The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low

Serena Low, Introvert Coach for Quiet Achievers and Quiet Warriors
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  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Biweekly

Are you an introvert who is tired of hearing that you're too quiet, need to speak up more, or that you lack executive presence and are not ready for promotion? Your host is Serena Low, and her life’s purpose is to help quiet achievers become Quiet Warriors who can speak - lead - and act decisively when called upon, without changing the essence of who you are. As a trauma-informed introvert coach, certified Root-Cause Therapy practitioner, certified Social + Emotional Intelligence Coach, and author of the Amazon Bestseller, The Hero Within: Reinvent Your Life One New Chapter at a Time, Serena is passionate about helping introverts and quiet achievers minimise:- imposter syndrome, - overthinking, - perfectionism, - low self-worth, - people pleasing,- fear of public speaking,  and other common introvert challenges. Tune in every week for practical tips and inspirational stories about how to thrive as an introvert in a noisy and overstimulating world.

  1. 4d ago

    152. The Skills That School Never Taught Quiet Achievers (Rob Heller)

    There is a particular kind of dread that shows up around a first performance review, a first networking event, a first job where nobody hands you a manual. For introverted professional women who spent years being praised for grades and credentials, the workplace often demands a different currency entirely — people skills, self-advocacy, the ability to connect without performing extroversion. Nobody taught this. It was never on the syllabus. That is the gap Rob Heller has spent two decades trying to close. After a 40-year business career and selling his insurance firm for eight figures to a publicly held company, Heller founded the Boost Program — a curriculum built around what he calls the three legs of the stool: people skills, character, and a healthy mindset. In this conversation, Heller and Serena Low talk about why 85 percent of what employers say they want is soft skills nobody is systematically teaching, why phone and social media use functions like a genuine addiction for the 14-24 age group, and why introverts do not need to become extroverts to master connection — they simply need the skills nobody gave them the language for. Questions Answered Why do young people leave school without the people skills employers say matter most?What are the three "legs of the stool" in Rob Heller's Boost Program?Is phone and social media use actually an addiction, and how does the Boost Program address it?Can introverts build strong people skills without becoming extroverts?Why did Rob Heller create Boost after selling his insurance company for eight figures?What role do parents play in reinforcing the skills their teens learn in a program like Boost?What is a growth mindset and why does it matter for connection and resilience?How does the attention economy affect teens' ability to build real relationships?Key Takeaways The gap between "employable" and "prepared" is wider than most parents realize. Heller names it directly: employers report that 85 percent of what they are hiring for is soft skills, yet schools spend nowhere close to that proportion of time teaching them. The dissonance between what a transcript proves and what a workplace actually requires is the quiet crisis sitting underneath a lot of early-career anxiety.Naming an addiction as an addiction, without shame, changes how people respond to it. Heller does not lecture teens about willpower. He walks them through how deliberately phones and algorithms are engineered to keep them hooked, and he includes himself in that struggle rather than standing above it — a move that turns a shame-based topic into a shared, workable problem.Social media's distortion is not a discipline problem — it is a highlight-reel problem. Heller's framing that social feeds show only the equivalent of a basketball player's best dunks, never the misses, gives language to something many quiet achievers already feel: the comparison trap is not a personal failing, it is a design flaw in what gets shown.Introversion is not the obstacle to connection — it is a different route to it. Heller is explicit that his students do not need to become the loudest person in the room. Curiosity about the other person, active listening, and small consistent behaviors build connection just as effectively, without requiring anyone to perform a personality that is not theirs.A growth mindset reframes struggle from evidence of inadequacy into evidence of growth. For the perfectionist, quiet achiever who assumes discomfort means something has gone wrong, Heller's reminder that discomfort is a normal, necessary part of developing any skill offers a genuinely different relationship to struggle.Chapters 00:00 — Introducing Rob Heller: entrepreneur, youth development innovator, founder of the Boost Program00:56 — From an eight-figure insurance exit to noticing the skills gap at home04:32 — Why Boost went on hold for fifteen years, and what brought it back during the pandemic06:03 — The three legs of the stool: people skills, character, and a healthy mindset08:15 — Why Boost focuses on ages 14 to 24, and the neuroscience behind that window09:59 — "The Missing Course": why schools teach math and science but not the skills that determine a life11:41 — Soft skills aren't soft: why leadership, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence are actually hard15:04 — You don't have to be an extrovert: introverts, effectiveness, and connection15:36 — Naming the phone and social media addiction without shame20:01 — How Boost spreads: schools, workforce development, and building a peer community for organizations22:10 — What engagement looks like when a program actually lands with teens23:32 — Parents as the head coach, Boost as the assistant coach25:39 — Rob's message to introverted listeners: you don't have to change who you are to build these skills27:05 — Wired to connect: why relationships, not achievement, predict a good life27:35 — Growth mindset as the third pillar of a healthy mindAbout the Guest Rob Heller is an entrepreneur, youth development innovator, and founder of the Boost Program, a curriculum built to teach teens and young adults the people skills, character development, and mental health tools that traditional education often leaves out. After a 40-year business career, including selling his insurance firm for eight figures to a publicly held company, Heller returned to the program he first started twenty years earlier as a parent trying to give his own children a skill set no school course offered. He is the author of The Missing Course for Today's Youth: 26 Skills That Matter — How The Boost Program Fills The Gap. https://boostprogram.com/ Follow the Podcast If this conversation resonated, leave a review to help other introverts find The Quiet Warrior Podcast. Work with Serena Are you at a career crossroads?  Before deciding if your next career move is stay/go, take the SEEN Career Clarity Diagnostic. 4 questions to help you reflect on where your career holds up in relation to Safety - Energy - Ethos - Need: the four pillars of a sustainable career for introverts. Once you have completed the diagnostic, you will be invited to book a Clarity Consultation, during which I will share what I've observed and your options for moving forward. Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

