Q&A with Caitlyn Arnold of The Becoming You Company
Tell me about yourself.
My name is Caitlyn Arnold, and I am 25 years old getting my master's degree in clinical social work. I am the founder of The Becoming You Company which I began in 2020, which all started as a podcast and flourished from there. The podcast started with 20 followers and has almost tripled since then, and the Instagram community has continued to grow and reach more and more people.
I have two dogs Lucy and Beau who are the lights of my life. I am currently in a long-distance relationship (1300 miles to be exact)!! I have been in therapy for seven years which is a huge part of my journey and how I am still here. I am a suicide survivor and a trauma survivor as well. I have been through a lot, but it has truly made me the person I am today. I am a proud Christian who is led by faith, not religion. It has helped me find who I am, I have lost people but gained so many angels in my life who have made me. I am so happy with my life; it sucks to have gotten through it all, but I am so happy with the person I have become. I have a makeshift little family that I am beyond thankful for.
What is an obstacle you have overcome or may still be struggling with daily?
My mental health and body image issues are the hardest things I have ever had to overcome. My mental health issues come from a lot of trauma throughout my childhood. I have struggled with major depressive episodes that resulted in some suicidal thoughts. My mental health issues are a result of PTSD, this has made the healing process long due to continuous exposure to trauma. As I navigate healing from these past traumas, I have found that currently, healing has become more difficult, because remembering these moments from my past has become extremely difficult for me.
My anxiety has gotten worse in some ways and better in others. I have found that this healing process is anything but linear. I knew this would be the case. I knew I would struggle with it and I would have good and bad days but when you are in the thick of it you forget that. The body image issues really came to head when I began to remember some traumatic moments of my past. This is something that I struggle with daily and am learning to overcome. Sharing this story with other women has been so helpful in this process it has given me a space to help others and share the shame. I have found peace at most points in these struggles but know that every day can be different.
What are you doing to achieve your goals or overcome your obstacles?
Currently, I am just showing up, showing up for my Instagram community, podcast community and my business. There are times I do not know what I am doing at all, heck most of the time I am figuring it out as I go. I am just trying to show consistency in all that I do so that I can grow a community of women and men to that want to share the love for people as well as share my story to help others feel less alone. Growing this community is my main goal and sometimes social media makes that harder for small creators but persevering through it is key. I want everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin and be able to share their mental illness journeys with the world. Normalizing mental health and normal bodies is the goal.
Share a story about the funniest mistake you’ve made. Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I don't know if anyone outside of the Circuit making world will think this is funny, but I prepared an entire launch with the new infusible ink, investing in it and learning how to use it! Then I was prepping for my most recent launch, I was ordering some off amazon and began to read the reviews ... I read the review of someone who said she washed it and it washed off because it was not on a circuit shirt. So I face timed one of my besties and we decided to wash the products I had made... and without a doubt, they started to disappear with one wash. I sat at the table and cried I was so defeated but also my fault for not reading more into the product before I started. Sooo I learned to pay attention to details, read all the information first and well it's a learning process so give grace to yourself because everyone makes mistakes. It was a small lesson, but a lesson could have been a much bigger disaster.
Do you have any favorite quotes or life mottos you live by? How does it relate to your life?
Normalize living a life you love. Romanticize being the main character of your life. This is what my business is based on as well as the life I inspire to live now. I have spent so much of my life trying to live a life that pleased other people so my only goal in life now is to inspire women to become the best you as well as becoming the best me.
Do you have any routines to keep you on track toward your personal goals or success?
Honestly, my life is a whirlwind, having a part-time job, running a business, part-time internship, and school my schedule is still very different every day. So no but I do enjoy my slow mornings and cherish those. I am a huge component of sleep because I spent way too many years only sleeping four hours and well, I was not my best self.
What advice would you give to your 20-year-old self?
Girl, do what you want to do. Chase your own dang dreams unapologetically! Like I said I spent so much time chasing what others wanted for me and it is what I would go back and change for sure. Is living a life I'm obsessed with not others.
What advice would you give to others?
Have a support system, and this DOES NOT HAVE TO BE YOUR FAMILY. Find people who inspire you and are there for you always. Find people who are forgiving and are going to say your name in a crowded room. Just find your people life is so much more enjoyable with your people.
Do you have a mentor or someone who keeps you on track or accountable?
Not entirely. I have stand-in parents who help me through and make sure I am chasing my goals. I have people who check in regularly but a mentor no.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful to who helped get you to where you are?
OMG, can I list 30 people LOL. No, but really, I would love to list all of the people who have helped me along the way. So many of my friends have been a constant support in this process, but I would say if I can list a few Rob, Maddie, Elise, Danny, Sarah, Erin, Brooke, Ashley, Lex, Abbey, Brian, Mark, Lindsey and so many more. They have been by my side while I figured out not having a family support system, leaving people I never thought I would leave and for all the big happy moments. I can never thank them enough for all they have done for me.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? No idea is too big or too small.
Normalize mental health and Normalize normal bodies. I want all women and men to feel comfortable in their experiences with mental health illnesses and be able to shout their good and bad moments from the rooftops if they want to. I want all women and men to feel comfortable in whatever body they have and to be proud of it! I want them to know that they are beautiful and do not have to diet to love themselves.
If there is anything else you feel is important to share, please do.
You are worthy of unconditional love and happiness throughout your life no matter where you come from or currently are.