🎧 Things That Should NOT Be Stressing Us… But Are (Stress, Anxiety, and Finding Joy Anyway)

If you’ve been feeling stressed, anxious, or emotionally drained by things that normally wouldn’t hit this hard, you’re not alone.

In this lighter, joy-forward episode of Bounce Back, Black Woman, I’m sharing a few of the everyday moments helping me stay grounded right now — from snowstorms and snacks to laughter, perspective, and giving myself permission to enjoy small joys without guilt.

This episode isn’t about ignoring reality or pretending everything is fine. It’s about learning how to regulate your nervous system, breathe a little deeper, and let joy coexist with hard seasons.

Sometimes healing doesn’t look like pushing through. Sometimes it looks like noticing what makes you smile.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The small things that end up stressing us out more than they should
• Why everyday overwhelm feels heavier during uncertain times
• How laughter and joy can be forms of regulation
• Letting yourself enjoy the moment you’re in — without guilt
• Why choosing joy isn’t denial, but wisdom

A reminder to carry with you:

Sometimes resilience is letting yourself enjoy the moment you’re in — without guilt. With acceptance, courage, and laughter. That’s not denial. That’s wisdom.

🔗 Resources & Next Steps (Your Standard Format)

• 📖 Order your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
• 💌 Grab your FREE 2026 "Bounce Back Guide" [HERE]

A winter storm forced more than canceled plans — it forced stillness.

In this episode, Coach Del reflects on preparing for unexpected solitude and the emotional weight of anticipating being alone. From watching couples and families stock up for the storm, to remembering why she adopted her dogs after losing her husband, Del explores the difference between loneliness and solitude — and how quiet seasons can become powerful invitations for self-reconnection, reflection, and healing.

Whether you’re navigating the end of a relationship, grieving a loved one, or simply finding yourself alone in a season you didn’t choose, this episode offers reassurance, perspective, and gentle guidance for embracing solitude without isolation.

• The mindset shift that happens when you know you’ll be alone for days

• Preparing for solitude without distractions like TV or internet

• Witnessing togetherness while navigating loneliness alone

• Why companionship mattered so deeply after loss

• The difference between loneliness and intentional solitude

• How solitude can help you rediscover yourself

• Staying connected without avoiding the quiet

• Using stillness as a space for reflection and growth

“He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” — Luke 5:16

✍🏽 What is this season of solitude inviting me to see about myself?

• 📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Podcast Companion Journal

• ✨ Visit the Bounce Back Black Woman website to stay connected

• 💌 Download the FREE 2026 Bounce Back Guide!

Episode 69: Mental Overload: When Life Feels Like Too Much to Carry

In this episode, Coach Del offers a candid, grounded reflection on mental overload—the kind that builds quietly when emotional, practical, relational, and identity-related stressors all compete for attention at once.

This isn’t a how-to episode or a checklist for coping. It’s an honest check-in about what it feels like to carry a lot in this season of life, and what self-awareness can reveal when our capacity begins to shift.

In this episode, we explore:

• What mental overload really looks like (and why it’s not a failure)
• How grief, loss, and unfinished emotional weight can linger quietly
• The mental load of health awareness, aging, and increased responsibilities
• Adjusting to life outside of corporate structure and wearing multiple hats
• Why juggling everything the way you once did may no longer be sustainable
• How awareness—not urgency—can be the beginning of healing

This conversation is an invitation to slow down, notice honestly, and release the pressure to “carry it all” the same way you always have.

✍🏽 Reflection Prompt:

What feels mentally heavy for me right now—and what might that weight be asking of me? No fixing. No solving. Just awareness.

📘 Resources & Next Steps:

• Download the FREE Bounce Back Guide 👉 subscribepage.io/AXjAZM
• Grab the Bounce Back Journal from my WEBSITE

Be patient with yourself, my friend. Mental overload isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s often a sign of transition.

The new year often arrives with noise—goals, expectations, fresh starts, and pressure to move fast. But what if you’re still recovering from last year?

In this episode, we talk about what to do when life feels loud and why the beginning of the year can feel both exciting and overwhelming at the same time. From the emotional letdown after the holidays to shorter days, colder weather, and the pressure to “hit the ground running,” this season can quietly wear us down.

Instead of pushing harder, we explore what it looks like to slow down without falling behind—to embrace a gentler pace, honor your nervous system, and give yourself permission to recover before rebuilding.

This episode is an invitation to breathe, reflect, and move forward with intention instead of urgency.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why the new year can feel emotionally noisy

• The impact of post-holiday letdown and seasonal changes

• How pressure to start fresh can clash with unresolved exhaustion

• Why slowing down is not failure—but wisdom

• Practical ways to create space and calm without giving up momentum

Reflection Prompt: What part of me is asking for quiet right now—and what would it look like to listen instead of pushing past it?

