Episode 13

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Published on:

29th Oct 2025

From Setbacks to Strength: Reframing Failure & Building a Life That Fits with Zulma Williams

In this third part of my conversation with Zulma Williams — The Swearing Therapist, we dive into setbacks, self-trust, and standing your ground.

Zulma opens up about how being ignored at work pushed her to start her own practice, Dragonfly Therapy Services, and how that leap turned frustration into freedom. She explains why boundaries aren’t selfish, how to stop apologizing for your needs, and what it really means to build a life that fits you.

From redefining “failure” to rejecting the scarcity mindset, this episode is a fiery reminder that your power lies in what you decide to accept — and what you finally stop doing for everyone else.

✨ Content Note: This episode includes adult language and candid discussion of topics such as abuse, depression, cancer, and suicidal thoughts. Listener discretion is advised, and please take care of yourself while listening.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you’re not alone. In the U.S., you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 for free, confidential support 24/7.

Key Takeaways

  • 🔥 What looks like failure may be the start of your freedom.
  • 🧭 Boundaries protect your peace — they aren’t up for debate.
  • 💬 Saying “no” is not rude; it’s responsible.
  • 🌿 Self-discipline and self-trust create lasting change.
  • ✨ You don’t have to apologize for designing a life that fits you.

Connect:

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Keywords

Zulma Williams, The Swearing Therapist, Dragonfly Therapy Services, failure mindset, self-discipline, boundaries, mental health, self-trust, resilience, therapy journey, burnout recovery, personal growth

🎧 Next Episode: In Part 4, Zulma gets raw about grief, loss, and keeping it real — from redefining what grief truly is to finding humor and healing in everyday life.

We’ll talk about love that has nowhere to go, why laughter belongs in the healing process, and how she stays authentic — four-letter words and all.

👉 Subscribe now so you don’t miss this powerful finale.

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About the Podcast

The High-Functioning Disaster
High-functioning on the outside. Hot mess on the inside.
You’ve got the color-coded calendar, the competent job persona, the “I’m fine!” mask down to an art—and a mental load heavy enough to throw out your back. Meanwhile, life? That's a hot mess express—total chaos with zero chill and a full tank of emotional baggage. And what makes it even worse? Nearly no one’s talking about it.

Welcome to The High-Functioning Disaster, a podcast for people who are doing their best to hold it together while navigating burnout, grief, trauma, anxiety, caretaking duties, family drama, body image issues, and a to-do list that never quits.

Host Sacha Holder isn’t the disaster (neither are you!)—life is. And this show is about making space for that truth and giving ourselves permission to say it out loud. Every week, Sacha explores what it means to be deeply human in a world that keeps demanding more. Sometimes she’s flying solo, sometimes she brings along guests and friends—but the vibe is always real, raw, unfiltered, and grounded in radical self-acceptance and permission to be human.

We talk boundaries. Body image. Mental health. Emotional labor. The moments where everything feels like too much—and the ones where we catch our breath and keep going.

This isn’t a self-help podcast. It’s a self-permission podcast.
Permission to be exhausted.
To not have it together.
To be honest about what’s hard—without needing to package it as a “lesson.”

Because you don’t need fixing.
You need space to fall apart—and still be seen.
Because some of us are just trying to make it through the day.
And here? That’s more than enough.
New episodes every Monday. Come as you are. Seriously.
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About your host

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Sacha Holder

Sacha Holder is a project manager, podcast host, and bariatric patient who’s not here to pretend it’s all perfect. With over a decade of professional experience and a whole lot of lived experience, she creates podcasts that tell the truth about what it means to live, heal, and grow — through chaos, and curveballs, while keeping it together (mostly).

She’s the voice behind Life in the Bari Lane, a bite-sized bariatric podcast for real people navigating post-op life, and The High-Functioning Disaster, a show about showing up even when everything feels like too much. Through humor, honesty, and zero judgment, Sacha builds community through conversation — because no one should have to figure it out alone.