Jan 26 • 🚀 START HERE
ABOUT DR. CAROL: YOUR FELLOW PILGRIM
Let me tell you who I am - and who I'm not.
Because I want you to know exactly who you're walking with.
WHO I'M NOT:
❌ I'm not a 30-year-old influencer selling you advice about aging from the outside looking in.
❌ I'm not a guru with all the answers.
❌ I'm not someone who has it all figured out and is now sharing the secret formula.
❌ I'm not selling you a perfect life or a "transformation in 21 days."
❌ I'm not going to tell you to "just think positive" and everything will work out.
That's not who I am. And that's not what this community is about.
WHO I AM:
I'm Dr. Carol Schultz.
I'm 55 years old.
I'm a researcher, author, teacher and fellow pilgrim on the Inner Camino.
And I'm walking this path right alongside you - not ahead of you with all the answers, but WITH you, figuring it out as I go.
THE CREDENTIALS (THE "DR." PART):
I spent 6.5 years earning my doctorate researching **Human Flourishing** - specifically, what helps people thrive (not just survive).
I identified **8 Elements** that create sustainable flourishing across their life-time:
1. Modern Pressures
2. The Individual (Self)
3. Adaptation to Change
4. Core Values
5. Culture
6. Life-Long Learning
7. Community
8. Moral Thinking
This isn't theory from a textbook. This is research based on real people navigating real life.
Before that, I spent 30 years working with marginalized youth - kids who faced systemic barriers, trauma, and impossible odds. I learned early that individual willpower isn't enough when systems are broken.
That lens shapes everything I do. I don't blame YOU for systemic pressures. I help you navigate them.
THE LIVED EXPERIENCE (THE "FELLOW PILGRIM" PART):
But here's what matters more than the credentials:
**I'm IN this.**
Three years ago, I experienced a **moral injury at work**. Something happened that violated my core values so deeply that it shattered my sense of purpose and identity.
I had to take leave. I had to do the deep inner work. I had to reconstruct who I was and what mattered.
At the same time, I was navigating:
🌊 **Menopause** - Hot flashes, brain fog, night sweats, mood swings, fatigue. The full, unfiltered experience.
🌊 **Weight gain** - I gained weight seemingly overnight. Nothing I tried worked. I felt disconnected from my body.
🌊 **Pelvic floor issues** - From a forceps delivery 28 years ago. Menopause made it worse. I needed physiotherapy and a pessary fitting. (Nobody warned me this would happen.)
🌊 **Medical gaslighting** - Doctors dismissed my concerns. "It's just menopause. Everyone goes through it." I had to advocate HARD for myself.
🌊 **HRT confusion** - The controversy, the fear-mongering, the lack of clear information.
🌊 **Body transformation** - I finally found an approach that worked: I lost 23 kg. I gained strength. I learned to fuel my body for THIS stage of life, not chase a 25-year-old's body.
🌊 **Identity reconstruction** - Who was I when my professional identity was shattered? When my body changed? When the roles I'd played for decades no longer fit?
I didn't just research flourishing. **I had to LIVE it.**
WHAT I LEARNED:
Through those three years of transformation, I learned:
✨ You can't "positive mindset" your way out of systemic problems (broken systems, ageism, unrealistic expectations).
✨ Your body isn't the enemy. It's navigating a massive transition. You need to work WITH it, not against it.
✨ Protein is your best friend after 50. (Seriously a Game-changer.)
✨ Menopause is a pilgrimage. You shed old versions of yourself. You discover new strength. You become someone new.
✨ You can't do this alone. Community is everything.
✨ The Inner Camino is REAL. Every woman over 50 is on it. The question is: Will you walk it consciously or just try to survive it?
WHERE I AM NOW:
I'm 55. I'm still navigating menopause. My body is still changing.
I'm still figuring out my purpose and identity in this second act.
I'm preparing to walk the **physical Camino de Santiago** with my husband Chris in **May 2026**. I'll be sharing that journey with this community.
I'm writing **"The Inner Camino"**....the book that brings together my research and lived experience.
And I'm building **The Dreamer Circle** WITH you - not FOR you. We're co-creating this community based on what YOU need.
WHY I BUILT THIS COMMUNITY:
Because when I was in the thick of it - moral injury, menopause, weight gain, identity crisis, pelvic floor issues, medical dismissal - I couldn't find a community that:
✅ Took me seriously
✅ Used evidence-based research (not influencer trends)
✅ Talked about the REAL stuff (pelvic floor, HRT, ageism, grief)
✅ Didn't blame me for systemic problems
✅ Supported without toxic positivity
✅ Helped me FLOURISH, not just survive
So I built it.
For me. For you. For all of us.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME:
✅ **Honesty** - I'll tell you the truth, even when it's uncomfortable.
✅ **Vulnerability** - I'll share my struggles, not just my successes.
✅ **Evidence** - Everything I teach is grounded in research.
✅ **No guru worship** - I'm a fellow pilgrim, not someone on a pedestal.
✅ **Presence** - I'll show up. I'll read comments. I'll respond. I'll walk this with you.
✅ **Co-creation** - Your voice shapes what we build. This is OUR community.
WHAT I CAN'T GIVE YOU:
❌ Quick fixes or 21-day transformations
❌ A perfect roadmap (because there isn't one)
❌ All the answers (I'm still figuring it out too)
❌ Toxic positivity or "just think positive" advice
❌ A guru-follower relationship
THE BOTTOM LINE:
I'm not ahead of you on the path with all the answers.
I'm beside you on the path, sharing what I've learned and learning from you.
We're pilgrims walking together.
That's it.
SO... BUEN CAMINO.
Let's walk this Inner Camino together.
With honesty. With evidence. With vulnerability. With community.
I'm honored to walk with you. 🚶♀️✨
- Dr. Carol
Questions about my journey? Want to know more about something I mentioned? Drop a comment below. 💛
I'll answer every one.
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ABOUT DR. CAROL: YOUR FELLOW PILGRIM
skool.com/the-dreamer-circle-4002
Inner Camino transformation for women 50+. Free community, honest conversations, co-created resources. Join the development phase. Walk with us.🚶♀️✨
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