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In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, Amy Stone speaks with Brenda Florida about choosing radical change as a tool for personal transformation. Based in Southern California, Brenda shares her experience of putting her life in storage, temporarily moving to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and intentionally disrupting her routine in search of Growth. Listeners will hear how Brenda used a six-month international relocation. This was not an escape, but as a catalyst to break deep-seated patterns, confront internalized beliefs around work, Money, and identity, and ultimately emerge with a renewed sense of purpose.
About Brenda Florida:
Brenda is a certified life coach with over eight years of experience helping hundreds of clients break patterns that no longer serve them — like people-pleasing, guilt, overgiving, and overfunctioning. Her work focuses on pattern interruption at the identity level, helping people recognize the subconscious dynamics driving their decisions and consciously choose a new response. This includes ambitious women navigating major life and career shifts — Retirement, reinvention, stepping away from leadership — and redefining who they are in their next chapter. Brenda’s approach is practical, direct, and grounded in real-time change — not theory, but lived experience.
Main Topics Covered:
Quote from the Episode:
“It was very much a cocooning time for me…the whole six months ended up being so internally transformative. I was spending all my energy on myself… It totally changes the chatter—you’re not absorbing that noise from your regular environment. It leaves you to yourself in a different way.” — Brenda Florida
Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Introduction to Brenda Florida and episode overview
[00:01:05] Planning the Mexico move—timing, storage, logistics
[00:03:28] Why Playa del Carmen? Geography, practicality, digital nomad research
[00:05:16] The need to disrupt patterns: Burnout, business plateau, and personal stasis
[00:09:56] Family and friends’ reactions to taking a big risk
[00:14:22] What she was trying to shake up—specific patterns and old beliefs
[00:18:32] Approaches to “pattern interruption” before moving and why relocation was different
[00:20:12] Living in Mexico with limited Spanish; daily challenges and language barriers
[00:25:00] Adapting to new systems: grocery stores, finding familiar products, and reliance on tech
[00:29:55] Socializing, expat communities, and why Brenda chose solitude
[00:32:23] Dealing with environmental factors (like sargassum) and shifting expectations
[00:35:13] The rooftop pool, redefining “beach” joy, and embracing what works
[00:36:18] What she thought would happen vs. what actually transformed
[00:37:36] The retreat analogy: why changing environment unlocks new insights
[00:41:08] Mindful living: what daily “friction” reveals about subconscious beliefs
[00:44:33] Unpacking deep conditioning around work, pay, and gender
[00:47:11] Observing patterns, subconscious behaviors, and the reality of change
[00:51:53] Would transformation have happened without the big move?
[00:53:03] Third act reinvention and Brenda’s new offer for women
[00:59:02] Favorite source of Entertainment and closing fun questions
[01:00:40] Cocktail talk: cultural differences and favorites
[01:02:43] Wrap up and how listeners can connect with Brenda
[01:03:16] Community reminders and final thoughts
ABOUT THE SHOW: The Art of Imperfect Adulting elevates the voices of experience by sharing real stories from real people figuring out adult life. Every episode features honest conversations about life’s choices, changes, and challenges—interviews with individuals (not celebrities) who share their personal experiences and insights. Through these authentic stories, listeners find validation, motivation, and inspiration for navigating their own path through modern life. Because there’s a big difference between expert advice and shared experience, and hearing another person’s lived experience helps us feel less alone in our own situations.
CONNECT WITH THE GUEST: https://www.brendaflorida.com
BRENDA’S SHOW: Why Do I Keep Doing That? https://feed.podbean.com/whydoikeepdoingthat/feed.xml
GET BRENDA’S SPECIAL OFFER:The Third Act Reset:
A private guided audio and companion worksheet designed for ambitious women navigating identity shifts — retirement, career exits, reinvention, or stepping into a new chapter. Normally $47 but free for the audience of The Art of Imperfect Adulting
Use this unique link: brenda-florida-coaching-jgbb8n.subscribepage.io
Note from the show: Guest offers are almost always limited-time and limited quantity. If you have any trouble redeeming the offer please reach out directly to the guest for support.
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For livestreaming and recording ECamm https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=amy69
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Ai Transcription Tool: Castmagic https://get.castmagic.io/ugrmjjrt8ofj
For Email I recently switched to Beehiiv https://www.beehiiv.com?via=Amy-Stone
before that I used Kit.
Books I like and books written by show guests on Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/lists/podcast-guest-authors
