The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low

Are you an introvert who is tired of hearing that you're too quiet, need to speak up more, or that you lack executive presence and are not ready for promotion? Your host is Serena Low, and her life’s purpose is to help quiet achievers become Quiet Warriors who can speak - lead - and act decisively when called upon, without changing the essence of who you are. As a trauma-informed introvert coach, certified Root-Cause Therapy practitioner, certified Social + Emotional Intelligence Coach, and author of the Amazon Bestseller, The Hero Within: Reinvent Your Life One New Chapter at a Time, Serena is passionate about helping introverts and quiet achievers minimise: - imposter syndrome, - overthinking, - perfectionism, - low self-worth, - people pleasing, - fear of public speaking, and other common introvert challenges. Tune in every week for practical tips and inspirational stories about how to thrive as an introvert in a noisy an

The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low is a education podcast hosted by Serena Low, with 154 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Serena Low hosts The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low, a education show with 154 episodes published.

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  The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low

  154. It’s Always Too Soon To Quit: Jay Setchell On Rebuilding After Catastrophic Loss

  Sep 27, 202655 min

  A Marine Corps ambulance driver is pinned in a burning car, his heart stopped, watching from the ceiling as three doctors walk away. He is seventeen years past a farm accident that nearly took his leg, and decades away from a swimming pool dive that will break his neck in four places and leave him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Jay Setchell — Marine Corps veteran, serial entrepreneur, inventor, and author of The Strength Within You: It's Always Too Soon to Quit — has now survived 73 surgeries. In this episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, he tells Serena Low how a childhood of hard farm labor, a mantra of "why not?" instead of "why," and a faith he never let go of, carried him through four near-fatal accidents and into building business after business, including the training company he runs today for firefighters, military, and law enforcement. Key Takeaways Jay traces his refusal to accept limits back to a father who let him think for himself and a grandmother who told him busy hands make a busy mind — the seeds of a lifelong instinct to ask "why not?" instead of "why." Nearly dying in a Marine Corps car accident didn't end his story — it revealed his fight. Jay describes watching doctors give up on him from outside his own body, screaming that he was still alive, and being brought back by a surgeon willing to try one more thing. A diving accident three weeks into his marriage broke his neck and stole his mobility — and he refused the prognosis. Told he would likely be paralyzed from the shoulders down for life, Jay walked again eight months later, crediting prayer, incremental progress, and a refusal to let go of the image of himself walking. Grief and grit sit side by side in his story of the crash that claimed the life of his friend’s wife while he was trying to save her husband — a reminder that his resilience came with a cost. Selling was never about the product — it was about being seen and cared for. Making sales calls on crutches and leg braces, he still finished number one in his organization, because his real skill was asking what the other person actually needed. Retirement at 41 wasn't the end — it was a pivot into building homes, then building a company that saves lives. From trade show displays to home construction to training simulations used by fire departments and militaries worldwide, Jay kept starting over, even as his body kept changing. "It's always too soon to quit" isn't a slogan — it's the argument of a life. Jay's closing reflection is that most people quit one step before the answer that was waiting around the corner. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome and introduction: meet Jay Setchell 00:45 — The one word that defines him: stubborn 02:28 — Childhood on a seventh-generation farm and learning responsibility young 08:44 — The feeding auger accident at seventeen 09:54 — Dying in a Marine Corps car crash and the out-of-body experience 14:39 — A year in the hospital, total self-reliance, and rebuilding a working life 19:35 — A second near-fatal accident on the road 22:24 — Career at a major telecom, and the diving accident that broke his neck 24:59 — Faith, prayer, and defying the paralysis prognosis 28:47 — Back to work on crutches, and the real meaning of selling 31:46 — Forced retirement at 41 — and starting over anyway 34:33 — Building homes, then building a life-saving training company 41:14 — The mantra behind it all: don't ask why, ask why not 53:23 — Lived experience versus learned experience 54:56 — Closing reflections and the ripple effect of one story About Jay Setchell Jay Setchell is a Marine Corps veteran, serial entrepreneur, inventor, and author of The Strength Within You: It's Always Too Soon to Quit . Raised on a seventh-generation family farm, he has survived four near-fatal accidents and 73 surgeries, including a broken neck that left him temporarily paralyzed from the shoulders down. He has built businesses spanning trucking, trade show displays, wide-format printing, home construction, and — most recently — a national and international training company supplying realistic smoke, sound, and simulation products to fire departments, military units, and law enforcement agencies. https://neverquittrying.com/ Work with Serena Standing at a career crossroads? If you’re successful on paper but quietly asking, “Is this still the life I want?” , Career Crossroads Counsel is a private 90-minute session designed to help you get underneath the overthinking and understand the decision you’re actually facing. Together, we’ll explore: Preserve — what still matters Release — what may be complete Recognise — what wants to begin Choose — what your next chapter needs to honour You’ll leave with a clearer map of your crossroads and your next moves. Book your Career Crossroads Counsel session HERE . Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. T his episode was edited by Aura House Productions

