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

Unlocking your leadership energy isn't just for executives—it's for anyone navigating life's complex challenges. In this episode, I dive deep into how we can shift from reactive stress responses to intentional, powerful action. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty or stuck in unproductive patterns, I'll share transformative insights from the Energy Leadership Index (ELI) that can help you understand your inner dynamics, break free from limiting beliefs, and step into a more empowered version of yourself. Join me as we explore practical strategies to lead more effectively, both in your personal life and professional journey.

In this episode of Mindset Unlimited, I explore a specialized tool to facilitate unlocking your leadership energy, so you can act with intention instead of reacting from stress.

Some of what I explore in this episode includes:

• Why understanding your energy patterns is key to responding rather than reacting in high-stress situations.
• How the ELI differs from personality tests and provides actionable insights for leadership and resilience.
• The seven levels of energy and how they shape your mindset, communication, and decision-making.
• Practical steps to start shifting your energy today—even if you don’t take the assessment.

Through this episode you’ll gain insights, a framework, and a reflection tool to engage stress proactively without toxic positivity.

LINKS TO REFERENCES MADE IN THIS EPISODE:

Sign up for the Energy Leadership Index Assessment

Forbes article Best Tests to Help You Understand Your Strengths and Weaknesses

You’re More Than Your Personality Test episode

Identifying Your True Goals with Amy Pons episode

Stress Release Strategies guide

PROMOTIONAL LINK: Queer News with Anna Deshawn

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective

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Identifying your true goals is the starting point to transforming your life from the inside out. In this powerful episode of Mindset Unlimited, I sit down with fellow Chicago-based life coach, Amy Pons, to unpack the powerful journey of breaking through learned limitations and discovering your authentic path. We explore how to lead from your truth center, navigate uncertainty, and create meaningful shifts in your life by embracing gratitude, curiosity, and self-discovery. If you're feeling stuck, yearning for authentic growth, or ready to unlearn societal conditioning, this conversation offers practical insights and inspiring perspectives on reclaiming your personal power and designing a life that truly resonates with your soul.

In this episode of Mindset Unlimited, I invited Amy Pons (she/her), a healer and life coach, to join me in a conversation about identifying your true goals so that you can find and lead your life from your truth center.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• The importance of the journey and what you accrue along the way matters as much or even more than the end goal
• Claiming your power begins by releasing control of what’s not yours
• Gratitude, embracing duality, curiosity and other ways to support a mindset shift
• When to get a coach and how to choose the right fit

LINKS TO REFERENCES MADE IN THIS EPISODE:

The Human Array

Women Making Moves: Coaches on Coaching with Valerie Friedlander 

CONNECT WITH AMY:

Website

Amy on LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH VALERIE:

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

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Planting seeds of hope is a radical act of resilience during times of uncertainty and upheaval. When fear threatens to paralyze us, hope becomes our most powerful tool. Spring invites us into the sacred work of seeding dreams—not for immediate gratification, but with generational wisdom. We may not personally witness the full bloom of our efforts, but there is profound joy in tending to what matters most, knowing our actions create pathways for future generations.

In this episode of Your Mindset Unlimited, I explore how we start planting seeds of hope that inspire aligned action.

Some of what I explore in this episode includes:

• The evolution of the podcast and what to expect this season
• How to harness spring's creative energy for personal growth
• Strategies for overcoming fear and embracing discomfort
• The importance of community and connection in achieving our goals

Through this episode you’ll access hope through the possibilities inherent in aligned, purposeful action.

LINKS TO REFERENCES MADE IN THIS EPISODE:

The Wildwood Tarot: Wherein Wisdom Resides

Let this Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care

Parable of the Sower

CONNECT WITH VALERIE:

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This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander Coaching

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Vulnerability and tending to what is important is particularly critical in a chaotic time. After my wrapping my interview with Cher Hale, she inquired into my next steps around demanding attention.  As listeners who gift me your attention, it seemed appropriate to share with you my own in the moment reflections on attention and what’s important about it to me.  Together, Cher and I share insights around unlearning supremacy conditioning, the power of community, and the transformative impact of nervous system work. This pre-season bonus episode offers a glimpse into aspects of my personal growth journey along with an update on the status of this podcast.

