āThereās something green in the soup.ā This simple sentence was the prompt we were given last week in a communications class I attended at ICASSI (International Committee of Adlerian Summer Schools and Institutes). We were asked to share how we each interpreted the phraseāwhat we made up in our minds […]
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Tackling Life’s Challenges
Life throws curveballs. Relationships stretch us. Transitions shake us. And sometimes, the hardest part is simply standing still in the middle of it all.
At The Challenge Coach, we believe that every challengeāno matter how messy, painful, or unexpectedāis an invitation to grow. This blog is your space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with your courage.
Written by seasoned coach Pascale Brady, each post offers a blend of radical honesty, practical wisdom, and gentle humor. From communication tips to emotional resilience, from personal confessions to professional insights, we explore what it means to live bravely even when life gets complicated.
SHHHHH⦠. This stays between us, alright? Confession time:Iāve been really cranky lately. Tense and on edge. Impatient and unkind, especially with my closest people: my partner, my kids, some of my colleagues, maybe even a stranger or two ⦠I believe it was Maya Angelou who asked why we can be […]
Itās often during lifeās big transitionsāretirement, a major move, a loss, or even a brush with deathāthat a truth suddenly rises up and confronts us. We think: Thereās something I havenāt done. Something I havenāt said. And what if I never do? The most vividly painful experience Iāve had with […]
Almost a month ago, I shared a deeply personal LinkedIn post that struck a nerve ā for me, and for many of you. Nearly 4,000 impressions, close to 100 reactions, almost 50 comments⦠For many, that’s small potatoes ā for me, it was an extraordinary moment of connection. It wasnāt […]
Do you know heartbreak? Heartbreak, as I know it, is when: ⦠you’re 7 years old and your heart shatters as your parents argue in the other room. They were supposed to be your safe harbor, your infallible anchor. They were supposed to be forever. ⦠at 26, you pack […]
Last week, IĀ posted something on LinkedInĀ that drew quite a lot of attention. That post was about the intense emotions many of us are experiencing in reaction to the political changes currently happening in the United Statesāanger, fear, despairāand how we can channel them into meaningful action. The response to the […]
As the snow falls gently outside my window, I find myself reflecting on the heartache Iāve been witnessing this past month: Iāve been spending time with someone I hold dear, someone who is navigating the stormy seas of grief. A year ago, they lost their life partner of 40 years, their […]
Itās that time of year againāthe end-of-year holiday season. While this period is often marketed as one of joy, connection, and gratitude, letās be real: itās also a time when stress levels can soar. Between preparing for family gatherings and travel, managing expectations, and fitting everything into an already packed […]
I am sure you are aware ⦠we just had a presidential election in the US. My candidate lost. This happens to at least one-third, if not one-half, of us voters in every American election ā so nothing unusual there. But I am sure weād all agree, no matter what […]
I am not an anxious person. I donāt have an anxious temperament. I donāt easily get afraid (except maybe when I am flying in a plane and thereās turbulence). I rarely panic. In addition, I have to say that I am very leery about labeling people ābig wordsā because I […]
As a life coach, Iāve had the privilege of walking alongside people during some of their darkest moments. And while each clientās story is different, they all share one thing in common: a sense of being utterly overwhelmed by life. They often come to me in crisis mode, desperate for […]
In last monthās newsletter, we examined the topic of relationship conflicts through the lens of a coupleās issues. We walked alongside Judy and Rachel as they were navigating serious problems in their relationship following the birth of their third child. We discussed the fact that conflict is an inherent part […]
In one of my recent coupleās coaching sessions, Rachel and Judy came to me because they had been having more frequent and more serious arguments. Please note: Rachel and Judy are fictitious and composite characters for the purposes of confidentiality. They had an idea of where it might be coming from […]
Every species is programmed to grow, strive toward healthy adulthood, reproduce for the survival of the species before eventually dying. Humans are no exception. For most of history, average life expectancy for humans has stood around 30 years. During those thousands of years where 30 years-old was our expiration date, […]
By now a few of you know that I am a coach šā mostly a life coach. As we discussed in our last newsletter, people come to coaching because the current state they find themselves in is not the ideal state they would like to be in. Coaching clients often […]
Sitting for days now in front of the proverbial āblank pageā and wondering what the theme of my newsletter should be this month, all thatās coming up are my usual themes: life is hard, the world is in terrible shape, how do we cope and keep functioning in the face […]
I know, I know ⦠itās been a while since the last newsletter! Did you miss me? ššš There is a good reason for this break, which I am guessing most of you reading this already know ⦠But just in case, a small recap as an introduction to this blog […]
As the year is coming to an end, it is customary to do two things: take stock of what we are leaving behind, and celebrate the Holidays. Iād love to share a nifty tool with you, which I often use in my coaching and which is a fabulous and easy exercise […]
āIf there’s one thing that I knowIt is the two shades of hopeOne, the enlightening soulAnd the other is more like a hangman’s ropeWell it’s true, you may reap what you sowBut note that despair is the all-time lowBaby, hope deals the hardest blowsā Have you heard this song? Itās […]
The topic of this newsletter is purpose and meaning.I understand that it might seem tone-deaf to whatās going on in the world right now.I can assure you that I am not tone-deaf, and I do want to take a moment to take a stance for PEACE before we begin: I […]
