Welcome to Big Meaningful Life.
Hi, I’m Sally Mahamdeh, an Emotional Intelligence-certified coach and trainer.
Are you someone who holds yourself to high standards, strives for ambitious goals, and feels deeply empathetic toward others?
If so, you might be a Sensitive Striver—just like me.
The driving question behind this podcast is simple yet profound:
How can you care deeply, achieve greatly, and truly enjoy the life you’re building?
Join me as we explore the answers with inspiring guests—coaches, psychologists, and neuroscientists—who share practical tools and transformative insights.
Your journey to a big, meaningful life—free from overwhelm—starts now.
49. Who are you when the title is gone? —with Michelle Strydom
In this episode of Big Meaningful Life, I sit down with Michelle Strydom (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-strydom/) to explore a transition many high-performing professionals quietly experience but rarely talk about: what happens when a successful career suddenly changes.
For many ambitious professionals, work is more than a job. It becomes a source of identity, confidence, and stability. So when a role shifts unexpectedly—through layoffs, restructuring, or life circumstances—it can shake far more than a professional plan.
In our conversation, Michelle shares her perspective after navigating major career transitions herself and supporting leaders going through similar moments. Together, we explore what it really takes to rebuild clarity, confidence, and direction when the path you thought you were on suddenly changes.
This episode is a reminder that professional disruption is not always the end of something—it can also be the beginning of a deeper, more intentional chapter.
5 reflections you’ll walk away with:
Why career transitions can feel deeply personal, even when they are driven by organizational decisions.
How identity and self-worth often become intertwined with titles, roles, and external validation.
What high-performing professionals frequently misunderstand about resilience during times of uncertainty.
Why slowing down and creating space for reflection can be more powerful than rushing into the next opportunity.
How periods of disruption can open the door to a more aligned definition of success and leadership.
Career changes can challenge how we see ourselves.
But they can also reveal who we are beyond our roles.
So here’s the question I invite you to sit with:
If your title disappeared tomorrow, what parts of you would remain unchanged?
Connect with Michelle Strydom:
michelle@thesmggroup.net
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-strydom/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-strydom/)
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Book your discovery call. (https://calendar.app.google/qgjykJ1KwZViHX1r9)
Connect with me on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-mahamdeh-emotional-intelligence/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-mahamdeh-emotional-intelligence/)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sally_mahamdeh/ (https://www.instagram.com/sally_mahamdeh/)
Join the newsletter here. (https://f85ffab9.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAKOvr1sdkgXpcDQ9Ug7TUrc94-gZQureV4Y_3aTaHjosmY6fgh68CxyJFcsGlhh5em_pI_FikOw9ryUb2lUVeIivl0A3xvTufypLqgD1MyyOB8M-d20AR4Ude-luJ3U-KHDFH6AkCrJT1pC1IaHpYo_4vT21Bo8_fwGRsgS-i8muOqjWYEQs3UMX_xwCpXeBs8Bn8ZUxEkL4)
Send me an email with ideas for future episodes: sally@hayatti.co
Music Credit:
This episode features ''Je n'y suis jamais allé'' by Yann Tiersen.
2 Mar 2026
48. You got the title. Now earn the influence. —with Wendy Chin
In this episode of Big Meaningful Life, I sit down with Wendy Chin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-chin-pinnaclehr/), a global HR leader and executive coach, to talk about what happens after you reach senior levels — when the title is there, performance is strong, yet something starts to stall.
We explore why so many high performers feel overlooked, stretched, or quietly disengaged once they reach director level and beyond. Wendy shares what she sees behind closed doors in promotion and succession discussions, and why success at this stage requires a different relationship with influence, identity, and visibility.
This conversation goes beyond career tactics. It touches on energy, family, inner authority, and the often-unspoken cost of trying to “do it all” without redefining what success means right now.
5 reflections you’ll walk away with
Why strong performance can stop being enough as careers progress — and what replaces it.
How identity and self-worth become entangled with roles, titles, and recognition.
Why influence at senior levels is less about authority and more about relationships and perception.
