TPP 481: Bonus Conversation with Heather Chauvin on Navigating Unexpected Detours

Today’s episode is an expert visit with leadership coach, author, and podcast host Heather Chauvin about navigating life’s unexpected detours, especially the ones that knock the wind out of you and make you question everything. Heather shares how her stage 4 cancer diagnosis reshaped the way she thinks about “resilience,” why so many capable, responsible women end up running on fumes, and what it looks like to stop powering through and start rebuilding your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual resources from the inside out. We talk about the shame that can come with feeling tired, how to notice the moment right before you react (so you can respond differently over time), and simple, grounding questions like “How do I want to feel?” that can become a roadmap when life gets messy.

Note: This is a special release of an expert conversation held inside the Differently Wired Club. Enjoy!

 

About Heather

Heather Chauvin is a leadership coach who helps ‘successful’ women courageously and authentically live, work, and parent on their own terms. Heather started her career as a social worker helping adults understand children’s behavior. But it wasn’t until 2013 when a stage 4 cancer diagnosis pushed her to take a deeper stand for change, uncovering how cultural expectations sabotage our dreams. She has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Real Simple Magazine, Mind Body Green, Google, and more. When Heather isn’t working, you will find her living out what she teaches which may include kayaking Alaska, snowboarding, hiking, or anything else that challenges what she believes is possible for herself (and inviting her children along the journey). Life is full of opportunities. It’s time to feel alive.

 

Key Takeaways

• Why resilience isn’t about powering through—and how numbing and over-functioning can quietly turn into fatigue and shame

• How starting with the question “How do I want to feel?” helps parents make more aligned, sustainable choices

• Why fatigue carries important information and how getting curious instead of judgmental can shift everything

• How noticing your yellow zone before reacting builds awareness and more connected responses over time

• Why detours and uncertainty often become powerful identity work, revealing where growth and change are being invited

• How practicing small, intentional “tiny pushes” can help parents move toward the version of themselves they’re becoming

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