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  The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low

  153. Work Is Not Family: Boundaries, Burnout, and Toxic Workplaces (Katie Hadiaris)

  Sep 20, 202638 min

  What happens when we expect our workplace to meet emotional needs that it was never designed to meet? In this episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, I speak with Katie Jean Hadiaris, founder of Work Is Not Family, about the hidden expectations we bring into our careers—and how those expectations can leave us vulnerable to burnout, overwork and workplace harm. Many of us were taught that being a good worker means being productive, helpful, agreeable and willing to go the extra mile. For women especially, childhood conditioning around being the “good girl” can make it difficult to question expectations, set boundaries or put our own wellbeing first. Katie offers a different way of looking at work: work is an agreement, not a family. That perspective does not mean relationships, connection or healthy workplace cultures are unimportant. It means becoming clearer about what an employer and employee actually owe each other—and recognising that our identity, emotional wellbeing and sense of worth cannot safely depend entirely on an organisation. We explore: Why we can become emotionally attached to our workplaces How childhood conditioning and protective behaviours show up at work The difference between doing your job and “quiet quitting” Why workplace visibility can become complicated for introverts How toxic work environments affect the body and nervous system Why high performers may ignore warning signs and push through The guilt that can arise when taking leave or prioritising personal needs What trauma-informed leadership looks like in practice Why leaders should stop labelling behaviour without considering what may be beneath it How employees can distinguish between a current workplace problem and past experiences being triggered Why clear expectations, autonomy and respect matter in healthy workplaces How to begin paying attention to what your body is telling you One of the most important reminders in this conversation is that we bring our whole lives to work. We cannot simply leave our emotions, histories and nervous systems at the door. At the same time, we can learn to recognise our own responses, establish boundaries and make more conscious decisions about how we navigate work. If you have ever felt that your workplace expects more and more from you—or if you have struggled to separate your professional identity from your personal worth—this conversation offers a different lens through which to understand your experience. About Katie Hadiaris Katie Jean Hadiaris is the founder of Work Is Not Family, a workplace philosophy centred on the idea that healthy workplaces and healthy families operate by fundamentally different expectations. She works with professionals who have been blindsided, betrayed or broken by work, helping them make sense of what happened, reconnect with themselves and move forward. Katie offers free resources and one-on-one coaching to help people understand their nervous systems, work through triggers and navigate work in healthier ways. https://workisnotfamily.com Work with Serena Are you an introverted woman feeling stuck at the career crossroads? Before deciding if your next move is stay/go, take the SEEN Career Clarity Diagnostic . Four questions to help you reflect on where your career holds up against the four pillars of a sustainable career for introverts: Safety - Energy - Ethos - Need. Once you have completed the diagnostic, you will be invited to book a Clarity Consultation, during which I will share what I've observed and your options for moving forward. Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. T his episode was edited by Aura House Productions

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  The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low

