121. The Year I Was Broken Open: Leadership Lessons from Identity, Grief, Audacity, Rejection and Becoming

In this raw and deeply human episode, Dina pulls back the curtain on a year that didn’t just challenge her - it remade her. The Year I Was Broken Open isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a reckoning. A truth-telling. A look at the kind of leadership growth that doesn’t happen in conference rooms or coaching certifications, but in the messy, intimate corners of real life. Dina shares how this year cracked the foundation she’d been standing on and forced her into the deepest evolution of her leadership yet. From the quiet unraveling of an identity that no longer fit… to the grief she had avoided for years suddenly taking a seat at the edge of her bed… to the uncomfortable, liberating practice of audacity… to rebuilding presence and confidence one unglamorous moment at a time… and navigating rejection so constant it felt like an uninvited roommate — this episode is a masterclass in becoming. But it wasn’t all breaking. There was building too. Dina opens up about the unexpected wins that emerged right alongside the chaos: delivering her first speaking engagement with The Leadhership Network, landing strategic planning and coaching contracts with partners aligned with her mission, sitting on NBC4 Washington for a live interview, watching her docuseries The Ripple Effect gain real momentum, finally beginning the book she’s meant to write, launching her second IMAGINE Retreat in Tulum, and coaching women 1:1 through their own transformations. This episode unpacks the leadership lessons forged through every twist: why identity loss is often the first sign of expansion how grief clarifies what (and who) is aligned why audacity becomes necessary when waiting to be chosen stops serving you how presence shifts when you stop abandoning yourself mid-moment why confidence is built in the quiet, unsexy decisions and how rejection - the uncomfortable, persistent kind - becomes the most faithful mentor of all If you’ve felt undone this year… if you’ve been navigating transitions you didn’t ask for… if you’ve found yourself shedding old identities, questioning your worth, confronting your truth, or rebuilding piece by piece - this episode will land in your chest. It’s a reminder that leadership isn’t who you are when things go right. Leadership is who you become when everything feels like it’s falling apart - and you choose to rise anyway. This is the episode for the woman who knows she’s changing, even if the world hasn’t caught up yet. Tune in. Take what you need. Leave with more self-respect than you arrived with. And remember: You’re not breaking down. You’re breaking open.

You can listen to 121. The Year I Was Broken Open: Leadership Lessons from Identity, Grief, Audacity, Rejection and Becoming online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

121. The Year I Was Broken Open: Leadership Lessons from Identity, Grief, Audacity, Rejection and Becoming is an episode from Embracing Enough by Dina Scippa.

This episode is 00:35:05 long.

This episode was published on Dec 14, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Embracing Enough when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.