Your Life Unbounded

Gloria Julien
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Helping overthinkers make decisions using coaching, engineering, and design thinking. Leave with tools that you implement right away.

  1. Aug 14

    Ep #7: Why You Keep Comparing Your Career to Everyone Else's

    You drop your kid off at a new camp, feeling good about the decision. Then a text from another parent makes you question everything. In this episode, Gloria breaks down why analytical thinkers and high achievers get stuck comparing their life choices to everyone else's, even after hitting every milestone on the list. She traces the pattern back to her own life, copying her sisters into flute, hurdles, and eventually engineering, and explains why gratitude journals and meditation never fixed the real problem. Then she hands you a framework: how to turn any "maybe I should do that too" into a small, testable experiment you can run in under 30 minutes, so you build real self-confidence instead of borrowing someone else's blueprint. Key Takeaways Why comparison feels safe even after it stops working for youThe real reason self-help fixes like journaling and meditation don't solve comparisonA 2-step experiment you can run this week to test any "maybe I should" impulseHow self-confidence actually gets built (hint: it's not a feeling you wait for) Resources Join the free NJ Career and Life Decision Lab meetup every Wednesday at 12:30 PM ET. We'll unpack this episode with the community (that's you!) Open to anyone, anywhere. Register here. Support one another: Send this episode to one person who needs permission to lead the life they way. Or, bring them as your guest to the Meetup! Thank you. Follow me Instagram: @gloriajuliencoaching LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gloriajulien Website: https://www.gloriajulien.com

  2. Aug 6

    Ep #6: Imposter Syndrome at Work: How a Whiteboard Pun Helped Me Get Out of My Own Way

    For 8 years, I pivoted roles, changed teams, and climbed the ladder in engineering. None of it touched the imposter syndrome, loneliness, and depression I felt every single Monday. The job was never the problem. In this episode of Your Life Unbounded, I get specific about the years of career moves that didn't fix how disconnected I felt at work. And the one small, low stakes choice that finally did: a $0 souvenir mouse pad, followed by a weekly pun on a whiteboard outside my cubicle. What you'll learn in this episode: Why changing jobs or titles doesn't fix imposter syndrome rooted in self-suppressionThe design thinking question that turns "what's wrong with my job" into "what do I actually control"How one small object became the first domino in getting my personality back at workWhy small actions mattered more than big career pivotsThe aesthetics of joy concept behind my cubicle redesign, and the book that sparked it Try this micro-action this week: find one object for your desk that's genuinely just for you. Not for coworkers. Not for approval. One object, no audience but you. Mentioned in this episode: Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, by Ingrid Fetell Lee. https://aestheticsofjoy.com/the-book/ Go deeper: join the free NJ Career and Life Decision Lab meetup, Wednesday, August 12 at 12:30 PM ET. We'll unpack the 10 Aesthetics of Joy and what they mean for your work life. Open to anyone, anywhere. Register here. If this episode gave you language for something you've been feeling, send it to one person who needs permission to take up a little more space at work. Bring them as your guest.

  3. Jul 30

    Ep #5: That Time I Learned About Sunk Cost Fallacy from a Paper Science Course

    Have you ever found yourself doubling down on a direction simply because you’ve already invested time, money, or energy into it—even when every signal in your body is screaming system failure? In this episode of Your Life Unbounded, host Gloria Julien (Life & Career Design Coach and ex-mechanical engineer) shares a candid story from her junior year of college. Driven by an underlying insecurity about her engineering major and a nostalgic childhood love for paper craft, Gloria signed up for a paper science elective without running a proper diagnostic. What followed was a semester-long battle against atomic formulas, uncomfortable auditorium seats, and steep hills—all maintained because of a sunk cost mindset and the fear of an inconvenient drop fee. Tune in to discover how to calculate the real ROI of your commitments and why cutting a bad investment early is often the smartest strategic move you can make. Key TakeawaysInsecurity Drives Misaligned Choices: How feeling uncertain about your core identity can lead you to rely on past nostalgic hobbies rather than strategic alignment.The Sunk Cost Optimization Trap: Why we mistake mental, physical, and financial investments (like buying the books or riding the bike up the hill) for reasons to stay.Friction vs. Flow: How ignoring initial gut signals turns a minor course correction into months of energetic drain.Calculating the Real Cost: Financial fees are explicit, but the invisible tax on your mental clarity, focus, and energy is often far more expensive.Episode Timestamps00:00 – Intro & The nostalgic pull toward paper science.01:00 – Peer comparisons in Junior year: Mechanical engineering niches vs. internal uncertainty.02:45 – The reality check: Biking up campus to an auditorium of atomic formulas.04:10 – Surviving Chemical Engineering with a little help from a generous friend.05:20 – The friction fees: Sunk cost fallacy, parent expectations, and out-of-state tuition.07:30 – Re-architecting the decision: What setting aside stubbornness would have unlocked.09:30 – The Life Design Prompt: What is the real cost of staying put?14:00 – Building an unbiased community for career decision-making & How to connect.Resources & Connect with GloriaWant to be a part of the "Messy Middle" community? Email Gloria: gloria@gloriajulien.com Subscribe: Follow Your Life Unbounded on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

