Hello everyone! 

If you know me by now you know I love to go for a walk and I am a big fan of routine to help keep me grounded. 

So you combine those and BOOM you’re left with a woman who likes to do the same trail the exact same way each time. Great but also it’s important to mix it up. 

Now I don’t get a ton of time to venture out to other walking places plus I feel safe where I go. 

Recently, I went on a walk and decided I would start the trail in the opposite direction… what a lovely change! I remember reading a study about mixing things up with the example of brushing your teeth but starting on the opposite side you usually do or if you brush in a clockwise direction go counterclockwise. 

"The science journal Nature Neuroscience found that adding variety to your daily routine can boost activity levels in your brain and make you feel happier.

It’s especially beneficial to mix up your environment, even in small ways like by taking a different commute to work."

So what I personally observed from my walk the opposite direction was different plants I never noticed before, the terrain was different of course but that worked different muscles. 

Now I won’t be mixing up my morning routine, lemon water first then coffee and so on… BUT this is a nice change of pace and my nephew seems to like it too! 

So challenge yourself to try something new or just walk in the opposite direction once in a while! 

I'm adding a song I personally enjoy and it gets me movin and groovin! 

Take care of yourself,
Love, Carrie Danger

Hello everyone! 

This week I was honored to have Chelsea aka Stress Dolls in for an interview and she was kind enough to play a few songs! Chelsea played her not yet released single ‘Ghostwriter’ that I’ll feature in the Danger Zone on Friday October 13th! You can hear her inspiration for that song in the interview, I love it! 

So I gotta tell you she was so wonderful to have in the studio. You can feel vibes from people and she has that calming aura that just brings a sense of peace and confidence, even though she goes by Stress Dolls! 

Below enjoy our fantastic interview and her song ‘Curves and Edges’ along with the song I mention in the interview ‘Nervous’. 

Mark your calendars she will be at Westside Bowl in Youngstown on October 20th and at Magic Mugs on October 21st! More details and dates on the website stressdollsmusic.com

Enjoy and as always, take care of yourself. 
Love, Carrie Danger

Hey everyone! 

Today is September 11th, 22 years ago tragedy struck our nation and the lives of so many were impacted in one way or another. 

First and foremost, my condolences to anyone who lost a loved one due to the attacks. It’s said that a total of 2,996 people lost their lives during the attacks. 

I like to ask people where they were on Sept. 11th 2001… the answers vary but each and every person remembers the moment they found out the unspeakable happened. 

Personally, I was living in Clarksville, TN. We lived very close to Fort Campbell, KY, home of the 101st Airborne Division. My mom was stationed there before I was born, right there on the army base. We didn’t live on the base, my mom said “there are too many rules”, classic Robin. So we lived just a few miles away. 

Growing up most of my classmates and friends had parents in the active or reserve military. It was not unusual for one of them to have to move away or come to school casually explaining that their parent had been deployed. Most of my childhood, my mom lived as a civilian as she had gotten out of the full time army to raise me. Right around the time my sister was born she joined the Army Reserves and then BOOM…. 9/11/01. 

I was sitting in 6th grade music class, kids were slowly getting called to the office and we turned on the TV… there were no words. I felt horrible for my classmates who started crying knowing their mom or dad would be sent away. 

Now when I tell you that it was scary… I know you understand. Throughout my life I didn’t know what it was like to have a parent deployed but when I was dismissed from school, sitting in my grandma’s house, watching that TV over and over… I knew that everything was going to change and it was scary. My mom took her army duties very seriously. She was born to protect and serve but most of all help people. Not too long after she was sent to Germany (thankfully safe but still my first time being separated from my mom) and I moved to Ohio. Over the years my mom would go to Iraq and Qatar. I got a little sidetracked there, I really miss her today. 

The point is, I am sure you remember exactly where you were when the horrific news hit your tv, radio or you got a phone call. 

As we remember those who lost their lives let’s also remember that we are all human, you have no idea what someone is going through and all the horrible events we have all experienced as a nation, we should come together and be kind for no other reason other than to have a better life. 

As expected, I am long winded but what do you expect from someone born to talk for a living? 

Like I always say, take care of yourself and as Bill and Ted would say “Be Excellent to Each Other”
Love, Carrie Danger 

Hey everyone! 

Today I had the pleasure of meeting and sitting down with Jon and Nikki also known as Hooked Like Helen!

Of course through this interview you will hear how they met and landed on the band’s name, it’s wonderful, and recovery along with how to have success on that journey. 

As September is National Recovery Month we wanted to discuss that and really how their music has touched so many fans who either directly or indirectly deal with addiction. 

