Why I Had to Break Before I Could Heal
You’re here because the pace of your life doesn’t feel sustainable.
You fluctuate between feeling a little off and feeling like you’re drowning. Then you feel guilty for feeling that way because, technically, you have everything you thought you always wanted. Your life looks perfect on paper.
That’s how my story started too.
Upspiraling is what happened when everything fell apart—when the sudden onset of chronic illness took my career, my identity, and everything I thought made me valuable, and forced me to confront the deeper patterns that had me sacrificing my health and, honestly, sometimes my sanity for achievement.
This isn’t a “fix yourself” book. It’s a remember who you are book.
Through Lyme disease, burnout, and a spiritual awakening that I absolutely did not sign up for, I discovered something radical:
You don’t have to earn your worth through performance or productivity.
This story is wild, mystical, funny, messy, and deeply human. It’s about letting go of everything that isn’t real and finally learning how to come home to yourself.
If you’re in the middle of burnout, chronic illness, or an identity crisis, I wrote this as a mirror to reflect what some deeper part of you has probably been whispering all along:
There’s more for you.
And it starts within.
What You Will Find Between These Pages
Upspiraling isn’t just a memoir.
It’s a lifeline, a mirror, and a permission slip.
Whether you’re dealing with burnout, illness, a big transition, or just quietly realizing that the life you built doesn’t actually fit, this book is here to help you come home to yourself.
Is this book for you?
If your life looks successful on paper, but something still feels off.
You've checked the boxes. Yet you can't shake the feeling that there has to be more to life than pushing through and holding it all together.
If you're exhausted, overwhelmed, or quietly running on fumes.
Whether you're navigating burnout, chronic illness, caregiving, grief, or simply the weight of being everyone's rock, this book offers a different path forward—one rooted in compassion instead of more striving.
If you're in the middle of a transition and don't know what's next.
A career change. A divorce. An empty nest. A health crisis. A spiritual awakening. A season of letting go. Upspiraling is for anyone standing at a crossroads, wondering who they are becoming and what comes next.
If you've spent your life earning your worth through achievement.
For the high-achievers, perfectionists, people-pleasers, helpers, fixers, and strong ones who are tired of carrying the world on their shoulders.
If you're looking for a grounded approach to healing, growth, and self-discovery.
Upspiraling blends personal story, psychology, nervous system healing, and ancient wisdom into a practical path back to yourself.
Because sometimes the life-changing question isn't, "How do I become more?"
But "What if I’m already enough?"
ABOUT CARA
Cara Pacific Campbell built her identity on achievement. As a top-producing sales leader, she thrived on awards, promotions, and the relentless drive to be the best.
Until her body collapsed.
A journey through burnout, Lyme disease, and disability dismantled everything she believed about worth, work, and success, and opened an unexpected doorway into healing.
In the years that followed, Cara immersed herself in the intersecting worlds of neurobiology, trauma integration, psychology, and ancient spiritual traditions.
She explored how the nervous system and subconscious patterns can keep high performers trapped in survival mode, and how somatic awareness, emotional honesty, and spiritual practice can restore wholeness.
Her work is grounded, practical, and deeply human—designed for ambitious people who want to succeed without feeling like they’ve sold their souls.
Cara is the founder of Kusi Nuna (meaning Happy Soul) and supports high achievers to upspiral their internal operating systems so they can live authentic, sustainably successful, and deeply fulfilling lives.
Known for warmth, wit, and unflinching honesty, she helps clients achieve more by replacing hustle with awareness and alignment.
She lives in North Idaho with her husband, son, and goldendoodle, and spends as much time as possible on the water or in the woods.