I used to think excitement was a sign. A green light. A full-body YES. But lately, I’ve been feeling the truth land deeper in my body: What I was calling excitement… was often anxiety in disguise. A spark with no woodpile. A hit of energy I’d ride until I crashed. In this episode, I explore the pattern I know so many of us move through - especially as heart-led creators and women raised to perform: That spike of urgency, of hope, of craving - followed by the slow collapse into exhaustion, shame, or shutdown. And how we often confuse that spark for the flame. We talk about: — The somatic difference between excitement and joy — Why excitement is often a sympathetic nervous system spike (and what the dorsal crash looks and feels like afterward) — The role of false fuel in creativity, business, love, and purpose — How true turn-on lives deeper than the high — Why grief is the portal to joy, and presence is the key to sustainability — Rewiring your system to trust the steady instead of chasing the rush This isn’t about making excitement wrong. It’s about getting honest. So we can stop abandoning ourselves in the name of a spark, and start rooting into what’s real. This episode is part of the living wisdom behind my new book, All the Way Alive - a raw reclamation of what it means to walk with truth, to be with the body, and to come home to your own rhythm. All the Way Alive is now available in print + Kindle on Amazon Grab your copy here: https://a.co/d/faUOtec Curious about the work I share? Visit my IG: @soulalignedcaroline Or explore more at: www.carolinestewart.ca Podcast intro mastered by Miko Lay IG: @komi.artist