The Shifted Podcast with Amira Evolved

Rebuilding Confidence After a Brain Tumor at 41 | Beth Hammond on Resetting

What does it actually look like to reset your life in midlife after everything falls apart? Beth Hammond was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 41. The diagnosis forced her to stop and look at everything she had been tolerating, her marriage, her friendships, her entire way of operating, and decide what was actually worth keeping. After 22 years as a confidence coach for women, Beth rebuilt her own life from the ground up and created a reset framework for women in midlife who know something needs to change but keep waiting for the right moment to start. In this episode of The Shifted Podcast, we talk about what rebuilding confidence and self-trust looks like when life has fundamentally disrupted who you thought you were. In this episode, we discuss: * How a brain tumor diagnosis at 41 became the catalyst for resetting her marriage, friendships, and career * Why self-trust, not performative confidence, is the foundation everything else is built on * How her 12-week reset framework helps midlife women reconnect with who they actually are now * Why waiting for certainty keeps women stuck and what to do instead * How to release relationships that no longer fit without guilt, even the ones with history About Beth Hammond: Beth has coached women on confidence and self-trust for 22 years. After her own brain tumor diagnosis, divorce, and life reset, she now runs a reset framework, group programs, and one-on-one coaching for women in midlife navigating major transitions. She is based in the UK. Reflection Prompt: What part of your life no longer fits who you are becoming? What feels heavy? What feels performative? Write the first answer that comes up. For deeper reflection, explore The Shifted Self: Evolution of Gratitude and Self-Reflection Journal on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Shifted-Self-Evolution-Gratitude-Self-Reflection/dp/B0F8NV1591 [https://www.amazon.com/Shifted-Self-Evolution-Gratitude-Self-Reflection/dp/B0F8NV1591] Find coaching and tools at https://www.amiraevolved.com/ [https://www.amiraevolved.com/] Follow Amira at @AmiraEvolved on Instagram and Facebook. Connect with Beth Hammond: * Website: resetwithbeth.co.uk [http://resetwithbeth.co.uk] * Instagram: @reset_with_beth * YouTube: RESET with Beth New episodes of The Shifted Podcast drop every other Tuesday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation. And if this episode landed with you, send it to the woman in your life who keeps saying "I'll deal with it later." She needs to hear this.

The World May Be on Fire, But Your Business Doesn't Have to Be | Kimberly DeCarrera

Your Business Should Support Your Life. Not Consume It. What happens when a lawyer and finance pro watches high-growth corporate culture burn out every person it touches, including herself, and decides to build something different? In this episode, I sit down with Kimberly DeCarrera, fractional general counsel, fractional CFO, and founder of Springboard Legal, to talk about the pressure business owners put on themselves to 10x every year and why that pressure is not only unnecessary but actively harmful. Kimberly walked away from a logistics company during the pandemic after watching it triple in size while burning through people. Employees quitting without new jobs. A CEO who stood in front of a town hall and said "everybody is replaceable." She left and built a practice around a different question: how do we grow without destroying ourselves in the process? This conversation is for the founder who lies awake wondering if payroll will clear. The business owner who designed her company around her clients and forgot to design it around her own life. The Gen X woman who was raised on hustle culture and is starting to wonder if there is another way. In this episode, we discuss: * Why the 10x growth model creates chaos, cash flow crises, and burnout, and what sustainable scaling actually looks like * How to design your business around your life instead of designing your life around your business * The most common legal and financial mistakes founders make when scaling too fast * Why staff are your largest expense on the P&L but your greatest asset on the balance sheet * How financial forecasting reduces the mental and physical toll of business ownership * What Gen X founders can learn from younger generations about boundaries * How AI is transforming pricing models in professional services and why the people using it need as much training as the models About Kimberly DeCarrera: Kimberly is a fractional general counsel and fractional CFO and founder of Springboard Legal. She works with small and medium-sized businesses on sustainable growth strategies across legal, finance, and operations after experiencing firsthand how unsustainable scaling burns people out and drains cash. Reflection Prompt: What would your business look like if it was designed to support your life rather than consume it? Write down your ideal week. Then ask: where is the gap between what I wrote and what I am living? For deeper reflection, explore The Shifted Self: Evolution of Gratitude and Self-Reflection Journal on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Shifted-Self-Evolution-Gratitude-Self-Reflection/dp/B0F8NV1591 [https://www.amazon.com/Shifted-Self-Evolution-Gratitude-Self-Reflection/dp/B0F8NV1591] Find coaching and tools at https://www.amiraevolved.com/ [https://www.amiraevolved.com/] Follow Amira at @AmiraEvolved on Instagram and Facebook. Connect with Kimberly DeCarrera: * Website: https://springboardlegal.com [https://springboardlegal.com] * LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kdecarrera [https://linkedin.com/in/kdecarrera] * Email: kimberly@springboardlegal.com [kimberly@springboardlegal.com] Your growth does not have to come at the cost of your health, your relationships, or your sanity. There is another way.

