Stepping Off The Path - Stories of courage and truth from women who finally chose themselves

Ep 10 | When the Performance Stops Working: From Borrowed Power to Self-Trust

Melissa Scialfa spent over 25 years leading inside Fortune 100 companies. From the outside, she looked successful, ambitious, and unstoppable. But underneath the performance was a growing sense that something wasn’t right. In this conversation, Melissa shares what it really looked like to build a life around achievement, external validation and what she calls “borrowed power.” We talk about ambition, imposter syndrome, burnout, the pressure to perform and the moment everything started to crack. Melissa opens up about the coughing fit moment, during a senior leadership introduction, the breakdown that forced her to stop and the process of rebuilding her life from the inside out. This is a conversation about identity, self-trust, midlife recalibration and learning how to hear your own voice underneath all the noise. If you’ve ever looked successful on the outside while quietly struggling on the inside, this episode will resonate deeply. Find Melissa on: Substack [https://melissascialfa.substack.com] Book Your Power-Up Leadership Energy Audit [https://coaching.melissascialfa.com/home] Special offer for Stepping Off the Path listeners: Take the Leadership Energy Assessment ELI diagnostic + 90-minute personal debrief at the exclusive listener rate of $197 [https://coaching.melissascialfa.com/offers/eli-welcome] 🧭 Chapters 1. Melissa’s Childhood & The Briefcase Story 2. Performance, Ambition & Feeling Safe 3. Wall Street, Leadership & High Achievement 4. The Hidden Imposter Behind Success 5. The Coughing Fit Moment 6. What ‘Borrowed Power’ Really Means 7. Burnout, Relationships & Losing Herself 8. The Nike Move & Hitting the Wall 9. Leaving Everything & Starting Again 10. Grace, Patterns & Rebuilding Self-Trust 11. Midlife Recalibration & Finding Her Voice 12. Love, Worthiness & What’s Possible Now

Ep 09 | Between the Conversations: Why I Want to be a Slow Coach

Something's different about this episode. This is the first of a new format: one guest episode and one shorter solo episode from me each month. This is the solo one. I'm talking about something I've been genuinely fed up with - the way women are being sold change right now. The 30/60/90 day promises. The social media posting plans. The endless noise that leaves women questioning themselves rather than the system when it doesn't work. Then I'm talking about why I want to be a slow coach and why I actually believe change can happen in an instant, but only once we've slowed down enough to see what's been holding us back. That's the part nobody's talking about. If this resonates, I write more about it over on Substack - Notes from the Slow Path. Link below: Kelly's Substack [https://kellyquiney.substack.com/]

Ep 08 | When Knowing Isn’t Enough: Phyllis Leon on The Health Gap Many Women Live In

In this episode of Stepping Off The Path, I speak with Phyllis Leon about what happens when the way we’ve been taught to approach health stops working and what becomes possible when we begin to listen more deeply. Phyllis Leon is a Woman-Centered Transformational Coach who helps high-functioning women align their health with the level of success they already embody in other areas of their lives. After a 36-year career as a senior technology executive, she experienced firsthand the quiet frustration many capable women carry - knowing what supports their wellbeing, yet struggling to live it consistently. That realisation became her turning point. Today, Phyllis helps women navigate what she calls the knowing–doing gap. The invisible middle where informed, accomplished women often feel stuck. Through coach-supported partnerships, she supports clients to move beyond self-blame, understand the hidden barriers shaping their choices and reconnect with their bodies, self-trust, and agency. In this conversation, Phyllis introduces the concept of Pill-itics - not as a judgement of personal medical choices, but as a way of naming the wider cultural and systemic narratives that can keep women focused on symptom management rather than deeper understanding. Together, we explore how self-trust gets eroded, why real change isn’t about willpower, and how Phyllis’s Plate–Power–Potential framework helps women move from insight into sustainable action. If you’ve ever felt like you’re coping, pushing through, and quietly overriding yourself, this conversation will meet you with compassion, clarity and hope. 🎧 CHAPTERS 00:00 — Introduction Stepping Off The Path theme and episode framing 01:50 — When the old way stops working Phyllis’s story and recognising survival mode 10:15 — The knowing–doing gap and the invisible middle Why insight doesn’t always lead to change 13:24 — Naming pill-itics Understanding the system shaping women’s health experiences 22:04 — Plate, Power, Potential Phyllis’s framework for closing the gap 28:07 — What becomes possible beyond survival mode Energy, clarity, purpose, and possibility 34:31 — A message of hope for women feeling stuck What Phyllis wants listeners to hear 39:18 — Closing reflections Wholeness and outro Find Phyllis: Phyllis Leon - Website [https://phyllisleon.com/] Phyllis Leon - LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/phyllis-leon-848217190/] Are You Caught in the pill-itics Trap? [https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/68716209c4a307001565a235]

