Bounce Back, Black Woman! | Healing, Confidence & Resilience Through Heartbreak, Loss, and Life Transitions

61. Still Standing at 61 - What This Year Taught Me About Trust, Truth & Resilience

Episode 61: Still Standing at 61 — What This Year Taught Me About Trust, Truth, and Resilience
As the year winds down, this episode is a pause — not a finish line. While Episode 61 isn’t the final episode of 2025, it’s a moment to reflect honestly on what this year required and what it revealed.
In this episode, Del shares three personal reflections from a year marked by transition, loss, growth, and faith:
💛In this episode, we talk about:
Trusting God after leaving (and being cast out of) corporate America
What it means to face the truth about a past relationship built on a lie
Relearning how to know and love yourself after seasons of distraction and numbing
Why clarity, though painful, is still a form of freedom
How endurance shapes us in ways we don’t always recognize in the moment
This conversation is especially for the woman who endured — the one who faced financial strain, relational heartbreak, health or family challenges, and still showed up. If that’s you, this episode is a reminder that still standing is not accidental — it’s evidence of resilience.
A gentle challenge as the year closes:
If you’ve been listening quietly…If you’ve felt seen but haven’t taken action…If something in you knows it’s time to stop doing this alone…
Take one intentional step.
That step might look like:
Joining the mailing list
Downloading the Ruthlessly Intentional Tactics guide
Reaching out to Del directly
Or simply acknowledging that you’re ready for support
Because life is short — and healing doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we choose to participate.
Scripture referenced:
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NLT)
James 1:4 (NLT)
🎧 Listen now and take a moment to honor the endurance that carried you through this year.
📌 RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS
📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]
💌 Download you FREE "26 Intentional Tactics for 2026" Guide [HERE]  

60. Ruthless Intentionality - Choosing Yourself Without Guilt - Letting Go of Emotional Over-Responsibility

🎧 EPISODE 60 — SHOW NOTES
Title: Choosing Yourself Without Guilt: Letting Go of Emotional Over-Responsibility
Many women — especially Black women — have been conditioned to carry emotional responsibility that was never theirs to hold. Over time, that pattern turns into self-abandonment, exhaustion, and quiet resentment… all while being praised for being “strong.”
In this episode, I step fully into my coach voice to name what’s really happening beneath overgiving, people-pleasing, and chronic emotional labor — and why healing isn’t about doing more, but about releasing what was never assigned to you in the first place.
We talk about:
What emotional over-responsibility really is (and why it’s not a character flaw)
How self-abandonment becomes normalized as strength and loyalty
The difference between compassion and over-functioning
Why survival patterns feel productive — but cost you clarity
How ruthless intentionality helps you choose yourself without guilt
What it looks like to stop carrying what belongs to someone else
This episode is an invitation to stop managing everyone else’s emotions, expectations, and outcomes — and to begin living with greater clarity, alignment, and peace.
✨ Resources & Next Steps
💌 Grab your free 26 Ruthlessly Intentional Tactics guide (with supporting scripture and reflection) — a grounding resource to help you discern what’s yours to carry and what’s not. 
📖 Order your personal Bounce Back Podcast Companion Journal
🎙️ Share this episode with a woman who has been carrying more than her share 
And remember, my friend — your bounce back doesn’t begin with doing more.It begins with choosing differently… with ruthless intentionality.

59. Not Another Year of Self-Abandonment: Healing the Habit of Overgiving in Relationships

✨ Not Another Year of Self-Abandonment: Healing the Habit of Overgiving in Relationships
 
💛 In This Episode
It’s time to stop disappearing inside your own life. In this bold and compassionate episode, Del helps you recognize the patterns of self-abandonment and guides you toward a year of self-honoring, truth-telling, and emotional freedom.
⏳ What You’ll Learn
What self-abandonment looks like in everyday decisions
How guilt and people-pleasing keep women stuck
Why healing requires returning to yourself
A scripture that reframes spiritual self-care
Journal prompts for emotional clarity
📝 Journal Reflections
Where did I abandon myself this year?
Who or what am I prioritizing over myself?
What pattern am I ready to break?
What does self-honoring look like now?
What promise can I make for 2026?
📌 RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS
📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]
💌 Download your FREE "26 Tactics for 2026" Guide [HERE] 

58. The Empty Chair: Grief, Memories & Missing People During the Holidays

✨ The Empty Chair: Grief, Memory & Missing People During the Holidays
 
💛 In This Episode
Not every holiday season feels joyful. For many women, December magnifies loss, memory, and longing. In this gentle, faith-filled episode, Del explores how to move through grief during the holidays with compassion, honesty, and spiritual grounding.
 
