Dr. Carrie Jarosinski

Dr. Carrie Jarosinski is a registered nurse, wellness coach, educator, inspirational speaker, and author of Reclaim Your Story: Renew Your Health and Wellness through the Power of Storytelling and the Nursing Assistant textbook educational series. She lives in Wisconsin with her two furry companions, Winn and Xena. She likes to hike, explore, meet new people, laugh, and continuously build upon her pollinator garden in her free time.

Instagram: @BoldContentment

Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing?

I really do not fancy myself as a creative nor an artist in the truest sense of the word. I can just about muster a stick figure or a paint by number, but that is the limit of my ability. I have a lot of ideas though. Ideas that I chew on for a bit of time before arriving at my next best fill in the blank. I have done this for most of my adult life with cooking. Albeit strange, I admit, I love to check out cookbooks from the library. I review the books, paging through the photos, taking note of the ingredient lists and sometimes (in my mind of course) challenging the outlined steps to complete the recipe. After paging through the books constantly making mental notes I “stew” on them for a spell until I come up with my own creation. A little bit of this, a little bit of that and voila! A masterpiece is born. Sometimes.

If you could create a museum exhibition, what would be the theme?

I love science and natural history museums; they are such a treasure trove of tales just waiting to be told. I was recently at a museum with my son where the dioramas were so incredibly realistic it was unnerving. If I could create an exhibition, it would be a diorama, one that depicts the Native American Tale of Two Wolves, with the wolf of love prevailing over the wolf of hate showing its belly.

Favorite non-reading activity?

Hands down hiking. The rhythmic nature of the movement and the connectedness to mother nature makes my soul happy. This is where I think, make connections, and become inspired to write. It is also an amazing space to not think at all, to disconnect and just “be”. I tend to slide back and forth between these two states of mental activity and mental rest during my hikes. Hiking while traveling and exploring new places is next level, and hugging trees while I am out and about is most assuredly a favorite pastime as well.

What brings you great joy?

So much! There is just this amazing beauty in the mundane everyday activities of life. Waking up, breathing with ease, hearing wind rustle leaves, and connections with my family, friends and community are all gifts that bring me joy in life. If we wait for joy to arrive it won’t come; joy is an inside job expressed through the intentional outward gratitude of our little daily treasures and connections that we have with others.

Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?

While food doesn’t necessarily inspire my writing, I am inspired by cooking. I love to cook to get those creative juices flowing, but I am definitely not a great baker. That takes far too much precision and attention, which is probably why my comfort food is almost always something sweet. Buying a delicious maple pecan scone or sea salt caramel chocolate chip cookie when I want something comforting makes it taste that much better when someone else makes it!