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May 29, 2025 50 mins

In this deeply personal season finale, Jeannette and Mona take off the armor and speak straight from the heart. What starts as a conversation about vulnerability quickly unravels into a much bigger exploration of fear, identity, legacy, and healing. From life coaches and mindset breakthroughs to childhood trauma, grief, and the fear of criticism, this is the kind of talk that doesn’t just stay in the group chat—it transforms it.


Jeannette opens up about how playing it safe protected her for years—but also limited her growth—and how she’s finally reckoning with the cost of hiding her process in favor of only sharing polished outcomes. Mona shares what it's like being raised in a culture where emotions were buried, not expressed, and how that shaped her struggle with vulnerability and validation. Together, they navigate the pressures of being “good,” being “enough,” and being seen.


They reflect on generational patterns, the stories we bury for survival, and the courage it takes to break cycles. This episode is doing the scary thing, speaking the unspeakable, and learning to share not just the result—but the process. It’s messy, it’s real, and it’s exactly what this season needed to close on.


Whether you’re learning to let go, questioning if you’re enough, or carrying grief you’ve never spoken out loud—this one’s for you. And whatever you do, don’t let THAT fear stop you from being who you are, or from choosing who you’re becoming.


KEY POINTS 


- Past struggles vs. current challenges

- Hindsight vulnerability

- How culture and family affect openness

- The mental toll of managing perceptions

- Tools to spot and question your inner critic

- The fear of criticism? 

- Why real connection trumps perfect presentation

- On moving beyond the reward system = “self-worth” 

- How avoiding grief and loss keeps us stuck (and alone)


QUOTES 


“When you're vulnerable, you'll get to the right people, but on the way there, you're gonna get to you're gonna pass through the haters.” - Jeannette Reyes


“I was raised in a reward system, so.. I always saw value in achievements... You have to be the best, and so, and there's always like: ‘you could have done better.’” – Mona Kosar Abdi


“You're vulnerable—but it's in hindsight—you'll share what you went through, not what you're going through you're you'll share what you figured out, not what you're trying to figure out.” - Jeannette Reyes


“I don't feel successful ever, but that's because I always think that like people are doing better... Maybe it is like that. I don't feel like I'm enough.” – Mona Kosar Abdi


RESOURCES: 


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