Unlocking creativity
As a little girl, Caitlin had her eyes on her great-grandmother’s vintage necklace. What she couldn’t have imagined is how that necklace was staring right back at her with a surprise of its own.
StinaGene: [00:00:00] Welcome to Retail Your Story. The podcast where we highlight at least one noteworthy item in our space that connects us to a chapter from within our story. I'm your host StinaGene.
Have you ever received a gift that came with an "aha" moment? Today's featured guest did and that’s what makes this special gift so much more than just stuff. It is a pleasure to welcome Caitlin Bosshart to Retail Your Story.
Caitlin Bosshart: [00:33:82:] I thank you so much for inviting me. I'm just really excited to be part of this.
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**StinaGene**: [0:31 – 0:47] I met Caitlin in a Google search! Yep, you heard that correctly. But, before I tell you what I was in search of and how she landed in my search engine, in good ole' Retail Your Story fashion I asked Caitlin to share something about herself using at least one item.
[00:01:25 – 00:1:30] **Caitlin Bosshart**: So the item that I would, if I could wrap it up into one, which as, you know, as a multi-passionate person, that is a little bit hard for me to do. Um, but I would hand you one of those old school skeleton keys
**StinaGene**:[0:49-1:10] An old school skeleton key. How nostalgic and fancy, but yet so... shall I say fitting. When I came across Caitlin's website, I was definitely looking for something or someone who could help me unlock a few things. So, any ideas as to what this key might represent?
[00:01:45- 00:02;18] **Caitlin Bosshart**: As a life coach, so much of what I do, I feel like is unlocking things like unlocking people's dreams, unlocking their, their potential, unlocking their creativity as coach for multi-passionate creatives. And so when I think about a key, it's like when you get that perfect key in that perfect lock and there's just this like, amazing ease to that turning and there's that satisfying kind of click and almost like being in that aha like flow kind of like, yes, this is, this is the thing.
**StinaGene**: ]1:13 – 1:44] A multi-passionate is a person who has multiple interests and may often feel pulled in different directions. For some this causes frustration or feelings of an inability to follow through. For a multi-passionate, feeling the pressure to choose one thing can be disheartening and demotivating. As a multi-passionate, Caitlin understands this feeling. She recognizes how important it is to help other multi-passionates, like myself, unlock something more from within that we had trouble accessing beforehand.
**STINAGENE**: [1:45 – 1:54) Caitlin has had an interest in skeleton keys for quite a while. So how many of these keys do you think she's collected over the years?
[00:02:18 – 00:2:50]**Caitlin Bosshart**: I have several actually. I've been obsessed with them, honestly, since I was a little kid, there's just something about keys in general, that I find magical. It's like, you just never know what you're going to find. What you're going to uncover. It's like treasure hunting. I think that's also part of coaching is like treasure hunting for people's like, you know, uncovering all the things that like make them so amazing. It's like what's behind the door Let's keep opening it up. Let's keep let's like, let's show that to the world
**StinaGene**: [1:55 – 2;19] I can relate because I have a bit of interest in doors, especially when I'm traveling. I love seeing the different styles, how they function, and the imagination or curiosity, or in some ways, let's call it what it is, the nosiness of what's going on, on the other side of that door. But seriously, she’s right door gazing does feels like a treasure hunt.
[00:03:14 – 00:03:33] **Caitlin Bosshart**: I also have a thing for doors whenever, especially traveling in other countries, the doors are so beautiful and interesting and handmade. Some of them look like, and it like my, I think really my obsession kind of actually started with that idea of the door. Cause it was like, I love the movie, the secret garden.
(Scratch sound)
**StinaGene**: [2:20 -2:43) Hold up, did she just reference the Secret Garden? Omg, guys, that is one of my favorite books and movies growing up. I actually just watched a remake of the movie a few weeks ago. Just the thought of walking through a secret door with a beautiful world on the other side felt so magical.
