October 21, 2025 • 22 mins
Charlotte from Connection Coaching explores the often-overlooked 'messy middle' of personal transformation and growth - beyond the superficial Highlight Reel.
Through heartfelt stories, personal experiences, and insightful reflections, she emphasises the significance of vulnerability, resilience, and authenticity in both life's challenges and successes.
Drawing parallels with the game of pickleball, Charlotte encourages listeners to embrace their imperfect journeys, share their real stories, and build deeper connections.
This episode invites you to reflect on your own rollercoaster moments and find strength in showing up authentically, day after day.
00:00 Introduction: Embracing the Messy Middle
00:53 The Reality of Transformation
02:18 Personal Reflections and Inspirations
08:08 The Power of Vulnerability
11:13 Lessons from Pickleball
18:01 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts
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Music: Purple Planet Music
Thanks to Purple Planet Music for Pickleball & Partnership Intro and Outro music Purple Planet Music is a collection of music written and performed by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Charlotte J (00:00):
Hello, it's Charlotte here from Connection
Coaching.
So here's the thing.
We love a good transformationstory, don't we?
The shiny after photo, thesuccess post, the healed,
glowing version of someone who'smade it.
But we forget the messy middle,the tears, the self-doubt.
(00:22):
The why is this taking so longpart.
Why is it so hard?
I was talking with my friendCheryl about this.
She was worried that sharing herin progress story might make her
look less credible.
And I thought, hang on.
Isn't that what makes us humanjust like pickleball.
(00:43):
We don't get good by pretendingthat we're pros.
We grow by missing shots showingup anyway and laughing through
the awkward bits.
So today we are going beyond thehighlight reel into the truth
about growth and healing andwhat it really takes to become
who you're meant to be.
(01:04):
Let's dive in.
Hello, lovely pickleball playersand others.
It's so lovely to be back hereagain.
I feel as though I keep takingthese mini pauses and pivoting
off in different directions, andit's so exciting and it's so
juicy, and I love what I'mdoing, and I'm also trusting
(01:27):
that when an idea for an episodepops into my awareness.
That I seize that moment.
It reminds me of Dead Poet'sSociety.
Carpe Diem.
Seize the day.
Boys take the opportunity andnot just the perfect days when
everything is aligned, but theordinary, imperfect ones too.
(01:52):
The days when you show up scaredand unsure, and you choose to
live fully anyway.
I'm trusting that when thatepisode idea drops into my
awareness.
That I will seize the day andhit the record button.
So here I am with anotherexciting episode, and I'm so
(02:15):
happy that you've joined me.
Welcome.
I'm curious, have you everlooked at someone who's gone
through a huge transformation?
Maybe they've built a business,maybe they have healed something
in a huge way or found success,and have you ever thought to
(02:36):
yourself, wow, I wish I could dothat.
Because we see the after, butrarely do we see the climb, the
tears, the doubt, the mess thatcomes in between, and that gives
us this false sense of, oh mygosh, it was so easy for them.
(02:56):
And it's so hard for me becauseI'm struggling to get out of bed
in the morning.
I am struggling to come up withan idea for how to move forward.
I am struggling with what do Ido with my life.
Now that the children have lefthome and we don't see the nitty
gritty, we assume, and our mindtakes us to this place of, oh my
(03:20):
gosh, it was so easy for them.
They woke up one morning andlife fell into place, and that's
just not what it's about.
What made me think of this?
Well, two things.
One was a conversation I hadwith a very good friend of mine,
and the second one was thisdocumentary that I found myself
watching because I still feelpulled into and compelled to
(03:45):
watch stories of emergencyservices people going through
horrific accidents andlife-threatening, diseases and
injuries.
That's my medical mind.
I am, drawn to.
People and healing andresilience and coming back.
(04:06):
So I find myself one eveningclicking randomly around maybe
Netflix, and I come across thisdocumentary I believe it was set
in England, so instead of 9 1 1,it was 9 9 9 and emergency
services, and this horrificaccident that happened.
(04:29):
At a fairground and how a groupof people found themselves on
this ride at the wrong time.
When the ride broke, somethinghappened and the cars fell off
the arms they were attached to.
And this story, the documentary,followed.
(04:50):
This couple's journey who hadfallen in love, they had met
later in life.
They were connected on such adeeper level.