In this episode of Unlimited, Cher Hale (she/her), invited me to explore my relationship to vulnerability and tending to what is important.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• My personal reflections on vulnerability, emotional safety, and the impact of supremacy culture
• The importance of community, storytelling, and doing things that matter rather than just looking good
• The role of nervous system work in building the courage to ask for what I need
• My process of unpacking individualistic thinking and hierarchies to reclaim my own agency

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
Carmen Spagnola – The Numinous Network (Safe and Sound Protocol)

How to Create Belonging with Amena Chaudhry

CONNECT WITH CHER:
Substack: For the Attention
Website

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BlueSky

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Navigating change in the new year without the overwhelm can feel like a lot—especially when life feels messy, uncertain, or heavy. Real change starts with understanding the waters we swim in (ie the pressures of our social norms) and engaging our internalized patterns as well as the emotions and discomfort of stepping into the unknown. We must unhook from perfectionism, certainty and results, and lean into the experience of an emergent process. When we take time to understand why change feels so challenging and what support we need to move through it, we can create space for growth and align with what truly matters. This work is crucial because it shapes not only how we show up for ourselves but also how we show up and shape change in our relationships, communities, and the systems we’re part of.

In this episode of Unlimited, I share reflections on societal patterns and self-awareness in navigating change in the new year.

Some of what I talk about in this episode includes:

• Practical tools for tough conversations
• Engaging your stress response
• Tools to check in, support yourself, and make clear decisions
• How to interrupt bigotry to shift norms

LINKS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE:
Holiday Stress Support
Ask Valerie
Mindset Assessment discount code ELI2025
Coaching session – community pricing model
Exploration call

If you found this episode helpful, please share it!
You can tag me on social: @unlimitedcoachval

Want to share your thoughts or have questions? Send me a message! I love to hear from you.
You can email me at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram

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Healing our relationship with attention begins with noticing the ways in which our natural need for attention has been damaged. In a society that commodifies attention and polices who and what is allowed attention, we develop a distorted relationship with a core aspect of how we connect to each other. This disconnection feeds feelings of isolation and loneliness, leaving us vulnerable to systems that exploit our need to feel seen and heard. By addressing the shame around seeking attention and understanding its role in genuine connection, we can start to reclaim our capacity for presence, care, and community in a way that fosters deeper relationships and collective healing.

In this episode of Unlimited, I invited Cher Hale (she/her), to join me in a conversation about the weaponization of attention and healing our relationship with attention.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• The stigmatization of seeking attention
• Shifting from unhealthy to intentional attention
• Individualism’s role in loneliness and disconnection
• Using visibility for collective empowerment

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
The Slow Build to & the Life-Saving Payoff of Asking for Attention
The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls by Mona Eltahawy
Learning Self-Advocacy to Strengthen Collective Action with Jenique Jones
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Holiday Stress Support

CONNECT WITH CHER:
Substack: For the Attention
Website

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Responsive practices to create a supportive relationship with your teen starts with acknowledging your own inner child’s unhealed wounds so that you can create space in yourself to hold space for another. These wounds often become activated when we see them mirrored in our children’s behavior. Unfortunately, the tools we were taught to address these behaviors often perpetuate the very patterns we hope to break. Whether you have teenagers now, are preparing for those years, or are working to shift your own patterns, understanding these dynamics and embracing new practices can help you show up more fully for your kids—and can also be deeply validating for your own healing journey.

