Overcoming Anxiety: Carolina Stukenberg of The REAL Unlimited YOU On Five Effective Strategies for Mental Well-Being

An Interview With Nancy Landrum

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Anxiety seems to be the dis-ease of our times. More people than ever are taking medications to help them cope with stress. Nearly everyone I talk to is consumed with anxious feelings that hijack any pleasure they could be getting from their lives. The pressure to “produce” combined with a perception of “not enough time,” combines to create anxiety, self-doubt, frustration and resentment. Resentment, then, is often taken out on your closest, most important relationships. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Carolina Stukenberg.

Carolina Stukenberg is a dynamic and influential Women’s Creatrix© Transformologist© dedicated to empowering women to break free from detrimental cycles, conquer anxiety, silence negative self-talk, self-doubt, and eradicate deep-seated insecurities, using her distinctive and proven methods of mindset shifting and heart healing to inspire genuine authenticity, unshakable confidence, and radical self-love, ultimately leading to a life of happiness, freedom and enabling women to break all their glass ceilings. There is no limit to women’s empowerment.

Through her unwavering commitment to raising women’s emotional intelligence, rewiring stress responses, and fostering healthy boundaries, Carolina equips women with the inner wisdom, trust & confidence they need to build a future rich in self-worth, boundless trust, unlimited empowerment, and the power to overcome any obstacle, championing lasting and profound transformation that goes beyond superficial change.

As a beacon of hope for countless women seeking to rediscover and unleash their full potential, Carolina paves the way for enduring personal growth, authentic living, resilience, and raised emotional intelligence, making a significant impact on the lives of the women she guides. Women Ready to Book an initial consultation here. https://carolinad.kartra.com/page/SER-WEB-LP)

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you tell us a bit about you and your backstory?

I was born to Argentine parents and raised in South Africa, a vibrant blend of cultures and languages shaping my upbringing.

My life has taken many twists and turns — some good, some challenging — but even the hardest times have provided me with invaluable lessons. These experiences inspired me to enter the field of women’s health, focusing on gut health, mental and emotional well-being. My mission is to guide women toward life-changing personal development, soul healing, and empowerment, helping them embrace their whole, authentic selves.

For years, I battled severe anxiety that compounded over time, affecting every aspect of my life. Despite my parents being doctors, I was led to believe that I was the problem and anxiety was merely a symptom. The traditional medical approach, which often involved medication and talk therapy, failed me. Medications numbed me, and talk therapy only retraumatized me, exacerbating my anxiety further. I reached a point where I felt broken and unfixable, convinced that I was an anomaly in a world where everyone else seemed to be able to get fixed.

In my quest for true healing, I realized that it wasn’t me who was broken, but the system. My inner voice urged me to question the system instead of blaming myself. Amidst my struggle with severe anxiety, I discovered a method specifically designed for women, and the results were astonishing. Within weeks, this method halted my anxiety and panic attacks, something I had been unable to achieve for years. The profound impact of this method inspired me to become a Creatrix© Transformologist©, determined to share this transformative work with other women.

I know many women still feel broken and unfixable, but it’s not them — it’s the system that fails us. Through my hardest challenges, I found my soul’s calling. Today, I work exclusively with women, healing their anxieties and traumas, empowering them, and setting their hearts free. At one point, I struggled to believe the saying, “everything happens for a reason,” especially during a series of traumatic events. But in retrospect, these experiences pushed me to explore, question, and prioritize my well-being, leading me to my passion and purpose.

Now, I’m grateful for the events that marked my life. They taught me that everything truly does happen for a reason, and it’s up to us to learn from these lessons and share them with others. By doing so, we can help our community become better and freer to be our whole, authentic selves, bringing our beautiful impact into the world. We are all here for a reason.

As a successful person in your field, have you or do you experience anxiety? And if so, how do you manage, reduce or eliminate anxiety so you can work efficiently and enjoy your non-work hours?

For years, I suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks. My anxiety began in my teenage years, accumulating with each harsh life event. By my mid-thirties, it had reached a critical point, wreaking havoc on my body and mind. Every aspect of life felt like an insurmountable struggle.

There’s normal stress and anxiety that we all experience, which I believe is healthy as it keeps us in check. Anxiety is the body’s way of communicating that something isn’t right. However, I was never taught how to manage it, acknowledge it or listen and lean into it for the lesson I needed to learn to protect myself and minimize the anxiety.. Through my journey, I discovered effective methods to manage and eventually heal my severe anxiety.

