Redefining Failure: Taking Back My Power

I got a question while speaking at last week that has really stuck with me: 

"How do you deal with failure?" 

I loved that question—because for years, I felt like a failure, even when others didn’t see me that way. 

On paper, I had a degree.
I had built a career helping people, teams, and organizations grow.
I was married, owned a home, had two amazing dogs. 

By all accounts, I was doing well. But inside, it didn’t feel like enough. 

I had to take a hard look at why I felt that way. The truth?
Through trauma and past experiences, I had been wired to believe I wasn’t good enough. 

I had to take the power back.
I had to redefine what failure actually was—and what it wasn’t. 

❌ Failure is NOT giving something everything I’ve got and it not working out for reasons outside of my control.

✅ Failure IS not doing what was in my control to succeed. 

Then, I had to rebuild my definition of success—from the ground up. 

I started with something I didn’t have to question.
Something I knew I was good at.
Something that made me feel grounded and present. 

Being a dog mom. 

From there, I kept building—piece by piece—shifting my focus from what I thought I lacked to what I knew I brought to the table. 

So if you’re struggling with feeling like you’re enough, I encourage you to reflect:
🔹 Is it your voice in your head telling you that—or someone else’s? 
🔹 What is your definition of success? 
🔹 Are you controlling what you can and giving your best effort? 

At the end of the day: Control the controllable—your thoughts, your actions. And if you’re feeling lost, start with what you know—and build from there.