  2. Sep 6

    151. Inside The Cage: Mia Hanks On Surviving Covert Narcissistic Abuse

    For twenty-nine years, Mia Hanks believed that if she just held on a little longer, things would eventually get better. They never did. Behind a marriage that looked, to the outside world, like a life with a charming, generous man was a quieter reality: a husband who grew angry when she was sick, controlled every dollar she touched, and slowly convinced her that she was the one who was too sensitive, too much, too wrong. That is covert narcissism, and Mia Hanks understands its texture better than most. A survivor of narcissistic abuse and author of the memoir Bridesmaid, Hanks joins the Quiet Warrior Podcast to describe what nearly three decades inside that marriage actually looked like, and why understanding the difference between covert and overt narcissism, financial abuse, and the isolating effects of a smear campaign can help someone still inside a relationship like hers recognize the door long before they walk through it. Questions Answered What is covert narcissism, and how is it different from overt narcissism?Why do empaths and introverts often make easy targets for narcissistic abuse?What are the early warning signs of a covert narcissist?Why does it take so long, sometimes decades, to leave a narcissistic relationship?How does financial abuse keep survivors trapped in a marriage?What is narcissistic personality disorder, and is it a diagnosable condition?How does a smear campaign work once a survivor leaves, and why do mutual friends often side with the narcissist?How can someone begin planning a safe financial exit from a relationship with a narcissist?Key Takeaways The quiet strangeness of being met with anger instead of care whenever she was sick, and how that one small, repeated moment was an early sign of a much larger patternThe relief of finally being validated by a therapist after twenty-eight years of believing she was the problemThe specific ache of watching mutual friends side with the person who caused harm, and the slow realization that those friendships were never truly hers to loseRecognizing that the cage door had never been locked, and why that truth did not make leaving any easierThe quiet, practical courage of setting aside small amounts of cash at the grocery store, one of the first steps toward an eventual exitUnderstanding narcissism as a pattern that worsens with age rather than one that resolves itself with time, patience, or the next phase of lifeChapters (approx.) 00:00 — Introducing Mia Hanks and her story00:19 — Where Mia sits on the introversion-extroversion spectrum01:29 — What narcissism actually is, and why empaths make easy targets03:03 — Covert versus overt narcissism: why the covert type is harder to spot04:05 — The first red flags, and why they were easy to explain away06:28 — The turning point: declining health and a therapist's validation09:25 — How family support made a difference10:23 — Why it took twenty-nine years to leave13:23 — Financial control and financial abuse inside the marriage14:22 — How the children experienced the marriage15:37 — The smear campaign, and losing mutual friends after the divorce19:41 — The cage metaphor: why an unlocked door isn't the same as an open one22:06 — Writing Bridesmaid: filling the gap left by clinical, academic accounts23:40 — What she wishes her younger self had known24:26 — Advice for anyone currently in a relationship with a narcissist25:39 — Planning a financial exit, one small step at a time26:50 — Where to find Mia Hanks and her booksAbout Mia Hanks Mia Hanks is a survivor of narcissistic abuse and the author of the memoir Bridesmaid, which shares a first-hand account of life inside a marriage to a covert narcissist. In April, she released a follow-up memoir chronicling her healing journey. Both books are available in paperback and e-book through her website, miajhanks.com, where listeners can also find links to purchase on Amazon. Help Us Grow  If today's conversation with Mia resonated, leave a 5-star review on your podcasting app and share the episode with an introvert you know. Your reviews help more introverts grow into Quiet Warriors. Work with Serena Before deciding if your next career move is stay/go, take the SEEN Career Clarity Diagnostic. The diagnostic helps you reflect on where your career sits in relation to the four pillars of sustainability for introverts: Safety - Energy - Ethos - Need. Once you have completed the diagnostic, you will be invited to book a Clarity Consultation, during which I will share what I've observed from your responses and your options for moving forward. Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

