In this coaching episode, I'm joined by Kim, a lawyer and divorce mediator based in the Canadian Great Plains who has spent her career helping others navigate some of the hardest transitions of their lives (lord knows, I’ve done it twice!). What she brought to our session was something so many of us carry quietly– a shame spiral from a painful professional experience nearly a decade ago that she couldn't quite shake, and the way it had been silently running the show ever since.

This one went places I didn't expect, and I think that's exactly why you need to hear it. We ended up in territory around conditioning, self-trust, intuition, and what it really means to put yourself first when your whole life has been built around “doing your duty” as a woman. Kim also sent in a follow-up update three months later, and I'm not going to spoil it, but it pleasantly surprised me.

Key Takeaways:

Shame from a painful event doesn't just live in your head. It shows up in the opportunities you stop pursuing without even realizing it.
The question that can change everything: what is my conditioning versus what is my truth?
Beating yourself up for not trusting your intuition sooner is not actually going to help you trust it more.
Your nervous system is the judge and jury, and you build self-trust by giving it small, low-stakes evidence over time.
"Just because you can doesn't mean you have to". Kim's own words, and one of my favorite takeaways from this whole conversation.
Healing rarely looks like a dramatic moment of clarity. It's quieter, slower, and usually made up of a hundred small things stacking up over time.
Intention setting is one of the most underrated tools we have for slowly opening ourselves up to trusting something beyond the system.

Kim's update at the end of this episode is proof that sometimes the most profound shifts happen in the places you least expect them, and that the real work is just deciding to stop vomiting on the barn floor.

Resources from this episode:
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Book recommendations:
I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!

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