Vulnerability can mean many things, including empowerment

This episode of Fit For My Age brings together host Michael Millward and psychotherapist Carol Smaldino,author of Vulnerability Protected, for a deeply human conversation about what it really means to feel — and safely express — vulnerability.

Across the discussion, Carol traces her journey from a turbulent childhood, through her early work in residential treatment centres, to the development of her professional philosophy: that vulnerability is not weakness, but a messy, courageous, and essential pathway to empathy. Drawing on vivid experiences, including moments when she herself felt overwhelmed, frightened, or unexpectedly reactive, she explains how acknowledging our own emotional fragility can actually protect us, strengthen relationships, and create genuine connection.

Together, Michael and Carol explore:

• ·The difference between physical and psychological vulnerability
• Why many people cannot afford to be vulnerable — and what happens when they try
• How owning your emotional reactions can defuse conflict and build trust
• The role of vulnerability in leadership, parenting, therapy, and everyday relationships
• Why empathy begins with understanding your own inner world
• How psychological safety enables deeper thinking, curiosity, and authentic dialogue
• The cultural discomfort with vulnerability — and why it urgently needs dignity

Carol’s reflections are warm, candid, and often surprising. She challenges the idea that vulnerability is fashionable or performative, arguing instead that it requires space, patience, and environments where people feel genuinely safe enough to think, feel, and speak openly.

This is an episode that will stay with you — one that doesn’t tell you what to think but will certainly make you think about how you relate to yourself and others.

Find out more about Carol Smaldino and Michael at Abeceder.co.uk.

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