You have the talent. You have experience. You may even have evidence that other people value what you can do.

So why don’t you feel ready?

After being fired and spending approximately a year searching for another traditional job, Del began paying closer attention to women who were earning meaningful income from skills like hers. She saw full-time self-employed home bakers, coaches, authors, and speakers building businesses around their abilities.

Their success didn’t guarantee hers. But it raised an important question:

"Why not me, too?"

In this episode, Del explores how practical preparation can sometimes conceal a deeper doubt about our own capability. While training, strategy, and experience matter, constantly creating another requirement can keep us preparing for something we may already be capable of beginning.

In this episode, you’ll consider:

If you’ve been questioning whether you’re truly ready, take the free What’s REALLY Holding You Back? assessment. It can help you begin identifying the pattern beneath the reason you’ve been giving yourself:

https://tally.so/r/J94V1X

Once you’ve completed the assessment—or if you already recognize the bottleneck making forward movement difficult—book a free one-on-one call with Del to talk through what you’ve discovered and explore whether Stuck-to-Steady is the right support for you:

[BOOKING LINK TO BE ADDED]

Connect with Del:

You know something isn’t working—but leaving feels too risky.

Maybe you’re worried about money, your children, other people’s judgment, beginning again, or discovering that the next situation isn’t any better. So you remain where you are, telling yourself you haven’t made a decision yet.

But staying is also a decision.

In this episode, Del shares two personal experiences in which staying initially felt safer than leaving: her first marriage after multiple infidelities had been exposed and a micromanaging workplace that diminished her expertise until the company ultimately terminated her.

Although the circumstances were different, both experiences reveal how fear can narrow our view of the choices available to us—and how carrying everything alone can make the situation feel even more impossible.

In this episode, you’ll consider:

This episode is not an instruction to leave your job, marriage, or relationship. It is an invitation to examine what is influencing your decision and to seek the support needed to make that decision intentionally.

If you’re still unsure what may be keeping you from moving forward, take the free What’s REALLY Holding You Back? assessment HERE

https://tally.so/r/J94V1X

If you have identified what may be restricting your movement but need help deciding what to do next, book a free one-on-one call with me!

[Book your free 1:1 Call]

Stay Connected with Del:

EPISODE 136: Why More Information Isn’t Helping You Decide

You’ve gathered the information. You’ve compared the options. You’ve considered the risks, asked for advice, and replayed the possibilities.

So why can’t you decide?

In this episode, Del shares the real-life decision she is currently navigating: whether to renovate part of her home to generate rental income, keep the property as it is, or sell and transition to apartment living.

Each option offers legitimate benefits. Each also introduces financial, practical, and emotional risks. What initially appeared to be a decision requiring more information has revealed a deeper question: Can additional information create clarity—or are we sometimes asking it to eliminate uncertainty, regret, and judgment?

In this episode, you’ll consider:

If you’re unsure what may be keeping you circling, take the free What’s REALLY Holding You Back? assessment:

https://tally.so/r/J94V1X

If you have identified what may be restricting your movement but need help determining what to do next, book a free one-on-one call with Del:

LET'S TALK!

Connect with Del:

LinkedIn: @delphinesmith

Episode 135: Are Your Boundaries the REAL Problem? 5 Areas Where They Might Be

Your life may not be out of control—but certain parts of it may feel exhausting, frustrating, or increasingly difficult to manage.

The problem may not be your ability to handle responsibility. It may be that too many people and obligations have unrestricted access to your time, energy, attention, money, and emotional capacity.

In this episode, Coach Del explores five areas where missing, unclear, or inconsistently enforced boundaries may be contributing to problems in your life:

In This Episode

Why being dependable is not the same as being perpetually available

The difference between caring about someone's feelings and becoming responsible for them

Why a boundary must focus on what you will do—not controlling someone else

How competence can quietly create unreasonable expectations at work

Why generosity stops being freely chosen when guilt makes the decision

How resentment, dread, and depletion can reveal a missing boundary

The four steps to establishing a healthier boundary: Notice it, name it, communicate it, and hold it

Why another person's disappointment does not automatically mean your boundary is wrong

A Reminder From This Episode

The right boundaries do not stop you from being generous, compassionate, loving, or dependable.

They allow those qualities to remain freely chosen instead of continually required.

Take the Free Assessment

If you know you're stuck but aren't sure why, take the free What's REALLY Holding You Back? assessment.

Discover what's getting between you and where you want to be:

https://tally.so/r/J94V1X

Kitchen Table Conversation LIVE

Join Coach Del for the next Bounce Back, Black Woman! Kitchen Table Conversation LIVE on Monday, September 21, 2026, from 8:00–9:00 PM ET.