  4. Jul 23

    Ep #4: From $2M Deals to $10K in Vases: De-Risking the Pivot with Jennifer Johnson (The Plant Place)

    What happens when your corporate operating system demands a high-stakes presentation from a hospital bed? For former industrial engineer Jennifer Johnson, it was a critical system alert. Rather than making a reckless leap, Jennifer treated her exit as a deliberate 8-year design process: 5 years of ideation, 2 years of systemic planning, and 1 year of physical execution to launch The Plant Place in New Jersey. Gloria Julien and Jennifer deconstruct the real variables of a major pivot: moving from a corporate salary to zero, solving health insurance logistics, placing a $10,000 bet on glass vases, and discovering why true fulfillment is about liking the person in the mirror. Key Design TakeawaysThe Hospital Bed System Alert: Pushing through burnout for corporate approval is an ROI calculation that never balances out.The 8-Year Timeline: Planning for years isn't "procrastination"—it's a sophisticated risk assessment for a safe transition.Skin in the Game ($10K in Vases): The mental threshold where data collection ends and tangible commitment begins.The Burnout Overhead: Exiting corporate life drastically lowers baseline operating expenses (commutes, wardrobe, stress spending).The Identity Dividend: Trading $2M deal closings for a child making a mini garden yields a better category of fulfillment.Timestamped Chapter Highlights[00:00] The Opening Hook — Delivering a presentation from a hospital bed.[01:15] Your Life Unbounded — Hesitation as a risk assessment masquerading as data.[03:12] Deconstructing the 8-Year Pivot — Engineering, medical marketing, and ideation.[05:30] Pressing the $10K Button — Moving from spreadsheets to an inventory order.[06:35] Corporate Variables — 401(k) allocations, 2–5 year profitability, and health insurance.[08:00] The Identity Dividend — Realizing "I like myself better" outside corporate metrics.[10:50] Recalibrating Lifestyle Costs — Living without the corporate burnout tax.[22:07] Overthinking Advice — Why "Never Say Never" breaks rigid expectations.Notable Quotes"They were going to forget tomorrow that I did this presentation from my hospital bed. That’s when the switch flipped. I realized I had to do this for my life." — Jennifer Johnson "Your hesitation isn't a lack of courage. It is a highly sophisticated risk assessment masquerading as data." — Gloria Julien "Closing a $2M corporate project doesn't touch the feeling of a Daisy Scout hugging your leg because she had a great time learning how to plant." — Jennifer Johnson Resources & LinksThe Plant Place: Visit the studio in NJ or check out workshops: plantplaceusa.comGloria Julien Coaching: Move strategically from career ambivalence to clear execution with Joy by Design: gloriajulien.comInstagram: @gloriajuliencoaching

  5. Jul 17

    Ep #3: The 4C Framework: How to Update Your Decision-Making Baseline for a Career Shift

