FEELING GUILTY FOR JUST SURVIVING? This episode reveals why coping mode isn't failing, the critical difference between coping and healing, and why accepting where you are is what actually creates change.

If you're beating yourself up for not healing fast enough or wondering why you can't just get over this already, I need you to hear this: Coping mode is not a failure. It's not something you need to rush out of. Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is accept exactly where we are right now - without making it wrong.

This honest conversation explores how to know which mode you're in, how to support yourself in different seasons without shame, and why resistance keeps us stuck while acceptance creates transformation.

What you'll discover:

- Why coping mode is information, not failure, and how our culture makes us shame survival

- The critical difference between coping (getting through) and healing (transforming)

- How to know which mode you're in right now with honest self-assessment questions

- Why fighting where you are costs you emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually

- The real cost of adding shame on top of survival

- How to support yourself in coping mode without judgment

- When you're ready for healing mode - and why you can't force that readiness

- Why acceptance (not force) is the bridge between coping and healing

- How resistance keeps you stuck and surrender creates space for change

Powerful Quotes:

"Coping is about survival. It's about getting through. And there is nothing wrong with that."

"The problem isn't coping. The problem is when we shame ourselves for being in coping mode."

"When we resist where we are, we stay stuck. When we accept where we are, we create the possibility for movement."

"The bridge between coping and healing is built on acceptance, not force."

"You can't force the transition from coping to healing. You can only create the conditions for it by accepting where you are right now."

Timestamps:

00:00 If you're feeling guilty for just surviving

01:40 What coping and healing actually mean

04:22 How to know which mode you're in

06:47 What happens when we fight coping mode

10:10 How to support yourself in different modes

14:06 The bridge between coping and healing: acceptance

16:14 You're exactly where you need to be

This episode is for you if:

- You're beating yourself up for not healing faster

- You feel guilty for just trying to survive instead of thrive

- You're in coping mode and making it wrong

- You want to understand the difference between survival and transformation

- You're ready to stop fighting yourself and start accepting where you are

Join the conversation:

Share this with someone who's struggling to accept the season they're in. Which mode are you in right now -coping or healing? Follow the show on Apple or Spotify and leave a rating so more people can find permission to be exactly where they are.

Remember: Wherever you are today -coping, healing, or somewhere in between: you're exactly where you need to be.

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨

IS POLITICS DESTROYING YOUR RELATIONSHIPS? Navigating ideological differences, setting boundaries with love, and staying connected without betraying your values.

The table went silent. The air got thick. One comment about a politician, and suddenly, connection fractured. If you're losing relationships over beliefs right now, you're not alone. And this episode is for you.

Inspired by Brené Brown's work on belonging, this conversation explores how to stay in relationship with people you fundamentally disagree with, without compromising who you are or what you believe in.

What you'll discover:

• The crucial difference between protecting your dignity vs protecting your comfort
• How to set boundaries that protect the relationship AND yourself within it
• Why belonging to yourself first changes everything about navigating disagreement
• The hard line: when ideological differences become harm, not just discomfort
• How to hold both love and conviction at the same time
• Why echo chambers create their own kind of loneliness
• How personal relationships are the microcosm for larger societal divisions

Powerful Quotes:

"We're losing relationships over beliefs. Not because we don't love each other, but because we don't know how to hold both conviction and connection at the same time."

"If someone denies my humanity -or the humanity of people I love -that's not a difference of opinion. That's harm. And I don't negotiate that boundary."

"There's a difference between 'I can't be around someone who doesn't believe I deserve rights' and 'I can't be around someone who voted differently than me.' One is about safety. The other is about comfort."

"True belonging doesn't require you to change who you are; it requires you to BE who you are." - Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: When beliefs tear us apart
02:15 - The dinner table moment: navigating political division in real time
04:01 - When ideologies become more important than people
05:36 - My personal story: loving family I disagree with
06:27 - Setting boundaries without cutting people out
08:11 - Self-reflection: Hard boundary or closed-mindedness?
09:32 - Belonging to yourself first (Brené Brown's wisdom)
11:11 - The question: Do I need them to agree with me or love me?
12:09 - From dinner tables to nations: the microcosm of division
13:12 - The inside job of staying grounded in your values
14:35 - Holding love and conviction simultaneously

This episode is for you if:

• You're losing relationships over political or ideological differences
• You're struggling to navigate family dinners or friendships across belief divides
• You need permission to protect your peace without cutting everyone out

Join the Conversation:
Share this episode with people in your life who are navigating these tensions right now.
Reviews and ratings help more people find these conversations when they need them most.

Resources Mentioned:
📖 Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨

Self-Love isn't soft-it's the missing infrastructure for sustainable success in every area of your life, including your career. This essential blueprint explores how to build self-worth & career resilience while navigating professional exhaustion, preventing burnout and self-depletion.

This raw conversation with Deb Boulanger when I was interviewed on her Life After Corporate Podcast explores the WHOLE and LOVE Frameworks, navigating mental health while building a business, and why treating self-love as essential infrastructure changes everything.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, climbing the corporate ladder, or figuring out your next move in your career or your life in general -this is for you.

What you'll discover:

· Why Self-Love is the foundation, not the reward for success

· The WHOLE Framework: Your non-negotiable anchor for resilience during corporate or professional transition

· The LOVE Framework: Listen, Own, Value, Embrace

· How to navigate entrepreneurship with mental health challenges

· Why consistency beats perfection in Self-Love practice

· How faith and trust are greater than hustle and grind

Powerful Quotes:

"Self-love isn't soft. It's the missing infrastructure for every success in your life, including your career."
"My mental health journey doesn't disqualify me from building a business. It informs it."
"Your success will fluctuate. Your worth does not."
"Legacy is about impact, not achievements. It's about how we leave people feeling."
"Self-love isn't the reward for success. It's the foundation."

Timestamps:
00:00 - Opening: Self-love as infrastructure
02:46 - Why self-love belongs in your career
07:14 - Corporate to entrepreneurship during mental health crisis
09:52 - The missing infrastructure: discovering self-love
15:03 - The WHOLE Framework
21:58 - Legacy vs. achievements
23:43 - The LOVE Framework
27:32 - Faith, trust, and emotional resilience
31:02 - Mental health and entrepreneurship: There's a way through
37:07 - Self-love as sustainable success foundation

This episode is for you if:

· You've felt you must choose between success & Self-Love.

· You wonder if Self-Love has a place in professional or business life.

· You're exhausted from treating yourself as least important person.

· You're navigating mental health while building a career.

Join the Conversation: Share this with people building their career while honoring their humanity.

Subscribe so you never miss these conversations when you need them.

Watch the full video and shorts on my YouTube Channel. For weekly insights on my newsletter, email lulu@luluessey.com.

For information Deb Boulanger and her Life After Corporate Podcast:
YouTube: https://www.Youtube.com/@DebraBoulanger
Podcast Episodes: https://pod.link/1500631278
Website: https://lifeaftercorporate.com

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