Today to manage my anxiety I keep a journal, and I note anything that comes up. I take time to observe and assess what triggers my anxiety and when I’m ready, I call on one my fellow Creatrix© Tranformologists© and I go into a session and gain the inner wisdom and healing I need. I then return to my journal and note the difference, which always blows my mind how effective and impactful it is.

I also take time either in the mornings or evenings to meditate and connect to myself, my body, my inner peace. This routine enforces my own ability to control my responses to triggers. At night, particularly, I use my sleepy eye mask that has internal bluetooth earphones and I listen to sleep meditations to unwind. I switch off from all technology at least an hour before bed.

Getting off social media reduces my anxiety immensely. I recommend everyone get their addiction to social media in check. It creates a false sense of reality and that we are not good enough.

Physical exercise gets me out of my head, and the plethora of thoughts that can at times become overwhelming.The physical activity releases the physical tension and alleviates the mind. I particularly love bouldering and rock climbing, yoga and hiking trails. Choose what works best for you and if you don’t know, explore and try until you do find the ways that work for you. But movement is detoxifying from the toxins of stress and anxiety and has a natural calming effect. Even just walking is helpful.

Breathing Exercises: I found breathing exercises incredibly powerful in managing anxiety. Techniques like deep belly breathing and Wim Hof (Tummo) breathing provided immediate relief during anxiety attacks.

Meditation: Regular meditation became a cornerstone of my routine, helping to calm my mind and reduce anxiety levels. Calming the autonomic nervous system. By doing this regularly, we can rewrite the neural pathways to adopt more peace and calm and retrain the body into the habit of calming down. Do not underestimate how powerful this is and how we can train our brains and bodies.

Diet and Gut Health: Understanding the gut-brain connection was crucial. I reassessed my diet, removing toxins, detoxing, and eating whole, clean foods. Supplementing with probiotics like Akkermansia and Lactobacillus made a significant difference.

Physical Activity: Engaging in physical activities like yoga, jogging, walking, and bouldering helped alleviate anxiety. Yoga combined with breathwork and meditation was especially beneficial. Rock climbing at the gym provided a mental escape and physical relief from intense anxiety.

Get Good Rest: Good rest, sleep is vital for our bodies to function at its optimum. Without good rest, stress and anxiety continues to accumulate, the body becomes unable to release toxins and cortisol, and shuts down the digestive process, affect our ability to absorb nutrients to thrive and leading to malnutrition, more stress physically and mentally, but also by default of the gut-brain connection, it affects our brains, causing anxiety, foggy brain, loss of memory, and the inability to think straight or clearly when one needs to. We need rest to heal and recover.

The Game-Changer: Creatrix©

The most transformative method for me was Creatrix©. By addressing the underlying issues suppressed within me, I completely eliminated my anxiety and panic attacks within weeks. Creatrix© helped me uncover deep inner wisdom, resolve issues, and observe the powerful impact on various aspects of my life.

Maintaining Wellness

Today, I continue to meditate, practice breath work, go bouldering or hiking, and address any new anxieties as signposts for issues that need healing. I regularly have Creatrix© sessions, just like I offer my clients, to gain profound inner insights and resolve issues, experiencing the ripple effect of this powerful modality in unexpected areas of my life. The most notable aspect of this methodology is that I and clients do not revert back to their old ways, even many years later, which is what all seek. Real profound and life-lasting transformation.

Embrace Your Journey to Healing

If you’re struggling with anxiety, remember that healing is possible. Explore techniques like breathing exercises, meditation, diet adjustments, physical activity, and transformative methods like Creatrix©. Your journey to wellness can lead you to a life free from anxiety, empowering you to be your authentic self. If I can, so can you!

Have you gone through a period of time in your life where you felt as though you were drowning in anxiety? If so, please share your experience and what you perceive as the reasons.

Severe anxiety crippled me during two pivotal moments in my life. The first time was during my late teens. Just as I was finishing school and preparing for final exams, my life at home was filled with challenges. At 18, I was moving out of my family home, navigating a stressful and traumatic period. This turmoil bled into other areas of my life, affecting my ability to study Law at university. The anxiety was so overwhelming that I can barely recall writing some of my final exams.

The second wave of severe anxiety hit after my ex-husband, whom I had been with for seven and a half years, left me in an unimaginable situation. Just two months into our marriage, he bankrupted us, got us fired from our jobs, and abandoned me in a foreign country during COVID. He disappeared and got another woman pregnant. The shock was unbearable.

