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The Breen Time Podcast
The Long Walk Back to Yourself — With Guest Linda Magoon
Some losses are clean. Others dismantle you slowly - from the inside out, and in front of everyone.
This week, Sabrina is joined by Linda Magoon for a conversation about what it actually takes to rebuild a life after long-term control, public shame by association, and the kind of emotional collapse that leaves you questioning who you even are. Linda's story is not one of slogans or easy reframes. It's one of putting one foot in front of the other - literally - when everything else has fallen away.
What emerges is a grounded, honest account of recovery rooted in action: deliberate physical challenge, time in nature, professional support, and the quiet discipline of showing up for yourself when you have nothing left to prove and nowhere left to hide.
In this episode, you'll hear:
- What long-term control does to a person's sense of self — and how disorienting it is to reclaim it
- How public shame by association compounds personal grief, and what it takes to separate someone else's choices from your own identity
- Why motivation alone is not enough in the aftermath of collapse — and what actually anchors recovery
- The role of deliberate physical challenge and time in nature as tools for rebuilding from the inside out
- Why professional support isn't a shortcut — it's part of the discipline
- What responsibility really looks like when you're the one picking up the pieces
Resilience isn't a mindset you adopt. It's a practice you return to, every day, whether or not you feel ready. Linda's website and resources: www.lindamagoon.com
Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown MA - qualified coach, management consultant, and host of Breen Time on Brum Radio. With over two decades of experience leading large-scale transformation and advanced training in AI in Business Strategy from MIT, Sabrina brings structure, depth, and real-world insight to every conversation.
New episodes released weekly. Connect with the show: @breentimepodcast
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35. When Life Keeps Repeating Itself - With Guest Rachael Kennard Wall
40:55||Ep. 35Most of us know what it feels like to be stuck in a loop. The same argument with a different person. The same job that starts well and then doesn't. The same feeling, dressed up in new circumstances. We tend to call it bad luck - or just life. But what if the loop is actually the lesson?This week, Sabrina sits down with Rachael Kennard-Wall - holistic health practitioner and co-founder of It's All About Health - to explore why the same patterns keep showing up, and what they're really asking of us. Drawing on her clinical work in subconscious and root cause approaches, Rachael reframes repetition not as a sign that something is wrong with you, but as feedback - a signal pointing to a misalignment between what you believe, how you behave, and what's true for you beneath the surface.In this episode, you'll hear:Why life keeps repeating itself - and why that's not a flaw, but a featureHow to read recurring patterns as feedback rather than failureThe role the subconscious plays in keeping us anchored to familiar (but unhelpful) cyclesWhy surface-level change rarely sticks - and what root-level change actually involvesHow intuition and personal responsibility work together in breaking old patternsPractical ways to pause, get honest with yourself, and begin creating change that lastsBecause the pattern doesn't repeat to punish you - it repeats until you're ready to understand it.For more about Rachael, visit her website: www.itsallabouthealth.co.ukSabrina Brown is a professional life coach and management consultant, and the host of Breen Time on Brum Radio. Connect with the show on Instagram and LinkedIn: @breentimepodcast
34. Outgrowing the Life You've Built - With Guest Ayanna Dutton-Diaz
41:04||Ep. 34There's a particular kind of exhaustion that doesn't come from working too hard - it comes from working hard at the wrong thing. If you've ever looked around at everything you've built and felt quietly hollow, this episode is for you.This week, Sabrina sits down with Ayanna Dutton-Diaz - brand strategist, founder, and self-proclaimed Chief Purpose Officer - to explore what happens when the life you worked so hard to create stops feeling like yours. Drawing on her own journey across corporate life, entrepreneurship, and motherhood, Ayanna gets honest about misalignment: what it actually is, why it's so easy to miss until it becomes burnout, and what it really takes to find your footing again.In this episode, you'll hear:Why burnout is often an identity problem, not a workload problem - and what that distinction changesThe early signs of misalignment that most people talk themselves out ofHow major life transitions (career pivots, becoming a parent, leaving something behind) quietly erode confidence - and how to rebuild itWhat "finding yourself again" actually looks like in practice, beyond the clichésHow inner misalignment leaks into your work, your relationships, and your decision-makingSmall, practical questions you can ask yourself today to start recalibratingBecause sometimes the bravest thing isn't starting over - it's getting honest about where you actually are.For more about Ayanna, visit her website: https://www.ayannadutton.com/Sabrina Brown is a professional life coach and management consultant, and the host of Breen Time on Brum Radio. Connect with the show on Instagram and LinkedIn: @breentimepodcast
33. How to Change Your Life Without Burning the Whole Thing Down