How inner work quietly reshapes leadership presence at work and at home.
Why redefining success for the current season can release pressure without lowering ambition.
Working harder isn’t always the next step.
Sometimes, reframing success is.
So here’s the question I invite you to sit with:
If you stopped chasing the definition of success that got you here, what might feel right for you now?
Connect with Wendy Chin:
https://www.pinnaclehr.ie/executive-coaching (https://www.pinnaclehr.ie/executive-coaching)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-chin-pinnaclehr/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-chin-pinnaclehr/)
-
Book your discovery call. (https://calendar.app.google/qgjykJ1KwZViHX1r9)
Connect with me on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-mahamdeh-emotional-intelligence/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-mahamdeh-emotional-intelligence/)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sally_mahamdeh/ (https://www.instagram.com/sally_mahamdeh/)
Join the newsletter here. (https://f85ffab9.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAKOvr1sdkgXpcDQ9Ug7TUrc94-gZQureV4Y_3aTaHjosmY6fgh68CxyJFcsGlhh5em_pI_FikOw9ryUb2lUVeIivl0A3xvTufypLqgD1MyyOB8M-d20AR4Ude-luJ3U-KHDFH6AkCrJT1pC1IaHpYo_4vT21Bo8_fwGRsgS-i8muOqjWYEQs3UMX_xwCpXeBs8Bn8ZUxEkL4)
Send me an email with ideas for future episodes: sally@hayatti.co
Music Credit:
This episode features ''Je n'y suis jamais allé'' by Yann Tiersen.
16 Feb 2026
47. When work comes home: the cost of ignoring our limits
In this episode, I talk about something very real — and deeply personal.
Something many high-achieving, caring parents experience, but rarely say out loud.
I share a moment with my daughter that shook me and forced me to look honestly at exhaustion, boundaries, and the invisible cost of pushing through when the body is already saying no. Not to justify what happened, and not to drown in guilt — but to take responsibility and understand what led there.
This episode is an invitation to look upstream. To explore why impatience shows up at home after long days, why guilt pulls us in two directions, and why emotional intelligence in parenting has far more to do with how we care for ourselves before we walk through the door than how hard we try in the moment.
5 reflections you’ll walk away with
Why snapping at the people we love is often a sign of unaddressed exhaustion — not a lack of love or values.
How living between work guilt and family guilt quietly erodes emotional availability.
Why ignoring physical and emotional limits doesn’t disappear — it shows up in our closest relationships.
What accountability and repair teach children far more effectively than perfection.
How prevention starts earlier in the day, long before the breaking point arrives.
We don’t fail our children when we make mistakes.
We fail them when we don’t repair — and when we don’t change what led us there.
So here’s the question I invite you to sit with:
What would shift in your relationships if you treated your own limits as signals to respect, rather than obstacles to push through?
-
Book your discovery call. (https://calendly.com/sally-znle/1on1?month=2025-10)
Connect with me on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallymahamdeh (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallymahamdeh)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sally_mahamdeh/ (https://www.instagram.com/sally_mahamdeh/)
Join the newsletter here. (https://f85ffab9.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAKOvr1sdkgXpcDQ9Ug7TUrc94-gZQureV4Y_3aTaHjosmY6fgh68CxyJFcsGlhh5em_pI_FikOw9ryUb2lUVeIivl0A3xvTufypLqgD1MyyOB8M-d20AR4Ude-luJ3U-KHDFH6AkCrJT1pC1IaHpYo_4vT21Bo8_fwGRsgS-i8muOqjWYEQs3UMX_xwCpXeBs8Bn8ZUxEkL4)
Send me an email with ideas for future episodes: sally@hayatti.co
Music Credit:
This episode features ''Je n'y suis jamais allé'' by Yann Tiersen.
Who has been a guest on Big Meaningful Life
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Doug Thorpe
Rupali Ssaahhai
Dr Marie-Helene Pelletier
Maurice Philogene
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
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Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100
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Quality
93
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YouTube
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Engagement
51
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