The anxiety, stress, and shock led to relentless panic attacks. For years, I struggled to sleep through the night. Initially, the anxiety stemmed from the immense stress of surviving during the global pandemic when the world seemed to be in chaos and I was broke and alone starting from zero with no support.. As the shock and stress settled into my body, it was as if my body adapted to the anxiety and panic, triggering them like clockwork daily. I couldn’t think clearly or trust myself, and nights were plagued with panic, leaving me unable to get the rest I desperately needed.

As I started to pull myself out of this situation, I realized that my anxiety wasn’t just about the traumatic events. It was rooted in deeply ingrained beliefs about life, myself, others, the world, and the future. My foundation was shattered — I lost trust in myself, others, and the world. My self-worth and confidence were obliterated. I felt completely lost, unable to find any stability.

When you can’t even trust your own mind and feelings after such a disturbing betrayal, trusting anything or anyone else becomes impossible. This tainted view of myself and the world was all I could see. I believed life was harsh, rough, and perpetually challenging, always trying to break me. A part of me gave up hope in myself and my abilities, feeling worthless and disconnected from my value in the world.

Anxiety can come from the stress and trauma and the body adapts to live in survival mode, causing burnt out, exhaustion, confusion and inability to function at our best. Oftentimes anxieties are the symptom of suppressed and unresolved issues we harbor, carry and ignore. Another reason for anxiety can be caused by gut dysbiosis, affecting hormones and the message our gut sends our brain. If you suffer anxiety, it’s important to know where it stems from and how to heal it, and not just medicate to hide the symptoms.

Despite these dark times, I found a way to heal and reclaim my life. Through various methods and support, I began to rebuild my trust in myself and the world. I learned to manage and eventually overcome my anxiety. Today, I share my journey to help others understand that healing is possible, no matter how deep the wounds.

By addressing the root causes of my anxiety and transforming my beliefs, I’ve found stability and peace. Breathing exercises, meditation, a healthy diet, and physical activity played crucial roles in my recovery. The transformative method of Creatrix© was the turning point, allowing me to eliminate anxiety and panic attacks completely and fast. Even today, after a long time, I still am anxiety free. The power of Creatrix© proved itself to me as effective and truly lasting change in me.

If you’re struggling with anxiety, know that you’re not alone. Healing is within reach. Explore techniques that resonate with you and seek methods that address the root causes of your anxiety. Your journey to wellness can lead you to a life of empowerment and authenticity. Remember, your value and worth are real, and you can overcome even the most challenging circumstances.

What or whom did you lean on to help you cope with anxiety?

During one of the most challenging periods of my life, I found myself isolated and alone in Mexico, battling severe anxiety. Despite having concerned friends and family who reached out via phone calls, it wasn’t enough to ease my overwhelming sense of loneliness.

Living Situation and Gratitude

So I opted to live with other “housemates” and I shared a home with several people who, fortunately, gave me the space I needed to navigate my struggles. Their kindness and understanding provided a small but vital sense of community, for which I am deeply grateful. I would practice gratitude daily.

To manage my anxiety, I turned to various self-help techniques: These were coping mechanisms that help me and could help you.

• Breathwork: Regular breathwork sessions became a lifeline, helping to calm my mind and reduce the anxiety coursing through my veins.
• Journaling: Writing down my thoughts and feelings provided an outlet for my emotions and helped me process my experiences.
• Yoga and Exercise: Engaging in yoga and intense physical exercise helped release built-up tension and stress. These activities were crucial in maintaining my mental and physical health.

I attempted to find professional help, seeking out counselors and psychologists. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the right therapist for me, making this path a short-lived endeavor. Despite this setback, I continued to search for ways to cope on my own.

The loneliness of isolation : This period was incredibly lonely. I was bankrupt, stranded in a foreign country, and unable to return home to be with my family and friends due to travel restrictions. The isolation was profound, making my battle with anxiety even more difficult.

So I had to embrace self-reliance : Despite the loneliness and isolation, I leaned heavily on my inner strength and self-reliance. The practices I adopted — breathwork, journaling, yoga, and exercise — became my anchors. They helped me stay grounded and manage the intense anxiety I was experiencing.

Overcoming Adversity : Looking back, this challenging time taught me the importance of self-care and resilience. It highlighted the need to find and lean on the right support systems, whether they are internal practices or external connections.

A message of hope : If you find yourself in a similar situation, remember that you are not alone. Explore various coping mechanisms to find what works best for you. Reach out to those who can provide support, even if it’s from a distance. And most importantly, trust in your ability to overcome adversity.

What lessons did you derive from that dark period of time, that serve you now?

During that challenging time, I learned invaluable lessons that continue to guide me today.

