Life Quakes: When Everything Breaks and You Still Have to Show Up
Thu Jan 29 2026
In our first episode of 2026, Kate sits down with Donna West, founder of Donna's Balcony Views and resilience expert to talk about ‘Life Quakes’: those unexpected and brutal events or situations in life that crack your world open and force you to rebuild from the rubble.
Life Quakes include things like workplace trauma, death of a loved one, miscarriage, illness, divorce, survival of traumatic events like tsunamis or bushfires, just to name a few. Having suffered her own ‘life quake’ in recent years, Donna now helps people through the aftermath of life quakes to find solid ground, and to eventually rebuild.
What We Cover
Life Quakes defined: The moments that permanently rewire how you see yourself and the worldSurvival mode is success: In the beginning, making it through the day is a celebration in itselfThe mask tax: What it costs to pretend you're fine when you're fracturing inside. And how to keep showing up each day, even when you want to stay in bed and cry.The power of a single act: How a single person's courage can be the sliding door moment that saves a lifeAfter the rubble: Rebuilding your identity as a new person, navigating the grief process, and finding yourself againHow isolation kills healing: Surrounding yourself with good people is essential.If you're going through a life quake, or you feel like you're holding it together with duct tape and sheer will, we hope you find this conversation helpful.
👉 Listen now. Share it with someone who's silently carrying their own quake.
👉 Subscribe to our podcast for real talk and real strategies that help you build a business that thrives.
👉 Connect with Donna West to learn more about navigating life quakes and rebuilding resilience here: https://donnasbalconyviews.com.au/
To connect with Kate, go to: https://katedejong.com
Connect with Your Hosts:
Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business 🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/ 📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com
Sam Morris | The O8 🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/ 📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com
Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website: https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/
More
In our first episode of 2026, Kate sits down with Donna West, founder of Donna's Balcony Views and resilience expert to talk about ‘Life Quakes’: those unexpected and brutal events or situations in life that crack your world open and force you to rebuild from the rubble. Life Quakes include things like workplace trauma, death of a loved one, miscarriage, illness, divorce, survival of traumatic events like tsunamis or bushfires, just to name a few. Having suffered her own ‘life quake’ in recent years, Donna now helps people through the aftermath of life quakes to find solid ground, and to eventually rebuild. What We Cover Life Quakes defined: The moments that permanently rewire how you see yourself and the worldSurvival mode is success: In the beginning, making it through the day is a celebration in itselfThe mask tax: What it costs to pretend you're fine when you're fracturing inside. And how to keep showing up each day, even when you want to stay in bed and cry.The power of a single act: How a single person's courage can be the sliding door moment that saves a lifeAfter the rubble: Rebuilding your identity as a new person, navigating the grief process, and finding yourself againHow isolation kills healing: Surrounding yourself with good people is essential.If you're going through a life quake, or you feel like you're holding it together with duct tape and sheer will, we hope you find this conversation helpful. 👉 Listen now. Share it with someone who's silently carrying their own quake. 👉 Subscribe to our podcast for real talk and real strategies that help you build a business that thrives. 👉 Connect with Donna West to learn more about navigating life quakes and rebuilding resilience here: https://donnasbalconyviews.com.au/ To connect with Kate, go to: https://katedejong.com Connect with Your Hosts: Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business 🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/ 📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com Sam Morris | The O8 🌐 Website: https://www.theo8.com/ 📱 Instagram: @the_o8crew ✉️ Email: sam@theo8.com Thriving Business Podcast 🌐Website: https://www.thrivingbusinesspodcast.com/