Unblocking the stories which shape our lives with Caroline Smith-Mclean

For Caroline Smith-McLean, reframing her internal story was something that saved her. Caroline is one of the co-authors in our Stories That Heal collaboration called, ‘Untold and Retold: Unblocking the stories which shape our lives’ and today, she is a solution-focused hypnotherapist, breathwork specialist, spiritual guide, and women’s mentor. Below, she shares the inspiration behind her transformative work, the healing journey she lived and the tools she teaches, and why the most important story any of us will ever tell is the one we tell ourselves.

The book, which will be published in March 2026, is dedicated to sharing personal narratives that illuminate what’s possible when we learn to rewrite the inner stories that shape our lives. Caroline’s chapter, centred around self-perception, self-love and self-respect, takes readers on a profound journey into the one relationship we often ignore — the one we have with ourselves.

“Several years ago, I hit rock bottom. Anxiety, depression, and emotional overwhelm had me in survival mode, I was barely functioning, unable to speak up for myself, constantly doubting my worth, especially in relationships. My nervous system was fried, and limiting beliefs kept me small in both relationships and business. Then I discovered hypnotherapy, and everything shifted. It gave me the tools to regulate my nervous system, release trauma without reliving it, and finally feel safe in my own body. As I healed, I began sharing these practices with others, and the transformations were undeniable. I'd found my calling.”

“Since then, I've experienced a profound spiritual awakening. Now, I don't just teach nervous system healing and inner freedom, I live it. It's the foundation of everything I've built, and I'm passionate about helping others experience that same shift from surviving to truly thriving.”

Connection and learning through stories

“I believe stories are one of our most powerful ways to connect and learn from one another,” Caroline says. “When we share our experiences, something profound happens — we feel seen, valued, and part of a larger human experience. There's something almost primal about this need for shared storytelling; it's been fundamental to how we relate to each other throughout human history.”

If there’s one message Caroline hopes readers will carry with them after closing our book, it’s that our perception of ourselves isn't fixed; we are constantly being shaped and reinforced by our experiences as we move through life. 

“The way we see ourselves is always evolving, and we're continuously gathering evidence that either supports or challenges our self-concept,” she explains. “Most of us live as though our identity is a finished product rather than a living process. I hope this insight encourages readers to become more aware of how they're interpreting their experiences and to recognise that they have agency in shaping their own narrative.”

Caroline wrote her chapter for the woman who's done playing small in love, in business, and in life. Her philosophy is, you've healed enough, overthought enough, and waited long enough. Now it's time to move.

Shifting your perspective of the world 

Caroline’s chapter explores how our relationship with ourselves forms the foundation for every other relationship in our lives — how we set boundaries, what we tolerate, the standards we hold, and the patterns we repeat.

“We don’t see the world as it is,” she reminds us. “We see it as we are. When you shift the internal lens, the external world shifts with it. Our inner narratives colour everything: love, business, health, opportunity, and the choices we believe are available to us.”

Caroline laughs when she remembers the first story that left an imprint on her — a poem called Miss Rosie and Miss Caroline, read to her by her Nan. It was about two spinsters growing older, portrayed in the typical lonely, tragic way those stories often were.

“It’s funny looking back,” she reflects. “That narrative is so far from what I believe now. In adulthood, I see the beauty in independence, women living life on their own terms, building richness outside of traditional expectations. 

It sounds cheesy, but I'd tell my younger self: love yourself harder than anyone else ever could. Heal your past. And if you can, forgive the people who hurt you, because they truly never meant to. There's a concept I work with now: everyone has a positive intention behind their behaviour, even when the impact is painful. People are operating from their own wounds, their own limitations, their own survival patterns. It doesn't excuse the harm, but understanding that frees you. The moment you can separate someone's behaviour from your worth, and recognise that their actions were never really about you, that's when you get your power back. That's when healing becomes possible.”

Her chapter isn’t about self-improvement in the traditional sense — it’s about self-awareness, self-respect and self-love, so that you can shift your perspective of the world around you. 

Storytelling as a tool in her work

In hypnotherapy, metaphors are a tool for that healing work and transformational shifts. The subconscious doesn’t argue with a story. It receives it, interprets it, and finds its own meaning. That discovery was the moment she realised storytelling wasn’t just part of the healing — it was the vehicle for it.

“When I tell a client to change something, the mind resists,” Caroline explains. “But when I use metaphor, something shifts.”

Her clients are women who are ready for lasting transformation — not another talking session, not another temporary breakthrough, but deep, embodied change.

She works with those who want to:

• regulate their nervous system

• trust themselves deeply

• attract aligned love

• build a business rooted in self-worth

• stop people-pleasing and over-giving

• feel safe in their own body and power

Her method combines nervous system regulation, subconscious reprogramming, identity work, and somatic release. Today, her work is active and intentional, built on three core practices:

Visualisation
“Imagination is life’s rehearsal,” she says. When done properly, it builds real neural pathways.

Hypnotherapy & Time Line Therapy
This is where subconscious reprogramming happens — the deep patterns, the automatic responses, the old identities.

Breathwork
Not as a trend, but as a way to release stored emotions and integrate change through the body.

These powerful tools allow the body, the nervous system and the mind to proactively relax and embrace change without fear. 

“Years ago, I meditated daily…religiously, even. But I realised my meditation sessions were turning into naps, and while it felt "nice," my body was actually in a state of freeze - not the obvious fight or flight states. I was using those breaks to shut life out rather than genuinely process or heal.”

Healing through hypnosis and conscious change

Aside from the predictable question of,  “Will you turn me into a chicken?” with hypnosis, Caroline says the biggest misunderstanding is that therapy practitioners are fully healed and never have down days..

“No one is,” she says. “And that’s okay.”

Healing isn’t a destination; it’s an ability to meet life differently. She recommends starting with your self-talk because awareness is always the first step:

“What do you say to yourself when you mess up? When you look in the mirror? When you're afraid?”

Then ask the questions that open the door:

• Is this true, or just familiar?

• Where did I learn it?

• Does this still serve me?

• Would I say this to someone I love?

Most of our limiting beliefs aren't facts, they're just stories we've repeated so many times they feel like facts. The moment you start questioning them, you create space for something new. That's where the real work begins. Then hypnotherapy can enable your subconscious to support you in the changes which you’re making consciously.

Inspiration beyond her work

Caroline’s joy comes from connection — family, friends,and genuine laughter. Caroline’s dad, Bill, remains her guiding light and she has a tattoo, “Live like Bill” to remind her, “He was born in Ireland and lost his mum at just six months old. Raised by his grandparents, he left school at 14, barely able to read. He came to England at 16 and slept on the streets for a while. He was severely dyslexic, yet he went on to build a successful business with my mum.

What inspires me most is this: I never once heard him use his circumstances as an excuse. Never heard him complain or play the victim. And I never heard him judge another person…not once.

He showed me what radical responsibility and quiet resilience actually look like. He didn't just talk about not letting your past define you, he lived it. That's the standard I hold myself to, and the one I hope to help others find in themselves.”

In her free time, Caroline swims outdoors, moving between cold lakes and hot saunas. And she escapes from the city in her campervan — “a bed on wheels” that brings adventure and much-needed space.

Connect with Caroline

Caroline welcomes readers, clients, and curious souls to connect through:

Website: carolinesmithmcleanhypnotherapy.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carolinesmithmclean
Facebook: facebook.com/carolinesmithmcleanhypnotherapy
Instagram: instagram.com/csmhypnotherapy