Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carrie Hauskens . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Carrie , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
While I’ve always been a writer, I never truly found my niche until I started to deal with infertility. As a person who processes by talking about my difficulties, I started sharing. I looked to see others talking about their struggles to conceive and didn’t find many. Initially, I asked questions and then moved on to sharing my experience. People began reaching out to me, seeking ways to find calm amidst the chaos. I wrote things down and shared them with others, who then shared them with others. Soon, I was being asked to be on podcasts and interviewed for websites to discuss how I’ve dealt with the grief of infertility. After a while, I began documenting my journey in more detail. Deciding to stop infertility treatments after eight years and start embracing a childfree life was another piece of the story that I didn’t see very much, and so I continued to share. I’m living what I assumed would be my greatest nightmare and can now see how beautifully divine it all is.
I never imagined my purpose would be to share stories of how lovely it can be to let go of the life you wanted and start embracing the life you have. I genuinely wake up every day excited to write about it.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Writing has always been something I can count on. My freelancing business is a way to document a moment and preserve it for others to read later. Humans deal with many of the same issues, yet we all experience them differently. Finding ways to connect through these experiences and learn from one another is a gift. Writing allows me to take something I went through and mold it into a piece of art. Taking words and arranging them in a manner that flows, keeps a rhythm, and sounds gratifying makes it all okay.
I do this with my own story and also love doing this for others. I mainly work with people who have dealt with something they weren’t expecting and what they did to make it out alright. Grief is the main topic I cover, and this can mean grieving anything. We lose things throughout our lives and mourn the loss in multiple ways. Documenting these stories acknowledges they existed and can be a guidebook for someone else.
I am currently writing a book about dealing with infertility and the loss of my stillborn daughter. I hope someone reads my story and feels seen. Infertility can be isolating, and my hope is my book can reach across the pages to someone mourning and feeling like a warm hug.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My writing came into play when life became difficult. I wrote to sort out my feelings. When I started sharing my writing and heard “I know how that feels” or “Your words helped me feel better,” I felt the urge to share more. I had found others who understood my pain. I had found a community. Finding people like me made me realize I don’t have to heal alone. Sitting with people who couldn’t have children or ones who had lost babies showed me there was still a life to be lived. I had never felt more seen.
Once I knew I wasn’t alone, I began exploring my grief. I tended to it like a curious human. I took art classes and focused on my infertility journey. I wrote down all my feelings, sometimes burning them when done. I planted things and watched them grow, learned how to cook special meals for specific grief anniversaries, and always checked in afterward to see how I felt. Did the activity make me feel better? If yes, I take note and make plans to do it again. If it didn’t feel great, I asked myself why and noted not to do it again… or maybe come back to it on a letter date.
Another essential skill that has helped me is focusing on things that make me happy. while this piggybacks on exploring my grief, I’ve taken it further. If I don’t like something, I will most likely not do it. I quit my teaching job a few years ago because of this. While I was good at it, I knew my mental health was struggling because of it. So, after ten years, I quit. and I’ve never been happier. I stopped doing intense workout classes as I hated attending. I stopped hanging out with people that left me feeling drained, and I prioritized sleep over most activities. Waking up in the morning well-rested and happy to move about my day without dread has made me happy… genuinely delighted.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Collaborating with others has been one of the best things about freelance writing. I recently began working with a non-profit where I interview people utilizing the resources from the organization. I meet with people worldwide, ask them questions, and write a blog post about it. I’m curious and love hearing how others deal with the life they are handed. Asking people deep questions about their lives while using their individual voices, I share their stories. It’s a privilege to be let in and hold space for strangers dealing with the heaviness life can bring.
When companies, non-profits, or anyone looking to write their story needs an essayist, I’m delighted to help. Connecting with humans to document how we navigate the worlds around us brings me genuine satisfaction. Each of us has stories to share, and helping facilitate the process makes my job worthwhile.
Feel free to contact [email protected] or check out my website, bloomingwithcare.com, to see some examples.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bloomingwthcare.com
- Instagram: @bloomingwithcare
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriehauskens/