This free virtual gathering will create space for honest conversation, reflection, laughter, and connection. Registration is required, and attendance is limited to 25 women.

Register here:

https://o8dbkm.subscribepage.io

Stay Connected with Coach Del

🌐 Website: CoachDel.com

🎙️ Podcast: BounceBackBlackWoman.com

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms

📱 Follow on Instagram & TikTok: @BounceBackBlackWoman

💼 Follow on LinkedIn: @delphinesmith

Ep. 134: Are You Thinking It Through—or Just Going in Circles?

Some decisions deserve time, prayer, research, and careful consideration. But there comes a point when thinking something through stops producing new information—and simply returns you to the same fears, questions, and possibilities.

In this episode, Coach Del explores the difference between thoughtful consideration and circular thinking. She explains why going in circles can feel productive, what it may be protecting you from, and why some clarity only becomes available after you take action.

You’ll learn:

You don’t have to make one enormous, irreversible decision. Sometimes you simply need to take one intentional step, pay attention to what it reveals, and use that information to decide what comes next.

Take the Free Assessment

If you know you’re stuck but aren’t sure why, take the free What’s REALLY Holding You Back? assessment.

Discover what may be getting between you and where you want to be:

https://tally.so/r/J94V1X

Join the Kitchen Table Conversation

Join Coach Del for the next Bounce Back, Black Woman! Kitchen Table Conversation LIVE on Monday, September 21, 2026, from 8:00–9:00 PM ET.

This free virtual gathering will create space for honest conversation, reflection, laughter, and connection. Registration is required, and attendance is limited to 25 women.

Register here (or on my website):

https://o8dbkm.subscribepage.io

Stay Connected with Coach Del

🌐 Website: CoachDel.com

🎙️ Podcast: BounceBackBlackWoman.com

📱 Follow on Instagram & TikTok: @BounceBackBlackWoman

💼 Follow on LinkedIn: @delphinesmith

Episode 133: Coffee, Chemistry, and All the Things We Overthink

Dating has a way of turning one cup of coffee into a twelve-part strategic forecast.

What should you wear?

Will the conversation flow?

Will there be chemistry?

What if you like him and he doesn’t like you—or he likes you and you don’t like him?

In this episode of Bounce Back, Black Woman!, Del shares the funny story behind an upcoming coffee date that began only after she paid for Bumble—and promptly matched with someone on the free version of Hinge.

But the bigger story isn’t the date itself. It’s the growth Del recognized when she realized she wasn’t anxious, future-casting, or trying to decide how she should present herself. She was simply looking forward to meeting another person and seeing whether their easy phone chemistry translated in person.

This episode offers a grounded way to approach dating: stay open without getting ahead of yourself, remain discerning without allowing fear to take over, and remember that you are not auditioning for someone else’s approval.

In This Episode

Why a first date is not an audition

The questions to ask yourself instead of only wondering whether the other person likes you

Why chemistry can invite another conversation but cannot prove compatibility

How we make potential carry the weight of a promise

The difference between discernment and fear

Why one interaction should be allowed to remain one interaction

How to protect yourself without closing yourself off

Why rejection or a lack of mutual chemistry is information—not a verdict on your worth

How friends can support women who are navigating modern dating

Questions to Carry Into Your Next Date

Do I feel comfortable?

Do I feel heard?

Can I relax and be myself?

Does this person seem genuinely curious about me?

Do their words and behavior align?

Do I enjoy the person I am when I’m interacting with them?

A Reminder From This Episode

The goal of a first date is not to determine whether someone is your person. It is simply to discover whether you would enjoy having a second conversation.

You can be hopeful without getting ahead of yourself.

You can enjoy someone’s attention without depending on it.

You can allow experience to make you wiser without allowing it to make you harder.

For Friends Supporting Someone Who Is Dating

Practical safety conversations are loving and necessary. But support does not have to turn one date into either a threat assessment or a bridal consultation.

Let your friend enjoy the possibility without inflating it or puncturing it.

Sometimes the most supportive response is simply:

“That sounds promising. Have fun. Be yourself. Pay attention to how you feel, and tell me about it afterward.”

Join us on September 21st for the first Bounce Back, Black Woman! Kitchen Table Conversation LIVE.

This live virtual gathering will create space for honest conversation about dating, relationships, standards, hope, disappointment, loneliness, companionship, and connection—with plenty of reflection and laughter too.

Register to join us  at the Kitchen Table Conversation here!

I’d love to have you at the table.