  3. Aug 30

    150. Letting Go of Control: How an INFJ Conductor Healed Generational Trauma (Joel Bein)

    Joel Bein still remembers the exact feeling of trying to control something he could never control: standing in front of an orchestra, arms raised, believing the gesture had to look right rather than simply be true in the moment. Letting go of that grip, he says, was the same letting go he later had to learn in his own healing work.  In this episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, host Serena Low talks with Joel Bein, founder of Human Liberation and host of The Joel Bein Show, about being an INFJ in leadership, the concept of psychological visibility, and the belief-clearing method he uses to free entrepreneurs from stress, self-doubt, and generational trauma passed down through childhood conditioning. Questions Answered What is psychological visibility and why do introverts crave it?What is the Human Liberation belief-clearing method?How do childhood beliefs create adult anxiety, imposter syndrome, and money stress?Why does letting go of control reduce anxiety and perfectionism?How does generational trauma pass from parent to child?How does internal family systems (IFS) work relate to clearing limiting beliefs? Key Takeaways The relief in realizing you are only truly "seen" by people who know your core values, not just your presenceThe chest-tightening recognition that a parent's frustration at a child's "no" is often an old, unprocessed wound resurfacingThe freeing moment of discovering a belief like "money is hard" or "I'm not enough" was never proven by real experience, only assumedThe quiet that settles in once a limiting belief is fully released, described as the noise in the head dropping close to zero Chapters (Approx.) 00:00 — Introduction: introverted entrepreneurs and belief clearing 00:29 — Joel's place on the introversion-extroversion spectrum, being INFJ 04:06 — What psychological visibility means and where it comes from 10:02 — Classical music as an outlet for unprocessed emotion 16:51 — Letting go of control as a conductor, and in life 20:54 — Childhood hypervigilance, safety, and reading the room 27:01 — Generational trauma and the beliefs parents pass to children 36:05 — Inside the Human Liberation belief-clearing method 44:27 — Where to find Joel and closing thoughts About Joel Bein Joel Bein is the founder of Human Liberation and host of The Joel Bein Show, where he explores new paradigms for personal growth, child-rearing, and a more voluntary, flourishing humanity. He works with entrepreneurs to permanently clear the subconscious limiting beliefs beneath stress, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome.  Learn more at https://thehumanliberation.co. About The Quiet Warrior Podcast The Quiet Warrior Podcast is a show for introverted professional women navigating visibility, leadership, and career and personal growth. If this episode resonated, please rate and review the show on your listening app. Your support helps more quiet achievers become Quiet Warriors. Work with Serena Host Serena Low is a trauma-informed coach who guides introverted high-achieving professional women to understand what’s keeping them stuck, so they can make their next career move from clarity – not confusion. https://serenalow.com.au Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

