How Carrie Berk Built Her Dream Life While Fighting Her Darkest Thoughts

Carrie Berk has been battling a spiraling mind for as long as she can remember. As a child, she kept her OCD rituals secret. As a teen, her anxiety took over during the silence of the pandemic. And even now — as a published author, popular content creator, and mental health advocate — the intrusive thoughts haven’t gone away. But instead of waiting to be “cured,” Carrie chose something else: to live, to create, and to speak out.

In this raw and revealing conversation, she shares what it means to build a life with anxiety as your shadow — and why she refuses to let it steal her voice. From her new book Mindfire to her journey through therapy and self-discovery, Carrie opens up about the hardest thoughts she’s had, the tools that helped her move forward, and the truth that changed everything: it’s not about being cured — it’s about learning how to live with what’s still there.

0:00 Intro
2:28 Meet Carrie
3:30 Why Carrie’s book is called Mindfire
4:27 Early signs of having OCD
7:54 Feeling you are alone
9:16 Self-harm and suicidal thoughts are not the same
11:31 Listen to your gut
15:24 Why OCD feels so real
17:47 Carrie’s book is a roadmap for OCD
20:54 Advice if you’re struggling
22:25 You’ll never “cross the finish line” with OCD
25:41 How OCD safety behaviors affected Carrie
31:17 What Carrie does when OCD cuts into her passions
33:41 OCD is misunderstood
36:10 How to talk about your OCD with someone else
37:17 How friends and extended family members react to Carrie’s OCD
42:10 You need to want to get better
44:18 Outro

Need help treating OCD? Our specially-trained therapists can help. Visit https://learn.nocd.com/podcast to book a free 15-minute consultation and explore options most suited for you.

Follow us on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/

https://twitter.com/treatmyocd

https://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.