What if the key to emotional resilience wasn’t talking more but physically releasing what’s been stuck inside for years? Janet Barrett is a mental health speaker and the author of Stop the Break, a book about proactive mental health and how we can stop carrying invisible emotional burdens that keep us from thriving. In this conversation, Janet shares the moment she broke and how that moment became the catalyst for completely changing how she lives, parents, and leads. You’ll hear how a divorce forced her to finally confront decades of buried emotion, and how boxing gloves, movement, and a few brave choices helped her find peace, clarity, and joy again. We talk about mental health, mindset coaching for women, leadership, personal development, and what redefining success really looks like after a lifetime of "keeping it all together."

CHAPTERS:

00:00 From career success to emotional burnout

01:15 Why Janet wrote Stop the Break

03:00 What made her a different kind of boss

05:30 Early career lessons from Sara Lee and Reebok

08:00 Four kids in three years, and a major life pivot

10:15 The breakdown that changed everything

13:00 Discovering the power of physical emotional release

15:00 How boxing became therapy

18:00 Why women leaders suppress emotions

20:00 The cost of emotional suppression

22:00 Parenting with mental health in mind

25:00 Giving kids tools for emotional expression

28:00 How Janet helps others feel seen

31:00 What workplaces get wrong about mental health

34:30 Writing the book she needed

36:00 The mindset shift that changed everything

38:30 What being powerful means now

40:00 What she needs next: speaking and visibility

The Powerful Ladies podcast, hosted by business coach and strategist Kara Duffy features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, creatives, athletes, chefs, writers, scientists, and more. Every Wednesday, new episodes explore what it means to lead with purpose, create with intention, and define success on your own terms.

Whether you're growing a business, changing careers, or asking bigger questions, these stories remind you: you're not alone, and you're more powerful than you think.

Explore more at thepowerfulladies.com and karaduffy.com.

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