The Breen Time Podcast

Army veteran and SheLeads founder Monica Ledet on two layoffs, a thousand applications, and rebuilding her worth from the ground up.

What happens when you’ve done everything right and still end up at rock bottom?

Army veteran and leadership consultant Monica Ledet joins Breen Time to share how two layoffs in fourteen months, more than a thousand job applications and one very public low point became the turning point of her life. That moment led her to found SheLeads Consulting. With honesty and warmth, we talk about starting over at any age, why knowing who you are is something no one can take from you, and what success really looks like when it isn’t measured in revenue.

In this episode:

• The breaking point that became a turning point
• Why it’s never too late to start over and keep learning
• Building something bigger than yourself, for every woman and girl watching

An inspiring conversation about resilience, self-worth, and finding purpose in the hardest seasons of life.

Find Monica:

SheLeads Consulting: https://www.sheleadsconsulting.com

Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown - life coach and management consultant.

New episodes every Monday - listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreentimepodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/breentime/

Website: https://shows.acast.com/the-breentime-podcast

Brum Radio: https://www.instagram.com/brumradio/

If this episode raised something for you, support is available:

Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author and CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Maria Gallucci on growing up between the Deaf and hearing worlds, and what it taught her about listening, love and connection.

What if your first language wasn’t spoken, but signed?

Multi-award-winning realtor and proud CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Maria Gallucci joins Breen Time to share the world of her memoir Raised in Silence. Maria learned ASL (American Sign Language) before English and was interpreting for her parents from childhood. She grew up bridging two cultures and has built a life and career on inclusion. With humour and heart, we talk Deaf culture, identity and belonging, and the simple philosophy that guides her: just try.

In this episode:

• Growing up bridging the Deaf and hearing worlds
• What Deaf culture teaches us all about truly listening
• Identity, belonging, and the power of “just trying”

A heartfelt conversation about empathy, communication, and the courage to connect across differences.

Find Maria:

Raised in Silence: https://raisedinsilence.com

Gallucci Homes: https://galluccihomes.com

Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown - life coach and management consultant.

New episodes every Monday - listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreentimepodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/breentime/

Website: https://shows.acast.com/the-breentime-podcast

Brum Radio: https://www.instagram.com/brumradio/

If this episode raised something for you, support is available:

Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You’d never speak to a friend the way you speak to yourself. So why do you let that inner critic run the show?

What if confidence isn’t something you have, but something you build?

In this episode, Sabrina is joined by Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas, confidence expert, bestselling author and neuroscience-based confidence coach. Nathalie went from being named Canada’s Fitness Instructor of the Year to helping people rewire the way they think about themselves. In this conversation, she and Sabrina look at where negative self-talk comes from, what happens in your brain when it strikes, and how to rewire it for lasting confidence. Nathalie also shares candid stories from her own life.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What neuroscience tells us about negative self-talk, and why the inner critic gets so loud.
• Where that critical voice comes from in the first place.
• Why confidence and clarity are skills you can build, not traits you’re born with.
• How to start rewiring your brain for lasting confidence.
• Nathalie’s journey from Canada’s Fitness Instructor of the Year to confidence coach.
• A practical first step you can take today to quiet your inner critic.

You don’t have to believe everything the voice in your head tells you, and you can change what it says.

Find out more about this week’s guest: https://thinkyourself.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathalie.plamondonthomas | https://www.facebook.com/ThinkYourselfAcademy/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliept/

Instagram: @nathaliepthinkyourself

Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown - life coach and management consultant.

New episodes every Monday - listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreentimepodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/breentime/

Website: https://shows.acast.com/the-breentime-podcast

Brum Radio: https://www.instagram.com/brumradio/

If this episode raised something for you, support is available: Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You've done the budgeting. You've tried to be grateful. You've worked hard. And still, something feels like it's missing.

What if the problem was never the numbers?

In this episode, Sabrina is joined by Kalee Boisvert, financial expert, author, and known to many as "Your Money Guru." Kalee helps women move from money fear and avoidance to confidence and ease, and her book Soul Rich sets out a different way of relating to money: one that actually feels good. In this conversation, she and Sabrina talk about where our money stories come from, why so many of us tie our sense of worth to what's in the bank, and what it takes to swap pressure for peace.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why your worth was never about your bank balance, and what happens when you stop measuring yourself by it.
• Where money guilt and shame come from, and how to start releasing them.
• Why budgeting and hard work alone often don't fix how money feels.
• How fear and avoidance show up in everyday money decisions, and what confidence and ease look like instead.
• What it means to feel peace around money rather than constant pressure.
• What being "soul rich" means, and why it isn't about getting rich fast.

This isn't about chasing more. It's about building a relationship with money that actually feels good.

