Plucky Not Perfect Podcast

What if your sensitivity wasn't a weakness to overcome, but a gift to embrace? Carrie chats with emotional intelligence coach Joanna Brewster for a deeply honest conversation about courage, self-awareness, and learning to trust yourself. Joanna shares her journey from a highly sensitive child who learned to suppress her feelings, to a woman who found the courage to leave an unhealthy marriage and...

Fearful about getting a colonoscopy? I’m sharing practical colonoscopy prep tips, ways to manage anxiety, and encouragement for facing the fear of cancer screening. As a stage 3 colorectal cancer survivor diagnosed through colonoscopy, I explain why early detection matters and talk through the three most common fears.  You’ll learn simple strategies to make prep day easier, calm your nervous syste...

What if the thing you’ve been chasing was never the thing that would make you feel worthy? In this episode, I explore the arrival fallacy—the belief that once we hit a certain goal, we’ll finally feel happy, fulfilled, or “enough.” From striving for the perfect body to chasing achievement and simply trying to survive hard seasons, it’s amazing how the target keeps moving. I realized that worthines...

What does it mean to be plucky when life keeps throwing the unimaginable your way? Carrie sits down with author, advocate, and newly-trained voice actor Anne Mok to explore resilience—not as a personality trait you’re born with, but as something forged in the hardest seasons of life. After facing vision loss, chronic illness, grief, and caregiving challenges, Anne shares how she rebuilt her identi...

In this solo episode, I walk through the structured journaling routine that helped carry me through one of the hardest seasons of my life—after cancer treatment, a failed ostomy reversal, and 40 days in the hospital. But here’s the secret: It wasn’t the journaling that carried me. It was God. Journaling simply became the space where I could process my thoughts, practice gratitude, and remember who...

What does it look like to rewrite your life without burning it down? As I sat down with coach, author, and “Goldie’s CEO,” Michelle Hooey, she shared her powerful story.  Her daughter, Goldie, was born in 2023 with complex medical needs and spent nearly six months in the NICU, and still doesn’t have a diagnosis. In this conversation we explore: * what it means to be plucky in the face of uncertain...

This isn’t about keeping resolutions or trying harder. It’s about not quitting on yourself. In this first episode of 2026, I explain what it really means to be plucky and why determined courage (not perfection) is the key to living an authentic, aligned life. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: What “plucky” really means and how to practice determined courage Why perfectionism keeps us stuck (and how t...

What happens when life doesn’t just take a detour—but completely reroutes your future? In this deeply moving episode of Plucky Not Perfect, I’m joined by Erika Brouillette—mom, caregiver, advocate, podcast host, and founder of Reclaim: TBI Wives. Erika shares her story of becoming a full-time caregiver overnight when her husband suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, and how that moment reshape...

When someone you care about is facing grief, illness, divorce, or any major life shake-up, it’s easy to worry about saying the wrong thing… and end up doing nothing. After my own cancer journey and recovery, I learned firsthand what truly helps and what doesn’t. In this episode, we cover: Why something is better than nothing (even if you feel awkward) How to check in without adding pressure or exp...

What if the bravest thing you could do was to slow down?  In this episode, Carrie talks with life coach, speaker, and author Heather Boersma about redefining success, finding rest, and living from a deep sense of worthiness instead of striving for it.  Heather shares how years of chasing achievement led her to burnout and anxiety, and how she learned to live “from significance, not for it.”  Toget...

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s “too late” to start over—or felt stuck between who you’ve been and who you want to become, this is the episode for you.  Jennifer Montgomery-Lay’s story is one of unimaginable resilience. As a cancer mom for more than two decades, she’s spent much of her adult life caregiving. Instead of letting fear or past identities define her, Jenn has learned to lean into...

In this episode, Carrie shares her personal journey of facing the fear of surgery following her battle with colorectal cancer and past traumatic hospital experiences. She discusses the emotional challenges of preparing for surgery, the importance of acknowledging fear, and the role of mindfulness and community support. Carrie discusses the Plucky Challenge as a way to build courage and emphasizes...

