Mindset Unlimited: Tips, Tools, and Inspiration for Women in a Time of Change

Perfectionism isn't just about not wanting our imperfections to show. Sometimes it shows up when we care deeply but feel overwhelmed. In this episode I explore how perfectionism, overwhelm, and our stress response patterns can quietly keep us from taking any action at all, even when our intentions are good. We’ll talk about reconnecting with your purpose in the present moment, honoring your true capacity, and recognizing the unique gifts you naturally bring. If you’ve been stuck waiting to do the “right” or “best” thing, this conversation will help you take meaningful, imperfect action.

Some of what I talk about on this episode includes:

• Perfectionism can be because you really care
• Recognizing your stress response
• Honoring your capacity and gifts
• Focus on purpose not outcome
• The importance of taking action

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RELATED MINDSET UNLIMITED EPISODES:

How to Cure Comparisonitis

How to Avoid Overwhelm and Access Joy in a Time of Change

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

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In this first episode of Season 6 of Mindset Unlimited, host and leadership coach, Valerie Friedlander, introduces the season’s focus on mission-driven Chicago women. She unpacks what “mission-driven” means, highlighting the importance of creativity, possibility, and staying connected to your values in a world that often pulls you into judgment and survival mode. Valerie also reflects on embracing her own non-linear process and invites listeners to explore how they relate to their own way of thinking, creating, and building their mission. Throughout the episode, she lays the groundwork for upcoming conversations with entrepreneurs, community organizers, and artists who are actively shaping the future they want to see.

Some of what Valerie explores in this episode:

• What you can expect this season
• What it means to be mission-driven
• Cultivating a creative mindset
• Embracing your process
• Request for listener input

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LINKS TO REFERENCES MADE IN THIS EPISODE:

Where Do We Go From Here – Reflections on this Podcast & Layoff Uncertainty

CONNECT WITH VALERIE:

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective

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Dreaming, setting intentions, and keeping yourself accountable are not easy in the world we currently live in. Our society has built systems that erode the individual and collective spaces that hold these generative processes. This is a powerful time of year to begin to reclaim the space of pausing in the darkness to be with yourself, dream new possibilities, and lay the foundation for what you want to create in the world.

In this episode of Mindset Unlimited, I share insights and tips on the power of dreaming, setting intentions, and keeping yourself accountable as we head into a new year.

Some of what I explore in this episode includes:

• Embracing end of year energy (darkness
• The importance of pausing and why it’s hard
• Understanding intentions and creating accountability
• You don’t have to be perfect, just present

Have thoughts or questions about this episode? Share them with me!

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LINKS TO REFERENCES MADE IN THIS EPISODE:

 Lord Of The Rings Facebook Post  

A Swiftly Tilting Planet – Madeleine L’Engle

How to Manifest What You Want 

How to Plan for the Future and Enjoy the Present 

How to Avoid Overwhelm and Access Joy in a Time of Change 

Done With New Year New You

CONNECT WITH VALERIE:

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

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Curiosity is one of the most important tools we have for creating deeper connection, healthier culture, and more aligned leadership. When we slow down enough to notice and question our unconscious assumptions, we open the door to new possibilities. This, in turn, expands our sense of hope and improves our ability to collaborate with others. In this conversation, we explore how organizational culture is shaped, how we shape our personal relationships, and the role curiosity plays in shifting limiting patterns in both areas. You’ll walk away with practical ways to listen differently, ask better questions, and align your actions with the human you most want to be.

In this episode of Mindset Unlimited, I invited Danielle Marshall to join me in a conversation about why leading with curiosity is key to intentionally cultivating what you want in your business and personal life.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• What you need to build a strong organizational culture
• Simple curiosity supporting questions that strengthen relationships in personal and professional life.
• Recognizing and reframing limiting beliefs that keep you from your potential
• Practical ways to slow down, reduce assumptions, and create more intentional connections.

Thanks for listening! 