The lady's sister tells thestory of how.
She lit up when she met this guyand he was perfect for her.
I mean, gosh, talk aboutcreating the Disney movie from
(05:11):
the beginning.
Yes.
Incredible.
And so of course you're suckedin and you're like, oh my gosh,
tell me more.
We all want to hear the fairystory, as well.
And so they had gone to thefairground and they weren't even
supposed to be on the ride andsomebody gave them free tickets.
And of course it was.
The very ride when this awfulaccident happened, and they
(05:35):
found themselves flying off thearm of this contraption still
attached to the seat andsustained life-threatening
injuries, both of them.
Actually the man had such.
Immense facial injuries they,just weren't sure that he was
going to make it.
(05:56):
And so we see a brief period oftime when he's in the hospital
and he undergoes numeroussurgeries and goes to ICU.
Which lasts, in the documentaryfor literally 15 seconds, which
is not the reality of ICU.
I know because I used to workthere and loved it so much, and
(06:20):
then all of a sudden there theyare, the couple are walking
through a park hand in hand, somuch in love still, and life is
amazing again, and not a scar onthem.
I mean, literally not a scar onthem.
And the feeling I immediatelygot was, oh my gosh, thank
(06:44):
goodness.
They're back to how they were onthe surface, which of course
they're not because they've gonethrough this awful trauma.
Recovery from that on alllevels, on a physical level, on
a psychological level, mental,emotional, the whole gamut of
emotions and feelings andchallenges, all in literally
(07:08):
seconds on the screen.
And here they are, in advertedcommas back to normal again.
And.
just watching this documentary,I was struck by how quickly the
camera jumped from tragedy totriumph.
One moment you're seeing thehorror the next, it's all smiles
(07:29):
healed, faces perfect lightingoutside in nature, taking a walk
in the park.
It made me think, how many timesdo we do that in our own lives?
How often do we skip over thepart that.
Actually makes us who we are.
The nitty gritty, I say we dothat so many times, and yet this
(07:52):
is the part of us that we don'tshow to people, or that either
doesn't become part of our storyor doesn't become the focus for
the story because it's thebeginning, my life was awful.
And then, oh my goodness, lookwhere I am now.
It was around the same time,actually last week that I was
watching this documentary andhad a conversation with a very
(08:15):
good friend of mine, Cheryl, whohad reached out to me and was
thinking about starting apodcast she was curious how I
had got started and where I hadlearned about podcasting.
Shared Cathy Heller's podcastingprogram and shared a bit about
my own journey, she wasn't surethe focus of her podcast.
(08:41):
She wasn't sure what that wouldlook like.
And I think what was underlyingthat and what we dug into as the
conversation continued was that.
It was very important for her toportray this identity of herself
as a coach now, and she is anincredible coach, and I
(09:04):
suggested to her with thisdocumentary in mind that I had
just watched.
Why don't you tell the story of.
You becoming a coach, youcreating a podcast, share with
people the journey, not thebefore and after, take people
(09:25):
along for the ride she wasn'tsure that actually added to her
credibility as a coach.
I really challenged her on thisand it got me thinking
afterwards as well.
I actually believe thatreframing that vulnerability.
(09:45):
Showing ourselves as being rawand not knowing and trying to
figure it out and oh mygoodness, I'm so frustrated
because technology isn'tworking.
And I remember all those thingsand it still happens to me now
pretty much on a daily basis,but delivering that reframe of
vulnerability.
(10:06):
I think builds credibility.
I don't think it diminishes atall.
I think it builds you into thatcredible coach whichever
identity you are evolving inyour life, showing people,
sharing with people, the trials,the tribulations, the stress,
(10:28):
the tears, the arguments,everything.
Show that to people so that.
We all really get anunderstanding that Disney is
great in the movies, but reallife doesn't always look like
that, that we do doubt ourselvesand we take action and we move
(10:50):
forward and we trust and openourselves up to what's possible,
and then the universe meets us,and then things start to happen.
And we think our clients need tosee perfection.
We think that my patients when Iwas nursing, they needed to see
perfection.
This absolutely goes back to.
(11:13):
When I first learned to playpickleball, when Neil and I
stepped onto that court nothaving a clue what we were
doing, I didn't get it.
I didn't understand the scoring.
It didn't make sense to me.