⏳ What You’ll Learn
Why grief intensifies during the holidays
How to honor the memory of someone you’re missing
Why you don’t have to be “strong” this season
What God teaches us through Jesus’ own grief
How to make room for new traditions
Journal prompts to support your heart
📝 Journal Reflections
Who am I missing this season?
What memories feel tender or heavy?
What tradition can shift to honor my current season?
How can I invite God into my grief?
How can I give myself permission to feel fully?
📌 RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS
Download your copy of the Free Guide: "26 Tactics to Bounce Back in 2026" [HERE]
📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]
 

57. What You Need to Release Before 2025 Ends - So You Don't Carry It Into 2026

Episode 57: What You Need to Release Before 2025 Ends — So You Don’t Carry It Into 2026
As the year winds down, we all reach that moment where we ask:“What am I still holding onto… and why?”
In today’s episode, we’re taking an honest, compassionate look at the emotional weight many of us are carrying into the holiday season — and the things we must release before stepping into 2026.
We talk about:
The subtle forms of emotional drainage we overlook
Why certain thoughts, roles, and expectations feel heavier at the end of the year
The version of yourself you need to gently let go of
Why release is not rejection — it’s redirection
How to forgive yourself fully (Tactic #5!)
Why journaling is a powerful tool for clarity and release (Tactic #8!)
Anchoring yourself in faith as you prepare for a new season
And we’ll ground it all in Matthew 11:28 — a reminder that God sees your tired heart… and invites you to rest.
This conversation is for every woman who wants to walk into 2026 lighter, clearer, and more intentional about her own healing.
✍🏾 Journal Prompts
What drained me the most this year?
What am I holding onto out of habit instead of hope?
What do I need to forgive myself for?
What will I not carry into 2026?
🌟 Mentioned in This Episode
✨ Download the FREE guide: 26 Intentional Tactics for 2026  HERE
✨ Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal  HERE
✨ Visit the Website  HERE 
🙌🏾 If this episode blessed you…
Share it with a friend who is ready to release what’s been weighing her down. You never know whose healing may start with one simple conversation.
 

56. Holiday Boundaries - Saying "No" Without the Guilt

Holiday Boundaries: Saying No Without the Guilt
💛 In This Episode
December can be emotionally draining — especially for women who have always been the “strong one.” Del unpacks how to set healthy boundaries during the holidays without guilt, shame, or fear, giving you practical and faith-based tools to protect your peace.
⏳ What You’ll Learn
Why boundaries are essential during the holidays
How guilt tricks women into overcommitting
A personal story about the cost of ignoring your limits
How to honor your capacity with compassion
A scripture that anchors bold, confident boundaries
Journal prompts to help you clarify what you need
📝 Journal Reflections
What’s draining me this holiday season?
What am I saying yes to out of guilt instead of capacity?
What boundary is my spirit asking for?
Who might be disappointed — and why can I still honor myself anyway?
What would peace-protection look like for me this December?
📌 RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS
💌 Grab your FREE Guide: "26 Tactics to Bounce Back in 2026"   [HERE]
✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]
📖Order Your Podcast Companion Journal [HERE]
 

55. When Joy Feels Heavy: Navigating the Holidays While Healing

When Joy Feels Heavy: Navigating the Holidays While Healing
💛 In This Episode
The holiday season is often filled with pressure, expectations, and emotional weight — especially for women healing from heartbreak, loss, or exhaustion. Del shares a grounding message for the woman carrying both joy and heaviness, helping her release the pressure to perform and embrace a gentler, more intentional season.
⏳ What You’ll Learn
Why joy can feel heavy during the holidays
How healing impacts your emotional capacity
The pressure women face to “make the season magical”
How to honor your feelings without guilt
A powerful scripture to anchor you
Journal prompts for clarity and peace
📝 Journal Reflections
What emotions feel strongest for me this season?
What feels heavy — and why?
What can I simplify or release to protect my peace?
Where do I need God’s comfort right now?
What does “gentle joy” look like for me?
📌 RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS
📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]
💌 Download your FREE copy of "26 Tactics for Bouncing Back in 2026"! [HERE]

