In this episode, I’m exploring a topic that touches all of us, yet one we so rarely anticipate: setbacks. I’ll also reveal the art (and the necessity) of bouncing back from setbacks, how instead of defining us, they can shape us, helping us grow stronger, wiser, and more resilient.

I’m going to talk about the two different types of setbacks—permanent losses and temporary obstacles—and help you understand which ones require letting go and which call for persistence. I’m going to walk you through my “Bounce-Back Blueprint,” a straightforward, three-step process that can help you recover from disappointments, extract meaningful lessons, reexamine your goals, and move forward with fresh energy and clarity.

If you’ve ever gotten thrown off course, whether in your career, relationships, or personal pursuits, this episode will offer practical advice and encouragement to help you regain your momentum and step boldly into your next chapter.

Show Highlights:

• Making sense of setbacks and resilience before bouncing back. [01:19]
• The type of setback the Bounce-Back Blueprint resolves. [02:47]
• The art of finding the lesson in a setback. [05:43]
• The power of seeing that life is “for” you. [07:01]
• Reevaluating goals after learning from a setback. [08:16]
• Learn to pause, recover, and then recommit. [09:58]
• A real-life scenario with the Bounce-Back Blueprint in action. [12:00]
• Plateauing with setbacks vs. rising with a comeback. [14:20]
• Do you need support from the Brilliant Balance community? [15:27]

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Today, I’m taking a close look at the invisible pressures so many ambitious women, including myself, face while trying to have it all. If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly running… juggling work demands, family obligations, and the endless “extras” that keep life moving, this episode is for you.

I’m calling out the unrealistic expectations we’re accepting including the invisible labor trap, and explaining why it can feel like we’re playing in a rigged game. I’ll help you recognize the hidden work you do, explore why it often goes unnoticed, and, most importantly, show you how to redefine what’s actually reasonable for your life.

Join me for actionable insights, some deeply needed reality checks, and a powerful permission slip to stop overcompensating for a system that isn’t serving you.

Show Highlights:

• Spot the self-perpetuating trap of invisible labor. [03:20]
• Beware of non-promotable work volunteerism. [05:23]
• Consider the hidden costs of the invisible labor trap. [07:48]
• Are you underreporting your unseen contributions? [09:19]
• The problem of managing perception, not reality. [11:14]
• The power of reframing and making work visible. [14:06]
• Reclaim your agency in a rigged game to redefine success. [15:07]
• Recognize what’s not a “you” problem. [19:14]
• Action steps to unlock agency without guilt. [20:28]
• Reach out for support, plus, share and spread the balance. [22:27]

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In today’s episode, we’re talking about a framework for making sense of our emotions with Kathy Washburn, a positive psychology practitioner, life coach, cancer survivor, and extraordinary human. We’ll explore her “emotional weather” metaphor, which offers a fresh perspective and actionable wisdom on the storms we can feel within.

Kathy draws on her powerful story of resilience and healing, moving from a life of outward success and emotional numbness to one marked by disruption, disease, deep self-inquiry, and reinvention, and shares how to become a compassionate witness to our emotions and those of others, letting go of people-pleasing and emotional suppression. She offers practical tools for positively weathering emotional storms, insights on fostering emotional awareness, and tangible steps for using curiosity and presence to maintain connection, even when someone else’s “weather system” rolls in.

I hope you’ll walk away feeling inspired and ready to try some new practices that can help you handle whatever weather comes your way.

Show Highlights:

• Kathy Washburn’s backstory of her “house blown down.” [02:56]
• Positive psychology and generational gaps in emotional literacy. [07:09]
• Understand emotions as weather, and yourself as the mountain. [10:21]
• Emotional contagion and the “Mother, may I?” steps strategy. [13:46]
• How to respond with curiosity when it’s hard to empathize. [16:58]
• Discover the “gift and opportunity” in difficult situations. [20:18]
• Why bypassing dis-ease turns into physical disease. [25:26]
• Learning to sit with emotions for 90 seconds. [27:19]
• Balancing emotions vs. toxic positivity. [34:47]
• Can we forecast and prepare for inbound relational storms? [40:18]

To find Kathy's work, visit https://kathywashburn.net.

Also, Kathy references Jill Bolte Taylor's work. Here is a link to her episode on Brilliant Balance: https://brilliant-balance.com/podcast/episode-214-jill-bolte-taylor-learn-to-host-a-brain-huddle/

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Join the Brilliant Balance Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057