Episode 4: What Helped & Choosing Change

Content note: This episode includes discussion of OCD, mental health crisis, and suicidal thoughts (non-graphic). Please listen in a way that feels safe and supportive for you.This episode is a follow-on from Episode 3 (Burnout & Breakdowns), because after sharing the hard parts, we wanted to talk about the what next: what actually helped us recover, and what we’ve seen help our clients over the last decade.We’re not offering a step-by-step guide or a shiny “bounce back” story. We’re talking about the real, often slow, messy process of coming back online — bird by bird — and the difference between change that happens after a crisis, and change you choose on an ordinary Wednesday when nothing is technically “wrong”… but something in you knows it isn’t working anymore.Liz shares how OCD played a central role in her breakdown and why having someone name what was happening became a turning point — not because labels fix everything, but because being believed can be the beginning of getting the right support. Bernie talks about the power (and pain) of being dismissed, why capacity matters more than motivation, and what it looked like to make both small lifestyle shifts and big life changes after burnout.In this episode, we talk about:why understanding what’s happening matters before tackling the “why”the difference between sharing from experience vs offloading in real timetherapy, support systems, and why reassurance doesn’t help OCD“life force,” self-determination, and the quiet insistence to keep goingwhy change is hard when your system is overloadedchange after crisis vs change by choicecapacity, compassion, and starting with the basicsStay in touch:Email: [email protected]: @liz.good.child and @bernadettedancy_stresscoachWork with usLiz’s 1:1 coaching is currently full, with new spaces opening in February. You can find out more about her coaching approach here: https://www.lizgoodchild.co.ukBernie has limited availability for stress assessments, and the early bird registration is open for her next CPD cohort on stress and burnout:www.stress-ed.co.uk