S1:E27 How to Begin Again on the Pottery Wheel of Life

Flourishing After Adversity: The Power of Small Steps

In this episode of the Flourishing After Adversity podcast, host Laura Mangum Broome discusses the importance of taking small, consistent steps to rebuild strength and resilience after facing adversity. Laura explains how the gradual process of change is more effective than attempting drastic overhauls, which can trigger fear and stall progress. 

Listeners will learn how small actions can help in developing a growth mindset, uncovering inner strengths, and creating new opportunities. Laura introduces the iCope2Hope 3-Step Resilience Framework and the iCOPE Problem-Solving Method to provide structure for those navigating tough times. She also shares practical five-minute daily practices to enhance everyday resilience and a real-life success story for inspiration. The episode aims to motivate individuals to transform pain into purpose through steady, meaningful efforts.

00:00 Introduction: Starting Over After Adversity
01:38 The Power of Small Steps
03:31 Developing a Growth Mindset
04:43 Discovering Your Superpowers
05:51 Thinking Outside the Box
06:29 The iCOPE Problem-Solving Method
08:02 Strengthening Everyday Resilience
08:46 Real-Life Transformation: Sue's Story
09:40 The Pottery Wheel: Lessons in Resilience
10:31 Conclusion and Recap

Free Resource: Reframe the Spiral: 5 Quick Coping Strategies to Shift Negative Thoughts and Reclaim Your Day https://www.icope2hope.com/reframe

iCope2Hope 3-Step Resilience Framework: https://bit.ly/FrameworkRoadmap

Website: iCope2Hope: From Hardship to Hope https://www.icope2hope.com

Move Beyond Adversity Blog:  https://www.icope2hope.com/blog

Free Newsletter: Wednesday’s Resilient Recharge https://www.icope2hope.com/newsletter

Schedule a free 15-minute Clarity Call with Laura: https://bit.ly/15mincallLMB 

Transcript

 If you've ever wondered, how do I even begin again, this episode is your answer.  In today's episode, we're talking about how small steps create lasting strength and why the slow, steady process of rebuilding after adversity matters far more than big dramatic changes.  By the end of this episode, you'll know why small steps work when big changes fail.

How to rebuild your confidence one moment at a time, and what you can do today to start reshaping your life with resilience.  Welcome to the Flourishing After Adversity podcast. I'm your host, Laura Mangum Broome, Resilience Coach and author of Flourishing After Adversity, A three step action plan to transform pain into purpose and embrace joy again.  If you've been knocked down by life,

grief, illness loss, or unexpected change, you're in the right place. This podcast is for anyone ready to turn their pain into purpose and begin shaping a life that feels meaningful again.   Before we dive in, if you often feel stuck in a spiral of negative thoughts, I created something that might help. It's my free guide called Reframe the Spiral, five Quick Coping Strategies to Shift Negative Thoughts and Reclaim Your Day.

These are the same strategies I use when life feels overwhelming and my mind starts spinning in what ifs. You can download it free through the link in the show notes.

The Power of Small Steps

When life falls apart, it can feel like you've been handed a lump of clay and told to make something beautiful out of it.  At first, it's messy, heavy, and unrecognizable. You want to fix it fast to shape it into the life you used to have,  but the pottery wheel doesn't work that way. Spin it too fast.

Press too hard, and the clay collapses. Go slow. Stay steady, stay patient, and the form begins to take shape. One turn at a time.  That's what rebuilding life after adversity looks like. Not a single leap of transformation, but a thousand small adjustments, tiny acts of courage that molds something strong and beautiful.

Again,  this is the essence of Kaizen, a Japanese philosophy, meaning continuous improvement through small steps. It's also the foundation of everyday resilience.  After loss or upheaval, we often want to reinvent everything overnight. New job, new house, new routine, a complete reset.  But your brain isn't built for drastic change.

When you try to overhaul your life all at once, your amygdala, the fear center, sounds the alarm. This is too much.  Suddenly fear floods in creativity shuts down and you stall  small steps. On the other hand, bypass that fear. They feel doable, they whisper to your mind. It's okay. You're safe to move forward.

Each tiny success builds momentum. Rewiring your brain with proof that you can handle this  like a potter guiding soft clay. Through gentle motion, you can reshape your life without breaking under pressure. 

Developing a Growth Mindset

Step one, how to develop a growth mindset to conquer change.  This is the first step in my iCope2Hope 3-Step Resilience Framework. When everything feels overwhelming, start by asking one small question.

What's one thing I can do to today to support my healing?  Maybe it's getting out of bed and moving to the couch. Maybe it's making one phone call to schedule an appointment.  Maybe it's simply taking a deep breath and whispering, I'm still here.  Each tiny act creates evidence of progress. Those moments tell your mind, I can handle this.

Here are a few growth mindset reminders to keep close.  I don't have to do everything. I just have to start something.  Progress counts even when it's small.  Each try strengthens my resilience  mindset is like centering the clay on the pottery wheel. Once your thoughts steady, your actions can take shape.