Have thoughts on this episode? Send me a voice memo: https://www.speakpipe.com/MindsetUnlimited

CONNECT WITH DANIELLE

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

The Curiosity Playbook  

Unpacked: Culture Chronicles Podcast 

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

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The holiday season often brings a swirl of emotions. Unfortunately, the uncomfortable emotions can often overwhelm the joy we want to embrace. Many people experience tension around grief, traditions, gift-giving, and expectations. Navigating these challenges means finding ways to honor grief, fostering meaningful connections with healthy boundaries, and using gratitude as a tool not a weapon. The reflections in this episode offer guidance for moving through the season with greater intentionality. You don't have to be perfect to create the holiday experience you want.

In this episode of Mindset Unlimited, I share some holiday reflections for navigating grief, gifts, and gratitude with intention and mindfulness.

Some of what I explore in this episode includes:

• Navigating grief and loss during the holiday season with practical emotional support strategies
• Mindful and meaningful holiday gift-giving, including setting healthy boundaries
• Embracing mindful spending and supporting financial well-being
• Practicing gratitude, hope, and courage to cultivate authentic connections and community support during holidays

Have thoughts or questions about this episode? Share them with me!

Send me a voice memo: https://www.speakpipe.com/MindsetUnlimited

LINKS TO REFERENCES MADE IN THIS EPISODE:

Holiday Stress Support Page

Loving Yourself Through Grief with Lisa Zawrotny

Reclaiming Humanity Through Grief

Navigating our Relationship with Death with Nikki Smith

Accessing the True Power of Gratitude: Beyond Individualism

Setting Holiday Boundaries

Bonus Episode: Seven Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress

CONNECT WITH VALERIE:

Ask Valerie (anonymous form)

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective

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Living a life of integrity means showing up whole and in alignment with your values, no matter what life throws your way. It can be especially difficult to stay centered in who you want to be during periods of life that feel uncertain and you’re stepping into the unknown, yet that is when being true to yourself matters most. Having a moral compass supports resilience, clarity, and strength to take the next indicated step forward as you navigate the unpredictability of life. It creates not only stability in uncertainty but also builds a lasting legacy.

In this episode of Mindset Unlimited, I invited F. John Potter to join me in a conversation about what supports living life with integrity and navigating unexpected career changes.
 

•  Some of what we talk about in this episode includes: 
• Being open to the unexpected
• Decision-making with the support of friends
• Courage and defining enough
• Navigating unemployment
• The accumulation of skills

(This is a replay episode with a new intro and re-added content around the 20 minute mark.) 

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Frank John Potter’s Obituary

John’s Ignite Talk 

Leaning Into a Mid-Life Career Change 

Tao Te Ching

CONNECT WITH VALERIE:

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

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Rest that leads to radical joy is a birthright that we have learned to avoid instead of embrace. We are taught to prove our worth through our hustle, and what better excuse to avoid the space of being present with yourself. Opening to the vulnerability of being present is scary for a variety of reasons, including the shadows we may have to face. The good news is that joy is also there waiting for us to make room for it. Rest is how we make room.

In this episode of Mindset Unlimited, I invited Jordan Maney to join me in a conversation about what it looks like to find true rest that leads to radical joy.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• Meeting yourself where you are with rest
• Performing self-care vs authentic and connective rest
• Acts of resistance and finding a way forward in uncertainty
• Connecting to yourself as a starting point for community

Thanks for listening! 

Have thoughts on this episode? Send me a voice memo: https://www.speakpipe.com/MindsetUnlimited

CONNECT WITH JORDAN

Website 

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CONNECT WITH VALERIE:

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective 

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Reclaiming Your Attention is essentially reclaiming your power. Many of us feel overwhelmed by all the things that need attention and this is by design. By examining how media and technology shape our attention, and by practicing strategies to ground ourselves in mindfulness and intentional focus, we can shift from being scattered and depleted to feeling aligned and resourced. From that place, we’re better prepared to take meaningful action in our lives.