I didn't understand the lines.
I didn't know what the kitchenwas.
It took me a while to evenremember to call the paddle a
(11:34):
paddle.
I kept wanting to call it a bat.
There was this intricate dancewith my partner, with Neil as we
attempted to play, doublestogether.
We were literally all over theplace and I was scared.
I was scared of failing.
I was scared of being judged.
I was scared of looking bad oflooking imperfect.
(11:59):
I was fearful of making a foolof myself.
And, we do that in life too.
We are so worried about whatothers will think.
We are so worried about beingjudged of what other people will
say.
It brings to mind one of myfavorite quotes that actually
(12:19):
Brene Brown often shares, andthat is from Theodore
Roosevelt's Man in the ArenaSpeech, and I'd like to share it
with you because it, it reallyis powerful.
"It is not the critic whocounts, not the man who points
out how the strong man stumblesor where the doer of deeds could
(12:42):
have done them better.
The credit belongs to the onewho is actually in the arena
whose face is marred by dust andsweat and blood.
Who errs, who comes short againand again, but who does actually
strive to do the deeds." That'sit, isn't it?
Whether it's on the pickleballcourt, whether it's in your
(13:05):
business or in your healingjourney, it's about being the
one in the arena, showing upmessy, vulnerable, imperfect,
and showing up anyway.
Because that's the thing, thepeople in the arena aren't
worried about looking perfect.
They're too busy living, andit's the same on the pickleball
(13:25):
court.
You can't learn the game fromthe sidelines analyzing someone
else's play.
You have to pick up the paddle.
You have to miss a few shots.
Laugh at yourself and try again.
So the courage isn't in neverfailing.
It's in coming back after you dopicking yourself up.
(13:50):
And that's how we grow.
That's how we build trust withourselves.
Not through the highlight reel,but through the sweat, the
missteps and the grace that wefind within ourselves when we
keep showing up.
Dust and paddle and all thosegood things.
(14:13):
If you are in the arena and youare showing up, please let this
be permission to not listen toall the people who are not in
the arena, all the people whoare sharing their advice and not
even willing to step into thearena themselves.
(14:35):
Don't take advice from thosepeople.
follow the people who are in thearena with you.
I've said it before, pickleballis such a humbling teacher.
One day you're in flow.
One day I am playing like I'mAnna Leigh Waters, and the next
day I can't make a shot to savemy life, but I keep showing up.
(14:59):
I play through the misses, themishits, the laughter, the
frustration.
Isn't that the same withtransformation of any kind?
Isn't that the same with growth,personal growth, business
growth, life growth?
We learn more from the messymatches than from the easy wins,
(15:21):
and that's applicable on courtas well as in life.
So here's my invitation fortoday.
For this week, I would love forall of us to connect with each
other in a real way, share moreof your real journey, whether
(15:42):
that's online, in a work settingin your business.
Or going for coffee with afriend, share your real journey,
because that's where connectionhappens.
We are craving authenticity.
and permission to be real.
(16:02):
Show up today.
Be real, be authentic.
Share the messy parts of you,and watch as life unfolds before
you in a different way.
We build trust not by beingperfect.
We build trust by being presentwith another person.
(16:24):
The middle part is where themagic happens.
This is where our resilience is.
This is where we connect withour deeper selves and create
that self-trust.
This is where connection isbuilt.
And remember, your vulnerabilityisn't a weakness.
It's actually your credibility.
(16:46):
Maybe think about times in yourlife where you have had these
rollercoaster moments wheresomething has been on the up and
you are on cloud nine, and thenthe dip came and you thought you
couldn't come out of it.
And yet you did reflect on thoserollercoaster times in your life
(17:07):
where in your life are youtempted to skip to the after
instead of honoring the middle?
And think about what story couldyou share today that would help
somebody else feel less alone intheir own process?
I would love to invite you totake a deep breath with me now.
(17:27):
Picture yourself in that messymiddle.
Drop into that.
Connect to that and remindyourself this is the work.
If something resonated with youtoday, I would love to hear from
you.
Please reach out to me.
Send me an email.
Send me a message on Facebook.
(17:49):
Reach out on Instagram.
I would love to hear from you ifsomething resonated.
If you felt resistance I wouldlove for you to share
authentically what came up foryou today.
Here are the key takeaways fromtoday's episode.