  152. The Skills That School Never Taught Quiet Achievers (Rob Heller)

  Sep 13, 202629 min

  There is a particular kind of dread that shows up around a first performance review, a first networking event, a first job where nobody hands you a manual. For introverted professional women who spent years being praised for grades and credentials, the workplace often demands a different currency entirely — people skills, self-advocacy, the ability to connect without performing extroversion. Nobody taught this. It was never on the syllabus. That is the gap Rob Heller has spent two decades trying to close. After a 40-year business career and selling his insurance firm for eight figures to a publicly held company, Heller founded the Boost Program — a curriculum built around what he calls the three legs of the stool: people skills, character, and a healthy mindset. In this conversation, Heller and Serena Low talk about why 85 percent of what employers say they want is soft skills nobody is systematically teaching, why phone and social media use functions like a genuine addiction for the 14-24 age group, and why introverts do not need to become extroverts to master connection — they simply need the skills nobody gave them the language for. Questions Answered Why do young people leave school without the people skills employers say matter most? What are the three "legs of the stool" in Rob Heller's Boost Program? Is phone and social media use actually an addiction, and how does the Boost Program address it? Can introverts build strong people skills without becoming extroverts? Why did Rob Heller create Boost after selling his insurance company for eight figures? What role do parents play in reinforcing the skills their teens learn in a program like Boost? What is a growth mindset and why does it matter for connection and resilience? How does the attention economy affect teens' ability to build real relationships? Key Takeaways The gap between "employable" and "prepared" is wider than most parents realize. Heller names it directly: employers report that 85 percent of what they are hiring for is soft skills, yet schools spend nowhere close to that proportion of time teaching them. The dissonance between what a transcript proves and what a workplace actually requires is the quiet crisis sitting underneath a lot of early-career anxiety. Naming an addiction as an addiction, without shame, changes how people respond to it. Heller does not lecture teens about willpower. He walks them through how deliberately phones and algorithms are engineered to keep them hooked, and he includes himself in that struggle rather than standing above it — a move that turns a shame-based topic into a shared, workable problem. Social media's distortion is not a discipline problem — it is a highlight-reel problem. Heller's framing that social feeds show only the equivalent of a basketball player's best dunks, never the misses, gives language to something many quiet achievers already feel: the comparison trap is not a personal failing, it is a design flaw in what gets shown. Introversion is not the obstacle to connection — it is a different route to it. Heller is explicit that his students do not need to become the loudest person in the room. Curiosity about the other person, active listening, and small consistent behaviors build connection just as effectively, without requiring anyone to perform a personality that is not theirs. A growth mindset reframes struggle from evidence of inadequacy into evidence of growth. For the perfectionist, quiet achiever who assumes discomfort means something has gone wrong, Heller's reminder that discomfort is a normal, necessary part of developing any skill offers a genuinely different relationship to struggle. Chapters 00:00 — Introducing Rob Heller: entrepreneur, youth development innovator, founder of the Boost Program 00:56 — From an eight-figure insurance exit to noticing the skills gap at home 04:32 — Why Boost went on hold for fifteen years, and what brought it back during the pandemic 06:03 — The three legs of the stool: people skills, character, and a healthy mindset 08:15 — Why Boost focuses on ages 14 to 24, and the neuroscience behind that window 09:59 — "The Missing Course": why schools teach math and science but not the skills that determine a life 11:41 — Soft skills aren't soft: why leadership, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence are actually hard 15:04 — You don't have to be an extrovert: introverts, effectiveness, and connection 15:36 — Naming the phone and social media addiction without shame 20:01 — How Boost spreads: schools, workforce development, and building a peer community for organizations 22:10 — What engagement looks like when a program actually lands with teens 23:32 — Parents as the head coach, Boost as the assistant coach 25:39 — Rob's message to introverted listeners: you don't have to change who you are to build these skills 27:05 — Wired to connect: why relationships, not achievement, predict a good life 27:35 — Growth mindset as the third pillar of a healthy mind About the Guest Rob Heller is an entrepreneur, youth development innovator, and founder of the Boost Program, a curriculum built to teach teens and young adults the people skills, character development, and mental health tools that traditional education often leaves out. After a 40-year business career, including selling his insurance firm for eight figures to a publicly held company, Heller returned to the program he first started twenty years earlier as a parent trying to give his own children a skill set no school course offered. He is the author of The Missing Course for Today's Youth: 26 Skills That Matter — How The Boost Program Fills The Gap. https://boostprogram.com/ Follow the Podcast If this conversation resonated, leave a review to help other introverts find The Quiet Warrior Podcast. Work with Serena Are you at a career crossroads? Before deciding if your next career move is stay/go, take the SEEN Career Clarity Diagnostic . 4 questions to help you reflect on where your career holds up in relation to Safety - Energy - Ethos - Need: the four pillars of a sustainable career for introverts. Once you have completed the diagnostic, you will be invited to book a Clarity Consultation, during which I will share what I've observed and your options for moving forward. Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. T his episode was edited by Aura House Productions