Step two, discover your superpowers to overcome challenges. 

Discovering Your Superpowers

When you faced adversity, your strengths can feel buried, but they're still there waiting to be uncovered through small, consistent effort.  Dr. Robert Maurer, author of One Small Step Can Change Your Life, found that micro-actions literally rewire the brain for success.

You don't need massive change. You need repetition. So how do you start discovering those hidden superpowers?  Try this. Write down one small victory At the end of each day,  notice what brings you calm or energy.  Reflect on past challenges. What traits helped you survive before  your superpowers? Courage, adaptability, compassion, reveal themselves through these simple daily acknowledgements.

They're the fingerprints of your resilience.   Once small steps, quiet, fear and rebuild. Confidence, creativity, reawakens. That's when you reach the third step in my iCope2Hope Resilience Framework.

Thinking Outside the Box

Think outside the box to uncover opportunities. Ask general forward focus questions.  What's one way I can bring more joy into my day?

Who could I reach out to for encouragement?  What new routine would make life 1% easier?  Each question invites possibility instead of focusing on what's gone, you start noticing what can still be created, and that's where purpose begins to form. Again, simply patiently, beautifully.  When the clay feels wobbly and progress uncertain.   

The iCOPE Problem-Solving Method

my iCOPE Problem-Solving Method provides structure.

Step one, identify the issue. What's causing tension right now?  Step two. Control. What's controllable? Focus only on what's in your hands today.  Step three, outcomes   best, worst, most likely.  Quiet. Your fear by imagining what's possible if you take one small step forward.  Step four, plan small steps.

Break it down until it feels achievable.  And step five, evaluate and adapt. Be flexible, pause and reshape as needed.  No potter blames the clay for collapsing. They pause, reshape, and try again. That's the rhythm of resilience.  When we rush transformation, we often fall into these traps  waiting for motivation.

Action creates motivation, not the other way around.  Perfectionism.   Progress collapses under all or nothing thinking.  Comparison. Your journey is yours. Focus on your own wheel, your rhythm, your clay.  Small, consistent actions protect your energy and keep momentum alive. You can't pour from an empty cup and you can't shape something beautiful if you're pushing too hard. 

Strengthening Everyday Resilience

How to strengthen everyday resilience in five minutes a day.  Start small enough that failure feels impossible.  Here are five minute practices to strengthen everyday resilience. One, take a short walk outside and notice one beautiful thing.  Two, write a gratitude note to yourself or someone else.

Three, drink a glass of water and stretch your shoulders.  Four, reflect on one thing that went right today.  Five. End your day by saying I'm still shaping something new.  Each small act is a declaration. I'm not stuck. I'm in motion. 

Real-Life Transformation: Sue's Story

Let me share a real life story. Sue's transformation.  Sue came to me after a painful divorce feeling like she'd lost herself. At first.

She tried to change everything. New job, new fitness plan, new friends and new hairdo.  Within weeks, she was exhausted.  So we started small, a short daily walk, and one word of gratitude. Each evening. Those two actions lifted her mood and created consistency.  She began reconnecting with friends. Then she rediscovered her love for painting.

Six months later, she told me once  I stopped trying to fix everything, I started finding myself again.  That's the power of small steps. They don't just change habits, they reshape your life. 

The Pottery Wheel: Lessons in Resilience

The Pottery Wheel teaches us three truths.  One, patience, build strength. You can't rush healing. It needs steady hands.

Two,   pressure must be balanced. Too much intensity can cause collapse.  Three. Consistency creates beauty. Each turn adds shape and strength.  The goal isn't to recreate what was lost, it's to craft something new and meaningful from what remains.  Healing isn't about perfection, it's about presence. Each small turn of effort, each boundary, each breath shapes you into something stronger, steadier, and more grounded in purpose.

You don't have to see the masterpiece yet. You just need to keep moving forward.   

Conclusion and Recap

Let's recap what we talked about today.  Small steps are more powerful than drastic change because they calm, fear and build momentum.  The iCope2Hope 3-Step Resilience Framework helps you rebuild through mindset, rediscovery, and creativity. 

The iCOPE Problem Solving Method gives structure when life feels wobbly,  everyday resilience grows through small, repeatable actions.  Healing isn't about fixing, it's about shaping something new.  If you're ready to start shaping your new life after adversity one steady, meaningful, turn at a time, schedule your free 15 minute clarity call with me.

Together we'll find the next step that moves you toward hope. Strength and joy. The link is in the show notes. And don't forget to grab your free copy of Reframe The Spiral, 5 Quick Coping Strategies to Shift Negative Thoughts and Reclaim Your Day.  Alright, that's it for this episode. 

 If this message spoke to you, please take a second to subscribe or leave a review. It helps more people find this podcast and begin their own journey to flourish after adversity. Better yet, please share this episode with three friends in need of hope.  Remember, adversity can make you bitter or better, choose better.

You've got this!