How to Use Feeling Stuck for Personal Growth

One time I was coaching a founder who was ready to quit. The market was shifting, investors were nervous, and progress felt slow. He told me, "I just don’t think I have it in me anymore." What he didn’t realize was that his brain was working against him. A tiny part of it called the habenula—which scans for setbacks and punishes us by suppressing dopamine, our motivation fuel—was making him feel stuck and unmotivated. The antidote? An iterative mindset. Founders who push through challenges don’t see failure as an endpoint; they see it as data. They reframe setbacks as feedback for their next move. Here’s how to outsmart your habenula: >Reframe setbacks as data – Ask, "What’s the lesson here?" >Celebrate micro-wins – Small wins fuel dopamine and momentum. >Visualize success – Your brain believes what you imagine. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s not the end—it’s just your habenula neurochemically whispering doubts. Train your mind, keep moving, and stay in the game.

Not Thriving in Your Career? Thinking About Making a Change? Before you jump ship, here are some things to consider that might just change your perspective… Unpopular opinion: Sometimes, the uncomfortable season you’re in is preparing you for what’s next. Here’s what I mean:  1️⃣ What am I supposed to be learning through this? That toxic teammate? They might be developing your conflict resolution and resilience muscles. Sometimes the challenge is about learning to thrive in difficult environments.  2️⃣ Are you running away from conflict because you don’t know how to deal with dissent? If you say you champion “diversity,” which includes differences of opinion, yet you abort ship every time you disagree with how something is done, that’s the antithesis of resilient and inclusive leadership. Discomfort is where we grow, and disagreement is often a less-than-courageous reason to disengage.  3️⃣ Are the interviews wearing you down or building you up? Those seemingly relentless interviews are actually giving you the space to sharpen your storytelling, helping you articulate your greatness more clearly each time. Your next “yes” could come because you’re better at telling your story.  4️⃣ Is it toxic, or is it growth? Sometimes the discomfort you feel isn’t toxicity, but the stretching that comes from growth. Are you being challenged to step into a new level of leadership? Don’t mistake growing pains for stagnation. 5️⃣ What skills are being cultivated right now? The tedious projects or tasks might be sharpening your attention to detail or your ability to handle high-pressure situations. Don’t miss the hidden gems in the mundane.  6️⃣ Have you done everything you can to change the situation? Before you decide to leave, consider if there are conversations you haven’t had yet, boundaries you haven’t set, or opportunities for growth you haven’t explored.  7️⃣ Are you leading yourself well in this season? You might be feeling stuck, but how are you showing up for yourself? The ability to lead yourself through tough situations is the foundation of thriving in any career. 💡 Before you make a move, ask yourself: What’s this moment trying to teach me? Sometimes the most uncomfortable seasons are the ones that shape us into leaders who thrive through change. #thrivethroughit #leadership #careerchange #selfleadership #growthmindset

Ever have that moment where you look up from your laptop and think, This is not what I signed up for. You’ve had your head down, working hard, just trying to make it through the days and weeks. Then you stop. Blink. And start saying thinking: How did I end up here? This isn’t what I thought it was going to be. Is this as good as it gets? Is this even what I want? I don’t have any other options. I’ve been there for sure. That line of thinking can make you feel powerless and trapped. Which often leads to not making any changes. To burnout, dread, anxiety, and overwhelm. You end up abdicating your autonomy to your job. There are so many ways you can start making small shifts that add up to a completely different day-to-day emotional experience. Change in the right direction. Some ideas: 1️⃣ Reconnect with your values and goals: Take some time to reflect on what's important to you and what you hope to achieve in your career. It may not be the same as it was when you started out. Once you’ve done that, what needs to change to get in alignment with those values and goals? Start making changes one by one. 2️⃣ Focus on what you can control: It's easy to feel overwhelmed or frustrated by the things that are outside of your control, such as organizational policies and politics, supervisors, colleagues, clients, trends in your industry, or the job market. Instead of focusing on these external factors, focus on the things that you can control, such as your own mindset, work habits, and actions. 3️⃣ Identify areas for growth: It’s possible that you aren’t being challenged enough or that your professional growth has stalled or that you are bored with what you are currently doing. Where can you add or take advantage of some opportunities for growth and development? 4️⃣ Build in time for rest: It’s hard to get unstuck when you are going full speed all. the. time. Start building in some intentional slow downs. Create the space you need to assess your life. 5️⃣ Build relationships and community: When we are overworking, we neglect our need for human connection. Where can you build in more meaningful connection? 6️⃣ Ask yourself this → If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your current job, what would it be? Then, answer this → How can I make that happen without a magic wand? 7️⃣ Get coached. I know what it is like to look up and feel lost about where you are and how you got there. Getting coached helped me make significant changes to the way my life looked and felt (and those tools are still helping me do that every single day). ❔How are you feeling about your job and your life right now?

One morning last week, I woke up feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and sad...😫 In the past, those emotions would spiral, affect my productivity for the rest of the day; I would even get more frustrated at myself for feeling those emotions But NOW I have created a mental gym to control my emotions rather than allowing them to control me 🙌 Here are the steps I took which completely shifted my state. Try it out next time this happens to you: 1. Accept that I am feeling these emotions, but detach my identity from the emotion. Ie: I am not a sad person, I am just feeling sadness. - There is a difference, and it will pass. 2. Write down why I began to feel these emotions; what caused it? What upset me? 3. When is the appropriate time to take action on the incident that triggered the emotions? Is there anything I can do to solve it? Put a time block on your calendar indicating when you can take action. 4. Write down 5 things I'm grateful for 5. Physically move my body (Crushed my workout with a killer playlist) 6. Write my long term goals, and visualize myself accomplishing them and feeling the emotions I would experience in this process. By the end of my physical and mental gym routine, I felt inspired, joyful, and motivated to take clear action. This approach has been transformational for me. Instead of getting stuck in negative emotions or ignoring them (making them compound). ➡️ Now, I feel empowered to handle them face on, and they actually give me more insight on how to have a more positive, productive, clear plan moving forward. I'm sharing this because I want you to know you don't have to stay stuck either. We all face challenging experiences, but you can truly turn challenges into strengths. Who else has developed strategies for managing difficult emotions? Comment below, I'd love to hear about your experience and tactics! #EmotionalIntelligence #ProfessionalGrowth #Resilience

Feeling stuck? These 6 strategies worked for me recently to break the cycle and get back in motion: 1. Stop working harder, start working with intention Try this: block 1 hour today for deep, distraction-free work. One focused hour beats 8 scattered ones. 2. Visualize your future self What would the you who already solved this challenge say? 🤔 Write yourself a letter from that version of you. Clarity often comes from zooming out. 3. Make one micro move Ask the question. Send the email. Say no. Apply. Progress doesn’t require big leaps, it’s about building momentum. 4. Upgrade your questions. Shift from “Why am I stuck?” to —> What would I do if I trusted myself more?” —> “What’s one thing I haven’t tried yet?” 5. Audit your inputs If you’re always listening to the same podcasts, following the same people, and reading the same content, you’re limiting your perspective. Start to curate new voices. Fresh inputs = fresh insights 6. Don’t go it alone. Ruts thrive in isolation, so Reach out. Talk it through. Join a space where people “get” you.