  4. Aug 23

    149. Harnessing Courage: How Laura Bratton Turned A Life Without Sight Into A Journey Of Grit and Gratitude

    At nine years old, Laura Bratton was told she would go blind. The diagnosis landed softly at first — the way impossibly hard truths sometimes do with children, held at a distance by the mercy of a young mind that couldn't yet process what was coming. The real reckoning came in eighth grade, when the sight loss accelerated and the grief hit with full force: panic attacks, debilitating depression, and the particular ache of becoming invisible to the people around her — not through cruelty, but through the silence of others who simply didn't know what to say. In this episode, Laura joins Serena Low on The Quiet Warrior Podcast to trace the path from that wilderness — through survival mode and years of deliberate inner work — to the grit and gratitude framework at the heart of her book, Harnessing Courage, and her organization, Ubi Global. What emerges is a conversation about confidence as something built rather than born, invisibility as something that happens not just to those with visible differences but to quiet achievers everywhere, and grief as a doorway — one that has to be walked through slowly, not bypassed on the way to the solution. This episode speaks directly to introverted professional women who have ever felt overlooked, underestimated, or afraid that their presence doesn't quite register. Questions Answered in This Episode What does it actually feel like to face a life-changing diagnosis — and when does the emotional reality finally land?Why do people ignore or sideline those who are different, and what is really at the root of that behavior?What is the simplest, most respectful thing you can say to someone whose experience you don't understand?How are fear of others and lack of self-confidence connected — and what does confident people's behavior look like in practice?Is confidence something you are born with, or something you build?What is the difference between grit and toxic positivity — and how do you practice gratitude without bypassing the pain?Why is healing not a destination, and what does it mean to recommit to a practice every single day?How do you begin to move through grief without skipping the part that actually gives you the strength to move forward?Key Takeaways Fear of the unknown, not indifference, is usually the reason people don't reach out. The root isn't that others don't care. It's that they are afraid of saying the wrong thing — so they say nothing. And the silence widens into distance.The simplest bridge is naming the discomfort out loud. Laura's friend said: "I don't know the best way to help you. Let me know what you need." That was enough. The conversation moved on. Genuine curiosity — asked in a tone of care, not interrogation — is the bridge most people never think to build.Confidence belongs to neither introverts nor extroverts — it belongs to anyone willing to build it. Laura is clear: confidence is not a personality type. It is a capacity. The people most willing to ask how to help, she has noticed, are the ones already comfortable in their own skin.Grit and gratitude are not traits you acquire and keep. They are a daily choice. Laura has practiced gratitude for 25 years and is still practicing. On the days she doesn't, she feels the difference. Recommitting every morning is not a sign of failing to heal. It is what healing looks like.Healing is not a destination. Releasing the idea of an arrival point — the day everything is finally better — is itself an act of healing. One good day at a time is not a consolation prize. It is the framework that takes the pressure off and makes the next step possible.Memorable Quote "I used to think of healing as a destination. It took me a long time to learn — it's about progress. It's about recommitting every single day. There's no end." — Laura Bratton  Episode Chapters aprox. 00:00 — Introduction: Laura Bratton, Harnessing Courage, and Ubi Global00:46 — The diagnosis at nine: why the reality didn't land until years later01:43 — High school, grief, depression, and survival mode02:18 — How sight loss affected studies and friendships — and what invisibility really felt like07:06 — Why this happens everywhere, not just in school07:27 — The root of the problem: fear of the unknown, not indifference09:01 — The simplest bridge: how to reach someone whose experience you don't understand10:41 — A real-world example: what Laura's friend said that made everything easy13:00 — The connection between self-confidence and willingness to show up for others14:07 — The introvert-extrovert conversation: where does Laura sit?15:48 — Is confidence innate or built? Laura's answer17:06 — Grit and gratitude: the two words that became the foundation of her healing18:59 — Why these aren't words you master once — they are a daily practice20:43 — Healing as a journey, not a destination21:25 — Recovery, one good day at a time23:03 — What to do when you are in the middle of grief or major transition25:06 — How to find Laura and her bookAbout Laura Bratton Laura Bratton is the author of Harnessing Courage and the founder of Ubi Global, an organization dedicated to empowering people to overcome challenges and obstacles through grit and gratitude. Diagnosed with an eye disease at nine, Laura navigated the traumatic transition to full blindness through her teen years and has spent the years since turning that experience into a framework for resilience that she shares through speaking and coaching worldwide. Connect with Laura and find her book at laurabratton.com. About The Quiet Warrior Podcast The Quiet Warrior Podcast is a show for introverted professionals navigating visibility challenges and what leadership looks like when you’re quiet by nature. If this episode resonated, please rate and review the show on your listening app. Your support helps more introverts become Quiet Warriors. Work with Serena Host Serena Low is a trauma-informed coach and former lawyer who brings lived wisdom to every conversation, meeting quiet women leaders at the edge of their career crossroads, and guiding them towards clarity and congruence. Book a Diagnostic Call with Serena to determine what's preventing you from making a decision: https://calendly.com/careerchangeconfidence/connect Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