1.
The messy middle is where realgrowth happens.
Transformation isn't a cleanbefore and after story.
(18:13):
It's the in-between, the tears,the doubt, the moments you want
to quit.
This is where resilience,courage, and self-trust are
born.
2.
Vulnerability buildscredibility.
Sharing your in- progress storydoesn't diminish your authority.
It deepens it.
(18:33):
When we let people see ourhumanity, our struggles, and our
truth, we become more relatable,trustworthy, and powerful
leaders.
Three.
Don't skip the struggle like adocumentary that fast forwards
from tragedy to triumph.
We often gloss over the hardestparts of our journey, but the
(18:57):
middle is what shapes who weare.
Healing and growth happen in theprocess, not the polish.
4.
Pickleball is a mirror for lifeon the court.
Just like in life, we learnthrough missed shots, laughter,
and frustration.
One day you are in flow.
(19:19):
The next you can't hit a thing,and both days are teachers.
The key is to keep showing up.
5.
stop taking advice from peoplewho aren't in the arena.
Brene Brown's reminder ringstrue.
Only those who are playing,risking and showing up get to
(19:40):
have a say.
Don't let the sidelines dictateyour courage.
6.
Authenticity creates connection.
We're all craving realness.
When you share your story, notthe filtered highlight reel, but
the real raw moments, you giveothers permission to do the
(20:01):
same.
That's where true connection andhealing happen.
7.
your vulnerability is yoursuperpower.
The parts you want to hide, thefear, the uncertainty, the mess
are actually what makes youmagnetic.
Your openness gives others thecourage to be themselves.
(20:25):
8.
The invitation, pause andreflect on your own
rollercoaster moments.
Where are you tempted to skip tothe after instead of honouring
the climb?
What story could you share todaythat might help someone else
feel less alone?
Thank you for being here with metoday.
(20:47):
I hope this conversation gaveyou permission to exhale to
remember that you don't have tobe finished or polished or
perfect to be worthy of sharingyour story.
Whether it's on the pickleballcourt in your business, or just
in your own quiet growth, thismessy middle that you are in
(21:10):
right now, it's your teacher.
It's where empathy, courage, andconnection are born.
So my invitation for you thisweek is simple.
Notice where you've been holdingback from showing your real
process.
What would it feel like to letsomeone see you in it, to let
(21:33):
them witness the climb, not justthe view from the top.
And if this episode spoke toyou, would you share it with a
friend who might need thisreminder too?
Because the more we normalizethe middle, the more connected
we all become.
So until next time, keep showingup.
(21:54):
Keep playing pickleball, andkeep listening to the whispers.
You are all doing beautifully.
Hello, it's Charlotte here from Connection
Coaching.
So here's the thing.
We love a good transformationstory, don't we?
The shiny after photo, thesuccess post, the healed,
glowing version of someone who'smade it.
But we forget the messy middle,the tears, the self-doubt.
(00:22):
The why is this taking so longpart.
Why is it so hard?
I was talking with my friendCheryl about this.
She was worried that sharing herin progress story might make her
look less credible.
And I thought, hang on.
Isn't that what makes us humanjust like pickleball.
(00:43):
We don't get good by pretendingthat we're pros.
We grow by missing shots showingup anyway and laughing through
the awkward bits.
So today we are going beyond thehighlight reel into the truth
about growth and healing andwhat it really takes to become
who you're meant to be.
(01:04):
Let's dive in.
Hello, lovely pickleball playersand others.
It's so lovely to be back hereagain.
I feel as though I keep takingthese mini pauses and pivoting
off in different directions, andit's so exciting and it's so
juicy, and I love what I'mdoing, and I'm also trusting
(01:27):
that when an idea for an episodepops into my awareness.
That I seize that moment.
It reminds me of Dead Poet'sSociety.
Carpe Diem.
Seize the day.
Boys take the opportunity andnot just the perfect days when
everything is aligned, but theordinary, imperfect ones too.
(01:52):
The days when you show up scaredand unsure, and you choose to
live fully anyway.
I'm trusting that when thatepisode idea drops into my
awareness.
That I will seize the day andhit the record button.
So here I am with anotherexciting episode, and I'm so
(02:15):
happy that you've joined me.
Welcome.
I'm curious, have you everlooked at someone who's gone
through a huge transformation?
