When the Strongest Person I Knew Was Gone — Me

Jetaime Ribbink
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  • MENTAL HEALTH

A raw and honest journey through resilience, loss, and rediscovery. In When the Strongest Person I Knew Was Gone — Me, Jetaime Ribbink rI share my personal story of navigating sudden illness, identity shifts, and the search for meaning. Listeners will love my vulnerability, strength, and hope woven into each episode — a reminder that even in struggle, connection and small steps forward matter. Support the show: https://paypal.me/ChangedOvernite

  1. Finding joy in the small wins

    JAN 20

    Finding joy in the small wins

    I’m not “winning” in the way I used to think about it. There’s no race, no finish line, no endless striving anymore. Instead, I’m winning in quieter, more personal ways. After a life‑altering event in January 2025, I slowed down enough to notice the beauty in small things, sunrises, sunsets, butterflies, even the wind reminding me to breathe. Gratitude isn’t about big achievements anymore; it’s about presence, people, and tiny daily wins. Cooking my first rotisserie chicken, cleaning one drawer at a time, supporting Kira and Kitty’s triathlon dreams, starting new treatments, and training gently again, these are my victories. Winning isn’t about speed or trophies. It’s about living slower but fuller, grounded in gratitude, and hopeful for what’s ahead. 🌱✨ 🎧 Listen to the full story on ChangedOvernite Podcast:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Afripods | YouTube #ChangedOvernite #GratitudeJourney #SmallWinsBigImpact #HealingJourney #PresentMoment #DailyWins #Resilience #FindingJoy

    9 min
  2. Letters to My Daughters: Love, Courage, and the Journey Ahead

    JAN 19

    Letters to My Daughters: Love, Courage, and the Journey Ahead

    💌 A letter to my daughters…You are my why, my pride, and my purpose. Every word I wrote to you—about love that never makes you small, courage that sometimes whispers instead of roars, and growth that feels uncomfortable before it feels empowering—is the roadmap I hope you carry into the journey ahead.Life will surprise you, stretch you, and sometimes break you, but you are stronger together than apart. Carry your South African identity with pride, nourish your body as your home, and remember: real love allows you to be fully yourself.No matter how far you travel, you are never alone. Home lives in your values, your courage, and the way you carry yourselves. Distance may shape you, but it will never disconnect you from where you belong. 🌍❤️🌐 Connect with me:Instagram: @jetaimeribbinkFacebook: Jet’aime Ribbink X (Twitter): ChangedOvernite YouTube: ChangedOvernite Podcast: When The Strongest Person I Knew Was Gone — Me Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Afripods: ChangedOvernite Substack & Medium: ChangedOvernite #LetterToMyDaughters#LoveAndCourage #JourneyAhead #FamilyFirst#SouthAfricanStrength #ChangedOvernite #ResilientTogether#HealingJourney #PurposeDriven #UnstoppableSisters

    13 min
  3. Unfinished, But Enough

    JAN 16

    Unfinished, But Enough

    ✨ For 11 months I waited. I thought I’d bounce back, that life would resume as normal, that I’d wake up one day and everything would be okay again. But life had other plans. I’ve had to learn that being unfinished doesn’t mean unworthy. It means I’m still growing, still becoming, still alive. Every messy, imperfect day counts. Every struggle is part of my journey. I don’t need to be perfect to show up. I don’t need to be finished to matter. I am enough—unfinished and all. If my story makes even one person feel less alone, then this is exactly where I need to be. 🌐 Connect with me: Instagram: @jetaimeribbink Facebook: Jet’aime Ribbink X (Twitter): ChangedOvernite YouTube: ChangedOvernite Podcast: When The Strongest Person I Knew Was Gone — Me Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Afripods: ChangedOvernite Substack & Medium: ChangedOvernite #UnfinishedAndEnough #RawAndReal #HealingJourney #EmptyNesterLife #ChangedOvernite #MessyButWorthy #AuthenticLiving #MentalHealthAwareness #GrowthInProgress #PerfectlyImperfect #LifeInTheBecoming #ShowUpAnyway

