Impossible Goals: Goal Setting When Life Changes episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 16, 2026 · 59 MIN

Impossible Goals: Goal Setting When Life Changes

from Pain In The Arts

What happens to your goals when life completely changes? In this episode, Lyndon and Breallyn explore goal setting—but not in the way you might expect. They share how a decade ago they stopped planning for the future entirely, and why. When their daughter Birdie was diagnosed with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, their goals shifted from creative ambitions to survival. They discuss the "impossible goals" they pursued around her communication and the miraculous shifts that have emerged. A conversation about disability, parenting, and finding your way back to the future.Content note: This episode discusses disability, parenting a child with complex medical and neuropsychiatric needs, and statistics around vulnerability for girls with intellectual disabilities.Pain In The Arts is a weekly podcast about the reality of creative life — hosted by Breallyn and Lyndon Wesley.If you enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do is share it with one person who'd love it.Subscribe and listen:On your favourite podcast app or visit paininthearts.lifeSupport the show on Patreon:patreon.com/painintheartslifeFind us online:paininthearts.lifeInstagram: @painintheartsTheme music by Lyndon WesleyProduced on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung Peoples of the Eastern Kulin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens to your goals when life completely changes? In this episode, Lyndon and Breallyn explore goal setting—but not in the way you might expect. They share how a decade ago they stopped planning for the future entirely, and why. When their daughter Birdie was diagnosed with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, their goals shifted from creative ambitions to survival. They discuss the "impossible goals" they pursued around her communication and the miraculous shifts that have emerged. A conversation about disability, parenting, and finding your way back to the future.Content note: This episode discusses disability, parenting a child with complex medical and neuropsychiatric needs, and statistics around vulnerability for girls with intellectual disabilities.Pain In The Arts is a weekly podcast about the reality of creative life — hosted by Breallyn and Lyndon Wesley.If you enjoyed this episode, the best thing you can do is share it with one person who'd love it.Subscribe and listen:On your favourite podcast app or visit paininthearts.lifeSupport the show on Patreon:patreon.com/painintheartslifeFind us online:paininthearts.lifeInstagram: @painintheartsTheme music by Lyndon WesleyProduced on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung Peoples of the Eastern Kulin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Impossible Goals: Goal Setting When Life Changes

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This episode was published on February 16, 2026.

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What happens to your goals when life completely changes? In this episode, Lyndon and Breallyn explore goal setting—but not in the way you might expect. They share how a decade ago they stopped planning for the future entirely, and why. When their...

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