Below you can listen to their latest hit ‘Sleepwalker’, I can tell you it really touched my soul when I listened. Also, they will be dropping their next single ‘Fraud’ on September 22nd. 

The message is clear, you are not alone and you are worthy of all the love and support. 

If you need resources and support I suggest you check out NAMI of Greater Cleveland. They will help you find your community so you can have success in your recovery. 

Keep up with Hooked Like Helen on their social media and website hookedlikehelen.com 

Thank you so much for listening and as always, take care of yourself! 
Love, Carrie Danger 

Hey guys! 
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Gooseberry! This band is awesome to listen to and to talk to!

This trio is down to earth and I do believe we could be friends in the outside world! I highly suggest you take a listen to their music and I hope you enjoy the interview! 

I'll post a few of my favorite songs. Panic!, Orbit, Amaretto (was featured in the DZ).

As always, take care of yourself! 
Love, Carrie Danger 

Hey guys! I am soooo excited to share an amazing interview I did with Ohio natives, Hooked Like Helen! 

From their bio: Hooked Like Helen began as the musical brainstorms of husband-and-wife, Jon and Nikki Stipp. Quickly they started gaining placements on MTV and Netflix and taking home awards from established Independent Music competitions such as the Josie Music Awards, International Songwriting Competition, and Unsigned Only. After several years of Cedar Point residencies, Hooked Like Helen developed a reputation for one of the most energetic, awe-inspiring live shows you will ever see.

Now I think it's important to mention that these two are major advocates for addiction awarness as they celebrate 11 years sober! 
September is National Recovery Month so we are goingt to get back together to talk about what sobriety looks like and what resources are out there. 

Below you'll see I linked their single 'Sleepwalker' 
Let's get into the Q&A, thank you for reading and enjoy!
As always, take care of yourself. 
Love, Carrie Danger 

CD: I see you’re from just outside of Cleveland, (right down the road from my old station WLKR ) growing up was there a venue that was your main hang to see live music? 

HLH: Ahh we LOVE Kelly Rose and everyone at WLKR, that's so cool you were once a part of that crew! I (Nikki) actually grew up just north of Los Angeles, but I've now been a part of this sweet little OH community for 10 years! Jon grew up here in Berlin Heights and has so many fond memories of rocking out in legendary venues like The Agora, The Odeon, Beachland Ballroom, etc. He and his high school band played some epic Battle of the Bands at Peabody's back in the day as well haha.

CD: I love that you guys are advocates for Sobriety, that’s huge and so important to use your voices to, as you said, to try and get anyone struggling to come to the other side. So with all of that, how do you keep your mental health in check when you're touring? 

HLH: Thank you so much! Connecting with others who struggle has given meaning to our "sober journey" outside of ourselves. It has been so fulfilling and such an important part of our own healing, honestly! 

When it comes to mental health on the road, two things come to mind immediately: keeping up an exercise routine and trying as hard as possible to eat healthy. Gas station food is delicious and very convenient (takis and hot Cheetos are my JAM), but putting in that extra effort to get some apples and bananas in, and vitamins, is so good for the body and soul, and therefore the mind. Being on stage every night of tour is probably the best thing for our mental health though - Music is healing, and sharing that experience of live music with the crowd feeds the soul like no other!

CD: This song really is an anthem, it’s BIG! In fact it brought some emotions out of me I didn’t know needed to be drawn out. Do you ever get emotional on stage when you’re performing huge songs like this when you know so many of your fans are either struggling with addiction or trying to help a loved one? 

HLH: First of all, thank you SO much for the kind words. So cool to know that you've listened and that you felt something haha. We are pretty darn emotional on stage at all times, to be real. We kind of lay it all out there. During the actual show, we all kind of get in this zone that's just high energy, feed-off-the-crowd vibes and it's full of endorphins and fierceness. It's really the moments after the shows, when we're meeting the fans and talking to them one-on-one about their life experiences and their emotions that it's hard to keep it together. I'm pretty sure I've cried with fans and exchanged trauma stories at literally every show on tour. And it's beautiful and powerful and I'm so grateful for that human connection. It's REAL.

CD: Your busy summer doesn’t stop and you have a fall tour next month, what city are you most excited to play? 

HLH: We are MAD excited to play Lakewood as we'll have some hometown love there! We haven't played the Winchester Tavern yet but we're pumped to get on stage there!

CD: What city did you enjoy playing the most in the past? 

HLH: We had several favorites on the last tour. Boston was killer at Brighton Music Hall, in part due to the amazing sound person, Brit, who happened to be the only female sound person we encountered on that run (shout out to our ladies of the board!). The audience was just so full of love, it was magical! 