  5. Aug 16

    148. Can Hypnotherapy Heal Childhood Trauma, Anxiety & Limiting Beliefs? | Craig Meriwether

    Can hypnotherapy help heal childhood trauma? Does it work for anxiety? Can it change your personality—or simply help you understand yourself more deeply? In this episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, Serena Low speaks with clinical hypnotherapist Craig Meriwether about the science, misconceptions and practical applications of hypnotherapy. Craig explains how subconscious beliefs formed in childhood can continue influencing confidence, relationships, anxiety and emotional wellbeing long into adulthood. He also addresses common myths about hypnosis, including whether people lose control, whether everyone can be hypnotised and how hypnotherapy differs from stage hypnosis. If you've ever felt intellectually aware of your patterns but unable to change them, this conversation explores why lasting change often happens beneath conscious awareness. Questions Answered in This Episode What is clinical hypnotherapy?How does hypnotherapy work?Can hypnotherapy help anxiety?Can hypnotherapy help childhood trauma?Does hypnotherapy change your personality?Is hypnotherapy safe?Can hypnotherapy help introverts?What is the difference between hypnosis and stage hypnosis?Why do subconscious beliefs affect adult behaviour?How many hypnotherapy sessions do most people need? Key Takeaways Hypnotherapy is a collaborative process—not mind control.The subconscious mind often develops protective strategies during childhood that continue into adulthood.Anxiety and fear can be viewed as protective responses rather than personal flaws.Healing often involves updating subconscious beliefs that no longer serve us.Trust, safety and client autonomy are essential components of effective hypnotherapy.Chapters (approx) 00:00 Introduction to Craig Meriwether 02:15 Craig's journey through anxiety and depression 06:30 What hypnotherapy actually is 12:30 Myths about hypnosis and stage hypnosis 18:00 Can everyone be hypnotised? 27:00 Conscious vs subconscious mind 33:00 Why childhood experiences shape adult behaviour 36:30 Can hypnotherapy help introverts and social anxiety? 42:00 Serena's biggest insights from the conversation About Craig Meriwether Craig Meriwether is a clinical hypnotherapist who helps people work through anxiety, trauma, confidence issues and subconscious patterns that may be preventing them from living the life they want. Connect with Craig https://releasethepast.com  About The Quiet Warrior Podcast The Quiet Warrior Podcast is a show for introverted professionals navigating visibility challenges and what leadership looks like when you’re quiet by nature. If this episode resonated, please rate and review the show on your listening app. Your support helps more introverts become Quiet Warriors. Work with Serena Host Serena Low is a trauma-informed coach and former lawyer who brings lived experience to every conversation, meeting quiet women leaders at the edge of The Transition and guiding them towards clarity and congruence. Book a paid Diagnostic Call with Serena to determine if your next career move is stay/go: https://calendly.com/serenalow/diagnostic-call Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

