Episode #41: Real Talk: Going Back To Basics

Bounce Back Like A Badass! with Cat Coley

Why fix what's not broken?

When I first started this podcast it was an outlet to share my story. I had spent nearly 3 years in silence - most of the time dealing with the aftermath of my consequences in my own head. A lot of it was due to the shame of what had transpired and the other part was that there were other people involved and sharing my story would mean that I partially shared theirs too.

I figured that the events that took place would eventually fade into the background and I could resume my life and try to get back to some sort of normalcy. But as we've all collectively seen in the last couple of years when we experience a big shift in our day to day - it's difficult to return back to "normal". Getting back to the subject of going back to basics, in the 40 episodes I've produced of this podcast, I can see how I've shifted the conversation away from my life and more into business. If you've listened to earlier episodes I often share that during the most difficult times in my life, I learned and became really good at compartmentalizing. This served me very well, as some of the events that happened would bring me to my knees each time I would dare to take the lid off. As time passed, it seemed best to just keep swimming ahead and not deal with the things I kept closed off.

But, as you may already know, what we don't deal with has a way of showing back up in the most unexpected ways and times. Putting our heads in the sand and pretending doesn't do us or those around us any favors. This became more and more apparent in my coaching business as a lot of my clients have dealt with their own setbacks - and were experiencing feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and unable to move past a stage in their business (and thus life) that they've wanted to get past for years. So, it was during the coaching calls that I began to share more details of my own experiences (beyond what I've shared publicly) and in sharing real and raw situations, my clients would experience one big "aha" moment after another...This was a lightbulb moment for me!

I realized once again (did I mention I'm a bit stubborn?), that a lot of what we go through in life and business are universal. It may not involve the same situations, but the feelings and emotions that we experience are usually very similar. So, just because my rock bottom was going to prison, going through a divorce, overwhelming guilt of missing a significant part of my daughter's early years, losing friends, jobs, trust, credibility, not to mention feeling shame, embarrassment, and so on (if you're new here you may want to listen to the first few episodes to get caught up :), doesn't mean that we didn't experience and share similar emotions while you were going through your own setback. Guilt is guilt. Shame is shame. Regret is regret...no matter how we arrived at those emotional gates.

In all of this, here's one thing I've learned about myself (and those I'm lucky enough to work with) is that I/we are RESILIENT. And so, this brings me back to the podcast and that although I want to talk about business (cause I'm just so damn passionate about what I get to do), I also want to share more about my experiences so that even if you're not a client of mine, that maybe just maybe, you'll also experience your own "aha" moments and it will help you in some way too!

Here's what one new listener sent me after recently finding my podcast:

"....I am deeply touched by your story and thank you for sharing such intimate details. What you went through was really not for you, it was for us. Your testimony has healed me more than any doctor's prescription could have."...

So while this podcast isn’t broken, I know in my heart that going back to why I started it is important, not necessarily for me but for those that I know, it will help. So get ready for more stories that need to be shared! xx Cat