CD: What bands are you hooked…. (Had to) on right now?

HLH: Haha! We just opened for PVRIS at Sandusky Pride last month and have really gotten into some of their stuff. Incredible! Hotmilk, Hey Violet...of course our upcoming tour mates The Haunt, Halocene and No Resolve! So much great music out there right now! It's a great time to be alive with ears!

Hello everyone! 

We are going to pick back up on my Wellness Month discussion. In my last post we talked about routines, after my last therapy session I asked my amazing therapist what would be a good next topic and since I deal with setting and keeping boundaries it felt like the right move.  

So as we dive in, I believe speaking from my own personal experience is the best way to go about this. 

First off, what are healthy boundaries? According to the website scienceofpeople.com “Healthy boundaries are the limits you place around your time, emotions, body, and mental health to stay resilient, solid, and content with who you are. These empowering borders protect you from being used, drained, or manipulated by others.”

When I think of setting boundaries, I think of my time. That’s been a HUGE issue for me. So many of us suffer from “people pleaser disease” and that makes keeping boundaries very hard and leads us to burnout, resentment and simply feeling used. When in fact… we are allowing this to happen. Not just for others, we have to set that for OURSELVES. 

Example: I have a hard time getting myself to bed at a decent hour. So when I tell myself, “tonight I am going to be in bed, reading by 12am” but I get sucked into the mindless world of tiktok, I see it’s 2am or even later. I just crossed my own boundary. How rude of me to disrespect myself like that! That leads to me crossing more of my boundaries, because I was up late, now I most likely won’t get my workout in. Just like that, now I have disrespected myself TWICE! Double rude. 

Now how about time with others? So we start with “I want to be in bed reading by 12am” but around 11p I get on the phone and I don’t say at 11:30p “Okay, I’m going to go get ready for bed” or how about this doozy… if I do say that and they say “no just a little longer” and I just allow that… BOOM 2am and here we are again, back at square one. Not only have I broken my own boundary, I just let someone else cross it. 

This is just one example, there are a ton of different ways to set and keep your boundaries both personally and socially. I checked out the Mental Heatlh Association of Delaware website and they list a ton of other examples that can be eye opening that maybe you hadn’t thought about yet. 

When I set and keep my boundaries I am more likely to have peace of mind, actually complete my goals and honestly enjoy my life so much more. It can be really hard to put your foot down in a polite way but let’s be real… sometimes people will push you and you have to get tough, not mean. If someone in your life doesn’t respect that, it might be time to take a step away and reevaluate the relationship that’s been created between you. 

Look, I’m not saying you should drop your friends/family but I have met a lot of people, my mom would call them energy/oxygen thieves, that I have had to cut out to keep my peace. It hurts but it’s always for the best. 

Alright, I could go on and on but I’ll give it a rest now. If you have any questions please look into it and try, start small! Even something like “I don’t want that extra scoop of ice cream tonight, I’ll just have 2.” Then do it and keep doing it. 

You’re worth it and I hope you know it! 

Take care of yourself. 
Love, Carrie Danger

Happy Monday to you all! Last night I was able to attend The Revivalists w/ Band of Horses and The Heavy Heavy at Jacobs Pavilion. 

The energy was incredible from the start considering the show was delayed due to a downpour. *note to self, don’t wear a long dress if it might possibly rain* 

So the night kicked off with The Heavy Heavy, a UK based band that really brings a sense of nostalgia to the stage. They made me feel like I was in a late 60’s early 70’s indie film, it was great. It was also really great to see the band had embraced the Cleveland sports scene, they said they made it to the Guardians game on Saturday night and they all wore Guardians button up jerseys. I should have mentioned to them that José Ramírez doesn’t get in fights all that often… what a way to see the boys for the first time. Overall, the band sounded wonderful and when I went to their merch I was able to get my shirt signed. 

Next up, Band of Horses. Interestingly, when I was talking to folks hiding out from the rain under an awning they would say “I didn’t realize that The Revivalists were playing with BOH.” Either way, the SC based band hit the stage and wow did they blow me away! I missed them last fall at Blossom when they toured with The Black Keys so this was a treat PLUS they are one of my honey’s favorite bands so getting to see him enjoy this was top tier. One of my favorite parts of the performance was just how down to earth and friendly they were. You could hear in their music and sense in their energy they are from the south… but in a nice way. They sounded just as they do on their albums which is always a great sign. Of course we all know ‘The Funeral’ but recently I found the songs ‘No One’s Gonna Love You’ & ‘Is There A Ghost’ from their 2007 album Cease To Begin. Now seeing those performed live… wow, a moment to remember! Continuing on with CLE Sports… the lighting they had for a moment was giving Cleveland Browns! 