Ep 07 | When the Story Becomes Yours - Suzanne Spencer on illness, identity & choosing what's next

Suzanne Spencer spent over a decade as a broadcast journalist - the person on the other end of the phone, telling other people’s stories and reporting on moments that changed lives. Then, in 2021, she received a phone call that changed the trajectory of her own life: a brain tumour diagnosis. In this episode of Stepping Off The Path, Suzanne shares what it’s like to go from reporting the news to becoming the story and how that moment reshaped her identity, her pace, and what mattered most. We talk about the power of mindset, the role of support and community and the quiet bravery of advocating for yourself when you know something isn’t right. Suzanne also shares the second wave of her journey -navigating debilitating migraines during pregnancy, giving birth to her daughter Jane and undergoing a second brain surgery just two weeks later and how that experience ultimately led her to step away from TV news and launch Suzanne Speaks, a writing and speaking business rooted in impact. This is a conversation about uncertainty, mortality and meaning and the question we all reach eventually: when you look ahead now… what feels possible? Content note: This episode includes conversation about serious illness, brain surgery, pregnancy, and the emotional reality of navigating uncertainty. We don’t go into graphic medical detail, but some listeners may find parts of this episode tender. CHAPTERS 01:20 — Content note 01:53 — Becoming the story 03:10 — Life before the diagnosis 07:44 — The phone call that changed everything 11:19 — Choosing mindset over fear 18:59 — Perspective, gratitude, and uncertainty 21:39 — Community and connection 24:50 — Listening to intuition and self-advocacy 30:11 — Pregnancy, relapse, and a second surgery 33:33 — Returning to work — and realizing it no longer fits 37:38 — Leaving TV and starting again 42:00 — Finding purpose through impact 44:28 — Advice for anyone in an intolerable season 46:12 — What feels possible now 50:01 — Closing reflection Find Suzanne: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/suzannespencer/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/suzannespencertv/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannespeaks/] www.suzannespeaks.com [https://www.suzannespeaks.com/]

Ep 06 | When the Life that Looked Fine was Quietly Breaking Me - Kelly Quiney

n this deeply personal episode of Stepping Off The Path, the roles are reversed as host Kelly Quiney is interviewed by her close friend and fellow coach, Nicky Gibbs. Kelly shares her own story - from a well-paid, well-respected career that looked impressive from the outside, to quietly falling apart on the inside. She speaks honestly about fear, burnout, losing her sense of belonging after returning to work following her second child and the moment her body finally said no. This episode is about the freeze that keeps so many women stuck, the cost of staying silent and the power of small, honest steps when you don’t yet know what comes next. If you’ve ever thought “I can’t keep doing it like this… but I don’t know how to change” - this conversation is for you. FIND KELLY: Website: kellyquineycoaching.com [http://kellyquineycoaching.com] LinkedIn: Kelly Quiney Coaching [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-quiney-coaching/] IG: Kelly Quiney Coaching IG [https://www.instagram.com/kellyquineycoaching/] FB: Kelly Quiney Coaching FB [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559947017418] CHAPTERS 00:01 – Introduction: When the roles are reversed 01:42 – Why this podcast exists 03:02 – Who this podcast is really for 04:04 – The career that looked perfect on paper 05:31 – Fear, “shoulds,” and staying too long 07:39 – Returning to work after children & losing your place 08:41 – When the body finally says no 10:29 – Fear, uncertainty, and the sofa season 12:26 – Learning how to ask for help 13:21 – The caretaker pattern 14:33 – Burnout, imposter beliefs & freeze 16:32 – Shame, silence & speaking the truth 18:40 – Freeze, small steps & breaking the silence 21:06 – What matters now 23:30 – A message for the woman who’s scared to change 26:17 – Closing reflection NOTE: This podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only and does not replace professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. CLOSING: If this episode resonated, please subscribe, follow, or share it with a woman who might need to hear it. You’re not behind. You’re not broken. And you’re allowed to change.