  6. Aug 9

    147. The Game of Ten — Steve Barton on Letting Go, Compassionate Detachment, and How to Stop Chasing Perfection

    There is a particular grief that comes with outgrowing the people who once matched your pace, and no one tells you it is allowed to hurt and be right at the same time. In this conversation, Serena Low sits down with executive coach and author Steve Barton, creator of the Game of Ten framework, to explore what happens when old friendships fall away, old certainties dissolve, and the question underneath it resurfaces — am I enough as I am, right now, before I fix any thing? Barton, who built a family flower business from $200,000 to $2 million before a mental health awakening changed the course of his life, shares the concept of compassionate detachment (which he calls Tenkaré) as a way to care fully without absorbing other people's pain, and explains why chasing perfection is, in his words, a cat chasing its own tail. This is a conversation for the reader still in the messy middle of becoming who they already are. Questions Answered What is the Game of Ten framework and what does it mean to "already be a 10"?What is compassionate detachment, and why did Steve Barton coin the word Tenkaré?Why do friendships and relationships fall away during a period of personal growth?What is the difference between letting go of a person and letting go of a thought about that person?Are introversion and extroversion fixed traits, or learned responses to early conditioning?Why does the chase for perfection never resolve?How can helpers, coaches, and therapists avoid taking on other people's pain as their own?Key Takeaways Outgrowing someone you love does not make you disloyal. It means you grew, and the grief that comes with that is allowed to exist without being fixed.Regrets and mistakes are not identity. The exhausting work of trying to earn approval assumes the two are the same thing - they never were.Compassionate detachment is not coldness. It is the boundary that lets a coach, therapist, or caregiver keep showing up without absorbing what was never theirs to carry.Introversion and extroversion were shaped early, in what got praised and what got silenced as a child; they are not fixed at birth.Letting go is not about the person, the place, or what happened. It is about releasing the thoughts still looping about them, and doing it for yourself, not for their apology.Perfectionism has no finish line because there was never a race. Chapters (approx.) 00:00 — Welcome and introduction to Steve Barton01:20 — From the family flower shop to a $2 million business04:14 — The awakening: therapy, mental health, and what changed09:05 — When growth means people fall away09:54 — The train analogy: still on board as people come and go12:41 — Introducing the Game of Ten: you are the carrot, not the stick14:59 — Why we're afraid to be loved, and how thoughts became identity21:59 — Surrender and the hardest, most freeing thing: being yourself24:26 — Introversion, extroversion, and how personality gets conditioned27:16 — Compassionate detachment and the birth of "Tenkaré"33:19 — Skill versus identity: why perfectionism never ends36:37 — Awareness as the key that unlocks the chains37:04 — Where to find Steve: website, book, and LinkedIn39:31 — Closing thoughtsAbout Steve Barton Steve Barton is an executive coach, author, and creator of the Game of Ten, an awareness-based framework that helps leaders operate with greater clarity, confidence, and performance. He brings over 47 years of real-world business experience, having grown a company from $200,000 to $2 million in annual revenue. His work blends practical business strategy with a deep understanding of human awareness, decision-making, and emotional intelligence. Steve is co-author of The Father, the Son, and the Aha Moment and is currently writing his next book on the mindset, emotional clarity, and inner alignment needed to succeed in both business and life. If this conversation resonated with you and you want to learn more about reducing or ridding yourself of fear, self-doubt, guilt and shame and to learn more about The Game of Ten, schedule a Discovery Call with Steve at www.stevebartoncoaching.com. About The Quiet Warrior Podcast The Quiet Warrior Podcast is a show for introverted professional women navigating visibility, leadership, and career and personal growth. If this episode resonated, please rate and review the show on your listening app. Your support helps more introverts become Quiet Warriors. Work with Serena Host Serena Low is a trauma-informed coach and former lawyer who brings lived experience to every conversation, meeting listeners at the edge of The Transition and guiding them towards clarity and congruence. Book a paid Diagnostic Call with Serena to determine if your next career move is stay/go: https://calendly.com/serenalow/diagnostic-call Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