    Stop trying to optimize your life like an engineering problem. Looking for a 100% career guarantee isn't strategic planning—it's just perfectionism keeping you paralyzed. In this episode, Gloria breaks down why smart, analytically minded professionals get trapped waiting for absolute certainty before making a career move, and what it actually takes to finally break free from decision paralysis and bet on yourself. You'll learn: Why your risk-assessment brain misinterprets career ambiguity as an active threat to your self-worth, rather than an experiment to exploreWhy "socially prescribed perfectionism" turns a standard career pivot into a terrifying identity crisisHow collecting endless advice from friends and colleagues is actually a subconscious tactic to deflect responsibility over making the choice yourselfHow to trade the impossible quest for a textbook guarantee for low-stakes, curiosity-driven experiments that build real confidenceHow to use the 4C Framework—Claim, Clear, Choose, Commit—to update your baseline and stop treating your life as something to be optimized If you've been waiting for more data, a perfect script, or a guarantee that your next move will succeed before you change directions — this one's for you. Work with Gloria: Learn more about Joy by Design, my signature coaching program designed for analytical minds who want to stop decision paralysis and commit to their next career direction: https://www.gloriajulien.com Follow Gloria Julien: Instagram: @gloriajuliencoaching Website: https://www.gloriajulien.com

  6. Jul 2

    Mini-sode: Maybe... Engineering's not for me?

    The conversation explores the struggle of a chronic overthinker in a STEM career, the discovery of true joy and identity outside of work, and the transition to entrepreneurship with confidence. Takeaways Finding joy outside of workTransitioning to entrepreneurship with confidence Chapters 00:00 The Struggle of a Chronic Overthinker

  7. Jun 30

    Ep #2: Your Pros and Cons List Is Lying to You with Amelia Noel

    Your pros and cons list isn't giving you the answer you think it is. It's just your fears, organized into bullet points. In this episode, Gloria sits down with executive coach Amelia Noel — who spent 15 years moving from journalism to advertising to consulting to investment banking before becoming a coach — to talk about why smart, analytical people get stuck in the messy middle of a career change, and what actually gets them unstuck. You'll learn: Why your pros and cons list reflects your fears and biases, not factsWhy your brain runs every "what if it goes wrong" scenario and almost never "what if it works out"How to trade one big question ("what do I want to do with my life?") for small, testable ones that actually build evidenceWhy a career change is always a viable option, no matter how long you've been in a roleWhy you're not the same person who made your last career decision — and why that means you're allowed to choose differently now If you've been waiting for more information, more certainty, or more time before you move — this one's for you. Connect with Amelia Noel: 🎯 Take the free 3-minute BFG Mindset Quiz to uncover which primary mindset is driving your stress, overwhelm, and overworking — and get customized tools to break free starting today: https://orka8dfenx8.typeform.com/BFGmindsetquiz?typeform-source=www.amelianoelcoaching.com 📞 Book a consult call to talk about enrolling in Breaking Free from the Grind, her program for accelerating your career without losing your sanity: https://amelianoelcoaching-scheduling.as.me/?appointmentType=18292940 🌐 Website: https://www.amelianoelcoaching.com/ 🎧 Listen to her podcast, Breaking Free from the Grind, every Friday at 9am EST: https://breakingfreefromthegrind.buzzsprout.com Follow Gloria Julien: Instagram: @gloriajuliencoaching Website: https://www.gloriajulien.com

  8. Jun 9

    Ep #1: The Only Poor Decision is Not Making One with Allison Task

    In this engaging interview, Allison shares her inspiring journey through multiple career pivots, emphasizing the importance of following your instincts, embracing creativity, and taking small, incremental steps toward change. Discover practical insights on networking, decision-making, and overcoming fear to unlock your true potential. keywords career pivots, creativity, networking, decision-making, personal growth, coaching, career change, small wins, intuition, professional development key topics Career pivots and reinvention The role of creativity in professional life Networking and building support systems Decision-making and trusting intuition The importance of small wins and incremental progress guest name Allison Task Titles From Food Network to Coaching: Allison Task's Journey of Reinvention The Power of Small Wins in Career Transitions sound bites "Small wins build confidence and momentum." "Trust your gut when making opportunities." "Incremental wins lead to big change." Chapters 00:00 The Journey of Career Pivots 10:03 Networking and Building Connections 20:14 Embracing Creativity and Vulnerability 30:14 Finding Clarity in Career Transitions resources Allison Task's Book: Personal Revolution, A Year Of Self Care Journal, Morning Motivation. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=allison+task&crid=2STNIEHZHB2AW&sprefix=allison+task%2Caps%2C138&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 Allison Task's Website - https://www.allisonfishman.com guest links Website - https://www.allisontask.com

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About

Helping overthinkers make decisions using coaching, engineering, and design thinking. Leave with tools that you implement right away.

Information

  • Creator
    Gloria Julien
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Gloria Julien
  • Show Website
    Your Life Unbounded