If you’re ready to uncover what may be standing between you and where you want to be—and identify your next intentional step—take the free What’s REALLY Holding You Back? assessment.

Take the FREE assessment here!

Stay Connected with Coach Del

🌐 Website: CoachDel.com

🎙️ Podcast: BounceBackBlackWoman.com

📱 Follow on Instagram & TikTok: @BounceBackBlackWoman

💼 Follow on LinkedIn: @delphinesmith

STUCK or STILL: How Do You Know the Difference?

Being stuck doesn't always mean your whole life has stopped.

Sometimes life keeps moving while one part of you keeps circling the same question.

In Episode 132 of Bounce Back, Black Woman!, Coach Del shares a personal story from her marriage to explore the difference between being stuck and intentionally being still.

She also offers a glimpse into the kinds of questions coaching can bring to moments when you know something needs to change but can't seem to get clear about what comes next.

In this episode:

Your Bounce Back Challenge

Choose one area of your life where you've been waiting and ask:

What's happening inside the waiting?

What is staying here costing me?

You don't have to solve everything. Start by getting curious about the answers.

What's REALLY Holding You Back?

If something is keeping you from where you want to be but you aren't quite sure what it is, take Coach Del's free What's REALLY Holding You Back? assessment.

Visit BounceBackBlackWoman.com or use the link provided with this episode.

Join the Kitchen Table Conversation!

Our next live Kitchen Table Conversation is:

Monday, September 21, 2026

REGISTER HERE (or visit BounceBackBlackWoman.com to register)

Stay Connected with Coach Del

🌐 Website: CoachDel.com

🎙️ Podcast: BounceBackBlackWoman.com (Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms)

📱 Follow on Instagram & TikTok: @BounceBackBlackWoman

💼 Follow on LinkedIn: HERE

Episode 131: Why We Eat, Shop, and Scroll When We're Stressed

You've had a DAY.

You're stressed, lonely, disappointed, overwhelmed—or maybe you simply feel off.

What do you reach for?

Food?

Amazon?

The remote?

Social media?

Work?

A drink?

Or maybe...that person you KNOW you have absolutely no business texting?

In this episode of Bounce Back, Black Woman!, Del explores the everyday ways we reach for comfort—and why the behavior itself may not be the most important part of the story.

Food isn't inherently the problem.

Shopping isn't inherently the problem.

Watching television isn't inherently the problem.

The deeper question is:

What job are you asking that behavior—or person—to do for you?

In This Episode

Comfort vs. Numbing

Comfort says:

"This hurts, and I'm going to care for myself while I'm experiencing it."

Numbing says:

"I don't want to experience this. Give me something that makes it disappear."

Sometimes the exact same activity can be either one.

The question isn't simply what you're doing.

It's the job you're asking it to perform.

A Reminder From This Episode

Sometimes we're trying to remove the solution our brain found without addressing the problem it was trying to solve.

Instead of immediately asking:

"How do I stop doing this?"

Try asking:

"What does this do for me?"

What feeling does it give you?

What feeling does it help you avoid?

What need are you trying to meet?

And is there another way to meet that need without creating another problem?

Faith Reflection

Psalm 46 reminds us to:

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Sometimes stillness is difficult because it creates room for the thoughts and feelings we've been trying not to experience.

Instead of immediately reaching for something to change how we feel, sometimes we can create enough quiet to simply tell God the truth:

I'm lonely.

I'm scared.

I'm angry.

I'm disappointed.

I'm exhausted.

I'm grieving.

I'm overwhelmed.

Stillness doesn't require us to solve the feeling.

Sometimes it simply helps us recognize it.

Bounce Back Challenge

This week, catch yourself reaching.

You don't even have to stop the behavior.

Just pause long enough to ask:

What am I feeling right now?

What am I hoping this will do for me?

Will this comfort me—or am I trying to escape myself for a little while?

Then make your choice.

The goal isn't perfect behavior.

The goal is noticing.

Because awareness creates choice.

Kitchen Table Conversation LIVE

Join us on September 21st for the first Bounce Back, Black Woman! Kitchen Table Conversation LIVE.

This live virtual gathering will create space for honest conversation, reflection, laughter, and connection.

Follow @BounceBackBlackWoman on Instagram and TikTok and visit BounceBackBlackWoman.com for registration information.

I'd love to have you at the table.

Stay Connected with Coach Del

🌐 Website: CoachDel.com

🎙️ Podcast: BounceBackBlackWoman.com

📱 Follow on Instagram & TikTok: @BounceBackBlackWoman

💼 Follow on LinkedIn: @delphinesmith

Episode 130: What REALLY Breaks When Your Heart Gets Broken?

