Gratitude Doesn’t Cancel Grief — Both Can Sit at the Same Table

If the holidays bring up more than you expected… my friend, you’re not alone. As Thanksgiving kicks off “the season of all the things,” it’s completely normal to feel grateful and not okay at the same time.

In this episode, Del shares a tender, honest look at how gratitude and grief can coexist without competing — especially during a season that magnifies family dynamics, memories, loneliness, joy, and everything in between. You’ll also hear gentle, practical suggestions for navigating Thanksgiving (with others or on your own), plus a grounding faith reflection to anchor your heart.

Whether you’re excited for this week, dreading it, or simply exhausted by it, you’re welcome here.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why gratitude and grief can coexist without cancelling each other
• How Thanksgiving kicks off an emotional season full of mixed feelings
• Why family dynamics, loss, and expectations feel heavier this week
• How to navigate gatherings, tension, or being alone
• A gentle faith reminder that God meets you in the “both/and”
• A grounding journal prompt to help you check in with your heart

Journal Prompt:

“What emotions are sitting at my table this season — and what do they need from me?”

Resources & Next Steps

• 💡 Grab your free guide: 26 Ruthlessly Intentional Tactics for 2026 — designed to help you stay centered, grounded, and supported throughout this holiday season and beyond. [LINK]
• 📖 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
• ✨ Visit the Website to stay connected [HERE]

Don’t Rush Your Healing: Giving Your Heart Time to Recover

Today’s episode explores one of the hardest truths about healing: Your heart heals on its own timeline — not the one your mind thinks it should follow.

Del shares a raw, moving story about saying goodbye to her grand-dog Mr. Peppers and the unexpected sign of comfort that arrived the very next day. This full-circle moment becomes a powerful lesson in letting your heart take the time it needs to recover, even when you’ve accepted the reality and made peace with the decision.

You’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of why healing isn’t linear, why readiness doesn’t replace grief, and how God often brings quiet comfort long before He brings clarity.

In this episode, Del explores:

• Why being “ready” doesn’t remove the emotional sting
• How grief and peace can co-exist in the same moment
• The quiet ways God comforts us when our hearts are tender
• Why emotional healing can’t be rushed or scheduled
• What it looks like to trust God’s timeline over your own
• How to stop pressuring yourself to “be okay” before you really are

Journal Prompt:

Where in my life am I rushing myself to “be okay,” instead of honoring the time my heart truly needs?

📖 Resources & Next Steps

• 📖 Grab your Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
• ✨ Visit the Website [HERE]
• 💌 Download your free guide — 26 Ruthlessly Intentional™ Tactics to Bounce Back in 2026 — at: bouncebackblackwoman.com/tactics

Strong but Soft — Finding the Balance Between Confidence and Compassion

Today’s episode explores a different kind of strength — one that doesn’t harden your heart, shut you down, or make you defensive. It’s the strength that allows you to remain open, gentle, and rooted even in challenging environments.

Del shares a personal corporate story about discernment, self-trust, and leaving a chaotic environment with grace. You’ll learn why softness is not weakness — and how true strength comes from knowing who you are, who God is, and when it’s time to walk away.

In this episode, we explore:

• How to stay soft in environments designed to make you hard
• The difference between strength and emotional armor
• Why softness is a spiritual discipline
• How to trust your peace more than your pressure
• Four permission slips every strong woman needs to hear
• What it looks like to advocate for yourself without losing your grace
• How God honors the moves you make from peace rather than fear

Journal Prompt:

Where in my life am I forcing hardness to survive, when God is inviting me to lead with strength and softness?

📖 Resources & Next Steps

• 📖 Grab your Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
• ✨ Visit the Website [HERE]
• 💌 Join my mailing list [HERE] to be the first to get the new free guide, 26 Ruthlessly Intentional™ Tactics to Bounce Back in 2026

Overview: Healing isn’t always visible. In this episode, Coach Del explores the quiet side of recovery — the in-between space where growth is slow but sacred. Learn how to stop rushing your restoration, rebuild self-trust, and find peace in God’s pace.

In This Episode:

• The three layers of healing: survival, awareness, surrender
• How to measure progress when nothing seems to change
• Coaching insight: three quiet disciplines that rebuild resilience
• Why stillness is strength — not stagnation
• Faith practices for trusting God’s timing

Journal Prompt:

What part of my healing am I trying to rush — and what might happen if I gave it permission to unfold quietly?

Scripture References: Isaiah 30:15 | Psalm 46:10

Key Takeaway: The quiet work counts. When you rest in God’s timing, you’re not pausing progress — you’re partnering with it.

Resources & Next Steps:

• 📔 Grab your Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
• 🌐 Visit the Website [Visit the Website]
• 💌 Join the Mailing List [HERE]

Overview: What happens when truth shows up uninvited — and unfiltered? In this episode, Coach Del gets transparent about a recent experience that tested her faith, emotional boundaries, and growth in real time. When a painful revelation shattered an illusion, she had to choose between confrontation and peace — and relearn what it means to trust herself again.

Through raw honesty, biblical truth, and practical coaching insight, Del shares how truth can be both painful and protective. You’ll learn how to face your own revelations without shame, rebuild emotional safety, and resist the urge to harden your heart in the process.

