Life's Curveballs: Feeling Stuck? Let’s Find That Inspiration Again

Feeling drained, stuck, or like your spark’s gone dim? This episode is your reminder that inspiration isn’t a luxury—it’s a lifeline.

Host Teresa Baglietto shares a raw, uplifting message about finding motivation when life feels heavy and reconnecting to your inner fire. From personal burnout to rediscovering purpose, Teresa explores how movies, music, stories, and even quiet moments can reignite the strength we forget we have.

You’ll hear how Vindication Swim, the true story of the first British woman to cross the English Channel, became a mirror for resilience—and how we can all find that same fight within ourselves.

If you’ve been feeling off, uninspired, or stuck in survival mode, this is your spark to rise again.
 Because inspiration doesn’t fix what’s hard—it reminds you that you’re not done yet.

✨ Topics: motivation, inspiration, resilience, burnout recovery, self-growth, women’s empowerment, mindset, life purpose

Thank you for tuning in! I truly appreciate every one of you, whether you’re here for the first time or have been with me from the start.

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Transcript

0:38

Hi everyone, and welcome to the show. It feels like it has been a lifetime since I've been off camera. As a business owner and content creator, I am constantly in front of the camera and I'm just having one of those moments where. I need to be off camera. It just feels more relaxing. I'm not staring at myself as I'm trying to get a message across. I mean, look, we all spend hours glued to our screens, to our phones. Whether we're doomed scrolling through social media, we might be binge watching something really good on Netflix. Or Prime or Hulu or HBO or whatever your streaming service is. Or maybe you're just like me and you spend a lot of time recording behind the camera. So today I thought, you know what? Let's take a break from all of that, because there is something so powerful about just listening. Turning off all of our senses except for our ears. It pulls us inward. It helps us focus a little bit more.'cause you're not staring at me and looking at my hair and what I'm wearing, what kind of jewelry I have on. Maybe I have zero makeup on, which is very common for me. And you're wondering why. It just eliminates all that additional. Inner chatter that we all have when we're looking at somebody on camera. So you're not gonna find this episode on YouTube because I gave my camera the day off. But today, in all seriousness, we are gonna dive into something. That I think every one of us, no matter where we are in life, we need this from time to time. And that's inspiration. And I know that's why in Shock exists is to help inspire all of you. But there are days when we just feel off. You know what I mean? Those times when you wake up and you just feel different, you feel like there's this heaviness with you when everything feels harder and you just woke up, you're not yourself, and you can't quite explain. Why am I feeling off today? Why do I feel a little bit down? It's not weakness. It's a part of being human. We all feel that way at some point in time, and that's why I truly believe inspiration is not a luxury. It's a lifeline for some of us. It's what ignites us. It's what lights the torch that keeps us moving forward, especially when life feels hard. Life in general just has a way of wearing us down, doesn't it? Between work, family responsibilities, all the shit that might be going on in your life. It just may require something to reignite the spark to give you that inner light that you need. But here's the truth, no matter how dim it gets. Your light never fully goes out. Sometimes you just need oxygen. It needs a spark, it needs a story, a reminder that you are capable of so much more than you actually realize in those heavy moments. For some. They get their inspiration from watching someone else overcome the impossible. That's what my stories are all about. It might be a song that you're listening to. Do you ever tune in to some music? Maybe you start dancing in your house and you're like, oh my God, this is exactly what I needed to just let loose. Unwind and feel good and feel inspired. It could be a few words in that song that hit you just right at the right time. Inspiration doesn't erase your struggles. It doesn't fix the hard parts of your life, but it does remind you. That you're not done yet. That you're not alone. It says, Hey, you still have fight left in you, so believe it or not, I've been in a funk lately. I'm balancing two careers right now. The one that pays the bills. And this one, that fuels my dreams, gives me purpose, why I am here, and I am grateful for both. But some days, are exhausting. I work seven days a week into the nights, and I start my days somewhere around four or 5:00 AM Those of you who've been tuning in, you already know this about me, but if you're just listening, that's just a snapshot of what my life is like and the weight of building something new while keeping up with everything else can start to chip away at us. You may be doing the same thing I'm doing right now. There's so many of us out there that have side gigs because we're either looking to make additional income. Maybe you are trying to find your exit from corporate America, or maybe this is something that you're turning into a career. As your first career, but whatever it is, I know I need to reach for inspiration and I believe everybody does. So last night I had one of those moments, we went to see this movie, I think it just came out called Vindication Swim. It's fabulous, by the way, and I'll be honest, I walked out of that theater feeling something I hadn't felt in