If this episode resonated, be gentle with yourself today. Healing doesn’t rush—and neither do you, my friend.

RESOURCES:

✨ Download the FREE 2026 Bounce Back Guide A practical guide to help you move forward with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

👉 Visit the Website!

🎙️When Predictable Joy Disappears: Coping When Your Go-To Is Gone

In this episode, we explore:

• Why losing a source of relief can feel disproportionately painful
• What’s really happening when your go-to disappears
• Why emotional reactions after disappointment are not a failure
• How to recalibrate support instead of shaming yourself
• The difference between correction and compassionate adjustment
• What scripture teaches us about naming loss honestly

✍🏽 Journal Prompt:

What did I lose when this source of relief disappeared—and what feeling rushed back in?

🎧 Related Episode:

• Choosing Predictable Joy in Hard Seasons: Two Things Can Be True at Once (Episode 66)

Episode 66: Choosing Predictable Joy in Hard Seasons: Two Things Can Be True at Once

In this episode, Coach Del explores why choosing predictable joy during hard seasons isn’t denial—it’s discernment.

This conversation is about the quiet, cumulative weight many of us carry even when life looks “fine” on the outside, and why intentional joy often requires moving before we feel better. You’ll hear how joy can function as a stabilizing practice, why choosing it can feel uncomfortable, and how faith invites us to engage joy on purpose—not wait for easier circumstances.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why hard seasons aren’t always catastrophic—just cumulative
• How two things can be true at once: gratitude and exhaustion
• Why choosing joy often goes against our natural emotional instincts
• The difference between denial and discernment
• How predictable joy supports capacity and emotional regulation
• Why joy, in scripture, is often a discipline—not a mood

📖 Scripture referenced:

• Philippians 4:4 (NLT) — “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”

✍🏽 Journal Prompt:

What has been giving me relief lately—and why do I need it in this season?

📘 Resources & Next Steps:

• Download the FREE Bounce Back Guide 👉 [HERE]

• Grab the Bounce Back Journal 👉 [HERE]

A new year often brings talk of goals and vision—but real vision isn’t about wishful thinking or rushing forward.

In this episode of Bounce Back, Black Woman!, we take a grounded, faith-centered look at vision as intentional direction. As the ending of one year invites reflection, regret, celebration, and accomplishment, the beginning of a new year brings opportunity, uncertainty, and important choices about what comes next.

Using the analogy of planning a journey, this conversation explores how vision requires clarity, alignment, and patience—not perfection. Instead of drifting into the year ahead, listeners are invited to intentionally choose what they want to pursue, change, or leave behind in this new season.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why new beginnings can feel exciting and uncomfortable at the same time
• The difference between wishing and intentional vision
• Why vision often feels challenging or vulnerable
• How clarity creates direction without pressure
• The role of faith in planning and trusting the process
• Why progress happens one intentional step at a time

Scripture Reflection: Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

Journal Prompt:

What do I intentionally want to pursue, change, or release in this new season of my life?

🔗 Resources & Next Steps

• 📥 Download the FREE 2026 Bounce Back Guide [HERE]
• 📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Podcast Companion Journal [HERE]
• ✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]

The start of a new year brings new opportunities—but it can also bring fear, hesitation, and self-doubt.

In this episode of Bounce Back, Black Woman!, we take a grounded, faith-centered look at courage—not as something you need to summon or manufacture, but as something you’ve already lived. As the ending of one year invites reflection, regret, celebration, and accomplishment, the beginning of a new year often raises quiet questions about whether we have what it takes for what’s ahead.

This conversation invites you to pause, recognize moments of courage in your own life, and stop minimizing the strength that has already carried you through hard seasons. Instead of rushing into the year ahead, we focus on honoring the evidence of resilience, faith, and bravery that already exists within you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why new beginnings often stir fear alongside hope
• How the end of a year brings reflection, regret, celebration, and growth
• Redefining courage beyond big, dramatic moments
• Common fears at the start of a new year—including fear of failure and judgment
• Why unrecognized courage leads to louder self-doubt
• How faith anchors courage when uncertainty feels heavy

Scripture Reflection:

Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Journal Prompt:

What is one moment from my past that proves I am braver than I give myself credit for?

That memory isn’t nostalgia—it’s evidence.

🔗 Resources & Next Steps

• 📥 Download the FREE 2026 Bounce Back Guide [HERE]
• 📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Podcast Companion Journal [HERE]
• ✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]