[00:03:34 – 00:03:52]
**Caitlin Bosshart**: I was like, I hope that I can just pull back a little bit of, of plant like Ivy and find a door to a secret garden like that. That is like my ultimate dream. And like, even when I think about, you know, just like visualizing a happy place, it's like my own secret garden. That's where I want to be all the time.
**StinaGene**: [2: 45 – 3:04] I'm right there with her on that. Give me a gorgeous door that leads to a dreamy mosquito free garden with a body of water nearby, and I too am in my happy place. Another reason why this book had my attention as a child. Speaking of childhood favorites, I asked Caitlin what was an item she was often seen with as a little girl.
[00:04:24- 00:05:07] **Caitlin Bosshart**: So before T Y like Ty Beanie babies were a thing or were like popular. I had picked up this little polar bear. Beanie baby named Chilly and I carried her everywhere every night. I would tuck her underneath my chin and like on between my shoulder and just lean my head on her. Like just, it was, she was like my little security blanket. And I remember thinking as a kid, you know, planning, which is this funny kid thing, but I was like, if the house burns down, what would I grab? And like, I would grab her. I was like, Chilly is coming. I'm going to grab like my cat, the dog, and like Chilly and that's like, what I would get out of the house, you know?
**StinaGene**: [3:06 -3:18] How cute that Chilly, the beanie bear was on her list to be saved in the event of a fire. Now that's a toy with a lot of meaning! So where is Chilly bear now?
[00:05:11 – 00:05:37] **Caitlin Bosshart**: Bear is now gray. Um, and this is like so heartbreaking when I was in my twenties, I was living with a roommate and her dog found Chilly and chewed her face off a little bit and I still have her. And I was like, I cannot, I cannot get rid of her. And maybe someday I will send her to one of those, like doll hospitals, or something to get fixed.
**StinaGene**: [3:20 – 3:32] Ya'll Chilly is still around and just waiting on a little surgical procedure to make her look whole again, nevertheless she is still serving her purpose and that is helping to keep Cailtin connected to her childhood.
[00:05:46 – 00:06:05] **Caitlin Bosshart**: It just shows how much life that thing has lived. You know, like for this little, you know, it just shows me, it's like, Oh my gosh, how much did, like, how many places I took this thing, how much I touched it. It's like, yeah. A little gross, but you know, it's, it is what it is. It's just like, it's carrying all the memories with it all the time.
**StinaGene**: [3:34 – 4:13] Having an object that moves with you from childhood to adulthood is sometimes known as a transitional or comfort object. This is primarily a psychological term that focuses on separation or traumatic responses, but it's not always that deep. Sometimes it's just a bridge that connects you to the memories of your childhood. Personally, I don't have any comfort objects from my childhood, but boy was I a fan of the my little pony. Every trip to the store, there was a pony I had my eye on. Whenever I smell their scent, and they still smell the same, it definitely transports me back to my childhood.
[00:06:13 – 00:06:17] **Caitlin Bosshart**: they do have this very distinct smell. I remember that.
**StinaGene**: [4:14 – 4:36] Little bear Chilly might've had Caitlin's heart from the start, but there was something a lot less soft and snuggly peaking her interest and making her eyes get big just at the sight of it. After years of admiration from a distance, Caitlin was finally able to get ahold of this prized possession and boy was it life changing.
[00:06:18 – 00:06:54] **Caitlin Bosshart**: My great grandmothers, Swarovski, crystal necklace that she got in the 1940s in Austria, and that I inherited and it's it just, I have spent. I can't even tell you how many hours with my little chin, just barely getting over the top of my mom's dresser, staring at this necklace in the Curio cabinet and just opening the little delicate latch just to like touch it. I didn't take it out cause I knew it wasn't supposed to, but I just thought it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life.
**StinaGene**: [4:38 – 5:09] While little Caitlin had her eyes on this beautiful piece of jewelry, she knew better than to play with it. This necklace was more than just a piece of wearable art. It was an heirloom that was passed down to her mom and eventually on to her. All those years while she stared at it in the curio cabinet in awe, she could not have imagined how this piece of jewelry was staring back at her with a beautiful surprise of it's own. But before we fast forward to that part of the story, how did this necklace become a family jewel?
