Real Women's Stories with Lisa Quait

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, or unsure of your next step… this episode is for you. Ahead of the new season of Real Women’s Stories… I wanted to share something a little more personal.After a few weeks away from uploading, this is a bonus episode I felt I needed to record.I was completely burnt out. Exhausted. Overwhelmed.And instead of stopping, I did something that didn’t make logical sense - I got on a plane and flew 5,000 miles to Dubai to meet three women I’d only ever spoken to online.I nearly didn’t make it through that first night. I questioned everything.But what happened next reminded me why I started this podcast in the first place.In this episode, I’m sharing:what burnout really felt like for mewhy I chose to trust my instinct, even when it felt riskythe power of being around the right people at the right timeand what this experience taught me about moving forward when you feel stuckThe Dubai interviews will be coming soon, but for now, I wanted to give you a glimpse into what this journey meant - and why these stories matter.---Discover mid-life coaching with Lisa---Connect with LisaInstagram: Follow LisaFacebook: Follow LisaYouTube: The only place to watch every episode of Real Women's Stories with Lisa Quait

When we’re younger, we tend to say yes to opportunities without overthinking them. We experiment, we take risks, and we trust that things will somehow work out.But somewhere along the way, many of us start playing it safe.In this coaching episode, I reflect on why that happens - and the moment I realised I might be doing it myself. Is it responsibility? Fear of getting it wrong? Or the stories we tell ourselves about what we should and shouldn’t do after a certain age?If you’ve ever found yourself hesitating over an opportunity, second-guessing a decision, or wondering whether it’s “too late” to try something new, this episode is for you.Because maybe the curiosity and courage you had in your 20s hasn’t disappeared…maybe it’s just been buried under caution.So let me ask you one simple question: If you were 27 again… what would you do next?---Discover mid-life coaching with Lisa---Connect with LisaInstagram: Follow LisaFacebook: Follow LisaYouTube: The only place to watch every episode of Real Women's Stories with Lisa Quait

At 27, Laura England walked away from everything - a long-term relationship, her business, and the life she thought she was building - and ran off for a “Mamma Mia summer” working on cruise ships in Greece.What looked like escape became something much bigger.In this episode, Laura shares how she rose into senior roles at sea, only to walk away again - this time signing a 12-month lease with no clients and no safety net, determined to rebuild from scratch on her own terms.We talk about pivoting at any age, detaching self-worth from career, navigating comparison, and finding the courage to begin again - even when it feels reckless.If you’ve ever questioned your direction or wondered whether it’s too late to change, this conversation will remind you: your life isn’t written in permanent marker.---Discover mid-life coaching with Lisa---Connect with LisaInstagram: Follow LisaFacebook: Follow LisaYouTube: The only place to watch every episode of Real Women's Stories with Lisa Quait

At just 25, Talia Lazarus faced the unthinkable - a life-altering accident that nearly took her life and left her having to learn to walk again. What followed wasn’t just recovery - it was a complete reinvention of who she thought she was and what she wanted out of life.In this deeply personal episode of Real Women’s Stories, Talia shares the raw, unfiltered truth about pain, identity, and transformation. We go beyond the physical injury to explore the emotional wreckage that followed: the panic attacks, the grief for the person she used to be, and the moment she realised that surviving wasn’t enough.Rather than returning to her old life, Talia chose something radically different. She burned her old world to the ground - not out of anger, but out of clarity - and started again with a mission to help others do the same.Through her work with her I Got Back Up podcast, Talia now supports people rebuilding after trauma, teaching them what she had to learn the hard way: resilience isn’t about bouncing back - it’s about rising up with purpose.Join us for a story of survival, reinvention, identity rediscovery, and the courage it takes to walk into a life you never thought possible.---Discover mid-life coaching with Lisa---Connect with LisaInstagram: Follow LisaFacebook: Follow LisaYouTube: The only place to watch every episode of Real Women's Stories with Lisa Quait

In the last episode, I shared what was happening to me physically - the pain, the fear, and why I felt unable to stop, even when my body was forcing me to.In this coaching episode, I reflect on what that mindset of “just keep going” really cost me - not just in health, but in how I viewed strength, resilience, and success.This is a conversation for anyone who feels trapped between listening to their body and fearing what will happen if they step back. If stopping feels like failure… if rest feels risky… if pushing on feels like the only option - this episode is for you.I share what I’d do differently now, the questions I wish I’d asked sooner, and how redefining resilience changed everything.You don’t need to change anything today.But you might start noticing what your body has been trying to tell you.---Discover mid-life coaching with Lisa---Connect with LisaInstagram: Follow LisaFacebook: Follow LisaYouTube: The only place to watch every episode of Real Women's Stories with Lisa Quait

Chronic pain doesn’t always come with visible symptoms - and for many women, it’s hidden behind silence and shame.In this episode, I share my personal experience of living with debilitating pain caused by a widely misunderstood and rarely discussed health condition. What followed were months of fear, isolation and being told it was “all in my head”.Joined by specialist clinician Ellie Bradshaw from The Functional Gut Clinic, this conversation explores why women are still reluctant to talk about toilet health, how stress and pain become trapped in the body, and why speaking up can be the first step towards recovery.If you’ve ever felt dismissed, embarrassed, or alone with your health, this episode is for you.---Discover mid-life coaching with Lisa---Connect with LisaInstagram: Follow LisaFacebook: Follow LisaYouTube: The only place to watch every episode of Real Women's Stories with Lisa Quait

You might say you’ve “done the work” - but how do you really know?In this episode, we explore the one question that reveals whether healing has actually happened… or whether you’re still sitting in the story.After recording the last conversation, something stood out immediately: it wasn’t what was shared, but how it was shared. No charge. No reactivity. No need to convince. Just calm, grounded self-awareness.This episode unpacks:the difference between talking about your past and truly healing from itwhy some stories still feel emotional - and others feel neutralhow deep inner work shows up in your nervous system, not just your mindsetwhy real healing isn’t loud, performative, or dramaticand how accountability (not blame) changes everythingIf you’ve ever wondered whether you’ve genuinely moved on - or whether you’ve simply learned to explain your past better - this conversation will land.This is for anyone on a self-development journey who wants honesty over affirmations, depth over surface-level tools, and real growth over quick fixes.---Discover mid-life coaching with Lisa---Connect with LisaInstagram: Follow LisaFacebook: Follow LisaYouTube: The only place to watch every episode of Real Women's Stories with Lisa Quait

Nobody tells you that being bullied as a child doesn’t just hurt in the moment - it can quietly shape who you become as an adult.In this episode, Jess Levy shares her raw and deeply honest experience of growing up with bullying, and how the emotional impact followed her long after school ended - affecting her confidence, relationships, self-belief and sense of belonging well into adulthood.She opens up about how unresolved trauma can either hold you back or become the catalyst for profound personal growth, and why confronting her past was a turning point in finally reclaiming her power.Now an entrepreneur of nine years, founder of a global wellness business, and creator of the Level Up Ladies community, Jess reflects on how those early experiences shaped her drive, her boundaries, and her determination to build spaces where women feel seen, supported and capable of more.This is a conversation about resilience, self-awareness, and the uncomfortable truth that childhood bullying doesn’t disappear with time - but how you respond to it can ultimately make or break your adult life.If you’ve ever felt held back by experiences you thought you’d moved on from, this episode will resonate deeply.---Discover mid-life coaching with Lisa---Connect with LisaInstagram: Follow LisaFacebook: Follow LisaYouTube: The only place to watch every episode of Real Women's Stories with Lisa Quait