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Episode 31| March 16, 2024

Listen First, Speak Second w/ Julie DeLucca-Collins

She Climbed the Ladder Until She Lost Herself

Julie DeLucca-Collins spent her twenties and thirties climbing. Success, the corporate ladder, and one unspoken rule: never show weakness.

So she spun every plate and kept going.

Then her marriage ended, an autoimmune diagnosis arrived, and she realized she had lost track of who she even was.

Her health was the one ball that does not bounce.

In this episode of the Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast, author and coach Julie DeLucca-Collins shares why listening beats performing, how she rebuilt around her own values, and the letter-from-your-future-self ritual she uses every December.

You will evolve no matter what. The only question is whether you do it on purpose.

If you have been ignoring the signals, this conversation helps you read them.

Listen on:

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“Your health is the one ball that does not bounce.”

– Julie DeLucca-Collins

Fast Skim & Timestamps

0:00 Meet Julie: Author, Speaker, Coach
1:08 Her Superpower: Listen First, Speak Second
3:02 Climbing the Ladder and Losing Herself
6:47 The Body Keeps the Score
8:34 The Ball That Does Not Bounce
12:41 A Letter From Your Future Self
14:52 Her December Ritual
18:51 Revisit Your Life Every Month

Key Takeaways

Listening is underrated. Making someone feel heard often matters more than what you say.
Chasing do-it-all perfection can quietly cost you your sense of who you are.
Failure is not the end. It is often the lesson that gets you where you are meant to be.
Your health is the one ball that does not bounce. Protect it before it breaks.
Curate your day. One top task, completed, beats a bloated to-do list.
Write a letter from your future self, then work backward to what today requires.

Three Petite Practice® Questions

1. Where am I performing strength instead of listening to myself?

2. What signal from my body or life have I been covering with a rug?

3. What would my future self, three years out, tell me to start today?

Transcript Chapters

0:00 Meet Julie: Author, Speaker, Coach

[00:00:00] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Welcome back to the Happy Healthy Hustle. Today I am here with a true superstar guest. Julie, please introduce yourself. [00:00:23] Julie DeLucca-Collins: Hi everybody, I am Julie DeLucca-Collins, and it is such a pleasure to be here. I am an author, TEDx speaker, and a business strategy coach. I work with entrepreneurs who are building authority through podcasting and speaking and making a difference in the world.

1:08 Her Superpower: Listen First, Speak Second

[00:01:08] Julie DeLucca-Collins: My superpower is two parts, listening and speaking. I have worked hard on honing my listening. We spend so much time producing content and trying to speak to everyone that listening gets underrated. Often it is about making someone feel heard, more than what you say. And I love interviewing others, so speaking is part of it too. [00:01:53] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: This is why we align. Podcasting teaches you to focus on one person and make them feel like a superstar, to listen and respond rather than have a pre-formed answer ready.

3:02 Climbing the Ladder and Losing Herself

[00:03:02] Julie DeLucca-Collins: I started a corporate career in my mid-twenties and kept climbing. In my thirties I was intent on doing it all and never showing weakness, and that created a lot of angst. My first marriage fell apart. When you focus so much on being perfect and fitting someone else’s box, you lose who you are. I had success, but it did not mean much, because I could not tell what I really wanted or who I was. I had to reconstruct myself in a way that was consistent with my values. It was a dark time, and I saw it as failure. Now I know those were the lessons I needed. [00:05:42] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: You put up an armor and keep going, and never let out that you are a vulnerable human with needs.

6:47 The Body Keeps the Score

[00:06:47] Julie DeLucca-Collins: It started to manifest physically. That is when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, because I was not prioritizing my health, my spirit, or my mental well-being. [00:07:09] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: We are so good at ignoring the signs. It is like seeing some dirt and putting a rug over it with the lights off. Our body is smart and keeps sending little signals, and we tend to ignore them until they pile up, and sometimes we notice too late.

8:34 The Ball That Does Not Bounce

[00:08:34] Julie DeLucca-Collins: There are always little crumbs that lead the way, and if we are not in tune, we miss them. I heard an analogy about juggling balls. Your health is the one ball that does not bounce. If you drop it, it can break, and it is hard to patch back together. So you have to stop, take a minute, and let go of the noise. Learn to say no to what is somebody else’s priority, and find small ways to prioritize yourself. [00:10:32] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: The noise is like junk mail piling up in your inbox, such a time sucker. [00:11:00] Julie DeLucca-Collins: I do not make a long list. I create one top task for the day, finish it, then move to the next, and at the end of the day I celebrate that I did it.

12:41 A Letter From Your Future Self

[00:12:41] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: What or who motivated you to overcome the challenges? [00:12:48] Julie DeLucca-Collins: I knew I did not want to grow old without mobility or with health issues. I wanted to travel and do so many things. So I write a letter to myself from the person I will have become in one, three, and five years. That person describes the life I want to be living. Then I ask, what did I need to do today to get there? I let the wisdom of who I want to be guide me. You will evolve either way. The question is whether you do it by default, or you make intentional decisions today.

14:52 Her December Ritual

[00:14:52] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: When do you write the letter? [00:14:56] Julie DeLucca-Collins: I do it in December. My dad passed away in December of 2014, and we were very close. He always encouraged me to dream big and told me I was brave. So December became a ritual. I go through my calendar and write, for each month, one big thing that happened. I revisit my theme for the year, one year it was connection, and ask whether I stayed in alignment. It is less about setting goals and more about creating the actions that let you show up the way you want to.

18:51 Revisit Your Life Every Month

[00:18:51] Julie DeLucca-Collins: Here is a tip. Starting in 2014, I created a recurring appointment with myself on the first of the month called revisit my life. It reminds me to check whether I am going in the direction I want, and to recalibrate. Do not let a year pass without noticing what is happening for you. [00:20:50] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: How can people get in touch with you? [00:20:58] Julie DeLucca-Collins: You can listen to my podcast, Casa DeConfidence, on all platforms, find me at Julie DeLucca-Collins on social media, or visit goconfidentlycoaching.com. [00:22:12] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Thank you so much, Julie.

Meet My Guest

Julie DeLucca-Collins

Author, TEDx Speaker & Business Coach

Julie DeLucca-Collins is an author, TEDx speaker, and business strategy coach who helps entrepreneurs build authority through podcasting and speaking. She hosts the Casa DeConfidence podcast.

After rebuilding her life around her own values, Julie now helps others live and lead intentionally. Connect with her on Instagram @juliedelucacollins or at goconfidentlycoaching.com.

Meet Your Host

Dr. Christiane Schroeter

TEDx Speaker & Leadership Strategist

I’m Dr. Christiane Schroeter, TEDx speaker, leadership strategist, and host of the Top 1% ranked Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast. I help leaders think clearly, speak with conviction, and take the next step during change.

About Dr. Christiane

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