🔗 Find out more about this week's guest: https://kaleeboisvert.com

📖 Book: Soul Rich by Kalee Boisvert

Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown - life coach and management consultant.

New episodes every Monday - listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreentimepodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/breentime/

Website: https://shows.acast.com/the-breentime-podcast

Brum Radio: https://www.instagram.com/brumradio/

If this episode raised something for you, support is available:

Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Publicist Mickey Mikkelson and book marketer Aimee Ravichandran on how authors actually get their books discovered, and what really works.

Writing the book is only half the journey. Getting it into readers' hands is the other half.

Publicist Mickey Mikkelson (Creative Edge Publicity) and award-winning social media marketer Aimee Ravichandran (Abundantly Social) join Breen Time to demystify book marketing. The two often team up on author launches. They break down what publicity and social media each really do, how the two work together, and the mistakes that hold authors back. Their advice is honest and doable, whether you're self-publishing your first book or building a long-term author brand.

In this episode:

• What a publicist does vs. what a social media marketer does
• What's actually working to get a book noticed right now
• The most common mistakes authors make, and where to start on a tiny budget

Find Mickey & Aimee:

Creative Edge Publicity: https://www.creative-edge.services

Abundantly Social: https://abundantlysocial.com

Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown - life coach and management consultant.

New episodes every Monday - listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreentimepodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/breentime/

Website: https://shows.acast.com/the-breentime-podcast

Brum Radio: https://www.instagram.com/brumradio/

If this episode raised something for you, support is available: Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if fear isn't the enemy?

In this episode, Sabrina sits down with Michael Hingson, a 9/11 survivor who escaped the World Trade Center with his guide dog Roselle, guiding 30 colleagues down 78 floors as the tower came down around them. Blind since birth, Michael went on to write the number one bestseller Thunder Dog, and now works as a keynote speaker and Chief Vision Officer at accessiBe, where he campaigns for web accessibility and disability inclusion.

Michael and Sabrina explore why fear, properly understood, can sharpen focus rather than shut you down, and how trust and preparation are what actually produce courage on the day it's needed. Along the way, Michael draws on eight guide dog partnerships for what they teach about resilience, leadership, and moving through uncertainty.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why fear isn't the enemy - and how it can sharpen focus instead of paralysing you.
• Michael's account of escaping the World Trade Center with Roselle, and what those 78 floors taught him.
• How trust and preparation, not bravado, are what create courage in a crisis.
• What guide dogs reveal about resilience, leadership, and navigating what you can't see coming.
• How to stay calm when everything around you is chaos.
• What it takes to turn adversity into purpose rather than let it define you.

If fear has been running the show for you lately, this conversation offers a different way to hold it.

Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown - life coach and management consultant.

New episodes every Monday - listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreentimepodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/breentime/

Website: https://shows.acast.com/the-breentime-podcast

Brum Radio: https://www.instagram.com/brumradio/

Find out more about this week's guest:

https://michaelhingson.com

If this episode raised something for you, support is available:

Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if creativity isn't about talent, but about courage?

This week Breen is joined by author and book coach Liisa Kovala to explore the Finnish concept of sisu: resilience, strength and determination in the face of adversity. Liisa's whole mission is helping women find their sisu through reading and writing, and this conversation goes straight to the heart of why so many of us shut that creative voice down in the first place.

Together they look at how storytelling helps us process identity and hardship, what fear and self-doubt actually sound like when they show up on the page, and why reclaiming creativity so often turns out to be part of reclaiming ourselves.

From historical fiction and memoir to coaching women through the stories they've been carrying for years, this is a powerful reminder that your story matters, and that telling it can change you.

In this episode:

• What sisu really means, and why it's more than just "grit"
• Why creativity is a matter of courage rather than talent
• The reasons people silence their creative voice, and what it costs them
• How storytelling helps us make sense of identity, family history and hardship
• Working through fear, self-doubt and the fear of being seen
• Practical encouragement for anyone sitting on a story they haven't told yet

About Liisa Kovala

Liisa Kovala is an award-winning author, educator and book coach certified by Author Accelerator. Her Finnish heritage runs through her work, and her books include Surviving Stutthof, Sisu's Winter War and Like Water for Weary Souls, alongside her Nordic cozy mystery series written as A.L. Jensen. She coaches writers of women's stories across historical fiction, women's fiction, memoir and young adult, and runs the Women Writing newsletter, podcast and weekly writing circle.

Find Liisa: https://www.liisakovalabookcoach.com

Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown - life coach and management consultant.

New episodes every Monday - listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreentimepodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/breentime/

Website: https://shows.acast.com/the-breentime-podcast

Brum Radio: https://www.instagram.com/brumradio/

If this episode raised something for you, support is available:

Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do so many people struggle to feel worthy - even when they've achieved success, found relationships, or done "everything right"?

