We recently connected with Cayla Merrill and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Cayla, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Developing my confidence and self-esteem is an ongoing process but I do feel there was an inflection point in the Fall of 2021. I attended a masterclass put on by Sora Schilling who is a trainer at the Beautiful You Life Coaching Academy where I completed my Life Coaching training in 2019. During this 3 day experience, she demonstrated a technique that would change my life called Energy Coaching. It was a combination of reflection, somatic work, and imagination that supported me in tapping into something that felt like a missing puzzle piece for me. After over a decade of being obsessed with self help and “fixing” myself through books, and yoga, Energy Coaching opened a new way of relating to myself that didn’t involve judging my thoughts into an anxiety spiral. Energy Coaching in addition to therapy, invites me to connect to my body, rather than just my head, it has supported me in being kinder to myself and others. All of this contributes to my confidence and self-esteem because it’s sure hard to be confident when you’re constantly shitting on yourself in your mind. I also feel that when I am listening to my intuition, I feel more confident as I am doing what I am meant to do- there’s no back and forth because I am only concerned with what is aligned for me in this moment.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a graphic designer by trade but I am also a crafter, content creator, Energy Coach and acro yoga instructor. I love supporting creatives to feel confident online and off with my design and Energy Coaching offerings. I also love encouraging people to live an inspired life through You Can Toucan Collective where I share crafts as well as bright gifts for bold souls. In all that I do I love to have some fun and brighten people’s day. I am excited to continue to document my crafts and adventures big and small on my YouTube channel and would love for people to follow along! Also if you’re in the NYC area and want to attend an AcroYoga class reach out!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three qualities that have been most impactful for me on my journey would be creativity, self trust, and play. These three aspects feel intertwined for me because the more I play and have fun the more creative I am (and vice versa) which helps me to follow through and trust myself on those creative acts. It can feel SO dang scary when you feel the nudge of “I should draw that” or “I should write a book” because “omg what will people think” and all that jazz, but if you’re having fun with the process and carving out space for nonjugdemental creativity and play – that’s where the magic is and that will flex your self trust muscle because you’re showing yourself that you can be trusted with the creative spark, that you will bring it to fruition rather than frittering it away.
My advice for people who are early in their journey is rather than thinking of the end goal of “I want to be a New York Times best seller” or “I want to be a famous artist” is to focus on the first step and creating a sustainable practice to be in relationship with your creativity. It can be easy to get tied up in the overwhelm of it all but all you need to do is to take one step at a time.
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?
I would love to collaborate with folks who are interested in sharing a craft or know of event spaces to host You Can Toucan Collective events. My intention for You Can Toucan Collective this year is to have in person Create & Connect events for people to learn a new skill, meet new people, and have a fun craft to takeaway. If you’re interested in hosting or attending please send me a DM over on Instagram @cayla.merrill
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.caylamerrillcoaching.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cayla.merrill/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cayla.merrill
Image Credits
Headshot by Kathy Beaver.
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