[00:07:04 – 00:08:58] **Caitlin Bosshart**: We think it was around like in the forties or so late forties. She and my great-grandfather were living in England for a year. And so I think during that time they were just traveling around a lot. And so she was in Austria and she was actually there with, I believe it was her sister-in-law and they were just window shopping and they came up to this window and saw this necklace in the, in the window and her name was aunt VI, was, was looking at it admiring it, and then she ended up deciding to pass on the necklace. She didn't buy it. And so my great-grandmother, um, Lydia was like, well, if you're not going to buy it, I'm going to buy it. So she treated herself to this like really special piece of jewelry, which I don't think she wore a lot in her life, but my mom was saying that for as long as she can remember, as a little girl, my, my grandmother had just collected lots of different items that were really, really special, uh, all throughout her, her life and travels and she had taken a little side table, taken the top off and put glass. And so she just had these items displayed in this little side table. And so my, my grandmother or my mom would always remember admiring it. And then when I would go to visit my great-grandmother, it was there and I remembered admiring it and then when it was at the point where she was getting moved into an assisted living, housing, she, you know, things were kind of going to different people. And that was something my mom said that she's like, I just have always really loved this. Can I have it? So my grandmother gave it to her and then it sat on my mom's, um, dresser for many, many years until it came to me.
**StinaGene**:[5:13 – 5:30] This necklace is such a beautiful and delicate piece that it stayed on display more than on the neck of it's owners. Caitlin fell in love with this necklace years before she could call it her own. When that moment came for her to take ownership of this necklace, Cailtin was... well, I'll let her tell you.
[00:09:07 – 00:10:18] **Caitlin Bosshart**: I was like, mom, you gotta wear this thing. Like, this is just, Oh my gosh. Like I can't wait to wear it. So I feel like you should wear it and when my husband and I got engaged for my birthday that year, she gave me the necklace. And I just remember like picking up the box and hearing it shift and just immediately knowing that it was the necklace. And I was just like, like, just like crying, like just like, you know, it just was so meaningful that she had passed it onto me cause I always thought like, Oh, I'll just borrow it from her and the fact that she gave it to me just to kind of Mark this really special time in my life. And it just felt like a Rite of passage in a way. And it just. Was so special because I'd always said to her, you know, like I, I want to wear that on my wedding day. So it was, it was the only thing that I cared about in terms of what I put on my body. On my wedding day. It was like this, that I have to find something that will. That will feel like it's highlighting and doing this necklace justice.
**StinaGene**: [5:31 – 5:54] This was a unique situation where the necklace had to say yes to the dress. As this necklace began to take center stage in bridal wear preparations, it was carrying more of a surprise for Caitlin that she didn't see coming. Like I said, before Caitlin had been watching this necklace for years, I have a feeling it was watching her too. So let's take a closer look at this necklace.
