Mari Williams: Alone and Rising
Mari Williams: Alone and Rising
Podcast Description
Do you struggle to be okay alone? Do you worry about how many friends you have, or what you would do if your partner left, or whether people like you at work? This podcast is here to help! I will share how I got to be very happy alone and invite fantastic guests to share their stories too. We will inspire you so that you know you can do it too. This is not about being single, but about being happy in yourself. This enables you to set strong boundaries in your life, make great decisions and forge a successful and happy path. It also enables you to choose great friendships and relationships in all areas of your life because not just anyone will do. You choose that people that love, support and guide you on your journey as you rise up to being happy alone. Welcome to the Alone and Rising podcast.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on mental health, personal development, and the journey to self-sufficiency, with episodes covering topics like overcoming addiction, building self-worth, and setting healthy boundaries. Notable episodes include interviews with authors and coaches, such as Jack Raymond discussing recovery and Mari Williams sharing her approach to leadership and personal growth.
Do you struggle to be okay alone? Do you worry about how many friends you have, or what you would do if your partner left, or whether people like you at work? This podcast is here to help! I will share how I got to be very happy alone and invite fantastic guests to share their stories too. We will inspire you so that you know you can do it too. This is not about being single, but about being happy in yourself. This enables you to set strong boundaries in your life, make great decisions and forge a successful and happy path. It also enables you to choose great friendships and relationships in all areas of your life because not just anyone will do. You choose that people that love, support and guide you on your journey as you rise up to being happy alone.
Welcome to the Alone and Rising podcast.
In this powerful podcast episode, Mari Williams interviews Cara Cunniff, a former British military officer and endurance athlete, who shares her profound experience of feeling lonely while surrounded by other military spouses during her husband's deployment to Iraq.
The conversation explores the challenges of emotional connection, the importance of self-worth, and how small acts of kindness can transform personal isolation. Cara discusses her journey of finding strength in solitude, developing emotional intelligence, and ultimately creating meaningful connections in both personal and professional life.
About Cara:
Cara is a leadership and performance consultant and the founder of The Workplace Experience Project. She specialises in unlocking teamwork potential through the development of strong workplace emotional cultures—the powerful force that drives connection, collaboration, and sustainable performance.
Having lived and worked in international communities across Paris, Germany, Belgium, and the USA, Cara has developed a deep appreciation for how shared emotions and experiences transcend borders, foster understanding, and strengthen relationships.
Her global perspective, combined with her time as a British Army Officer specialising in Psychological Operations (PsyOps), gives her unique insight into how emotions influence behaviour and drive meaningful change—through hearts and minds.
As an endurance athlete—having competed in Ironman triathlons and multi-day Sahara Desert ultra-marathons—Cara understands first-hand how emotions shape performance: on the track, in leadership, and across organisations. She believes that when leaders harness organisational emotional culture as a strategic tool, they unlock trust, deepen connection, and create the conditions for teams to thrive.
Cara has partnered with organisations like Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, HMRC, and The Wellbeing Revolution to deliver transformative learning experiences that drive growth, resilience, and engagement.
You can connect with Cara on LinkedIn
You can help Mari with her research by taking the Alone and Rising questionnaire here
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