Cultivating Connection in a Disconnected World

What if the bravest thing you do this week is let yourself be seen? We explore the tender space between isolation and belonging, naming the quiet ache of feeling invisible even in rooms full of people you love. Through vulnerable storytelling and practical guidance, we show how small, consistent actions can transform tired solitude into a supportive circle that lifts you when you need it most.

If you’re tired of doing it alone, this conversation gives you language, tools, and permission to take one degree forward. We pair vision with hope and action—three anchors that help you choose a life that works for this season. Expect compassionate prompts, real examples, and clear next steps to cultivate connection, from engaging on the One Degree to Victory page to joining our newsletter for early access, resources, and monthly giving that includes books, tools, and journals.

Ready to trade perfection for progress and hiding for honest presence? Press play, share the episode with someone who might be struggling in silence, and then tell us the one small action you’ll take today. Subscribe, leave a review, and invite a friend into the community—we grow stronger together.

Chapters

• 0:04 Naming Disconnection And Belonging
• 1:41 Invitation To Stop Hiding
• 3:30 Challenge Your Tired Self
• 4:54 Practical Ways To Show Up
• 6:06 Story Of Finding Courage

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:04

I'm your host and leave to come, and today's story and conversation just might change your life.

SPEAKER_02: 0:25

There are so many reasons we become disconnected from family and friends. In an earlier podcast, I said life scatters us, and it does. But there are other reasons we may unplug from family and friend, or they may disconnect from us. Sometimes we just grow apart. Sometimes our journey together comes to an end. I don't know what it's like to sit at a table full of people you love and still feel invisible. I do know what it's like to share your vulnerabilities, your hopes, your loves, only to be misunderstood, unheard, or dismissed. Those moments leave us questioning our worth, our belonging, and sometimes our sanity. Constant listener, and thank you for being a constant listener, by the way. I want you to know that you belong. That it's okay to add your voice to the growing collective of women becoming. Your voice is welcome and necessary here. Those of you who've gone silent and who've retreated, who've chosen disconnection as a way to survive, as a way to bypass your pain, I'm inviting you to stop hiding and start living. Listen, there will be times you will have to encourage yourself, but this is not one of those times. This is a time of anchoring and community. Years ago, when I started dating after my husband died, someone asked me, Aren't you tired of doing it alone? Yes, I was tired, but no one had ever asked. And I choked on my response because no one had ever called the tiredness out. No one ever dared to challenge the tiredness directly. He did. Today, I'm challenging your tired self to come out of hiding, to stop peeking through the window, and finally make connections. You know the value it creates for you. I want you to start sharing one degree to victory with a friend. You never know who might be silently struggling, afraid to be vulnerable, or unsure how to reach out. There's a proverb that says, People need people. And it's true. When something you hear at one degree to victory moves you, share it. Connection grows where courage meets compassion. The second way to cultivate connection is to just show up. Go to the Facebook page, comment, like, engage with the posts, and follow. Every time you do one of these things, you remind others that it's safe to be seen. You give permission for someone else to be authentic to. And that's what connection is: a circle of people choosing to uphold one another together. Real quick story. I remember when I was actively searching for healing. I was on the cusp of my life change. And I was coming out of the fog. And I did stumble upon someone who had whose words were healing to my soul and to my spirit. And I listened for months on end before I decided to share, before I had the courage to be seen and to be witnessed. And even now, um, I reflect back on that moment and those moments where I was afraid to be vulnerable. And I'm telling you right now, constant listener, it's okay to be vulnerable. It's okay to be seen in your vulnerability. And it's okay to share that. It's okay to comment, this touched me, or I needed this today. You know, when I started doing that, making those small comments, I began to get hearts and likes, and people in that community began to lift me up. And it wasn't until a while after that that I had so much lifting, so much encouragement. I gained so much strength from that community that I created my own. And that's one degree to victory. And finally, if you want to stay connected beyond the episodes, the newsletter is back. That's where you'll get the inside scoop, early access, and a special spot in our giving week where every month I share a book, a tool, or a journal, something practical that's helped me grow. I have so many journals, y'all. I created and I didn't give them away. And a lot of our guest conversationalists send me books that I would love to share with you. So go ahead, go to the webpage and sign up for the newsletter. Constant listener, there is courage greater than endurance. And it is the courage to be witnessed, to be seen in your tiredness. No more hiding. No more retreating. Let yourself be seen. Let the one degree to victory community hold you up. Let us anchor you. And then show up for yourself and for others. I love you.

SPEAKER_01: 6:56

One degree to victory is about progression, not perfection. And that involves choosing a life that works for you now in this season and building from there. And Sister Girl, it's going to take more than loving yourself. It's going to take vision for where you're going, hope to believe it's possible, and action to make it real and love for your family to feel every step. Take one degree forward is great. And I'll see you in the next episode.