  7. Jul 26

    146. Letting Go of the Stone You Didn't Bring: A Pilgrimage Through Grief, Loss, and Transition (Alexander Ee)

    There is a particular kind of stiffness that comes from believing your intellect is the only thing that will get you through. You put forward the version of yourself that has the answers, the version that never lets the mask slip, because somewhere along the way you learned that being seen as capable was the same thing as being safe. Then life takes the choice out of your hands. A cancer diagnosis. A five-year survival window. A 925-kilometer walk across France and Spain with nothing but a change of clothes and a set of questions you thought you had already answered. This week's guest is Alexander Ee, a former lawyer, management consultant, and corporate real estate executive who left a decades-long career in the boardroom to walk the Camino de Santiago after losing his wife, Regina, to cancer. What began as an attempt to outrun grief became something closer to a reckoning: with the mask of competence he had worn since childhood, with what it means to let people see him without it, and with a small stone he almost didn't pick up. Alexander shares the story behind his book, A Glimpse of Heaven, and what quiet courage actually looks like when the applause isn't the point. Questions Answered in This Episode What is the Camino de Santiago, and why do people walk it after loss?How do you know when you're performing competence instead of being yourself?What does the "stone tradition" at Cruz de Ferro mean, and why is it hard to let go?How does faith help someone process grief and rebuild a sense of purpose?Why do quiet, retiring people sometimes step forward when it matters most?What can someone navigating grief or a major life transition take away from this story?Key Takeaways The exhaustion of always having to look like you have the answers, and the relief of finally letting that goRealizing that the friends who saw every flaw were the ones who made you feel most acceptedThe strange, almost physical weight of carrying something you haven't admitted you need to releaseDiscovering that purpose doesn't arrive as a plan, it arrives as a talent you're willing to lend to someone elseWatching a quiet, retiring friend step into the spotlight exactly when the moment called for it, and realizing that same courage lives in all of usLearning to take grief one day at a time, rather than trying to picture an entire life without the person in itNotable Quote "You can command your fingers to open, and then they don't." Chapter Approximate Timestamps  00:00 – Introduction to Alexander Ee 00:53 – From law to consulting to corporate real estate 02:08 – His wife Regina's cancer diagnosis and the decision to stay home 04:48 – Rediscovering faith through prayer and humility 08:27 – What really inspired the Camino de Santiago 11:34 – Dropping the mask: discovering he was "quite likable" 19:51 – The stone he almost didn't bring, and letting go at Cruz de Ferro 26:05 – How grief still resurfaces, and where he finds comfort 28:19 – Finding purpose through talents used for others 31:09 – Money, achievement, and mistaking identity for what doesn't last 36:23 – Turning an annual pilgrimage into a fundraiser 37:15 – Community, quiet courage, and the ethos of the Quiet Warrior 39:33 – The friend who stepped up when it mattered 42:12 – A message for anyone navigating grief or transition 43:34 – Alex’s book, A Glimpse of Heaven: Grief, Self and Community on the Camino About the Guest Alexander Ee is a former lawyer, management consultant, and corporate real estate executive based in Singapore. After the passing of his wife, Regina, he walked the 925-kilometer Camino de Santiago, an experience that led him to write A Glimpse of Heaven: Grief, Self and Community on the Camino, currently available in bookstores in Singapore. He has since completed the pilgrimage three times and now works for a Singapore charity, with this year's walk serving as a fundraiser. About the Host Serena Low I'm Serena Low, former lawyer turned Root-Cause Coach, and I work with professional women on one question: should you stay and rebuild, or leave on your own terms. It starts with one Diagnostic Call, where we get underneath the stress to what's actually driving it — the root cause beneath the symptoms. Book your call HERE. Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your listening app to let us know what you enjoyed. Share this episode with someone who’s walking through grief and transition. Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

  8. Jul 19

    145. How an Introvert Built a Sustainable Business Around Books, Conversation, and Women’s Financial Literacy (Jennifer Kornoely)

