By Aundi Kolber and Caroline Triscik

Aundi Kolber: Try Softer

“Especially in our culture, I think when people hear things like soft or gentle, we equate it with weakness...And for me there’s a lot of intersection with faith with this idea because Jesus was always telling us paradoxes...like the way to be first is to be last. And I really believe that this is what ‘try softer’ is like and really what gentleness is like. That there is a strength in what seems like weakness.” — Aundi Kolber

Listen in as Women in the Academy and Professions associate Caroline Triscik interviews author and therapist Aundi Kolber about her newly released book Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode — and into a Life of Connection and Joy. Together, they discuss how we can shift from a life of a “try harder” mentality and to learn to love ourselves — mind, soul, and body — as beloved ones of Christ. 

It was through social media that I discovered Aundi Kolber’s writing and began following her because of the continuous stream of encouragement from her posts, whether it be a word of wisdom or a gentle reminder to pay, as she would say, “compassionate attention” to ourselves. Likewise, I have appreciated from afar Aundi’s approach to counseling, as well as her expression of faith in Jesus. This past week Aundi released her first book Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode— and into a Life of Connection and Joy. Aundi integrates her own personal journey away from perfectionism and a life of constant striving along with an in-depth look at the science of trauma and anxiety and its effects on the mind, body, and soul, and with a worldview centered on Jesus. Aundi invites us to explore how to discover our worth and belovedness and live a life filled with joy and connection.

— Caroline Triscik

 

 
You can listen on iTunes or at All Shall Be Well: Conversations with Women in the Academy and Beyond. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.
 

Links mentioned in this interview:

 

Tags:
About the Author

Aundi Kolber is a licensed professional counselor (MA, LPC), an author, and a speaker living in Castle Rock, Colorado. She has received additional training in her specialization of trauma- and body-centered therapies and is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology. She has written for Relevant, CT Women, and (in)courage. As a survivor of trauma, Aundi brings hard-won knowledge about the work of change, the power of redemption, and the beauty of experiencing God with us in our pain. Aundi is happily married to her best friend, Brendan, and is the proud mom of Matia and Jude.

Caroline served with InterVarsity since 2002 as a campus staff member in northwest Indiana and most recently in central Pennsylvania. She received her bachelor’s degree in English with a focus on creative writing from Purdue University in 2002 and holds a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling from Messiah College. Caroline, her husband, and their three children live in “the sweetest place on earth,” otherwise known as Hershey, Pennsylvania. In her spare time, she likes to read, discover new music, and attempt to train her exuberant Labrador retriever, Pax. Caroline is a clinical mental health counselor and a former associate with Women in the Academy and Professions.

Comment via Facebook