We use the phrase "broken heart" to describe many different kinds of pain.

The death of someone we love.

Divorce.

Infidelity.

The end of a friendship.

Abandonment or estrangement.

Losing a job.

Rejection.

These experiences aren't equivalent—but pain is still pain.

And sometimes the obvious thing we've lost isn't the only thing that needs healing.

In this episode of Bounce Back, Black Woman!, Del explores the less visible things that can be wounded when something—or someone—we counted on is suddenly gone or fundamentally changed.

In This Episode

A Reminder From This Episode

Your pain doesn't have to be the worst pain in the room to deserve your attention.

Someone else's suffering doesn't invalidate yours.

You can have compassion for another person's pain without abandoning compassion for your own.

And healing doesn't require pretending the loss didn't matter.

What REALLY Broke?

Sometimes the answer isn't simply "my heart."

It may have been:

Once you can name what was wounded, you can begin asking what that part of you needs.

Faith Reflection

Psalm 34:18 reminds us:

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

God doesn't require our pain to reach a certain level before it matters.

And faith doesn't always prevent our hearts from breaking.

Sometimes faith reminds us that we aren't alone when they do.

Bounce Back Challenge

Think about something that hurt you—recently or years ago.

Instead of focusing only on what happened, ask:

What did this break or wound in me?

Then ask:

What would rebuilding THIS actually look like?

Choose one small action that could begin tending to that specific part of you.

Because sometimes we keep trying to heal the event.

But the event has already happened.

What we can tend to now is what happened inside us because of it.

Kitchen Table Conversation LIVE

Join us on September 21st for the first Bounce Back, Black Woman! Kitchen Table Conversation LIVE.

This virtual gathering will create space for connection, reflection, honest conversation, and community—the kind of conversation that's difficult to have through a podcast microphone alone.

Registration details are coming soon!

Follow @BounceBackBlackWoman on Instagram and TikTok and visit BounceBackBlackWoman.com to stay connected.

Stay Connected with Coach Del

🌐 Website: BounceBackBlackWoman.com

📱 Follow on Instagram & TikTok: @BounceBackBlackWoman

💼 Follow on LinkedIn: @delphinesmith

Episode 129: The Strong Black Woman: What Does Carrying It ALL Cost You?

Being called a Strong Black Woman can feel like a compliment.

You’re capable. Dependable. Resourceful. You figure things out. At work, at home, in your family and friendships, people know they can count on you.

But what happens when strength stops being something you have and becomes something you believe you must constantly prove?

In this episode of Bounce Back, Black Woman!, Del examines what it can cost us when “I can handle it” quietly becomes “I have to handle everything.”

This isn't about becoming less strong. It's about questioning whether we've defined strength in a way that requires us to carry too much—and recognizing that being capable of carrying something doesn't necessarily mean we should.

In This Episode

A Reminder From This Episode

Competence is not capacity.

You can be completely capable of handling something and still be too physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually depleted to carry it well.

And:

Just because you CAN carry something doesn't mean you SHOULD.

You have already proven you're strong. You don't have to keep exhausting yourself to maintain the evidence.

Faith Reflection

In Exodus 18, Moses tries to carry the responsibility of leading and resolving the people's problems largely by himself. His father-in-law, Jethro, sees what's happening and warns him that the work is too heavy for one person to handle alone.

Moses was capable.

He was called.

He was leading.

And still, the load was too heavy for one person.

Sometimes God's provision isn't giving us more strength to carry everything ourselves.

Sometimes the provision is other people.

Bounce Back Challenge

This week, identify one thing you're carrying that doesn't have to be carried by you alone.

Maybe it's something practical you can delegate.

Maybe it's an emotional burden you need to share with someone you trust.

Maybe it's asking your partner, friend or family member for help instead of waiting for them to notice.

Maybe it's paying for help if you have the resources.

Maybe it's simply allowing something to remain undone.

And before you automatically say, “It's easier if I just do it myself,” ask:

Easier for whom—and at what cost?

The goal isn't to prove you can carry everything.

The goal is to build a life in which you don't have to.

Kitchen Table Conversation LIVE

On September 21st, we're taking the Kitchen Table Conversation LIVE!

This virtual gathering will be an opportunity to connect, reflect, and have the kind of honest conversations that are difficult to have through a podcast microphone alone.

More details—including registration information—are coming soon.

Save the date: September 21st.

Stay Connected with Coach Del

🌐 Website: BounceBackBlackWoman.com

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms

📱 Follow on Instagram & TikTok: @BounceBackBlackWoman

💼 Follow on LinkedIn: @delphinesmith