In this episode, we’re unpacking a question that’s been sitting heavy:

Are we actually thinking for ourselves anymore… or just repeating what we see online?

Social media and pop culture used to be entertainment. Now? It’s shaping how we think, how we date, how we see ourselves — and most of us didn’t even realize when the shift happened.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, influenced, or disconnected from your own voice… this conversation is for you.

In this episode, we get into:

• How social media and pop culture quietly shape your worldview
• The shift from entertainment → instruction (and why that matters)
• Why we’ve started forming opinions based on other people’s lives
• The difference between groupthink and original thought
• How overconsumption disconnects you from your own voice
• Why not everything needs a take… some things need time
• The importance of sitting with your thoughts before outsourcing them
• How to rebuild trust in your own perspective and lived experience

Resources + Links:

Download the episode companion guide:

https://spring-basil-85806.myflodesk.com/e85zoionw0

Join my private community, Our Inner Thoughts:

https://tinyurl.com/34c8hbpj

Inside the community:

• Monthly Group Thoughts (live virtual discussions)
• Inside My Mind Q&A sessions

Let’s keep the conversation going:

How much of what you think is actually yours?

And what would it look like to sit with your thoughts… before the world tells you what to think?

Connect with me:

Instagram & TikTok: @KalaRiggins

Website: https://kalariggins.com/

Email: Kala@KalaRiggins.com

About the show:

Thoughts From My Thirties is a love letter to millennials who are just trying to figure it out.

I’m Kala — content creator, storyteller, and your host.

This is a space where we say the quiet part out loud, unpack real-life experiences, and have honest conversations about identity, creativity, relationships, and becoming.

Over here, it’s about returning to yourself — your voice, your expression, and your truth.

This one is for the woman who wants to feel like herself again…

but keeps saving her best self for a “real” reason.

• Why you’ve been saving your best self for special occasions — and how that’s actually limiting you
• The deeper meaning behind personal style (it’s not vanity… it’s identity)
• The subtle ways people project when they say “you’re doing too much”
• Why looking good is a practice — not a performance
• The connection between effort, confidence, and how you see yourself
• Why your wardrobe (and how you use it) reflects what you believe about yourself
• How to rebuild your confidence through everyday habits — not big moments

Download the episode companion resource:

I created a companion guide to help you reconnect with your personal style and stop saving your best self for “someday.”

→ https://spring-basil-85806.myflodesk.com/e85zoionw0

→ https://kalariggins.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=menu&simple=true&next=https%3A%2F%2Fkalariggins.substack.com%2F

Our Inner Thoughts is where we keep the conversation going:

• Monthly Group Thoughts (live virtual discussions)
• Inside My Mind Q&A sessions (ask me anything — creativity, strategy, life, love, becoming)

What part of yourself have you been saving for later?

And what would it look like to bring her into your everyday life?

Drop it in the comments… let’s tell the truth out loud.

Socials: @KalaRiggins

Website: https://kalariggins.com/

Contact: Kala@KalaRiggins.com

I’m Kala — host, content creator, and storyteller.

I create content and conversations that inspire women to stop hiding, stop diluting, and start telling the truth about who they are and what they actually want.

Over here, it’s about returning to yourself — your voice, your expression, your identity…

and having the courage to show up as her every single day.

I’m thinking through…

wanting more… and wanting it now

God’s timing vs. my impatience

what it really means to be ready for what you’re asking for

and the quiet realization that maybe… I’m still being prepared for it

Join my private community:

https://kalariggins.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=menu&simple=true&next=https%3A%2F%2Fkalariggins.substack.com%2F

Our Inner Thoughts is a space to keep the conversation going with:

• Monthly Group Thoughts (live virtual discussions)

• Inside My Mind Q&A sessions (ask me anything — creativity, strategy, life, love, becoming)

Let’s stay connected

Socials: @KalaRiggins

Website: https://kalariggins.com/

Contact: Kala@KalaRiggins.com

About Me:

I’m Kala — host, content creator, and storyteller.

I create content and conversations that inspire women to stop hiding, stop diluting, and start telling the truth about who they are and what they actually want.

Over here, it’s about returning to yourself — your voice, your clarity, and your calling… and having the courage to act on it.

This one is for the woman who keeps saying she wants more… but hasn’t been fully honest about what “more” actually is.

In this episode, we get into:

• Why you might not have what you want because you’re not being honest about it
• The difference between saying what you want vs. telling the truth about what you want
• How I realized I was hiding my true identity behind more “understandable” titles
• What successful creatives have in common and what it means to stay in your main character energy
• Choosing what’s practical vs. choosing what’s actually meant for you
• How being influenced can keep you stuck in the wrong lane
• The truth about “realistic dreams” and why that concept might be a lie
• Being honest in every area: career, relationships, friendships, and your relationship with God
• What it looks like to talk to God like He’s your father and actually ask for what you want
• Admitting you want new friends and why that doesn’t make you ungrateful
• How conditioning — not fear — keeps us playing small
• Why safe answers are blocking real outcomes
• The difference between self-awareness and actual change
• 5 ways I’m learning to get honest about what I want and take action toward it

Resources + Links

Download the episode companion resource:

https://spring-basil-85806.myflodesk....