    11 min
  4. You Can Try Forever, But I Choose Doing

    JAN 15

    You Can Try Forever, But I Choose Doing

    ✨ You can try forever and never end up doing. People throw out the word try so easily, it looks like effort, but it’s really hesitation, a soft no disguised as action. From a distance, trying looks effortless, but it’s a stall, a holding pattern to doing nothing at all.Right now I live like I mean it. I move like it matters. Intentionally. Because I want to heal, I want a better life, I want to do. My daughters know I despise the sentence I’m trying. You need to risk, speak, and move without fear. Action. Intention. Presence.Trying feels safe. You can try forever and never change, evolve, or grow. I lived in “trying” mode for months, until I realized: if I didn’t fully commit, I had already lost. Fear disguised itself as flexibility. I’ll try was fear.So I chose doing. I chose to show up imperfect, vulnerable, unapologetically me, not the athlete, not the champion, but the woman rebuilding herself one intentional step at a time. I gave myself permission to fail, to struggle, to be seen. And I learned that small steps are sacred.Healing isn’t glamorous. It’s quiet, slow, sometimes unimpressive to others, but monumental to me. I don’t need to be perfect. I don’t need to be entirely organized. But I do have to show up. Every single day.🌐 Connect with me:Instagram: @jetaimeribbink | Facebook: Jet’aime RibbinkX (Twitter): ChangedOvernite | YouTube: ChangedOvernitePodcast: When The Strongest Person I Knew Was Gone — Me Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Afripods: ChangedOverniteSubstack & Medium: ChangedOvernite#HealingJourney #IntentionalLiving #DoNotTry #Resilience#Authenticity #LifeAfterLoss #ChangedOvernite#MentalHealthAwareness #StrengthInVulnerability#KeepShowingUp #Consistency #GrowthMindset#FearlessLiving #StudentAthleteMom #SouthAfrica#WomenWhoInspire #NeverGiveUphttps://open.substack.com/pub/changedovernight/p/you-can-try-forever-but-i-choose?r=6w1way&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

    12 min
  5. Enough: A Mother’s Story of Bullying, Judgment, and Choosing Courage

    12/15/2025

    Enough: A Mother’s Story of Bullying, Judgment, and Choosing Courage

    ✨ Podcast #15: Enough — A Mother’s Story of Bullying, Judgment, and Choosing Courage ✨ I’ve held onto this blog and podcast for a while, wondering if I should post it. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I know this story will mean something to someone out there. This is my journey: When the strongest person I knew was gone — Me. Bullying touches all of us. Sometimes it’s loud and obvious. Other times it’s subtle, hidden in whispers, favoritism, or quiet manipulation. For me, it has been a lived reality — as a child, as a mother, and as a woman. I stayed silent for years because silence felt safer. But silence is not safety — it is surrender. This episode is about resilience, about raising daughters who respect the process, about learning that real care listens and includes, while fake care excludes and controls. It’s about the courage to finally say: enough. 💙 I share my journey to remind you: you are not alone. Vulnerability is strength. Courage begins when silence ends. 🌐 Connect with me: Instagram: @jetaimeribbink Facebook: Jet’aime Ribbink X (Twitter): ChangedOvernite YouTube: ChangedOvernite Podcast: When The Strongest Person I Knew Was Gone — Me Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Afripods: ChangedOvernite Substack & Medium: ChangedOvernite #Enough #StopBullying #BullyingAwareness #Resilience #Courage #MotherhoodJourney #HealingTogether #ChangedOvernite #StorytellingForChange #YouAreNotAlone #Integrity #StrengthInVulnerability #BullyingSurvivor #AthleteJourney #SouthAfricanVoices

    22 min
  6. Losing and finding my tribe

    12/12/2025

    Losing and finding my tribe

    Yesterday was one of those rare, quiet days. No treatments, no injections, no clinic visits. Just a slow walk with Pinky and the dogs, and by 3:30 I was back in my pajamas. My girls are scattered across the world, exhausted from exams and freezing in the snow. Kayla is at ‑8°C, Kitty at ‑1°C, and Kira at 8°C with snow predicted. It’s Kitty’s first time seeing snow, and she just cannot get warm. Today feels lighter — nails, occupational therapy, and the oxygen chamber. But underneath the small joys, there’s frustration. Memory gaps, forgetting words, stopping mid‑sentence to ask Shaun for help. Cutting food into tiny pieces because I’m scared I might choke. Living with these fears makes every day feel like a test. When I moved suburbs in 2019, it felt like my old friends let me go. The social loss hurt like physical pain. The Bluff was my first tribe — community, no judgment, belonging. But after trauma and two smash‑and‑grabs, we moved to Durban North. Life became safer, more convenient, but my tribe shifted. Instead of rebuilding, I poured myself into my daughters. Those early morning coffees after training became rituals of love and safety. No regrets. But now, with them overseas, the loneliness hits. I’ve been judged, excluded, called out for gym clothes and tattoos. But I learned: what you wear doesn’t define your value. Confidence is being true to yourself. Family has always been my anchor. They don’t judge. They don’t gossip. They just are. Even though the hurt of losing my old circle lingers, my focus now is reclaiming myself, reconnecting with Shaun, and cherishing those who have stood by me. Connection matters. Rituals anchor us. Family can be a tribe. Vulnerability is human. Love and loss often travel together. And when I look back, I don’t feel regret. I feel gratitude. 💙 🌐 Connect with me: Instagram: @jetaimeribbink | Facebook: Jet’aime Ribbink X (Twitter): @ChangedOvernite | YouTube: ChangedOvernite Podcast: When The Strongest Person I Knew Was Gone — Me 🎧 Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Afripods: ChangedOvernite Substack & Medium: ChangedOvernite #MedicalAidMadness #InvisibleIllness #PatientVoices #ChangedOvernite #AdvocacyMatters #HealthcareShouldCare #RealStoriesMatter #ChronicLife #SouthAfricaHealthcare #JetaimeRibbink #PodcastLife #MediumWriter #SubstackStories #FamilyIsTribe #ResilienceJourney #HealingOutLoud #ConnectionMatters #GratitudeAlways