    Jennifer Kornoely didn't choose to leave corporate. The choice was made for her. She was meeting every goal, delivering every metric — and her manager let her go anyway. Because he could. A single mum with no severance, no safety net, and suddenly no income. What she did next wasn't a triumphant pivot. It was a survival decision that slowly became something she chose. In this episode, Jennifer shares how she went from real estate photographer who didn't know what she didn't know, to the founder of She Reads She Leads — an online book club and community for women who are done waiting for someone to hand them the financial and business knowledge they were never taught. This conversation is for you if you've ever wondered: why does everyone else seem to know how this works — and why didn't anyone tell me? What We Talk About The moment everything was taken away  Jennifer was performing well. She was hitting all her numbers. And she was still let go — because a man didn't like her and had the power to act on it. She talks honestly about what it feels like when your income, your health insurance, and your professional identity disappear overnight — and why this story is far more common than women are willing to admit. What you don't know until you start  Photography was the skill. But pricing, client contracts, pitching a major brokerage, knowing which clients to avoid — none of that came with the camera. Jennifer names the invisible gap between being brilliant at your craft and actually running a business. It's not a confidence gap. It's a knowledge gap. And no one hands you the curriculum. How audiobooks in empty houses changed everything  Doing solo real estate photography means hours of silence. Jennifer started filling that silence with personal finance audiobooks. Ideas took root. Conversations shifted. She started asking better questions of the women around her — and realizing she wasn't the only one hungry for this. Why women need community — not just mentors  There's a difference between learning from someone and learning with someone. Jennifer found that the real breakthroughs in her community happened not in the expert-to-student moments, but in the Zoom calls where a woman said I feel like I'm behind — and three other women immediately said you're not. Here's what I did. Building a community as an introvert  Jennifer didn't want to be center stage. She didn't want to be pitching to ten people a day. So she built something that fits who she actually is: smaller groups, intentional relationships, facilitated conversation rather than performance. She talks about the 30 seconds of discomfort at a networking event that leads to a one-on-one — and why that's a strategy, not just a consolation prize. Women as multipliers  When Jennifer says women don't just grow what they're given — they multiply it — she means it practically. Better investors. Better savers. Better negotiators. And yet: messaged from scarcity instead of abundance. Told to clip coupons while men are told to dominate markets. This conversation names that gap directly. Why entrepreneurial thinking belongs to everyone — even if you love your job  Jennifer makes a case that hits differently in this job market: don't wait until you need these skills to build them. If you lost your income tomorrow, would you know how to replace it? The answer to that question is worth sitting with. Three Starter Books for Women and Money Jennifer recommends these three books as the foundation - read all three before moving to investing or business finance. The Financial Feminist — Tori Dunlap On gender inequality in money, and why financial messaging has always been different for women. Rich AF — Vivian Tu On evolving from financial basics into wealth-building — from someone who spent years watching how high-net-worth people actually think and operate. Get Good with Money — Tiffany Aliche On budgeting and tracking with intention, not shame. Because you can't improve what you don't understand. All three are written by millennial women, all three are active on social media, and all three make this knowledge accessible in a way the previous generation of finance advice never did. Connect with Jennifer She Reads She Leads Download Jennifer's free resource: the three best books across six business categories — personal finance, wealth building, networking, outsourcing, and more. Join the She Reads She Leads Book Club for ongoing conversation between monthly Zoom sessions. Work with Serena Low I work with quiet women leaders in loud corporate spaces that reward extroversion. For trauma-informed guidance on how to be visible and get the recognition you deserve without depleting or draining yourself, visitserenalow.com.au. Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your listening app so more introverts can find The Quiet Warrior Podcast. Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

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About

Are you an introvert who is tired of hearing that you're too quiet, need to speak up more, or that you lack executive presence and are not ready for promotion? Your host is Serena Low, and her life’s purpose is to help quiet achievers become Quiet Warriors who can speak - lead - and act decisively when called upon, without changing the essence of who you are. As a trauma-informed introvert coach, certified Root-Cause Therapy practitioner, certified Social + Emotional Intelligence Coach, and author of the Amazon Bestseller, The Hero Within: Reinvent Your Life One New Chapter at a Time, Serena is passionate about helping introverts and quiet achievers minimise:- imposter syndrome, - overthinking, - perfectionism, - low self-worth, - people pleasing,- fear of public speaking,  and other common introvert challenges. Tune in every week for practical tips and inspirational stories about how to thrive as an introvert in a noisy and overstimulating world.

Information

  • Creator
    Serena Low, Introvert Coach for Quiet Achievers and Quiet Warriors
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    153
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low
  • Show Website
    The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low

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