Prioritizing Wellbeing

One of the most crucial lessons was that my wellbeing must be a non-negotiable priority. I realized that setting and maintaining boundaries in relationships is essential for protecting my mental and emotional health.

Trusting My Intuition

I learned to trust my gut instincts. I sensed something was wrong with my ex-husband, but I allowed myself to be manipulated and gaslit. Despite my attempts to communicate and resolve issues, my intuition was right all along. Trusting myself would have saved me from further pain.

Valuing Peace and Stability

I discovered that my peace and the choices that ensure my stability and wellbeing are paramount. This realization helped me focus on what truly matters and make decisions that align with my best interests.

Addressing Low Self-Worth

Another significant lesson was understanding the root cause of my severe anxiety — low self-worth and self-esteem. I realized that my impressionability and gullibility made me vulnerable to manipulation. This insight led me to work on myself, addressing deeply rooted behaviors and beliefs that were no longer serving me.

Self-Reflection and Healing

Through this journey, I found the path to healing my anxiety by facing my role in various situations and questioning my beliefs. I embraced the importance of self-reflection and personal growth, which allowed me to rebuild my self-worth and confidence.

Continuous Growth

This dark period taught me the importance of continuously questioning what is good for me and making choices that align with my wellbeing. It was a transformative experience that reshaped my perspective on life and relationships.

To end off, by learning to prioritize my wellbeing, trust my intuition, and address issues of self-worth, I have found a path to lasting peace and stability. These lessons not only helped me overcome my anxiety but also empowered me to live a more fulfilling and authentic life.

Do you have days or circumstances that still cause excessive stress?

Like anyone, I’ve faced situations that cause stress, particularly during times of financial difficulty. However, today I have a trusted method that helps me manage stress effectively. Instead of succumbing to stress, I lean in, listen to my instincts, and take actionable steps to address the issue.

Action alleviates stress. By focusing on what I can do, I transform stress into manageable tasks. This proactive approach has significantly improved my ability to cope with stress.

As a result, I now feel much more balanced and capable of handling stress. I honor my healthy boundaries, which has been incredibly beneficial in maintaining my mental and emotional health.

By focusing on solutions rather than problems, I’ve learned to avoid unnecessary stress. This solution-oriented mindset has become a cornerstone of my approach to life’s challenges.

Honoring my boundaries has allowed me to maintain a balanced life. By prioritizing my wellbeing, I’ve been able to navigate stressful situations with greater ease and resilience.

Today, I am more balanced, resilient, and solution-oriented. By taking action and honoring my boundaries, I’ve created a life where stress no longer overwhelms me but instead becomes a catalyst for positive change.

What are your dependable “go to” strategies that you use to restore balance to your emotions?

Since my last extreme experience, I’ve adopted a powerful approach to personal growth and emotional resilience. I regularly turn to my group of women Creatrix© Transformologists for sessions that address issues holding me back or no longer serving me. Whenever an incident arises, I book a session, and each time, I’m amazed by the profound and impactful results.

In addition to Creatrix© sessions, I continue to utilize various holistic practices:

• Breathing Techniques: These help me stay grounded and manage stress effectively.
• Meditation: Regular meditation sessions keep my mind clear and focused.
• Journaling: Writing down my thoughts and experiences aids in emotional processing and self-reflection.
• Exercise and Nature: Physical activity and spending time in nature boost my overall wellbeing.

To ensure I stay aligned with my goals, I perform a cadence check on myself every 4–5 months and reflect on my progress yearly. These practices have become the cornerstones of my personal development, allowing me to stay on track and manage my emotions before they escalate.

By integrating these strategies into my life, I’ve grown wiser and more emotionally intelligent. Facing challenges head-on with complete self-confidence and self-trust has transformed my approach to life’s obstacles.

Please name five tips, practices, beliefs or affirmations that you recommend to anyone going through a highly stressful time.

Navigating severe anxiety & highly stressful times requires a combination of effective practices, beliefs, and affirmations. Here are five tips I recommend:

1. Listen to Sarah Blondin’s “Live Awake” Meditations

Sarah Blondin’s “Live Awake” meditations for women are incredibly heartfelt and relevant. Her guided meditations create mental and emotional space, allowing you to explore and heal internal struggles.

2. Practice Tummo Breathwork and the Art of Living Techniques

Tummo breathwork (Wim Hof Method) and the Art of Living breathwork are powerful techniques that significantly reduce stress and anxiety. These methods help you cope with the most challenging moments by promoting relaxation and mental clarity.

3. Incorporate Movement and Healthy Eating

Regular exercise is essential for flushing out stress toxins from the body. Coupled with a healthy diet rich in fiber and a variety of beneficial probiotics, exercise helps break the cycle of stress and poor gut health. Understanding the connection between emotional stress and gut health is crucial for overall wellbeing.