Do you ever hold yourself back because you’re afraid to speak up — or worried what people will think? Today’s guest, Teri Holland, knows that fear well. Once nicknamed “Mouse” for how quiet she was as a child, Teri has transformed into a confident speaker, coach, and top 1% podcaster. We trace her journey from a shy little girl whispering to her parents, to a coach who has given a TEDx talk and he...

Carrie reconnects with her friend Lindsay Aho (Kuehster), who shares her powerful story of loss and rebuilding with courage. Lindsay opens up about life behind the façade of perfection — navigating her husband’s alcoholism and PTSD and facing unimaginable loss when he took his own life. Through it all, Lindsay found the strength to start again, to heal, and to redefine what grace looks like. Her s...

Courage isn’t one-size-fits-all. In this episode, I share 10 types of courage—from beginning and speaking to resting and persisting—and how small, daily acts of bravery can strengthen your “plucky muscles.” Plus, learn more about the 100-Day Plucky Challenge to grow your courage one small step at a time. 📥 Want to Join the Challenge? Email thecarriejobradley@gmail.com to get a printable checklist...

Ashley Wiles—founder of Sole Girls, TEDx speaker, Ironman athlete, and mom—joins Carrie to talk about building resilience. Ashley shares powerful tools from her new program, The Inner Game, and offers tangible ways parents can model resilience, recover from mistakes, and build authentic confidence without perfectionism. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to support girls (and yourself) after mista...

What if the things you’re saving for that perfect “someday” are holding you back today? In this episode of Plucky Not Perfect, Carrie talks with TEDx speaker and communication coach Gillian Parlane, whose talk Change Your Closet, Change Your Life has reached over 3.2 million views. Gillian shares how a melted candle became the catalyst for her life motto: don’t let your candle melt in the closet....

In this first episode of Season 2 of Plucky Not Perfect, we get real about what it means to show up in the messy middle of life, especially when things don’t go as planned. After a year marked by cancer treatments, complications, and unexpected setbacks, Carrie shares three practices that carried her through hard days: Accepting help and letting others in — why strength isn’t about going it alone...

Let’s embrace the gift of winter—slowing down, reflecting, and preparing for what’s next. In This Episode: The value of honoring the season you’re in. How to rethink limitations as opportunities for growth. Four reflection questions to guide your year-end review or seasonal reset. A tip for turning your resolutions into actionable, motivating questions. Reflection Questions Mentioned: What worked?...

Change is inevitable, but that doesn't make it easy! Here is my advice for navigating change.  I also give an update about life after surgery, including some exciting news.    Connect with your host: Coach Carrie @‌carriejobradley.  

I didn't know if I would be able to complete the 100-kilometer Tour De Cure bike ride and raise funds for research during cancer treatment. But I'm happy to report that goal is completed! Many thanks for my supporters.  Tune in to hear why self-compassion is more helpful than self-pity and how you can use this powerful mindset to propel you to do hard things softly.  Links mentioned:  Self-Compass...

In the midst of chemotherapy, I haven't forgotten about this podcast and don't want to neglect it for too long. I'm sharing a short little story about my cat and how it relates to my athletic goals during this time. If you're ill or injured, you might relate.  Links mentioned:  Fundraiser for BC Cancer, Tour de Cure 100k bike ride:  https://tourdecure.ca/fundraiser/carriejobradley   Remember to sh...

It’s hard to keep going without knowing where the finish line is.  But you can persevere more easily with some techniques like segmentation (“Two miles to the top.”)  Simon Marshall, my former mentor and coach, who passed away from pancreatic cancer on June 1, 2024, taught me this on a fateful day in 2017. Hear a touching story of how he impacted my life and inspired me to attempt to ride 100k in...

First doctors told her she would go blind because of a brain tumor, but she didn't. Twenty years later they discovered a massive liver tumor and diagnosed her with a non-treatable cancer, Primary Hepatic Angio Sarcoma. Later, she found two breast tumors. Most people with this condition are given 2-6 months to live. But Monica Rosenke is living an active and thriving life as a mom of three, Persona...

There is no courage without vulnerability as Brene Brown says. Vulnerability involves uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. It feels very vulnerable to share my diagnosis with you, but I want you to be a part of the journey.  Being plucky is about enduring the messy middle and going through the valleys to get to the finish line, the medal, the mountain top.  While cancer is not what I expected...