[00:10:18-00:14:18]**Caitlin Bosshart**: So the necklace is, is these white Swarovski crystals in the pattern of, of flowers and in the center of the flowers is like a little orange like this diamond or whatever. And then there's green leaves, um, on the sides of it. And so I think it's like the Edelweiss flower we think is probably what it's representing. And I had tried on so many white dresses with this necklace and just nothing, nothing felt like it did it justice and I also was just a little bit inspired by my grandmother who was just this in a lot of ways, this kind of, you know, free spirit. And she carved her own way in life. And she was a little bit of a rebel. She was a flapper girl in the twenties and she smoked cigarettes and he, she had wore a skirt above her knee and grandma had style and just as a quick aside, so when she was, she lived to be a hundred years old and so when she was a hundred, she was telling my uncle this story about how she and her mother had left the church that they were had been at for, you know, most of her childhood, because they were really judgmental of, of my grandmother and her choice to be like young expressive person and my grandma's like, I just wanted to dance a neck with boys. And so I just was like, so funny hearing this come out of the mouth of know, a hundred year old woman. Like so cool. And also, I just love the fact that her mother was supportive of her. So there's also that piece, but I just, when I was thinking about, you know, wearing this, you know, what I wanted to do with this, my, what my dress was, I was like, you know, my grandma was kind of, non-traditional like, she kind of did her own thing and she kind of bucked norms and I was like, I feel like inspired by that. And so I was like, you know what? I want to not go the traditional route with a dress. I want to see like, what if I, you know, found something that was a different color and maybe that would really show off this necklace. So I went on a trip to new Orleans with my husband and we started dress shopping and I ended up in this little boutique shop and the woman comes out and I show her the necklace. I'm like, I'm trying to find, you know, something to go with this necklace. And she just beelines it to this Emerald green velvet dress. It's like, you know, hugs the body. And then, you know, has like the flare at the bottom kind of mermaid style, which I also have a total affinity for mermaids, but that's a whole other thing and she, she was like, this is the dress. And I was like, okay, you know, and I'm like looking at these other ones and she, so I'm trying all these other dresses on. And she goes, she walks by me and she's like, well, you just put that other dress on already. I was like, okay. So I try to come out in this dress and I just feel beautiful in this dress. Like it feels good. And then it just, when I put the necklace on with, with it, it was like, Whoa, like this, talk about like, uh, like a frame for this necklace, having this dark rich velvet to kind of go with like the, the, almost like the dimension and the, like the multidimensionality of the necklace.
So it was a really cool moment. And I went dress shopping with my husband too. So like, that was just so cool to be able to share that with him and, you know, to have that be kind of like the, that sort of started this whole realization for me, that we can do things our own way with our wedding. We can, like, who says, you have to wear a white dress, you can wear whatever you want. =I mean, if you want to wear a white dress, amazing, but if you want to do something different, like there's nothing that says you can't. And I'm just so glad that this necklace inspired that, um, us to start thinking in that way about our wedding.
**StinaGene**: [5:55 – 6:08 After trying to shop the traditional route, this necklace was saying no to those white dresses, but with the help from a small boutique in New Orleans, the necklace was finally able to say yes to the dress and Caitlin agreed!
[00:15:09-00- 00:15:40] **Caitlin Bosshart**: I love finding, um, intentionality and meaning behind things. And I feel like there's such, there's a way that you can represent, you know, so much more depth if you, you know, if you put a lot of thought into what you're choosing for your wedding. And so with, you know, this necklace, it was this realization of you know, it can be more like there's, there's more that can more thought that can go into each of these pieces.
**StinaGene**: [6:09 – 6:19] Talk about a transitional object. This necklace was definitely helping Caitlin and her then fiance, think differently about how they would approach their wedding.
[00:15:40 – 00:16:05]**Caitlin Bosshart**: So for our wedding, we, when we were making every single choice, so just like with the necklace and then the intentionality that went into picking my dress, we carry that over into, you know, even like what we called our wedding party so rather than calling them, you know, bridesmaids and groomsmen, um, we called them our hive because we are beekeepers
**StinaGene**: [6:22 – 6:34] Yes, , she did just say beekeepers and while I'm sure she can be seen jamming to some Beyoncé, we aren't talk about managing that type of BeyHive. I told you this girl is a multi-passionate.