Maybe they've built a business,maybe they have healed something
in a huge way or found success,and have you ever thought to
(02:36):
yourself, wow, I wish I could dothat.
Because we see the after, butrarely do we see the climb, the
tears, the doubt, the mess thatcomes in between, and that gives
us this false sense of, oh mygosh, it was so easy for them.
(02:56):
And it's so hard for me becauseI'm struggling to get out of bed
in the morning.
I am struggling to come up withan idea for how to move forward.
I am struggling with what do Ido with my life.
Now that the children have lefthome and we don't see the nitty
gritty, we assume, and our mindtakes us to this place of, oh my
(03:20):
gosh, it was so easy for them.
They woke up one morning andlife fell into place, and that's
just not what it's about.
What made me think of this?
Well, two things.
One was a conversation I hadwith a very good friend of mine,
and the second one was thisdocumentary that I found myself
watching because I still feelpulled into and compelled to
(03:45):
watch stories of emergencyservices people going through
horrific accidents andlife-threatening, diseases and
injuries.
That's my medical mind.
I am, drawn to.
People and healing andresilience and coming back.
(04:06):
So I find myself one eveningclicking randomly around maybe
Netflix, and I come across thisdocumentary I believe it was set
in England, so instead of 9 1 1,it was 9 9 9 and emergency
services, and this horrificaccident that happened.
(04:29):
At a fairground and how a groupof people found themselves on
this ride at the wrong time.
When the ride broke, somethinghappened and the cars fell off
the arms they were attached to.
And this story, the documentary,followed.
(04:50):
This couple's journey who hadfallen in love, they had met
later in life.
They were connected on such adeeper level.
The lady's sister tells thestory of how.
She lit up when she met this guyand he was perfect for her.
I mean, gosh, talk aboutcreating the Disney movie from
(05:11):
the beginning.
Yes.
Incredible.
And so of course you're suckedin and you're like, oh my gosh,
tell me more.
We all want to hear the fairystory, as well.
And so they had gone to thefairground and they weren't even
supposed to be on the ride andsomebody gave them free tickets.
And of course it was.
The very ride when this awfulaccident happened, and they
(05:35):
found themselves flying off thearm of this contraption still
attached to the seat andsustained life-threatening
injuries, both of them.
Actually the man had such.
Immense facial injuries they,just weren't sure that he was
going to make it.
(05:56):
And so we see a brief period oftime when he's in the hospital
and he undergoes numeroussurgeries and goes to ICU.
Which lasts, in the documentaryfor literally 15 seconds, which
is not the reality of ICU.
I know because I used to workthere and loved it so much, and
(06:20):
then all of a sudden there theyare, the couple are walking
through a park hand in hand, somuch in love still, and life is
amazing again, and not a scar onthem.
I mean, literally not a scar onthem.
And the feeling I immediatelygot was, oh my gosh, thank
(06:44):
goodness.
They're back to how they were onthe surface, which of course
they're not because they've gonethrough this awful trauma.
Recovery from that on alllevels, on a physical level, on
a psychological level, mental,emotional, the whole gamut of
emotions and feelings andchallenges, all in literally
(07:08):
seconds on the screen.
And here they are, in advertedcommas back to normal again.
And.
just watching this documentary,I was struck by how quickly the
camera jumped from tragedy totriumph.
One moment you're seeing thehorror the next, it's all smiles
(07:29):
healed, faces perfect lightingoutside in nature, taking a walk
in the park.
It made me think, how many timesdo we do that in our own lives?
How often do we skip over thepart that.
Actually makes us who we are.
The nitty gritty, I say we dothat so many times, and yet this
(07:52):
is the part of us that we don'tshow to people, or that either
doesn't become part of our storyor doesn't become the focus for
the story because it's thebeginning, my life was awful.
And then, oh my goodness, lookwhere I am now.
It was around the same time,actually last week that I was
watching this documentary andhad a conversation with a very
(08:15):
good friend of mine, Cheryl, whohad reached out to me and was
thinking about starting apodcast she was curious how I
had got started and where I hadlearned about podcasting.
Shared Cathy Heller's podcastingprogram and shared a bit about
my own journey, she wasn't surethe focus of her podcast.
(08:41):
She wasn't sure what that wouldlook like.
