and ultimately set her free. I share how I've seen that same pattern in my own life: when businesses shifted, relationships ended, and old stories fell away. We'll explore how to stay open when things fall apart, how to let heartbreak become your teacher, and how to trust that even the hardest endings can lead to sacred beginnings. Question to carry into your day: When something is ending in your life, how can you keep even a small part of yourself open to the possibility that this catalyst is here to grow you? Purchase Alisa Kreigel's AMAZING BOOK: https://amzn.to/4aFgCbe Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If The Daily Ascent helps you rise a little higher, share it with someone who might need that reminder today. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about devotion — not as discipline or perfection, but as the steady, human practice of showing up when things are hard or uncertain. I share a story about a young woman whose commitment to learning reshaped my understanding of perseverance, humility, and what it really means to stay the course. We'll explore why devotion is a spiritual practice, how small acts of consistency transform us, and why the willingness to return — even imperfectly — matters more than the results. Question to carry into your day: Where in your life are you being invited to keep showing up — not perfectly, but consistently? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If this episode spoke to you, subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about how to soften your heart when anger takes over — especially during emotionally charged moments like the holidays. I share a raw story about a recent blowup with my brother and the spiritual tool that helped me melt the armor that anger had built around my heart. If you find yourself looping, stewing, or feeling hardened, this one is for you. We'll explore why anger feels so powerful, how it actually protects our deepest tenderness, and how even a small act of softening can bring you back to yourself. Question to carry into your day: Where in your life is anger building armor — and what small act of softening could help you return to your heart? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If this episode helps you soften, subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who might need it. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I am talking about what it feels like to be the outsider in your family. I share a story about a client who sees herself as the unicorn in a family of horses and how this simple metaphor helped her soften, accept her family's limits, and stop losing herself in the process. We explore how to love people as they are, let go of expectations that keep you hurt and resentful, and give yourself permission to find the people who can truly see and understand you. Question to carry into your day: Where are you asking someone to give you something they do not have, and what might shift if you allowed them to be who they are while finding the people who can truly see you? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If this episode touched something in you, subscribe, leave a little love in the reviews, and share it with another unicorn who might need it today. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about overcommitting, exhaustion, and learning how to pause before saying yes. This episode explores spiritual growth and emotional recovery through restraint, boundaries, and honoring your limits without guilt. We'll explore how choosing a sustainable pace helps you show up with integrity and presence in your life and relationships. Question to carry into your day: Where are you saying yes to a version of yourself who never gets tired? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If this episode helped you find a little more peace, consider subscribing, sharing it with someone who might need it, or leaving a review. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about the tenderness of relationships that change form rather than disappear. I share the story of reconnecting with an ex after a soft, mutual breakup and the surprising moment of hope that followed. We'll explore how to stay open when endings become beginnings in another shape, and how reimagining connection can be its own kind of healing. Question to carry into your day: Where in your life is a relationship asking to be reimagined, and what might open if you allowed it to change shape? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If this episode lifted you, pass it along to someone who could use some heart today An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about how to find stability when the holidays knock you off your spiritual beam. I share a personal story about slipping into depression without realizing it, the friends who reflected it back to me, and the simple plan that one of my spiritual guides, Juliana helped me create when she reminded me I was in "spiritual critical care." We'll explore what it means to return to basics, why simplicity is sometimes the most powerful form of healing, and how stability can be rebuilt one small action at a time. Question to carry into your day: What's one small, basic action that would help you feel even a tiny bit more stable today? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If this episode helped you feel less alone, subscribe, rate, and share it. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
In today's episode, I'm talking about the difference between contribution and flow — and what happens when we stop trying to earn our place in the rhythm of life. I share a story about a weekend with my framily that reminded me how easily we interrupt generosity by feeling guilty for receiving — and how freedom and connection return when we let ourselves be carried. We'll explore why overgiving blocks the natural current of love, how to practice receiving without guilt, and what it really means to trust life's flow. Question to carry into your day: Where in your life might you be interrupting the flow — and can you soften enough to let life carry you for a while? Connect with Molly Carmel: Email: dailyascentpod@gmail.com Instagram: @mollycarmel Website: www.mollycarmel.com Subscribe on YouTube Amazon Storefront (in case you want to hang out with my Pocket Sages) If The Daily Ascent helps you rise a little higher, share it with someone who might need that reminder today. An Operation Podcast production | @OperationPodcast
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