<p>The Real Stuff is a weekly podcast series hosted by Lucie Fink who has spent the past decade getting curious and creating engaging and educational content for an audience of millions. On this show, you won’t hear your favorite guests talk about things they typically share — rather, Lucie pulls them deep into some of the world’s most taboo topics, asking intensely personal questions about sex, money, and mental health, all in an effort to help you feel less alone as you navigate through the world. And the best part: we want to invite YOU onto the show. Apply to call in as an anonymous guest at <a href="luciefink.com/apply">luciefink.com/apply</a>. Pop in your voyeuristic headphones, or call in and spill your secrets! Visit Lucie on Instagram (@luciebfink) and find the show across social media @therealstuffpod. </p>
Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of mental health, anxiety, OCD, intrusive thoughts, and suicide. Please listen with care.
Carrie Berk is a bestselling author who published 21 books before the age of 20, but behind the bubbly book covers and growing TikTok following, she was privately battling debilitating anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In this raw and deeply honest conversation, Carrie opens up about the moment her intrusive thoughts began to spiral, how a panic attack led to her OCD diagnosis, and what exposure therapy actually looked like for her. Lucie and Carrie also explore the pressures of growing up in the public eye, the impact of privilege on mental health, and what it means to be misunderstood online. Plus: the reality show experience Carrie rarely talks about and how bullying shaped both her inner world and her activism.
If you’ve ever questioned your own thoughts, wondered if you were “going crazy,” or struggled to explain your mental health to friends, this episode is for you!
Pre-order Carrie’s new book, Mindfire: Diary of an Anxious Twentysomething here: https://amzn.to/44kC0j2
Follow Carrie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrieberkk/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carrieberkk
00:00 introducing Carrie Berk
02:10 becoming a published author at age 8
04:26 privilege and imposter syndrome
9:03 being on a reality tv show
11:03 dealing with online hate and bullying
21:51 anxiety and OCD diagnoses
25:04 examples of intrusive thoughts
29:34 how therapy has helped her cope
32:30 opening up to family and friends
39:21 normalizing mental health struggles
42:58 social media’s impact on mental health
46:11 Carrie’s new book & future plans
Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX
To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story.
I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone.
Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod
Find Lucie here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciebfink/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luciebfink
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luciebfink
Website: https://luciefink.com/
Executive Producer: Cloud10
Produced by Dear Media.
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