And I think what was underlyingthat and what we dug into as the
conversation continued was that.
It was very important for her toportray this identity of herself
as a coach now, and she is anincredible coach, and I
(09:04):
suggested to her with thisdocumentary in mind that I had
just watched.
Why don't you tell the story of.
You becoming a coach, youcreating a podcast, share with
people the journey, not thebefore and after, take people
(09:25):
along for the ride she wasn'tsure that actually added to her
credibility as a coach.
I really challenged her on thisand it got me thinking
afterwards as well.
I actually believe thatreframing that vulnerability.
(09:45):
Showing ourselves as being rawand not knowing and trying to
figure it out and oh mygoodness, I'm so frustrated
because technology isn'tworking.
And I remember all those thingsand it still happens to me now
pretty much on a daily basis,but delivering that reframe of
vulnerability.
(10:06):
I think builds credibility.
I don't think it diminishes atall.
I think it builds you into thatcredible coach whichever
identity you are evolving inyour life, showing people,
sharing with people, the trials,the tribulations, the stress,
(10:28):
the tears, the arguments,everything.
Show that to people so that.
We all really get anunderstanding that Disney is
great in the movies, but reallife doesn't always look like
that, that we do doubt ourselvesand we take action and we move
(10:50):
forward and we trust and openourselves up to what's possible,
and then the universe meets us,and then things start to happen.
And we think our clients need tosee perfection.
We think that my patients when Iwas nursing, they needed to see
perfection.
This absolutely goes back to.
(11:13):
When I first learned to playpickleball, when Neil and I
stepped onto that court nothaving a clue what we were
doing, I didn't get it.
I didn't understand the scoring.
It didn't make sense to me.
I didn't understand the lines.
I didn't know what the kitchenwas.
It took me a while to evenremember to call the paddle a
(11:34):
paddle.
I kept wanting to call it a bat.
There was this intricate dancewith my partner, with Neil as we
attempted to play, doublestogether.
We were literally all over theplace and I was scared.
I was scared of failing.
I was scared of being judged.
I was scared of looking bad oflooking imperfect.
(11:59):
I was fearful of making a foolof myself.
And, we do that in life too.
We are so worried about whatothers will think.
We are so worried about beingjudged of what other people will
say.
It brings to mind one of myfavorite quotes that actually
(12:19):
Brene Brown often shares, andthat is from Theodore
Roosevelt's Man in the ArenaSpeech, and I'd like to share it
with you because it, it reallyis powerful.
"It is not the critic whocounts, not the man who points
out how the strong man stumblesor where the doer of deeds could
(12:42):
have done them better.
The credit belongs to the onewho is actually in the arena
whose face is marred by dust andsweat and blood.
Who errs, who comes short againand again, but who does actually
strive to do the deeds." That'sit, isn't it?
Whether it's on the pickleballcourt, whether it's in your
(13:05):
business or in your healingjourney, it's about being the
one in the arena, showing upmessy, vulnerable, imperfect,
and showing up anyway.
Because that's the thing, thepeople in the arena aren't
worried about looking perfect.
They're too busy living, andit's the same on the pickleball
(13:25):
court.
You can't learn the game fromthe sidelines analyzing someone
else's play.
You have to pick up the paddle.
You have to miss a few shots.
Laugh at yourself and try again.
So the courage isn't in neverfailing.
It's in coming back after you dopicking yourself up.
(13:50):
And that's how we grow.
That's how we build trust withourselves.
Not through the highlight reel,but through the sweat, the
missteps and the grace that wefind within ourselves when we
keep showing up.
Dust and paddle and all thosegood things.
(14:13):
If you are in the arena and youare showing up, please let this
be permission to not listen toall the people who are not in
the arena, all the people whoare sharing their advice and not
even willing to step into thearena themselves.
(14:35):
Don't take advice from thosepeople.
follow the people who are in thearena with you.
I've said it before, pickleballis such a humbling teacher.
One day you're in flow.
One day I am playing like I'mAnna Leigh Waters, and the next
day I can't make a shot to savemy life, but I keep showing up.
(14:59):
I play through the misses, themishits, the laughter, the
frustration.
Isn't that the same withtransformation of any kind?
Isn't that the same with growth,personal growth, business
growth, life growth?
We learn more from the messymatches than from the easy wins,
(15:21):
and that's applicable on courtas well as in life.