In This Episode

• The strange bond that forms when two people discover the same painful truth
• How to stop blaming yourself for someone else’s deceit
• Coaching insight: why confrontation rarely creates closure — and what to do instead
• Faith-based tools for staying compassionate without sacrificing boundaries
• Reframing betrayal as revelation — the difference between punishment and protection

Journal Prompt

What painful truth am I avoiding because I’m afraid it will make me feel foolish — when really, it might finally set me free?

Scripture References John 8:32 | Psalm 34:18

Key Takeaway Freedom rarely feels good at first. But when God reveals the truth, He’s not trying to embarrass you — He’s trying to release you.

Resources & Next Steps

• 📔 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
• 🌐 Visit the Website [HERE]
• 💌 Join the mailing list [HERE] for weekly inspiration and journal prompts

Series Overview: Welcome to the Ruthlessly Intentional™ Series — a four-part journey through Honesty, Healing, Forgiveness, and Happiness. In this series, Coach Del invites you to stop drifting through survival mode and start choosing growth, peace, and purpose on purpose. Each episode blends real stories, biblical truth, and practical steps to help you bounce back stronger through God’s love.

Episode Focus: In this finale episode, Del reminds us that happiness isn’t about perfection — it’s about permission. The permission to rest, laugh, and feel joy again after seasons of pain. Through soulful storytelling and faith-rooted reflection, she explores what it means to be Ruthlessly Intentional™ about happiness — to protect your peace, know yourself deeply, and confidently choose joy on purpose.

• Why happiness is an act of defiance, not denial

• How to rediscover joy after heartbreak or hard seasons

• The link between self-awareness, confidence, and lasting joy

• Spiritual truths about joy as a gift from God, not a reward

What does happiness look like for the woman I’m becoming — and what’s one small way I can practice it this week?

John 15:11 | Philippians 4:4

Happiness isn’t something that happens to you — it’s something you create with intention. When you align your joy with who God says you are, you stop waiting for “someday” and start living today.

• 📔 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE] (link to Amazon storefront)

• 🌐 Visit the Website [HERE] to stay connected

• 💌 Join my mailing list [HERE] to receive weekly inspiration and journal prompts

If this episode spoke to you, share it with a friend who’s ready to reclaim her joy — and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen!

Series Overview: Welcome to the Ruthlessly Intentional™ Series — a four-part journey through Honesty, Healing, Forgiveness, and Happiness. In this series, Coach Del invites you to stop drifting through survival mode and start choosing growth, peace, and purpose on purpose. Each episode blends real stories, biblical truth, and practical steps to help you bounce back stronger through God’s love.

Episode Focus: This week, Del opens her heart about the layers of forgiveness — from childhood wounds to adult betrayals — and what it really means to let go without losing yourself. Through honest reflection and faith-rooted insight, she shows how releasing resentment doesn’t excuse the pain; it reclaims your peace and honors your healing. If you’ve ever struggled to forgive while still protecting your boundaries, this one will speak directly to you.

• The difference between forgiveness and reconciliation

• How to release pain without sacrificing your peace or boundaries

• A real-time reflection on what it looks like to live forgiveness in motion

• Scriptural reminders that freedom and healing go hand in hand

Who — or what — do I need to release so that I can make room for peace?

Ephesians 4:31-32 | Psalm 147:3

Forgiveness doesn’t erase what happened — it releases what’s been holding you. When you let go with wisdom and grace, you make space for peace to take root and stay.

• 📔 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE] (link to Amazon storefront)

• 🌐 Visit the Website [HERE] to stay connected

• 💌 Join my mailing list [HERE] to receive weekly inspiration and journal prompts

If this episode spoke to you, share it with a friend who’s learning to forgive and move forward, too — and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen!

Episode 45 – Ruthlessly Intentional™ Healing Healing doesn’t happen when you feel ready — it happens when you decide you’ve carried the pain long enough. Del walks through how rest, release, and rebuilding take courage, self-confidence, and faith.

Journal Prompt: “Where is God asking me to rest, release, or rebuild in this season?” (Scripture: Jeremiah 30:17; Matthew 11:28)

Series Overview: Welcome to the Ruthlessly Intentional™ Series — a 4-part journey through Honesty, Healing, Forgiveness, and Happiness. In this series, Coach Del invites you to stop drifting through survival mode and start choosing your growth, peace, and purpose on purpose. Each episode blends real stories, biblical truth, and practical steps to help you bounce back stronger, grounded in God’s love.

💬 In This Episode:

• What it means to live with Ruthless Intentionality™
• Personal stories of growth and grace from Del’s own journey
• Biblical truths that restore peace, courage, and self-confidence
• Journal prompts to guide your reflection and healing

💛 Key Takeaway:

Healing, freedom, and joy aren’t accidents — they’re choices. Every day, you have the power to show up for yourself and let God meet you there.

📖 Resources & Next Steps:

• 📔 Grab your copy of the Bounce Back Journal [HERE]
• 🌐 Visit the Website [HERE] to stay connected.
• 💌 Join my mailing list [HERE] to be the first to know about new episodes and future Bounce Back Live sessions.

🎧 Listen + Subscribe:

If this episode spoke to you, share it with a friend who’s learning to bounce back, too — and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen!