We Recover Loudly – Personal Recovery and Mental Health Stories · Shell Righini

S3 Episode 013 Caroline Kelf (DJ Flourish): Recovering Loudly … Boundaries, Disco Balls & Finding Your Shine

·1 hr 2 min·1 clip

All this pain is for a reason. Trust that. We're all disco balls—all different, all unique. Our gifts are what we bring to the world.

This episode features host Shell in conversation with DJ Flourish, also known as Caroline Kelf, a DJ, writer, and speaker who helps women navigate midlife. Caroline discusses her journey from a challenging childhood marked by pain and feelings of being "the thick one" to becoming a DJ in her forties. She describes creating the "self-love rave," a sober event focused on joy and connection for women. Caroline explains her recent decision to drastically reduce her personal social media presence, despite it driving 50% of her ticket sales, due to the mental toll of constant exposure and comparison. She shares her ongoing struggle with feelings of inadequacy, especially around accomplished women in corporate settings, and her use of the "disco ball" analogy to celebrate unique gifts. Caroline reveals she started DJing after asking herself when she felt most joyful, which was curating music at after-parties. She talks about managing "addictive tendencies" and the fine line between productive discomfort and harmful stress, using social media as a key example. An insightful moment comes when she reframes jealousy of other women as a signal of unacknowledged inner cravings. Caroline distinguishes between protective "boundaries" and isolating "barriers," particularly in female friendships. She notes that every woman is struggling in some way, a perspective that helps her connect with others. The conversation is raw, confessional, and supportive, blending personal storytelling with practical recovery insights. Listeners interested in authentic discussions about midlife, entrepreneurship, mental health, and creating sober, joyful communities will find this episode deeply relatable. Those seeking a highly structured or purely educational format might find the conversational, meandering style less engaging.

As heard by us

A candid recovery conversation about self-sabotage, rejection, perimenopause, and the hard work of self-love.

Caroline Kelf comes across as a person working through midlife, self-love, and recovery with clear-eyed candor. Shell keeps the talk moving through self-sabotage, rejection, abandonment, perimenopause, and the strain of seeming composed while things feel unsettled inside.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want recovery talk that stays unfiltered, messy, and emotionally honest.

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