In this episode of Mindset Unlimited, I share some insights and tips for reclaiming your attention to focus on what matters, even when you’re overwhelmed.

Some of what I explore in this episode includes:

• Understanding Attention and who’s driving it
• Parenting in an age of social media
• Shifting out of performance and into connection
• What to do to support aligned empowerment

Thoughts or questions?

Send me a voice memo: https://www.speakpipe.com/MindsetUnlimited

LINKS TO REFERENCES MADE IN THIS EPISODE:

5 Steps to Shift Habits of Perfectionism & People Pleasing with Beatriz Victoria Albina

Responsive Practices to Create a Supportive Relationship with Your Teen with Donna Lynne Booher

Empathy Isn’t the Problem

Cult of Personality – Living Colour

The Social Dilemma – Netflix Documentary 

Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – And How to Think Deeply Again – by Johann Hari

Frederic Joseph – The Death of Social in Social Media 

Britannica - Attention

NPR - Nihilistic Online Networks Groom Minors to Commit Harm

This Will Hold - Groyper and Steve Bannon’s Online Machine to Radicalize Boys

Therapy Jeff – Parents of White Boys, Don’t Want Your Kid Radicalized Online? Do These 5 Things

CONNECT WITH VALERIE:

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective

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Perfectionism and people-pleasing aren’t bad habits—they’re survival strategies rooted in patterns of emotional outsourcing learned early in life. When you’re conditioned to regulate your nervous system through other people’s approval or needs, it can keep you stuck in cycles of over-giving, self-doubt, and disconnection from your own truth. Shifting these patterns isn’t just about changing your mindset—it’s about reclaiming your body, rebuilding self-trust, and creating relationships that honor your worth.

In this episode of Mindset Unlimited, I invited Beatriz Victoria Albina to join me in a conversation about ending emotional outsourcing and the 5 steps to shift habits of perfectionism and people pleasing.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• Why perfectionism, people-pleasing, and co-dependency are rooted in emotional outsourcing—and how that impacts your sense of safety, belonging, and worth.
• The difference between unhealthy empathy and healthy, grounded empathy (and why empathy isn’t the issue, the issue is boundaries).
• Somatic practices and the BRAVE process for shifting perfectionist and people-pleasing habits in everyday life.
• How to build self-trust and regulate stress in small, sustainable steps that support healthier, more interdependent relationships.

Thanks for listening! 

Have thoughts on this episode? Send me a voice memo: https://www.speakpipe.com/MindsetUnlimited

LINKS TO REFERENCES MADE IN THIS EPISODE:

Empathy Isn’t the Problem

Things to Say Cheat Sheet

Dr. Resmaa

Kai Cheng Thom

CONNECT WITH BEATRIZ

Website

Order the book “End Emotional Outsourcing”

Feminist Wellness Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH VALERIE:

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective 

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Bite size mindset shifts can make a big difference during stressful times to help you engage intentionally instead of reactively. Compassionate accountability helps us embrace our humanity while challenging our status quo. Here we’re focusing on simple, practical tools, and encouragement as we navigate these difficult times.

In this episode of Mindset Unlimited, I share some bite size mindset shifts for stressful times to help you show up in a sustainable way.

Some of what I explore in this episode includes:

• Consider how you talk to yourself – don’t let the times define you
• Changing how you think about taking action to stay purposeful and sustainable
• Overcoming overwhelm when things are really overwhelming
• Stay true to your moral compass and overcoming discomfort conditioning

Thanks for listening!  Have thoughts or questions about this episode? Share them with me!

Send me a voice memo: https://www.speakpipe.com/MindsetUnlimited

LINKS TO REFERENCES MADE IN THIS EPISODE:

the restlab podcast with Jordan Maney: Rest So You Can Rage

CONNECT WITH VALERIE:

Ask Valerie (anonymous form)

Sign up for Valerie’s newsletter

Apply to be coached on the podcast

Schedule an exploration call

This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show