Kathryn Nicolai, creator of the Nothing Much Happens podcast, learns at an early age to diminish her own needs. She never wants to become a problem for other people, so she pretends like she’s always okay. When she gets an opportunity to study abroad in Italy, a difficult experience with her host family causes her to retreat further into herself. It’s only when she feels the compassionate concern of someone who tells her it’s okay to have needs that she learns that it’s okay to take up space.Listen to Ginger Zee’s Meditative Story, "I’m not just observing the winds, I’m riding them": https://listen.meditativestory.com/GingerZeePIOListen to Nothing Much Happens: https://www.nothingmuchhappens.comListen to Kathryn’s short meditation podcast, First This: https://www.nothingmuchhappens.com/first-thisFind Kathryn’s book, Nothing Much Happens: Cozy and Calming Stories to Soothe Your Mind and Help You Sleep: https://bookshop.org/p/books/nothing-much-happens-cozy-and-calming-stories-to-soothe-your-mind-and-help-you-sleep-kathryn-nicolai/14382227?ean=9780143135913If this episode resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to share your reflections by rating and reviewing Meditative Story in your podcast player. It helps other listeners find their way to show, and we’d be so grateful.Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.