21:38||Ep. 33We're sold a seductive story - that real transformation requires a dramatic rupture. Quit everything. Cut everyone off. Start over from scratch. It looks bold on social media. In reality, it often leads somewhere much harder: broke, burnt out, and wondering what went wrong.This week, Sabrina gets honest about what meaningful change actually looks like - and why the quieter path is almost always the smarter one.Because real growth doesn't require wreckage. It requires structure, patience, and knowing which problem you're actually trying to solve.In this episode, you'll hear:The Big Leap Myth - why dramatic decisions tend to magnify the problems you're trying to escape, not fix themThe real triggers behind life-blowing decisions (and how to spot them in yourself before you act)Four real-world examples - career changes, health, relationships, and happiness - and what the smart approach looks like in each caseThe One-Pillar Rule - the single most effective way to protect your stability while you growA six-step method for changing your life safely, including why your plan should feel boring on paperThe 90-Day Rule - and why one bad week is not dataWhat healthy change actually feels like - spoiler: it's not cinematic, and that's exactly the pointReal change is quiet, steady, and responsible. You don't need to burn your life down to build something better - you just need to take ownership of one area at a time.Sabrina Brown is a professional life coach and management consultant, and the host of Breen Time on Brum Radio. Connect with the show on Instagram and LinkedIn: @breentimepodcast
32. Stress Isn't What You Think! - With Guest Dr Gary Sprouse
40:47||Ep. 32In this week's episode of Breen Time, Sabrina sits down with a Dr Gary Sprouse, whose decades of clinical experience led him to one uncomfortable conclusion: almost everything we've been told about stress is wrong.We live in a culture that treats stress as a workload problem. Too much on your plate, too many demands, not enough time. So we're told to breathe more, do less, take a holiday. And yet the stress follows us there too.Because stress isn't really about your circumstances. It's about how you think about them.In this episode, Sabrina and Dr Sprouse dig into the real source of stress — and why guilt, worry, and regret are quietly doing more damage than your to-do list ever could.You'll hear reflections on:Why the standard stress advice is incomplete — and why changing your circumstances rarely changes how you feelWhere stress actually originates, and how thought patterns turn everyday pressure into a mental pressure cookerHow guilt, worry, and regret linger long after the moment has passed — and how they shape your decisions and self-image without you realisingThe difference between taking responsibility and punishing yourself — and why that distinction matters more than most people thinkPractical tools for interrupting stress at its source — no life overhaul requiredWhy numbing and distraction fail long-term, and what actually restores a sense of controlDr Gary Sprouse reminds us that stress is not a lifestyle problem. It's a thinking problem. And that means the solution is closer — and simpler — than most people expect.Because you can't outrun your own mind. But you can learn to work with it.Breen Time is a weekly wellbeing podcast from Brum Radio, hosted by life coach and management consultant Sabrina Brown. New episodes every Monday.Connect with Breen Time:InstagramLinkedIn
31. Learning to Think for Yourself
18:17||Ep. 31In this week's episode of Breen Time, Sabrina tackles something quietly disappearing from modern life: the ability to think for yourself.We live in a world where opinions are loud, content is constant, and algorithms are designed to keep you reacting - not reasoning. Most people aren't forming their own views anymore. They're absorbing whoever is loudest.And that has consequences - in your career, your relationships, your finances, and your sense of self.In this episode, Sabrina breaks down why independent thinking has become so rare, what's working against you, and how to start taking your mind back.You'll hear reflections on:Why most people don't actually think - they imitate, and what that looks like in real lifeThe four reasons independent thinking is so hard right now: algorithms, fear of being wrong, outrage addiction, and the pressure to pick a side instantlyReal-world examples across careers, relationships, and money - and how thinking for yourself changes the outcome in eachA step-by-step framework for slowing down, questioning sources, following incentives, and making decisions based on principles - not pressureFive practical ways to cut down the mental noise that's blocking your own clarityWhat you actually gain when you learn to think independently: stability, trust in your own judgment, and a life built on reality - not trendsSabrina reminds us that thinking for yourself isn't about being contrarian or difficult. It's about refusing to let the loudest voices run your life.Because living your own life requires using your own mind.Breen Time is a weekly wellbeing podcast from Brum Radio, hosted by life coach and management consultant Sabrina Brown. New episodes every Monday.Connect with Breen Time:InstagramLinkedIn
30. Personal Standards - The Backbone To A Stable Life