The Hidden Cost of Leadership: Boundaries, Burnout & Emotional Pressure | Jennifer Kazmark

There is a version of leadership that looks composed on the outside, but feels overwhelming underneath. In this episode of The Shifted Podcast, Amira Davis sits down with Jennifer Kazmark, a school administrator and leader, to talk about the real cost of leadership, the pressure to manage everything, stay composed, and carry the weight of constant responsibility. Jenn shares her experience navigating leadership inside a high-demand environment, where every problem feels urgent and every decision matters. Together, they unpack the emotional toll of being a fixer, the challenge of setting boundaries, and the reality of trying to support others while neglecting yourself. This conversation explores what happens when high-performing leaders become overwhelmed, why delegation is often difficult, and how emotional intelligence plays a critical role in leadership. They also dive into the differences women face in leadership spaces, the pressure to manage reactions, and the expectations that often go unspoken but deeply felt. Jenn reflects on her own turning point, learning to stop taking everything personally, releasing the need to please everyone, and redefining what professionalism and self-protection actually mean. This episode is for women navigating leadership, high-pressure roles, career growth, or personal transformation. Journal Prompt: Where at work are you still holding it together on the outside, but feeling the cost internally? Connect with Jennifer Kazmark: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kazmark-16068247/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kazmark-16068247/] TikTok: @Kazberry42 Email: jkazmark@uek12.org [jkazmark@uek12.org] Connect with Amira:  Instagram: @AmiraEvolved Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amiradavis [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amiradavis]

Why High-Achieving Women Feel Stuck at Work and How to Reclaim Authority | Katy Shapiro

There is a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from being excellent inside a system that was never designed for you. In this episode of The Shifted Podcast, Amira Davis sits down with Katy Shapiro, Founder and CEO of Unapologetic Ambition, to unpack what happens when high-achieving women realize that success on paper does not equal fulfillment in reality. With over 20 years in corporate talent acquisition and leadership, Katy shares how burnout, conformity, and silent self-sacrifice often keep ambitious women stuck in roles that no longer fit. Together, they explore visibility, authority, strategic nonconformity, corporate power structures, and the cost of staying invisible in the workplace. They examine why performance alone does not guarantee advancement, how to build strategic visibility inside organizations, and the difference between holding a title and truly owning your authority. The conversation also challenges the stigma around women making money unapologetically and offers clarity around when it is time to reposition and when it is time to leave. Katy shares details about her four-week Next Level Clarity Sprint and her Strategic Expansion Coaching program for ambitious women ready to move forward with clarity and strategy. This episode is for professional women navigating leadership, entrepreneurship, career transitions, or executive growth. Journal Prompt: Where in your career are you still waiting for permission, and what would change if you stopped waiting? Connect with Katy Shapiro: Website: https://vist.ly/4y7sj [https://vist.ly/4y7sj] Linktree: https://vist.ly/4y7sh [https://vist.ly/4y7sh] Connect with Amira: Instagram: @AmiraEvolved Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amiradavis [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amiradavis]

The Hidden Power of Recognizing Toxic Environments and Cultivating Safety with Charmingly Toxic!

Some of the most damaging places don't feel dangerous at first. That's what makes them work. In this episode, I sit down with licensed therapist and trauma specialist Denise Capurso to talk about toxic environments and why so many of us don't recognize them until we're already out. Not just relationships. Schools. Faith communities. Workplaces. The places that condition you to stay quiet, doubt yourself, and call control something else. We go deep on the mechanics of it. Narcissistic traits versus NPD and why the distinction matters. Coercive control and how it moves so slowly you don't notice until your whole identity has shifted. The fight-or-flight loop that takes over your decision-making when you've been in survival mode too long. And the subtle signs most people miss because they've been taught to lead with compassion first. This is not a doom-and-gloom episode. It's a clear one. Denise is clinical and direct and she does not sugarcoat anything. Neither do I. What we cover: * The difference between toxic environments and overt abuse * How the systems we grew up in shaped our sense of safety * Narcissistic traits vs. narcissistic personality disorder * Love bombing, coercive control, and what to watch for early * How religious communities and cultural conditioning enforce silence * Non-verbal healing and deprogramming from cult-like control * Journaling prompts to find your way back to yourself Reflection prompt: What were you like as a child? What made you feel truly safe? Sit with a memory where all your senses were alive. What did it look like, feel like, smell like? Let that memory be your compass. About Denise Capurso: Denise is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-S), trauma specialist, and host of the Charmingly Toxic podcast. She has over 25 years of experience helping women heal from narcissistic abuse and relational trauma. She was trained by Dr. Ramani Durvasula, and she understands this work from both sides. Her clients don't just feel helped. They finally feel believed. Connect with Denise: Website + free safety planning: DCCounseling.org [http://DCCounseling.org] Podcast: Charmingly Toxic Resources: The Shifted Self Journal — available on Amazon DCCounseling.org [http://DCCounseling.org] — free safety planning and coaching services Connect with Amira: Instagram: @AmiraEvolved