In this episode, we explore where feelings of unworthiness begin, how toxic relationships reinforce them, and why the relationship you have with yourself shapes every other connection in your life. We discuss validation, self-abandonment, boundaries, and the slow rebuilding of self-respect after emotional pain.

If you've ever questioned your value, tolerated less than you deserved, or struggled to feel "enough," this conversation will help you understand why - and what it takes to change it.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Where feelings of unworthiness usually begin, and why achievement so rarely settles them
• How toxic relationships reinforce the belief that you aren't enough
• What self-abandonment looks like in everyday choices, not just the big ones
• Why looking to other people for validation keeps the pattern running
• The part boundaries play in rebuilding self-respect after emotional pain
• Why the relationship you have with yourself sets the tone for every other one

If you've done everything "right" and still feel like you're falling short, this conversation is a good place to start.

Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown - life coach and management consultant.

New episodes every Monday - listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

More from our guest, Heather Melville:

• Heather's website, Healthy Relationships: https://www.healthyrelationships.info

Follow Breen Time:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreentimepodcast/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/breentime/
• Website: https://shows.acast.com/the-breentime-podcast
• Brum Radio: https://www.instagram.com/brumradio/

If this episode raised something for you, support is available:

• Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk
• Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org
• Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk
• NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode of Breen Time, Sabrina is joined by special guest Eric Fisher for an honest conversation about what addiction really is — and what it actually takes to break free.

Recovery isn’t a moment.

It isn’t the decision you make on a bad night, or the promise you make to yourself on a Monday morning.

It’s a discipline — practised daily, often quietly, long after everyone else has stopped watching.

Addiction rarely arrives on its own. It grows out of trauma, avoidance, and patterns that once helped you cope and now quietly run your life. Understanding how those patterns take hold is the first step towards loosening their grip.

Drawing on more than 15 years of clinical experience across inpatient and outpatient settings, Eric brings a grounded, practical perspective to healing — one built on responsibility, structure, and evidence-based approaches including ART and EMDR.

You’ll hear reflections on:

• What addiction really is beneath the behaviour — and why willpower alone doesn’t touch it
• How trauma and destructive patterns take hold, and why they feel so hard to interrupt
• Why recovery is better understood as self-mastery than as a single decision
• What ART and EMDR offer people working through trauma
• The role of responsibility and structure in long-term change
• How to build the internal strength that sustains mental wellness over years, not weeks

This episode isn’t about quick fixes or dramatic turning points.

It’s about the steady, unglamorous work that actually holds.

If you’ve struggled to break a pattern you understand perfectly well, watched someone you love caught in one, or wondered what real recovery looks like beyond the slogans, this conversation offers a clear and compassionate way in.

Breen Time is a weekly wellbeing podcast from Brum Radio, hosted by life coach and management consultant Sabrina Brown. New episodes every Monday.

Follow Breen Time:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreentimepodcast/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/breentime/
• Website: https://shows.acast.com/the-breentime-podcast
• Brum Radio: https://www.instagram.com/brumradio/

If this episode raised something for you, support is available:

• Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk
• Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org
• Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk
• NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you've spent years silencing yourself?

In this episode, we explore how long-term relationship dynamics can quietly erode confidence, clarity, and identity - and how healing begins with the way we communicate, especially with ourselves. Our guest shares how rebuilding after a 27-year relationship led to a deeper understanding of self-talk, faith, and intentional communication.

We discuss how the words we repeat internally shape our decisions, relationships, and leadership - and how reframing painful experiences can become the foundation for purpose.

If you're navigating a season of rebuilding or rediscovery, this conversation offers practical insight on reclaiming your voice and leading your life with clarity and conviction.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How confidence and identity can erode so gradually inside a long relationship that you don't notice until your voice has gone
• Why the first conversation that needs to change is the one you're having with yourself
• What rebuilding actually looked like after 27 years - and where Corine started
• How the words you repeat internally end up shaping the decisions you make and the way you lead
• What "intentional communication" means in practice, and how faith fits into it
• How a painful experience can be reframed into purpose without pretending it didn't hurt

If you've ever gone quiet to keep the peace, this one is for you.

Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown - life coach and management consultant.

New episodes every Monday - listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

More from our guest, Corine La Font:

• Website: https://beyondthelineslearning.com
• How to identify toxic relationships and steps to take to get out of it: https://beyondthelineslearning.com/b/bN5yJ

Follow Breen Time:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebreentimepodcast/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/breentime/
• Website: https://shows.acast.com/the-breentime-podcast
• Brum Radio: https://www.instagram.com/brumradio/

If this episode raised something for you, support is available:

• Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk
• Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org
• Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk
• NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.