Join my private community:

https://kalariggins.substack.com/subs...

Our Inner Thoughts is a space to keep the conversation going with:

Monthly Group Thoughts (live virtual discussions)

Inside My Mind Q&A sessions (ask me anything — creativity, strategy, life, love, becoming)

Question for you:

What’s one thing you’ve been saying you want… but haven’t been fully honest about?

Drop it in the comments — let’s tell the truth out loud.

Let’s stay connected

Socials: @KalaRiggins

Website: https://kalariggins.com/

Contact: Kala@KalaRiggins.com

About Me:

I’m Kala — host, content creator, and storyteller.

I create content and conversations that inspire women to stop hiding, stop diluting, and start telling the truth about who they are and what they actually want.

Over here, it’s about returning to yourself — your voice, your clarity, and your calling… and having the courage to act on it.

Turning 35 made me realize something: you don’t need the traditional milestones to be proud of your life.

In this birthday episode, I’m bragging on myself — petty and popping.

If you’ve ever felt behind, in-between, or unsure if you’re doing life “right”… this one is for you.

This one is for the girl who needs to brag on herself a little more.

The thirty-something who’s tired of milestones being used as a measuring stick.

The millennial who’s learning: two things can be true… and I’m still that girl.

In this birthday episode, I’m not doing the usual deep dive. I’m doing a brag session.

• Why I’m proud I’m prompt (and why being late every time isn’t cute)

• Being okay in silence + not needing constant stimulation

• The freedom of not having the “traditional” milestones (house, marriage, kids) and not feeling less fulfilled

• Starting over, starting from scratch, starting in the middle of chaos… and still showing up

• My hygiene routine (yes, it’s petty… and yes, I smell good 😭)

• My relationship with God: deepened discernment + no longer trying to live without Him

• Having refined taste in people, places, and experiences

• Being a good friend: safe, nonjudgmental, and built for real conversation

• “No longer negotiating with my calling” + why hearing isn’t enough… it’s time to move

A few thoughts from my thirties…

00:00 — Brag session rules + “She’s 35. She has arrived.”

02:10 — Golden birthday energy + why we’re not doing the deep reflective thing today

04:40 — Petty flex: I’m prompt, and I’m proud

07:10 — Silence, nervous systems, and not needing constant stimulation

10:30 — Not married, not a homeowner, no kids… and not feeling less than

14:10 — Starting over without reverting back to the “mundane” plan

16:30 — Petty but important: hygiene routine + “you’ll never say I was stink”

19:20 — My relationship with God + the 33-year-old resurrection year

23:40 — Community break: Our Inner Thoughts (keep the convo going)

26:10 — Taste, “outside,” and not living life in isolation

29:30 — I’m a really good friend (and what safe friendship actually looks like)

33:10 — “No longer negotiating with my calling” + James 1:22

36:10 — Face card, skills, and thanking the 2016 YouTube girlies

38:40 — Saying the quiet part out loud: loneliness + still being that girl

44:00 — The duality: low days don’t cancel your identity

47:20 — Closing: brag on yourself + peace in the process of figuring it out

Download the episode companion resource:

I started a resource library for y’all. After each episode, I drop a Kala-coded companion guide so the conversation doesn’t end when the episode ends.

Download here:

https://spring-basil-85806.myflodesk.com/e85zoionw0

https://kalariggins.substack.com/subscribe

Our Inner Thoughts is a space to keep the conversation going with:

• Monthly Group Thoughts (live virtual discussions)

• Inside My Mind Q&A sessions (ask me anything — creativity, strategy, life, love, becoming)

What’s one petty thing and one popping thing you’re proud of in this season?

Drop yours in the comments — and if you’re my friend, go ahead and “amen” me too. 😭

Socials: @KalaRiggins

Website: https://kalariggins.com/

Contact: Kala@KalaRiggins.com

I’m Kala — host, content creator, and storyteller.

I create content and conversations that inspire women to stop hiding, stop apologizing, and show up as their full selves.

Over here, it’s about thoughts and conversations that help you return to yourself — your voice, your clarity, and what actually matters.

Believing in Yourself Is a Full-Time Job

If you’ve been trying to “stay positive” but doubt keeps sliding into the room this episode is for you.

This is for the girl who clocked out for a minute. The thirty-something who got tired. The millennial who needs to clock back in.

In this episode, we get into:

-Doubt creeping in and why it made me question my faith

-Why I’m rejecting the idea that doubt and faith can’t coexist

-“Detours are not delays” — and how I’m rewiring my mind around timing

-Creativity without capitalism: your art doesn’t need entrepreneurship to matter

-The “hard body” energy I may be giving off (and how it doesn’t match my real desire: love)

-Believing in love when singleness makes you comfortable (and guarded)

-The real fear underneath love: “Will it cost me myself?”