[00:16:05 -00:18:49] **Caitlin Bosshart**: We love that that bees are all about community. And we knew that the people that we chose to be, you know, standing with us, um, at our wedding were people that very much had supported us to be who we were in that moment we could not have done it without our community. And we wanted people to feel like. They were part of our ceremony, not just witnessing it. And so we made the choice to anyone who is able to stand. We asked that they stood with us. They were like, they're right in the moment with us. Our hive stood around us and we stood in the middle of a hexagon that was this sort of planter box that my, my dad and my uncle built and then I grew. Flowers that I dried and my aunt had these beautiful grasses in her yard that we cut and dried. And so we made, you know, filled in this hexagon planter with all these different grasses and dried flowers. And we were out in the middle of a field in one of Vista, Colorado, and I wanted this hexagon to feel like sort of a whimsical part of the landscape. So we sort of blended in, but then didn't, and I just wanted to create this, this space for us to, to, you know, set this intention for our marriage and the life that we are continuing to build together in a space that felt really meaningful. And so the hexagon there's so much symbolism in the hexagon that I absolutely loved, and we decided that each side, each play, the six sides of the hexagon would represent something different. So the hexagon represents love, balance, harmony, equality, communication, and then the last side was open and that represented community. So as part of our ceremony, we wanted each person in our hive to find an item that represented an intention that they had for us and for our marriage and so during the ceremony, each person came up and presented the item, shared what their intention was and then placed it in that final side to essentially close off the, the hexagon and to create this sacred space for Justin, my husband and I to share our vows.
**StinaGene**: [6:38 – 6:54] It sounds like Caitlin and her husband hosted a ceremony filled with self-expression and celebration of their community of family and friends, or as they call it, their hive. All the while, this necklace is standing front and center with a smile around Caitlin's neck.
[00:19:31 – 00:19:59]**Caitlin Bosshart**: This necklace definitely reminds me of my great grandmother of course, but there is something about like ancestry, and there's a beautiful weight and grounded-ness to the feeling of just wearing the necklace that, you know, there's something about just like, I just felt supported in that moment by a community by all the ancestors that came before me. And just to be in that moment was very cool. It's such an amazing experience.
**StinaGene**: [6:55 – 7:09] So Caitlin and her husband hosted this super creative, cool, distinctive wedding that was somewhat inspired by the necklace, but this wasn't all this piece of wearable art had in store. Oh, yes, there's more...
[00:20:20 – 00:]21:37) **Caitlin Bosshart**: After our wedding, there were so many people that came up to me and said, wow, you know, I've never been to a wedding like this before, you know, I've never been to a wedding that just was so representative of the couple. It was just amazing. And just to feel like the power of, because so much, again, like community was such a big part of our wedding at anyone who was there we wanted them to know how loved and appreciated we were appreciative. We were that they were there with us and. You know, hearing that, that compliment. And then also having a few people say to me who had, who were already married saying, you know, I wish I would've known that I could do things differently I wish I would've known that you could, you know, that you didn't have to follow all the traditions and all the scripts. Cause I was like, sometimes I felt disingenuous. Um, and that sparked something for me, for sure. It was like, well, I can help people do this. I can help people. Um, you know, really think outside the box and, and we've, you know, who they are and their story in to their wedding and their ceremony.
**StinaGene**: [7:10 – 7:33] Aha! And there you have it. This necklace helped Caitlin and her husband embrace their decision to do something different. Because their "different" was awesome, it sparked conversations. Because Caitlin is such an active listener and a, "Multi-passionate", it sparked an idea in her to bring along her skeleton key to help others unlock ceremonies they would happily remember for years to come.
[00:21:37 – 00:24:35] **Caitlin Bosshart**: When I work with couples to really create their vision for what would be a truly authentic and deeply meaningful celebration for them, the ceremony is the piece that, you know, after we've kind of talked about like the broad brush stroke vision, that's really where I zero in because a lot of times people will either leave the ceremony as sort of an as like last minute, um, piece, because there's obviously, there's so many other things you've got to figure out your clothing and your caterer and all that that's pressing but I try to remind couples that the reason why you're here is to get married. And there's, let's not let the, the ceremony become an afterthought and it's an emotional part. It's also a part of the wedding that most people have not seen really, you know, much delineation from, you know, kind of a pretty standard script and so it's hard to think and imagine what it could look like. And so I love to just really get to know a couple and find out what makes them unique, what their beliefs are, how we could represent, what's important to them symbolically. Um, how can we, you know, create like a sense of ceremony in their wedding that feels amazing and, and affirming of, of this choice that they're making, you know, with this, with their partner, um, It's, it's just such an amazing thing to be able to be part of like, I just, like, I get to be in like for, you know, 90 minutes a session. I like, I get to be in this little love bubble and it's like, just so it's just really special.