a while, completely lit up I could relate to everything that she experienced when she was trying to prove something. If you don't know what this is about, it's a true story of the first British woman to swim the English Channel back in 1927. She faces relentless freezing cold water. Absolute exhaustion, complete doubt in her mind, not only from others, but from within herself. We all experience those moments, right, where you're doubting yourself. You're not sure if you're doing the right thing or not. But you watch this girl push through it all, stroke after stroke in this long grueling battle with both the ocean and her own limits. So it's this physical and mental push that she has to light in herself to keep going. But what hit me the hardest wasn't the physical challenge. It was what she was swimming for vindication to prove something not to the world, but to herself. And we've all been there, right? That feeling that no matter what we've achieved, there's still something inside us whispering. You're not enough girl, you are not enough. And maybe that's where inspiration really begins. Not when we achieve the goal, but when we refuse to stop trying. I just got goosebumps saying that because there's days when someone tells you no. Which is exactly what happened to her when she was looking for somebody to fund and sponsor her. It gave her the fuel to keep going and to find somebody that would believe in her and help support her through this swim. I have had those moments in my life. When someone says no, you're like, okay, I'll show you. I am going to find the person that says. Yes, you can see this girl's exhaustion. You can see the doubt creep in, but you can also see her very quiet fire. The belief that somehow, some way she is going to swim. Across the English channel and it's not a short swim. I think it's over 300 miles. It took her 15 hours straight swimming to get across. Talk about determination. Her why was huge. It trumped everything. But that moment when she looks out across this stretch of ocean that you can't see the end, she keeps going anyway. That's the kind of strength I think we all have inside of us, but sometimes when we have those moments where we just don't feel like we have it in us, we need to be inspired. That's what this episode is about today. So maybe you're listening right now and you're thinking, you know what? That's great, but I don't feel inspired. Maybe you're tired, maybe you're burnt out and you're just trying to get through the day. Well, let me tell you people, that has been me for the past few weeks. I have been there. I'm living it with you. These are times in life. When we feel emotionally drained and that the idea of finding inspiration kind of feels impossible. But here's what I've learned. You cannot wait for inspiration to just show up at your door. You have got to seek it out. And when I feel and have felt lately, that heaviness set in that sense of being stuck, that sense of I have no motivation, I have no desire. I know it's time to fill my own cup again, and that might mean taking a walk by the ocean. Have you ever walked by the ocean and stared at the waves and the sun and the way that it sparkles off the water and suddenly everything that feels heavy in use starts to lift? The ocean can give you inspiration, but if you need something more than that, I recommend watching. Something powerful like the pursuit of happiness or hidden figures. These are incredibly inspiring movies that will give you that light, that fire that you're looking for. It could also mean listening to a TED Talk. There are times when. I'm feeling off and I don't have time to watch a movie or I don't have time to walk down to the beach. I'll just fire up a Ted Talk. Go to YouTube, type in TED Talk, and you can start to find something that feeds you what you need in that moment, and it starts to shake something loose inside you. Brene Brown talks about vulnerability. That's a really great one to listen to. Mel Robbins has a ton out there, as do many speakers that you may not even heard of and just click on something that speaks to you. When I'm at five, 10 minutes in, that might be all I need. And all of a sudden I'm like, wow, I feel pretty good. Now. I got 10 minutes of a message that made a huge difference in my day. It shifted my mindset. Or maybe it's reading a book that mirrors your own pain and reminds you that you're not alone and that healing is possible. That's one of the reasons I wrote my book, the Ripple Effect. If you haven't been on any of my social media channels, I have a book coming out this December. I'm super excited about it. I've got some early readers checking it out right now, and it's not just a story. About survival. It's a story about all the wreckage that I've gone through the four cancers, the divorce, the strokes, all the near death moments, and a lot more events in my life. That helped shape who I am. But more importantly, these were things that were trying to break me. But what they actually did is they built me inspiration for me often came disguised as. Deep pain through these events that I went through and it wasn't pretty, and it certainly wasn't peaceful times. But when you're stripped bare, when life blindsides you, I talk about'em as curve balls, that's when you start to rebuild differently. I believe life's hardest moments shape us. They make us stronger, they change our perspective. And my book, the Ripple Effect, I share the tools, I call them anchors, and all the wonderful people around me. Who reminded me to get up when I had nothing left. There's a great story in the book about my third childbirth. How I almost lost my life as a result of, well, you're gonna have to read the book to find out, but it was