We recently connected with Carley Bearden and have shared our conversation below.

Carley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I experienced a really difficult time that lasted about 7 months that really altered my state of mind. I spent a lot of time in therapy, on medication , etc in order to help me handle the immense amount of anxiety & panic I experienced constantly for 7 months. I had realized during this time that I was living my life in an extremely unhealthy manner, and it had led up to this point of mental & physical exhaustion.

It took me a couple months to get back up on my feet, (keep in mind that you never know when someone is going through something, so always be kind.) and with the help of family, friends, therapy, and finding my faith again, I’ve rebuilt myself for who I’m truly meant to be. This inspired me to use my social media platform for the good- to spread the importance of mental health awareness , faith & the gym.

I had a very egoic way of my life prior to this, including my social media. My whole life was based on “making it” in the music industry, that I never fully experienced the true Carley- with that, I began over the last couple of months to release the idea that social media, followers, and analytics are the only thing that matter.

To me, what matters is making a difference. Helping people feel understood, heard & seen. Something I so badly wanted to feel during the 7 hard months of my life.

Carley, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, my name is Carley Bearden, a 23- year old LGBTQ+ Christian, Gym enthusiast , mental health advocate & spokesperson .

Prior to this, I was a singer/songwriter, indie-pop artist signed to a music label, living day to day as an artist/creative.

Over the last year, I’ve decided to take a step back from music, and focus on my core values as a human being. I’ve decided to focus on me! Through this journey, I’ve fallen in love with the Gym , (literally 5 times a week) , Jesus, who pulled me out of my worst moments, and the simple things in life, that I never understood the importance of.

Being a part of the LGBTQ+ community, one of my main obstacles has been related to the fact that I am also a Christian. For those reading, Jesus loves you for who you are. Continue to love & be kind no matter what.

I also experienced an immense amount of heart break taking a step back from the music industry, but I knew this was best for my mental health, my life, and the people around me. I realized that I had dedicated all of my time to my craft, and not to myself. (Maybe I’ll come back one day)

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The particular goal is to simply continue to be my authentic self & inspire others to do so. To never be ashamed of mental health, to never be ashamed of who you are , who you love or what you believe.

The mission is to show people through my journey that sometimes jumping into the unknown is scary, but it’s where you truly will find yourself, figure out who you are & learn what’s important in life.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Oh gosh… I pretty much had to unlearn my whole life and everything I believed before. What I mean by that is what I thought was important, actually wasn’t. I was living from my ego, and not my soul. I was living an unhealthy lifestyle consumed by constant partying, anxiety, junk food 24/7 , staying up all hours of the night, no schedule.. and for me, this had to change. All of it . I had to change my whole life around in 7 months and decide who I really want to be, authentically.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @carleybearden_
• Other: TIKTOK- @carleybearden