Taking Your Power Back with Cathy Duffy | S3 EP3

03/12/25 • 33 min

How can you transform unexpected career changes into opportunities for reinvention and personal growth? With returning guest Cathy Duffy, Belinda and Shelby talk about how to respond to forced career pivots, a reality many professionals are facing right now.

Cathy shares her story of a forced "early retirement" and how she used this pivot to pursue her interests, including studying at Oxford University. Cathy underscores the value of flexibility, self-awareness, and redefining power as "power with" rather than "power over."

Belinda and Shelby offer insights into their own experiences with career uncertainty. They encourage listeners to lean into their communities and to approach this time with a mindset of exploration rather than fear. This conversation serves as a reminder that unexpected changes can lead to profound personal and professional transformation, if you approach them with curiosity and honesty.

In this episode:

Letting go of preconceived notions about your career path
Embracing flexibility and being open to exploring new possibilities
Redefining power not as “power over” but as "power with"
Recognizing that life has peaks and valleys – and how to take advantage of the valleys
The importance of self-reflection, and learning to listen to the signs that life provides.

Where to find Cathy:

Instagram: @BermudaCat
LinkedIn: Catherine R Duffy

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Oxford Next Horizons program
Mel Robbins' book, "The Let Them Theory"
Heather McGee’s book, "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together”

Send us a comment!

We publish new episodes every other Wednesday.

Get your FREE copy of our Strategic Change Workbook
Learn more about us at stirringsuccess.com

In this episode:

Letting go of preconceived notions about your career path
Embracing flexibility and being open to exploring new possibilities
Redefining power not as “power over” but as "power with"
Recognizing that life has peaks and valleys – and how to take advantage of the valleys
The importance of self-reflection, and learning to listen to the signs that life provides.

Where to find Cathy:

Instagram: @BermudaCat
LinkedIn: Catherine R Duffy

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Oxford Next Horizons program
Mel Robbins' book, "The Let Them Theory"
Heather McGee’s book, "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together”

Send us a comment!

We publish new episodes every other Wednesday.

Get your FREE copy of our Strategic Change Workbook
Learn more about us at stirringsuccess.com

Previous Episode

Facing Your Fears, Leading with Love | S3 EP2

Belinda and Shelby address how leaders can navigate the current climate of fear. They emphasize the importance of grounding yourself in your core values, maintaining personal integrity, and fostering a culture of empathy and love.

The conversation highlights the crucial role of community support. They stress that this process is a marathon, not a sprint, and that consistent self-reflection and adherence to personal principles are vital for long-term success.

In this episode:

Fear does not have to dictate your actions
Directly confronting your fears is a first step to feeling more empowered
Knowing and standing by your personal values is essential
Leading with love is a radical but powerful approach
Community support is clutch!

Thank you for listening! Remember, we’re also on YouTube, so please join us there. And we’d love for you to share what are the values that will use to navigate through this period of fear.

Send us a comment!

We publish new episodes every other Wednesday.

Get your FREE copy of our Strategic Change Workbook
Learn more about us at stirringsuccess.com

Next Episode

What’s holding you back? Two coaches coach each other | S3 EP4

Belinda and Shelby turn the tables and engage in a coaching session with each other. They open up about their professional challenges and discuss strategies for navigating roadblocks and pursuing entrepreneurial goals, providing listeners with insights and actionable advice.

Belinda discusses her frustrations with closed professional circles, where connections seem to weigh more than competence. She wants immediate progress but may be held back by an ingrained habit of using only established channels. Shelby coaches Belinda to consider a different approach.

Shelby shares her challenges in launching a coaching business, including imposter syndrome and self-doubt amidst a competitive market. Belinda nudges Shelby to think bigger and to focus on her ideal client, rather than on perceived constraints.

Send us a comment!

We publish new episodes every other Wednesday.

Get your FREE copy of our Strategic Change Workbook
Learn more about us at stirringsuccess.com

Leadership Tea - Taking Your Power Back with Cathy Duffy | S3 EP3

Transcript

Belinda00:00:01.241

This is the Leadership Tea Podcast , where we talk about not only what does it take to become an executive and operate at that level , but also what you should do once you arrive there . Thanks again for joining us today . In today's episode , we'll talk about what do you do when you are forced to pivot

Belinda00:00:26.620

to pivot . Many of our listeners