my doctor who literally got in my face and lifted me up. Had me walking out of the hospital. You'll have to read the book to find out more about that story, but that's what inspiration does. It changes your perspective. It shows you that the very things you think are ending you, they might actually be shaping you. So let's talk about you for a second. When was the last time. You felt that fire inside that pull towards something bigger. Maybe it's been a while and that's okay. That happens, but I want you to think about a few simple ways to reconnect with it. Revisit what used to move you. What did you love doing at a younger age? Maybe as a kid? What lifted you up before life got complicated? Go back there for a moment and see if you can find some anchors, some things that you can lean into to bring you back to that same feeling. Expose yourself to stories of courage. Movies like Rudy, freedom Writers. We All Love, eat, pray, love. My God, I love that movie. I've watched it a million times. And they aren't just entertainment, they're fuels for us. When you sit down and watch a movie and at the end of it, it sticks with you and you're like, man, I'm ready to go. I'm ready to do something. That's fuel. Surround yourself with energy that is uplifting. So listen to podcasts that empower you. Spend time with people who dream big or read books that pull you forward instead of keeping you stuck. There are so many resources out there today. If you need inspiration, it is at your fingertips. One click away as they say. But remember your own victories. Look back to what you have overcome, because those are the moments that prove that you can rise again. If you're going through something tough, that's where your strength is. I was recently interviewed by the patient story, it's a nonprofit organization that interviews people that have had. A variety of cancers It's on YouTube. You can look up the patient story on YouTube. I got 13,000 views and I don't even know how many comments I'm still trying to catch up, but there were a few comments I wanna share with you because I walked away from those thinking. No way people would say, I can't believe you got through all of that. Life has thrown you a lot. My God, you've gone through a ton. I could never get through that. How did you get through that? I wouldn't have been able to, so the message is. Everyone was saying, I can't get through that, and I don't believe that. We don't know what we're capable of until we are in it. You don't know what kind of fight you have until you're in the trenches. That's when we're truly tested and that's when we know we have the strength to do whatever it takes to push through. And that's why I'm here to inspire you. I know not every one of us has that strength built in on a daily basis, but I wonder if you put yourself in a situation, maybe you've already been in one, what was it like for you? Did you really fight to get out of it or did you just roll up in a corner and let it take you over? I don't think so. I bet you fought. I believe because here's the thing. When you start intentionally seeking inspiration, it starts to show up everywhere around you. One of the guys I interviewed, Rob Palor. What I loved about his story, he's a paraplegic, is he talked about how he intentionally stayed away from negativity, watching anything negative on social media, on YouTube, on tv. He only watched and listened to things that inspired him, and he removed all that negativity. So if you find that you're around negative people or you're getting caught up in negative. Videos, social media, whatever it is. I encourage you to step away from that because I believe in the law of attraction and if we are only spending time getting lost in negativity. It is going to enter your life. If you start to surround yourself with inspiring stories, with positive stories, positive people, you cannot help but be positive yourself. Think about how it feels when you're around negative vibes. You start to feel low. You start to feel like. Ugh. Right. When you're around positivity, you feel light. Like the sun is rising,. So I wanna leave you with this thought. Inspiration is not about comparison. It's not about measuring your story against somebody else. It's about connecting. Because when you see someone else push through their breaking point, like in movies, like what I watched yesterday, this girl Mercedes who swam the English Channel, it reminds you of your own strength. These are relatable stories. You get strength from other people's strength. It whispers to you that if they can, maybe I can too. And that's how inspiration ripples through us. From one soul to another. So if you're in a season of struggle right now, know this, you're not broken. You're simply in the middle of a very human experience and maybe just maybe someone else is waiting to be inspired by how you rise. You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't need a perfect plan. All you need is one little spark, one little reminder that you're not done yet, and if you're looking for that spark. Watch an inspiring movie, listen to a TED Talk, or pick up a book that speaks to your soul. Maybe my book, the Ripple Effect that's coming out this December, because the power you have, the inspiration that you need, it's never lost. It's just been waiting for you. thanks for spending time with me today, I would love for you to leave a review or share it with someone you know who might need to listen to either this episode or many of the other episodes. And if you're looking for daily inspiration, you can find me on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Just search for In Shock podcast. Thanks again for being a part of this community. Until next time,