In this episode of Unlimited, I invited Donna Lynne Booher (she/her), to join me in a conversation about engaging Responsive Practices to Create a Supportive Relationship with Your Teen

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• Understanding how to give emotional validation
• Breaking free from perfectionism
• Developing trust and improving communication
• Holding space for your kid’s evolving identity

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Navigating tough conversations with emotional awareness is a critical skill as we are all likely to need to engage difficult dialogues, especially during this time of heightened political and social tensions. These types of conversations can be emotionally taxing, and it's important we approach them with both strong self-awareness and self-care. Our ability to show up authentically, compassionately, and aligned with the change we want to see in the world as we interact with others is directly tied to our own inner work.

In this episode of Unlimited, I offer insights and tools for navigating tough conversations with emotional awareness.

Some of what I talk about in this episode includes:

• Practical tools for tough conversations
• Engaging your stress response
• Tools to check in, support yourself, and make clear decisions
• How to interrupt bigotry to shift norms

LINKS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE:
Read This to Get Smarter: About Race, Class, Gender, Disability & More By Blair Imani
Blair Imani Instagram on tough conversations
Shenikka Moore-Clarke, MSW, LICSW The Healing Vibe Therapist
How to avoid sharing election misinformation - NPR
Understanding Your Stress Language
Stress Release Strategy Guide
BOOK A PAY WHAT YOU CAN COACHING SESSION

If you found this episode helpful, please share it!
You can tag me on social: @unlimitedcoachval

Want to share your thoughts or have questions? Send me a message! I love to hear from you.
You can email me at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram

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Learning self-advocacy to strengthen collective action is a critical component of sustainable social change. Those of us socialized as women are often conditioned to prioritize supporting others, which can make self-advocacy more difficult. However, by connecting to our own value and values, and speaking up for ourselves even when it’s uncomfortable, we lead by example and inspire others to do the same. Cultivating this sense of self and worth strengthens our resilience, reducing fragility when engaging with diverse perspectives. It also empowers us to lead collaboratively and contribute to collective action, rather than remaining trapped in hierarchical, individualistic, and oppressive ways of being.

In this episode of Unlimited, I invited Jenique Jones (she/her), Executive Director at WhyHunger, to join me in a conversation around social change through learning self-advocacy to strengthen collective action.

Some of what we talk about in this episode includes:

• The impact of how you talk to yourself
• Asking questions as advocacy for equity
• Collaborative vs authoritarian leadership
• Food and music as bridges for connection

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:
The Pressure to Love Your Job with Cristin Downs
Micro-Actions to Manifest Big Change with Taina Brown
Dealing with Impostor Syndrome

CONNECT WITH JENIQUE:
Website
LinkedIn
WhyHunger Instagram

WhyHunger TikTok

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Embracing periods of reflection, introspection, and processing is a crucial but often overlooked and devalued aspect of personal and societal growth and change. To create real shifts in the world’s imbalances, we must first engage with the internalized patterns and conditioning that hold us back. This self-work not only deepens the impact of our efforts, but also cultivates more intentional, present, and joyful relationships. However, by undervaluing these periods of reflection and recalibration, society continues to perpetuate oppressive systems. If we aim to truly create change, we must honor these cycles of introspection, building the resilience, creativity, and effectiveness needed to dismantle harmful structures and shape the world we want to live in.

In this episode of Unlimited, I explore and strive to coalesce my thoughts around the importance of embracing periods of reflection.

Some of what I talk about in this episode includes:

• Cycles of life and the value of “winter”
• What we get wrong about routines
• Systems of oppression and dominance
• Building supports to doing something different

LINKS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE:
Micro-Actions to Manifest Big Change with Taina Brown
The Pressure to Love Your Job with Cristin Downs
Supporting Changes in Your Life
Black Liturgies post on Instagram
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color
This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley
Rustin on Netflix
The National SEED Project

If you found this episode helpful, please share it!
You can tag me on social: @unlimitedcoachval

Want to share your thoughts or have questions? Send me a message! I love to hear from you.
You can email me at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram

CONNECT WITH VALERIE:
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Get email updates
Schedule a free initial consult
Submit a question

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show