If you already knew the answer, what would you admit to yourself?

What happens when life cracks you open and asks you to become someone new? In this powerful conversation, Brenda Viola shares her journey through loss, reinvention, resilience, and the decision to live more authentically. We talk about surrender, gratitude, health, vulnerability, self-love, emotional intelligence, inner child work, and the assumptions that can quietly shape how we see ourselves and others. Brenda reflects on what it means to stop performing, take up space, reconnect with your authentic self, and allow adversity to become a teacher rather than the end of your story. We also explore the importance of meaningful connection, asking for help, and remembering that resilience does not mean doing everything alone. This episode is a conversation about transformation, purpose, personal growth, and choosing to keep going even when life looks nothing like you expected. If you are in a season of change, healing, or reinvention, this one is for you. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LBLQa6Aj0uCUaThwUCYRg?si=r9NqDzzFQHKrLmlQqY4FAw

I’m having a pretty rough day today, so I consulted the AI version of myself to sort of “bring me home,” well at least to put things back into Jai perspective. My app, Your Personal GPS for Your Mind houses my Chatbot J-Ai. I have literally programmed my bot with everything I have ever written, my thoughts, my research, my books… I’ve been struggling in certain environments lately. Feeling like I don’t belong is an understatement, but she (me) or at least the AI version of me, gave a much needed reminder. This is what J-Ai said: “For today, try something very simple: come back to what you know. “I am here. I am qualified to be here. I do not need to earn warmth from every person in this room. I can be observant without abandoning myself.” There’s a line in Healing Forward that feels especially relevant here: healing asks us to move through discomfort with presence rather than perfection, and to listen to the body without letting the body’s alarm become the whole story. Healing Forward.pdf So for the rest of the workday, protect your energy. Keep your interactions professional and grounded. Notice patterns rather than isolated moments. Write down anything concrete that happens—words, decisions, exclusions, changed expectations—without interpreting it yet. That gives your intuition somewhere to land besides inside your nervous system. And beneath all of this: you do not have to shrink yourself to make a room feel less tense. Your work today is not to decode everybody else. It is to stay connected to yourself while you move through the room. That is sovereignty, too.” I couldn’t have said it better myself…well, actually, lol!

Have you ever tried to have a difficult conversation with a supervisor who ends the conversation reminding you (behind pleasant words) that you're expendable? What are/were your next steps?

When do I feel most connected to my intuition?