How to Get Back on Track When You’ve Lost Momentum

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Brand Building: Living the Whole Picture, Jama Pantel speaks directly to those of us who’ve lost momentum—and aren’t sure how to get it back.

Whether you’ve stepped away because of burnout, personal challenges, or just life piling up, this conversation is your reminder that you’re not behind. You’re human. And you don’t have to start over—you just need to start again.

From personal stories of caregiving, illness, and even being told by ChatGPT to “slow down,” Jama shares what it reallymeans to rest, reset, and re-enter your brand-building journey without shame or pressure.

Timestamps:

00:00 – The moment life hits and momentum fades
00:32 – Permission to pause: why you don’t need to quit
01:10 – Personal story: health scares, stress, and shingles
01:45 – Rebuilding slowly and messily (and why that’s okay)
02:00 – Redefining rest: what it looks like for different people
02:58 – Practical ways to restart without burnout
03:20 – You’re not behind—you’re building something real
03:48 – A welcome-back message for anyone who needs it

Key Takeaways:

• Losing momentum doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you need to breathe—and maybe reset.
• Rest looks different for everyone. It’s not always stillness. For Jama, it’s running, traveling, and staying consistent with the things that ground her.
• Your comeback doesn’t have to be big or loud. One honest post or conversation is enough to get started.
• The people meant for you won’t leave. Visibility isn’t about being "on" all the time. It’s about showing up when it matters—with purpose.
• You’re still the right person for your mission. Even if you needed a break.

SEO Keywords:

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Call to Action:

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to come back—this is it.
You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be present.

Take a deep breath. Reach out to someone who gets it. And remember:
You’re allowed to rest. You’re allowed to return. And you are not behind.

Want to build confidence on camera and elevate your personal brand?

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Have questions or want to work together?
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https://www.jamapantel.com

Episode Transcript

Jama Pantel (00:00):
Let me ask you this ?
Have you ever been on a roll,finally showing up consistently
making progress, and then lifehits?
Yeah, same! It's your podcast,bestie Jama.
Back at it again today, thistime talking about what to do if
you've lost your momentum.
So I can't even count how manytimes I felt l ike I was finally

(00:25):
getting it together only tohave something knock me off
course.
Sometimes it's your health,sometimes it's your people,
sometimes it's burnout that youdidn't see coming, and sometimes
it's all at once.
If you've been around for awhile, you know I've taken
breaks from my business time andagain.
I've stepped away fromInstagram, I've paused
promotions I was working on, andI used to beat myself up about
this every single time.

(00:45):
But I want to tell yousomething that, literally, chat
GPT said to me not long ago andI laughed when I read it because
it was so obvious but also sonecessary.
You don't need to quit, youjust need to slow down.
Y'all.
That one hit me because Iwasn't broken, I wasn't behind,
I was just tired.

(01:06):
So let me share a personalstory with you.
There were seasons I lostmomentum because of health
scares with my parents and,honestly, there were seasons I
needed time off because of myown health wasn't okay.
There was a time I was sooverwhelmed I got shingles from
stress If you've heard me talkabout that before it happens.
So yeah, I've lost momentum alot, probably more than I care

(01:30):
to admit.
But you know what else I'vedone.
I keep coming back, sometimesslowly, sometimes messy, but I
always come back.
Here's what I need you to knowif you're in that messy middle
in between right now.
Losing momentum doesn't meanyou've failed.
It means you're human andmomentum is something you can

(01:52):
rebuild.
But it starts with permission.
Permission to re-enter at yourown pace, permission to not look
polished all the time.
Permission to care for yourselffirst and still be seen as
powerful.
And y'all, let's talk aboutrest, because I think we've all
been sold the lie that restmeans doing nothing.

(02:12):
But rest looks different foreveryone.
For me, rest doesn'tnecessarily mean lying on the
couch all day.
It means staying consistentwith my workouts, it means
running, it means traveling.
I've been out of town for weeksover the last month and a half
and I haven't missed a beat onthe podcast, but I did disappear
from social media, and that wasokay, because rest is doing

(02:35):
less of what drains you and moreof what helps you to reset.
Even if it doesn't move theneedle, rest re-centers you.
It brings you back to yourpriorities.
That's the kind of momentumthat matters.
The world tells us visibilityis about being "on all the time,
but I believe powerful presenceis about knowing when to pause

(02:56):
and when to rise again.
So if you're trying to find yourfooting once again, here's what
I recommend.
Start small.
Don't try to do everything atonce.
Just one post or oneconversation or just one honest
share.
Be real about where you are.
Your audience doesn't wantperfect.
They want to feel connected.
Also, stop waiting until youfeel ready.

I've talked about this before: Ready doesn't exist. (03:20):
undefined
You're ready enough right now,and if you're rebuilding after a
hard season, you are not behind.
You are building something real, something with depth and
staying power.
Let me remind you of this too-the people who are meant for you
won't disappear because youtook a break.

(03:40):
You don't have to be everywhereall at once and you don't have
to explain.
You just have to come back toyourself.
Even this episode is part of mycomeback, because every time I
show up for you, I'm showing upfor me as well.
If this episode spoke to you,if you've been quietly wondering
if you're the only one who haslost momentum, trust me, you're

(04:01):
not and you don't have to startover.
Just start up again.
And if you're ready to rebuildyour presence with purpose, not
pressure, keep listening, keepwalking with me, take a deep
breath, send a message tosomeone who gets you and
remember this- you're allowed torest, you're allowed to return
and you're still the rightperson for this mission.

(04:23):
Until next time.
Thanks for tuning in and, hey,if you've been gone for a while,
welcome back.