What happens when you hit your absolute breaking point? Not with one big, dramatic event, but with a thousand tiny cuts? For me, that moment happened in the middle of a crowded Buc-ee's. Surrounded by hundreds of people and a wall of noise, I had a full-blown panic attack.

In the very first (and very raw) episode of The Driven Coach podcast, I'm skipping the formal intros and diving straight into the real stuff. This isn't just a story about a panic attack. It’s the story of "The Perfect Storm" that led to it—a pressure cooker built from grieving the end of my son's senior year in marching band, the non-stop sensory overload of being a chaperone, the invisible and isolating struggle of a gluten-free diet, and the constant, draining demands of a difficult family relationship.

I'm taking you on the bus with me to San Antonio, into the echoey, trigger-filled tunnel of the Alamodome, and right into the exact text message exchange that pushed me over the edge. This is the real, unedited story of the moment I finally typed the words: "I'm putting myself first... and I'm disengaging from this conversation."

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, overstimulated, and overburdened by the unspoken expectations of others. We'll talk about what happens after you finally set the boundary: the "cocoon" moment of relief on the dark bus ride home, the complicated feelings of pride mixed with sadness, and the profound realization that you cannot be the "coach" for everyone in your life.

Welcome to the podcast. There's no intro music, no fancy edits. Just me, Jen, sharing real, raw stories about what it truly means to be a driven woman, find your confidence, and choose your own well-being—even, and especially, when it's hard.

Have you ever had a "Buc-ee's moment" that led to a breakthrough?

To learn more about The Driven Coach and my 1:1 virtual coaching, visit me at TheDrivenCoach.com.

Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-down/

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