So here's my invitation fortoday.
For this week, I would love forall of us to connect with each
other in a real way, share moreof your real journey, whether
(15:42):
that's online, in a work settingin your business.
Or going for coffee with afriend, share your real journey,
because that's where connectionhappens.
We are craving authenticity.
and permission to be real.
(16:02):
Show up today.
Be real, be authentic.
Share the messy parts of you,and watch as life unfolds before
you in a different way.
We build trust not by beingperfect.
We build trust by being presentwith another person.
(16:24):
The middle part is where themagic happens.
This is where our resilience is.
This is where we connect withour deeper selves and create
that self-trust.
This is where connection isbuilt.
And remember, your vulnerabilityisn't a weakness.
It's actually your credibility.
(16:46):
Maybe think about times in yourlife where you have had these
rollercoaster moments wheresomething has been on the up and
you are on cloud nine, and thenthe dip came and you thought you
couldn't come out of it.
And yet you did reflect on thoserollercoaster times in your life
(17:07):
where in your life are youtempted to skip to the after
instead of honoring the middle?
And think about what story couldyou share today that would help
somebody else feel less alone intheir own process?
I would love to invite you totake a deep breath with me now.
(17:27):
Picture yourself in that messymiddle.
Drop into that.
Connect to that and remindyourself this is the work.
If something resonated with youtoday, I would love to hear from
you.
Please reach out to me.
Send me an email.
Send me a message on Facebook.
(17:49):
Reach out on Instagram.
I would love to hear from you ifsomething resonated.
If you felt resistance I wouldlove for you to share
authentically what came up foryou today.
Here are the key takeaways fromtoday's episode.
1.
The messy middle is where realgrowth happens.
Transformation isn't a cleanbefore and after story.
(18:13):
It's the in-between, the tears,the doubt, the moments you want
to quit.
This is where resilience,courage, and self-trust are
born.
2.
Vulnerability buildscredibility.
Sharing your in- progress storydoesn't diminish your authority.
It deepens it.
(18:33):
When we let people see ourhumanity, our struggles, and our
truth, we become more relatable,trustworthy, and powerful
leaders.
Three.
Don't skip the struggle like adocumentary that fast forwards
from tragedy to triumph.
We often gloss over the hardestparts of our journey, but the
(18:57):
middle is what shapes who weare.
Healing and growth happen in theprocess, not the polish.
4.
Pickleball is a mirror for lifeon the court.
Just like in life, we learnthrough missed shots, laughter,
and frustration.
One day you are in flow.
(19:19):
The next you can't hit a thing,and both days are teachers.
The key is to keep showing up.
5.
stop taking advice from peoplewho aren't in the arena.
Brene Brown's reminder ringstrue.
Only those who are playing,risking and showing up get to
(19:40):
have a say.
Don't let the sidelines dictateyour courage.
6.
Authenticity creates connection.
We're all craving realness.
When you share your story, notthe filtered highlight reel, but
the real raw moments, you giveothers permission to do the
(20:01):
same.
That's where true connection andhealing happen.
7.
your vulnerability is yoursuperpower.
The parts you want to hide, thefear, the uncertainty, the mess
are actually what makes youmagnetic.
Your openness gives others thecourage to be themselves.
(20:25):
8.
The invitation, pause andreflect on your own
rollercoaster moments.
Where are you tempted to skip tothe after instead of honouring
the climb?
What story could you share todaythat might help someone else
feel less alone?
Thank you for being here with metoday.
(20:47):
I hope this conversation gaveyou permission to exhale to
remember that you don't have tobe finished or polished or
perfect to be worthy of sharingyour story.
Whether it's on the pickleballcourt in your business, or just
in your own quiet growth, thismessy middle that you are in
(21:10):
right now, it's your teacher.
It's where empathy, courage, andconnection are born.
So my invitation for you thisweek is simple.
Notice where you've been holdingback from showing your real
process.
What would it feel like to letsomeone see you in it, to let
(21:33):
them witness the climb, not justthe view from the top.
And if this episode spoke toyou, would you share it with a
friend who might need thisreminder too?
Because the more we normalizethe middle, the more connected
we all become.
So until next time, keep showingup.
(21:54):
Keep playing pickleball, andkeep listening to the whispers.
You are all doing beautifully.
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