Finally The Revivalists took the stage and I was surprised to see they have 2 drummers! That is something I always find fascinating, the duo didn’t always drum at the same time but for a few of the songs they seemed to be perfectly in sync with each other, that is a musical connection. The pianist was amazing and ripped up a great solo, not only that… he played guitar too. Also surprising, they had a sax player. It’s amazing to see a show live without really having dove into the band a ton to see what they’re about. The lead singer was in all white and really knew how to work the crowd, getting on hands and knees and right down there with folks in the front row. I have to say as much as I love their originals, I think I fell in love with The Revivalists because they covered Radiohead’s ‘High and Dry’ and right then and there… I melted. 

Obviously, the merch was acquired as you might have figured out by now… I have a problem! 

I hope you enjoyed the show and thank you for reading!
As always, take care of yourself.
Love, Carrie Danger

Hello everyone! 

If you didn’t know, August is National Wellness Month AND we kick off the month with a Full Super Moon known as the Sturgeon Moon. In addition to the month beginning with a Super Moon, we will (almost) close on another Super Moon known as the Blue Moon on August 30th.  To learn more about Super Moons, you can check out this article here. 

As you know, I talk about self-care and routines often. So this month I will be doing a 4 part series on the topic. 

About National Wellness Month was created by Live Love Spa, a place to discover new wellness products. This holiday was created to inspire others to focus on wellness and take time for self-care.

Let’s start with routines and why they are so important for our daily mental and physical health. 

According to verwellmind.com a routine is important for many reasons but most of all a routine can help you during very stressful times where you might feel out of control or lost. 

In my experience, having a routine is imperative to my daily success. When my life was turned upside down the first few times I didn’t have a set routine for myself and I felt lost and confused. The last time things hit the fan I decided I needed to incorporate more than just my morning lemon water. So I set a goal/routine of 3 mental health soaks a week. Just sitting in water. Then I built onto that. Every morning I started stretching, then my facial routine, then I added in earthing. It continues and now my morning/night routine is standard and I love it. 

Now I know that a lot of you are busy. Maybe you’re a parent or maybe you are child free but still have such a packed schedule between work and play that it feels almost impossible. 

The thing to know is you just need to start SOMEWHERE. I will always push my positive agenda of having lemon water first thing in the morning to anyone I meet. Somehow I don’t have a lemon tattoo yet. 

Anyway, with this super moon and this month of wellness upon us, I think it’s so important that we all try and incorporate at least one healthy and positive thing to our day and then possibly build on that. I promise you, your state of mental health will improve. 

I truly believe that with even the smallest routine, it can help us stay grounded and present in our daily lives. 

Here is the link to the article that can elaborate more on the studies behind this rather than my personal experience. 

As usual, take care of yourself!
Love, Carrie Danger 

P.S. Today would have been Jerry Garcia's bday (53 yrs old) so I thought I would include a Grateful Dead song that brings me some peace and grounding:

Hello all!
Today is International Self-Care Day and of course you know I’m going to talk about it! Let’s dive in.

What is self-care? According to Oxford it’s “the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health and the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” 

Now I have been actively practicing self-care for almost a year now, really focusing on healing and being the best version of myself for myself. However, I didn’t realize there are “7 pillars of self-care” so let me share them with you! 

From The University of Kansas website; “Each method of self-care fits into one of the seven pillars: mental, emotional, physical, environmental, spiritual, recreational, and social. A well-balanced self-care routine involves each of these, so avoid restricting yourself to just one or two pillars.” The website breaks down great examples of each of these pillars, you can click HERE to learn more! 

This might seem overwhelming, you might be thinking “how in the world can I do any of this for myself when I have other responsibilities.” Well I don’t have that answer, it’s up to you to find what can bring you peace and try and fit it in. Even if it’s something small like earthing for 5 minutes. 

Here are some examples of what I do for myself, granted I am childless and outside of my busy work and personal life, I do have enough free time for these things. 

Physical exercise, my facial routine, stretching in the morning, having my lemon water first thing, earthing (this is a big one), listening to music. I also make sure to “check my pie chart” so when I am feeling down or ‘off’ I say “okay what can I do to take care of myself?” or if I find my mind racing on things I ask myself “what am I doing right now?” that is a great way to bring yourself back to the present. 

This is a topic I could go on and on about but I’ll rest for now, you are worth taking care of YOU always. Please don’t forget that! 

So as I always say take care of yourself & check your pie chart 
Love always, Carrie Danger

Here are two songs I thought of for you, enjoy!