**StinaGene**: [7:36 – 8:16] Planning a wedding can be stressful. There's a lot of decisions to make and a lot of other people's opinions to navigate. To have someone to help you stay connected to your story and how you want to share that is invaluable.
When I was planning my big day, I didn't know to Google wedding coach, but I wish I would've known because I had no idea there were wedding coaches not to be confused with wedding planners. My husband and I also went the unconventional route with our ceremony. Our vow day, as we called it consisted of a guest list that was limited to 10 people, but leading up to the “I Dos” we scheduled quality time with our friends and family and felt that was one of the best ways we could celebrate our union.
[00:24:35 – 00:25:09] **Caitlin Bosshart**: I love that. I do think that the intentionality is something that really can help you to actually enjoy your wedding day and not have it feel like it just blows right by you. You know, it's like if you can be fully anchored and present in every moment, because every moment is so intention and chosen with care and the people that are there are chosen with care and where you are, is chosen with care and all of that, it just, I think it just helps you to, to actually be in the moment versus if you're kind of like going through the script of something that you didn't write and you're not connected to.
**StinaGene**: [8:18 – 8:42] She is absolutely right! Your wedding day and all engagement and wedding related events should be planned with care and attention to you and your story. But before the wedding there's the engagement. How are you taking time out to enjoy this chapter in your life? Some couples rush to saying I do and don't relish in the moment of calling their S.O., “their fiancé”.
[00:25:09 – 00:25:27]**Caitlin Bosshart**: That idea of like enjoying your engagement. I was like, this is probably going to be the shortest part of our whole relationship. Right. So like, let's stretch it out a little bit, you know, it is fun to say fiance
**StinaGene**: [8:43 – 8:56] I can imagine how appreciative Caitlin's clients are to her as she helps them navigate through what is often an exciting but anxiety heightened chapter in many people's stories. And to think it started with a little necklace from Austria.
[00:25:36- 00:26:59] **Caitlin Bosshart**: I'm wearing it right now. I actually have not worn it since my wedding. And I was like, I feel like this is a perfect time to put this back on. It's like a really connect to it.
**StinaGene**: [8:58 – 9:27] I'm so happy to hear the necklace got to make an appearance to our interview. Since Caitlin was a little girl she's had her eye on this necklace, but like I told you, this necklace was looking right back at her just waiting to reveal more of her story!
A quote I came across reads, Jewelry has the power to be this one little thing that can make you feel unique. Unbeknown to Caitlin, this necklace had a unique skeleton key of it's own and it found the perfect person to unlock.
[9:28 – 9:41] Did you enjoy Caitlin's story? There's a lot more of this interview that can be heard on our website at retailyourstorypodcat.com and subscribe to our newsletter. If you want to connect with Caitlin? Here's where you can find her.
[00:25:36 – 00:26:59] **Caitlin Bosshart**: So my podcast is called a Full Heart Free Voice, and I have a cohost, um, her name is Emma, very task, and it is a PA or a book club style podcast. So we read books that live, you help you live with a full heart and a free voice. That's our whole, our whole mission. And. Right now we are reading women who runs with the wolves and we're getting sort of close to the end of that. So I don't know what our next book is going to be. So if anyone wants to throw out some suggestions, definitely connect with us on Instagram. Um, our handle is at full heart underscore free voice underscore podcast. And then if you want to connect with me, you can go to also on Instagram. My handle is at Caitlin underscore BossHart, and you can find me on my website, CaitlinBosshart.com and yeah, that's all the way. So I've lots of lots and lots of content, definitely on Instagram. That's kind of where I like to hang out and, um, do videos and posts and all that. So it's super fun.
**StinaGene**: [9:42 – 10:03] Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Retail Your Story.
Listeners, come connect with me as well as our featured guests, and get access to beyond the pod content by visiting our website and subscribing to our newsletter at retailyourstorypodcast.com. Subscribe and leave us a review as we’d love to hear from you! As always thank you for sharing space!