26:49||Ep. 30In this week's episode of Breen Time, Sabrina digs into one of the most overlooked foundations of a stable life: personal standards.Everyone talks about goals. Some talk about habits. A few talk about boundaries. But almost nobody talks about what sits underneath all of it - the standards you set for yourself, and the ones you actually enforce.Your standards aren't what you say. They're what you repeatedly allow.And here's the distinction most people miss: standards aren't the same as preferences. A preference is what you want. A standard is what you refuse to live beneath. One is flexible. The other is non-negotiable.In this episode, Sabrina unpacks why your standards act like an internal thermostat — no matter how much progress you make, you'll always return to the level of self-worth your standards reflect. Lose 30 pounds and gain it back. Leave a toxic relationship and recreate it with someone new. Get a better job and still tolerate disrespect. Sound familiar? That's not bad luck. That's an unexamined standard.You'll hear reflections on:Why instability in your life almost always traces back to inconsistent standards — not bad circumstancesThe difference between a real standard and a preference (and how to tell which one you're actually living by)Five areas where raising your own bar matters most: internal integrity, emotional regulation, baseline behaviour, effort, and how you treat othersThe Four-Lens Test for evaluating the people closest to you — and why upgrading your circle doesn't require confrontationWhat you tolerate from others, your environment, and most importantly, from yourselfWhy when your standards rise, some people will fall away — and why that's not cold, it's preciseWhat actually shifts when you raise your standards: your nervous system, your relationships, your identity, and your peaceSabrina reminds us that your standards aren't rules for other people. They're commitments to yourself. You show people how to treat you by how you treat yourself. You show the world what you deserve by what you accept.If your life feels chaotic, heavy, or stuck — it's not because you're failing. It's because somewhere, you're tolerating something below your true standard.This episode will challenge you. And it might just change everything.Breen Time is a weekly wellbeing podcast from Brum Radio, hosted by life coach and management consultant Sabrina Brown. New episodes every Monday.Connect with Breen Time:InstagramLinkedIn
29. When Pushing Harder Stops Working - With Guest Bracha Goetz
48:12||Ep. 29In this week's episode of Breen Time, Sabrina is joined by special guest Bracha Goetz for a candid conversation about what happens when high performance quietly tips into collapse — and how to find your way back.We live in a world that rewards doing more.More output. More ambition. More pushing through.Until one day, pushing harder stops working entirely.Burnout doesn't always announce itself loudly. For many high performers, it creeps in slowly — disguised as productivity, perfectionism, and the relentless drive to keep going. By the time it becomes impossible to ignore, the cost has already been paid.In this thoughtful conversation, Sabrina and Bracha explore what it really means to recover from burnout, dismantle perfectionism, and rebuild a quieter, steadier relationship with yourself. The focus isn't on self-help as endless improvement — it's on subtraction: letting go of the conditioning and pressure that got you here in the first place.This episode isn't about adding another self-improvement system to your list.It's about coming back to something more honest — and more sustainable.If you're navigating pressure, burnout, or the exhaustion of constantly performing, this episode offers grounded, practical perspective from two people who understand it from the inside out.Find out more about Bracha at http://www.goetzbookshop.com/Breen Time is a weekly wellbeing podcast from Brum Radio, hosted by life coach and management consultant Sabrina Brown. New episodes every Monday.Connect with Breen Time:InstagramLinkedIn
28. Discipline Over Motivation
15:53||Ep. 28In this week's episode of Breen Time, Sabrina cuts through the noise about motivation and gets real about what actually changes your life: discipline.Motivation is a spark.Discipline is what keeps the fire alive when you're tired, busy, burnt out, not in the mood, or completely over the goal you set.And here's the truth most people don't want to accept: motivation isn't a strategy. Discipline is.You know the pattern: The late-night promises to wake up early, hit the gym, start that project. Then morning hits — and suddenly today is "too busy." The endless cycle of starting strong and fading fast. Building your entire life around waiting to "feel like it."Motivation is emotional. It's a mood. And moods don't last. The things that actually improve your life — your finances, health, relationships, career — are built on consistency, not bursts of enthusiasm.In this no-nonsense episode, Sabrina breaks down why routine matters, why structure matters, and why self-respect matters more than any emotional high. With practical clarity, she explores what discipline actually looks like, how to build it without rigidity or suffering, and why following through on small promises changes everything.You'll hear reflections on:Why relying on motivation sets you up to fail — and what to do insteadWhat real discipline looks like (hint: it's not cold plunges at 4 AM)How structure creates freedom instead of restrictionThe connection between discipline and self-respect — and why broken promises erode your identityWhy finishing tasks builds discipline faster than starting new onesPractical steps: daily anchors, cutting negotiation, using friction, realistic goals, closing the loopWhat a disciplined life actually feels like (lighter, quieter, smoother)Sabrina reminds us that discipline isn't about perfection, punishment, or living like a monk. It's simply this: you don't negotiate with yourself. You show up, whether you're in the mood or not. You treat your own word like it means something.This episode isn't about becoming hardcore or rigid.It's about removing chaos and replacing it with clarity. It's about building a life on evidence, not excuses.If you're stuck in cycles of procrastination, constantly overwhelmed by half-done tasks, or tired of letting yourself down, this episode offers straight-talking guidance and actionable steps.Breen Time is a weekly wellbeing podcast from Brum Radio, hosted by life coach and management consultant Sabrina Brown. New episodes every Monday.Connect with Breen Time:InstagramLinkedIn