4. Prioritize Good Rest and Sleep

Quality rest is vital for healing. If you struggle with sleep, consider using medication to help. Sleep is crucial for gut health, reducing anxiety, and managing stress. Using a sleep mask with Bluetooth earphones to meditate and breathe at night can be incredibly helpful for achieving restful sleep.

5. Take Helpful Supplements

Certain supplements can significantly reduce anxiety, inflammation, and support your body during stressful times. Consider taking Magnesium Glycinate, Omega-3, and a variety of probiotics to bolster your health and resilience.

On a scale of one-ten, if 8–10 was your former, chronic level of anxiety, how would you score your usual level of anxiety today?

Today I would rate my anxiety down at a 2, because of course I’m still human and experience anxiety, but now it’s a healthy anxiety and only when it’s a relevant response to a situation.

Do you have daily practices that support you in maintaining peace, calmness or balance in your life?

As I said before, absolutely yes, and the older I get, the more I realize we need these practices. I have mentioned them above in this interview. All hold value and are highly effective. It’s about working with the whole person and not just focusing on one pinpoint with the expectation that it will fix all. We need to live a balanced life, prioritize our own wellbeing and take ownership for our lives. See my suggestions above.

Was there any particular saying, person, or book that taught you the skills that enable you to escape or avoid the higher levels of anxiety that used to plague you?

The Tibetan book of Living and Dying was a fascinating read, very enlightening and many aspects I could connect to, even though the premise of the book is based on living and dying, but what I really took from book was how we as humans really make our own suffering, through expectations, through wanting to control things around us, through us causing a lot of our own anxiety and stress and when we acknowledge that and take responsibility, even if we are in the right and the other person is in the wrong, then we empower ourselves and can actually do something.

There is a lot more to the book that inspired me and challenged me to learn to let go, forgive and stop blaming others and take responsibility for my own response to others, situations and life. It taught me we always have a choice to suffer or to be happy.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom with those who are reading this article. Are there also other ways you are sharing your wisdom?

I give live talks and workshops, I share my posts on socials and sharing not only my own profound changes but that of my clients too, who’ve also been through their own journey. I want women out there to hear, or see the real impact of Creatrix© when it comes to managing their anxiety and why it comes up. I also run my own podcast, although it’s a recent endevour, I love that one can listen to podcast in their own time. So you can find me talking on my own podcast or being interviewed on others podcasts, so by keeping up with my social handles, I share all these and the interviews and articles I also write.

Wonderful. We are nearly done. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)?

I would love to have lunch with Marylin Schirmer, the creator of Creatrix©, the method that has saved and changed my life beyond my expectations. She herself had been through her own abusive hardships, and created this method, because women kept reverting and coming back to heal the same problems again and again. She found a way that works phenomenally on women and I would love to have lunch with her and hear her story and pick her mind.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would love to start a women’s scientific research movement, truly going through studying the impact of stress on women, medications on women, studies of women and their health, menopause and everything related to women’s health. The reason for this is because almost all methods that exist today were created by men, not really understanding that women and men are internally, genetically and epigenetically different.

Once we can analyze data that is actually studied on females with the female cycle, I believe the medical and science industry will be able to better help more women out there.

How can our readers follow your work online?

Book an initial consultation here with me personally. https://carolinad.kartra.com/page/SER-WEB-LP)

Register for my online webinar here and get your free emotional health quiz and workbook. https://carolinad.kartra.com/page/SER-WEB-LP

https://heal.me/practitioner/carolina-stukenberg

Join my Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaPrimeIN

Follow me on in IG https://www.instagram.com/primein_coaching?igsh=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==

Follow me in Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/carolina-stukenberg-35b8b11a

Follow my Podcast https://anchor.fm/prime-in

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

About the Interviewer: Nancy Landrum, MA, Relationship Coach, has authored eight books, including “How to Stay Married and Love it” and “Stepping Twogether: Building a Strong Stepfamily”. Nancy has been coaching couples and stepfamilies with transformative communication skills for over thirty years. Nancy is an engaging interviewer and powerful speaker. Nancy has contributed to The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Authority, Medium, Yahoo, MSN, Psych Central, Thrive, Woman’s Day magazine, and more. Nancy is the Founder of the only one of its kind online relationship solution, www.MillionaireMarriageClub.com. Nancy coaches couples across the globe in person and via Zoom. Nancy’s passion is to guide couples and families to happy lasting marriages where children thrive and lovers love for life.