-Abundance as birthright (not burnout) + letting peace be profitable

-Believing God is easy… believing His timing is the real work

-Grieving the life you thought you’d have by now (and still trusting you’re not behind)

-“Clocking back in” as a mindset: treating belief like a daily practice, not a mood

Resources + Links

Download the guide: CLOCK BACK IN: This guide is your gentle (but firm) guide to believing in you again.

LINK - https://spring-basil-85806.myflodesk.com/e85zoionw0

Join my private community:

https://kalariggins.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=menu&simple=true&next=https%3A%2F%2Fkalariggins.substack.com%2F

Our Inner Thoughts: A space to keep the conversation going with:

-Monthly Group Thoughts (live virtual discussions)

-Inside My Mind Q&A sessions (ask me anything — creativity, strategy, life, love, becoming)

Question for you: What area are you clocking back into right now — love, abundance, creativity, faith, or timing?

Let's stay connected!

About Me:

I’m Kala! Host, content creator, and storyteller.

I create content and conversations that inspire women to stop hiding, stop apologizing, and show up as their full selves.

Over here, it’s about thoughts and conversations that help you return to yourself — your voice, your clarity, and what actually matters.

Socials: @KalaRiggins

My Website:

https://kalariggins.com/

Contact:

Kala@KalaRiggins.com

When Did We All Become So Boring?

If you can hold a convo, have a personality, and you have range… but lately every interaction feels like a bore... this episode is for you.

In this episode, we get into:

- Having a job is making us an absolute snooze fest

- How we were trained to build identity around work

- How job titles became the first identity we were ever handed

- Why we lead with work even though most of us don’t even like our jobs

- The dating angle: how men can be wrapped in work identity (and how women feed the beast too)

- A short-lived romance that proved how refreshing it is to get to know someone without work talk

- How being curious + authentic makes you more confident and more yourself

- And the fun part: my Kala-coded conversation starters resource to spice up your next interaction

Resources + Links

Download the guide: Kala-Coded Conversation Starters

https://spring-basil-85806.myflodesk.com/e85zoionw0

...

A fun, personality-forward set of prompts to help you stop leading with work and start having better conversations.

Join my private community:

https://kalariggins.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=menu&simple=true&next=https%3A%2F%2Fkalariggins.substack.com%2F

...

Our Inner Thoughts: A space to keep the conversation going with:

Monthly Group Thoughts (live virtual discussions)

Inside My Mind Q&A sessions (ask me anything — creativity, strategy, life, love, becoming)

Question for you: What’s your go-to conversation starter when you’re tired of talking about work?

Let's stay connected!

About Me:

I’m Kala! Host, content creator, and storyteller.

I create content and conversations that inspire women to stop hiding, stop apologizing, and show up as their full selves.

Over here, it’s about thoughts and conversations that help you return to yourself — your voice, your clarity, and what actually matters.

Socials: @KalaRiggins

My Website:

https://kalariggins.com/

Contact:

Kala@KalaRiggins.com

Everything I’m Not Changing About Myself This Year.

If you’re the kind of millennial who did everything “right” — followed the rules, hit the milestones, played the game by the book — and you’re now looking around in your 30s like… wait a minute, this was a scam?

This episode is for you.This is your permission slip to stop “fixing” yourself into someone else… and start honoring who you already are.

In this episode, we get into:

1. Why “new year, new me” often turns into self-abandonment
2. The difference between evolution and erasing yourself* When you need a new perspective instead of a new identity
3. How adulthood quietly disconnects you from your core
4. The parts of you the world keeps trying to dim (voice, creativity, depth)
5. Why your mind and perspective are your most valuable assets
6. Letting go of performing spirituality & honoring how you connect with God
7. How conditioning, comparison, and conformity mute your authenticity
8. The identity check-ins I’m using to stop slipping into sameness
9. Why starting over isn’t always growth * How groupthink is making us boring (and why I’m choosing original thought instead)

Resources + Links

Download the worksheet: Everything I’m Not Changing About Myself This Year — A guided reflection for returning to the parts of you that don’t need fixing.

Join my private community: Our Inner ThoughtsA space to keep the conversation going with:

1. Monthly Group Thoughts (live virtual discussions)
2. Inside My Mind Q&A sessions (ask me anything — creativity, strategy, life, love, becoming)

What’s one part of you you’re not changing this year — no matter what?

About Me: I’m Kala! Host, content creator, and storyteller.I create content and conversations that inspire women to stop hiding, stop apologizing, and show up as their full selves.Over here, it’s about thoughts and conversations that help you return to yourself — your voice, your clarity, and what actually matters.

Socials: @KalaRiggins

My Website: https://kalariggins.com/

Contact: Kala@KalaRiggins.com