54. When What You Expected Doesn't Happen - The Real Roots of Heartbreak

When What You Expected Doesn’t Happen: The Real Roots of Heartbreak
💛 In This Episode
Del dives into the silent form of heartbreak we rarely name — the pain that comes from unmet expectations, unspoken assumptions, and emotional contracts we wrote that nobody else agreed to. If you’ve ever felt disappointed, confused, or “let down” without knowing why… this episode will bring the clarity you’ve been needing.
⏳ What You’ll Learn
The hidden link between expectations and heartbreak
How we create emotional “contracts” without consent
Why disappointment hits harder than reality
A personal story from Del’s current season
A faith-based reframe rooted in Proverbs 16:9
How to release or rewrite expectations with intention
📝 Journal Reflections
What situation didn’t unfold the way I expected?
What expectation was I holding?
Was it spoken, mutual, or realistic?
What truth did God reveal through the disappointment?
What expectation do I need to release or rewrite?
📌 RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS
📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]
💌 Download your FREE "26 BOUNCE BACK Tactics for 2026" [HERE] 

53. When the Holidays Don't Go How You'd Hoped

When the Holidays Don’t Go How You Hoped
The holiday season looks joyful on the outside… but for many women, it also brings up disappointment, tension, loneliness, old wounds, and emotions nobody else sees. If Thanksgiving didn’t go the way you hoped — or if the whole stretch from now through the New Year feels overwhelming — you are not alone.
In this tender, honest episode, Del explores why this season hits differently, why our expectations often collide with reality, and how to gently recover when the day (or the people) didn’t meet your heart’s needs. You’ll hear encouragement, a grounding faith reflection, and practical tools to help you move forward with clarity and care.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why holiday expectations often collide with real-life emotions
How disappointment during this season is more common than you think
Why old wounds resurface between Thanksgiving and New Year’s
How to give yourself grace without minimizing your hurt
Practical ways to emotionally reset the day after a hard holiday
A grounding journal prompt to support your healing
Journal Prompt:
“What part of this holiday season is weighing on me — and what do I need to give myself permission to feel?”
Resources & Next Steps
💡 Grab your free guide: 26 Ruthlessly Intentional Tactics for 2026 — a simple, grounding resource to help you move through the rest of the season with clarity and peace. [HERE]
📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]

52. Gratitude Doesn't Cancel Grief - Both Can Sit at the Same Table

Gratitude Doesn’t Cancel Grief — Both Can Sit at the Same Table
If the holidays bring up more than you expected… my friend, you’re not alone. As Thanksgiving kicks off “the season of all the things,” it’s completely normal to feel grateful and not okay at the same time.
In this episode, Del shares a tender, honest look at how gratitude and grief can coexist without competing — especially during a season that magnifies family dynamics, memories, loneliness, joy, and everything in between. You’ll also hear gentle, practical suggestions for navigating Thanksgiving (with others or on your own), plus a grounding faith reflection to anchor your heart.
Whether you’re excited for this week, dreading it, or simply exhausted by it, you’re welcome here.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why gratitude and grief can coexist without cancelling each other
How Thanksgiving kicks off an emotional season full of mixed feelings
Why family dynamics, loss, and expectations feel heavier this week
How to navigate gatherings, tension, or being alone
A gentle faith reminder that God meets you in the “both/and”
A grounding journal prompt to help you check in with your heart
Journal Prompt:
“What emotions are sitting at my table this season — and what do they need from me?”
Resources & Next Steps
💡 Grab your free guide: 26 Ruthlessly Intentional Tactics for 2026 — designed to help you stay centered, grounded, and supported throughout this holiday season and beyond. [LINK]
📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]