This week on The Truth Is, Kathryn sits down with Jennifer Swartley—her coach and a leadership, mindset, and career coach whose work helps people return to themselves, rebuild compassion within, and move through change with clarity and agency.

Together, they talk about the moment we’re in—one where distraction can masquerade as progress, and where even self-work can keep us from truly listening to ourselves. Jen offers language and perspective for what it means to get beneath the noise: noticing the pulls that are actually yours, meeting yourself with compassion, and creating space for what’s next to take shape.

She also shares her own journey—the moment she realized how much work had become an over-indexed aspect of her identity, the experience of being at a wellness company while not being well, and how that awareness led her toward her own “what’s next,” built from the inside out.

In a world constantly competing for our attention, this work isn’t a one-time realization—it’s a continuous commitment. Throughout the conversation, Kathryn and Jen walk through real examples of her work in action: how fear transforms when met with understanding, how clarity comes through the body before the mind, and how slowing down can reveal what’s true and ready to emerge.

A conversation about discernment, compassion, and the ongoing practice of returning to yourself in a world that’s always asking you to look away.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How distraction can masquerade as progress
• Why even self-work can keep us from listening to ourselves
• The difference between mental noise and embodied knowing
• Meeting yourself with compassion instead of judgment
• The relatable experience of being at a wellness company but not being well
• How slowing down helps us move from control to clarity

Links & Resources
Connect with Jen → @jenswartley
Learn more about her coaching and group programs → jenniferswartley.com

Connect with The Truth Is
Instagram → @thetruthis_podcast
YouTube → @thetruthis_pod
TikTok → @thetruthispod

Credits
Hosted by Kathryn Flaschner
Edited by Dan Croll
Music by Will Savino → wsavino.com
Visual Identity by Sarah Gainer & Jonathan Bush
Advised by Natalie Tulloch