    13 min
  7. When It All Changed: Moving On With Resilience

    12/11/2025

    When It All Changed: Moving On With Resilience

    ✨ Episode 13 is live! In this conversation, I open up about resilience, imperfect routines, and the reality of living through change. From crooked Christmas trees to time‑loop doctor visits, it’s raw, honest, and deeply human. 🎙️ Listen to When The Strongest Person I Knew Was Gone — Me on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Afripods, YouTube, Substack & Medium. 🌐 Connect with me: Instagram @jetaimeribbink | X ChangedOvernite | Facebook Jet’aime Ribbink | YouTube ChangedOvernite 💙 Support the journey: paypal.me/my/profile #ChangedOvernite #PodcastJourney #ResilienceInRoutine #RediscoveringJoy #HealingThroughWriting #AuthenticVoices #LifeTransitions #MotherhoodUnfolded #EverydayResilience #ImperfectlyBeautiful

    16 min
  8. Collapse Isn’t Weakness

    12/10/2025

    Collapse Isn’t Weakness

    In today’s podcast you’ll hear the vacuum in the background, Inanda barking — real life, unfiltered. Hi, my name is Jetaime. Once an IFBB athlete, a former Warrior Elite winner, OCR World Champion in my age group in the USA, and a provincial powerlifter. Someone recently reminded me I even did the Bear Grylls race in the UK — I had completely forgotten about that. I was also a busy mom of three junior elite triathletes, now studying as student athletes in the USA. I thrived on being busy, on organisation, on control. Until my body and mind just unexpectedly decided to take a break. No warning. No time to prepare. And with it came life‑altering changes. 🎙️ This is my 12th podcast: When the strongest person I knew was gone – Me: Collapse isn’t weakness. Don’t expect perfect words or perfect sentences. Don’t expect perfect at all. It’s imperfect, like my life. Yesterday’s treatment was brutal — targeted brain laser and drip. Twice I had to ask Kami to slow it down as my throat and chest tightened, nausea and heart palpitations hit, and extreme fatigue followed. By 2:45 p.m. I was in my pj’s, asleep before 8:30 p.m., waking three times through the night. At 1:30 a.m. I washed dishes, later neatened the lounge, and by 4:15 a.m. I was taking painkillers for a monster headache. Yet here I am, up and getting ready for the day. Today marks my last psychologist appointment of the year. As much as I resisted it, Dr. Kirsten has been a blessing — steady, insightful, and patient — helping me navigate my ever‑evolving, constantly changing life. 💙 Collapse isn’t weakness. My body finally had permission to let go.🌐 Connect with me: Instagram: @jetaimeribbink Facebook: Jet’aime Ribbink X: ChangedOvernite YouTube: ChangedOvernite Podcast: ChangedOvernite (Apple / Spotify / Afripods) Substack & Medium: ChangedOvernite #ChangedOvernite #PodcastJourney #Resilience #HealingJourney #CollapseIsntWeakness #MentalHealthAwareness #Identity #GriefAndGrowth #LettingGo #Transformation #Authenticity #Storytelling

    8 min
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About

A raw and honest journey through resilience, loss, and rediscovery. In When the Strongest Person I Knew Was Gone — Me, Jetaime Ribbink rI share my personal story of navigating sudden illness, identity shifts, and the search for meaning. Listeners will love my vulnerability, strength, and hope woven into each episode — a reminder that even in struggle, connection and small steps forward matter. Support the show: https://paypal.me/ChangedOvernite

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