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  The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low

  151. Inside The Cage: Mia Hanks On Surviving Covert Narcissistic Abuse (And Realizing The Door Was Always Open)

  Sep 6, 202629 min

  For twenty-nine years, Mia Hanks believed that if she just held on a little longer, things would eventually get better. They never did. Behind a marriage that looked, to the outside world, like a life with a charming, generous man was a quieter reality: a husband who grew angry when she was sick, controlled every dollar she touched, and slowly convinced her that she was the one who was too sensitive, too much, too wrong. That is covert narcissism, and Mia Hanks understands its texture better than most. A survivor of narcissistic abuse and author of the memoir Bridesmaid , Hanks joins the Quiet Warrior Podcast to describe what nearly three decades inside that marriage actually looked like, and why understanding the difference between covert and overt narcissism, financial abuse, and the isolating effects of a smear campaign can help someone still inside a relationship like hers recognize the door long before they walk through it. Questions Answered What is covert narcissism, and how is it different from overt narcissism? Why do empaths and introverts often make easy targets for narcissistic abuse? What are the early warning signs of a covert narcissist? Why does it take so long, sometimes decades, to leave a narcissistic relationship? How does financial abuse keep survivors trapped in a marriage? What is narcissistic personality disorder, and is it a diagnosable condition? How does a smear campaign work once a survivor leaves, and why do mutual friends often side with the narcissist? How can someone begin planning a safe financial exit from a relationship with a narcissist? Key Takeaways The quiet strangeness of being met with anger instead of care whenever she was sick, and how that one small, repeated moment was an early sign of a much larger pattern The relief of finally being validated by a therapist after twenty-eight years of believing she was the problem The specific ache of watching mutual friends side with the person who caused harm, and the slow realization that those friendships were never truly hers to lose Recognizing that the cage door had never been locked, and why that truth did not make leaving any easier The quiet, practical courage of setting aside small amounts of cash at the grocery store, one of the first steps toward an eventual exit Understanding narcissism as a pattern that worsens with age rather than one that resolves itself with time, patience, or the next phase of life Chapters (approx.) 00:00 — Introducing Mia Hanks and her story 00:19 — Where Mia sits on the introversion-extroversion spectrum 01:29 — What narcissism actually is, and why empaths make easy targets 03:03 — Covert versus overt narcissism: why the covert type is harder to spot 04:05 — The first red flags, and why they were easy to explain away 06:28 — The turning point: declining health and a therapist's validation 09:25 — How family support made a difference 10:23 — Why it took twenty-nine years to leave 13:23 — Financial control and financial abuse inside the marriage 14:22 — How the children experienced the marriage 15:37 — The smear campaign, and losing mutual friends after the divorce 19:41 — The cage metaphor: why an unlocked door isn't the same as an open one 22:06 — Writing Bridesmaid : filling the gap left by clinical, academic accounts 23:40 — What she wishes her younger self had known 24:26 — Advice for anyone currently in a relationship with a narcissist 25:39 — Planning a financial exit, one small step at a time 26:50 — Where to find Mia Hanks and her books About Mia Hanks Mia Hanks is a survivor of narcissistic abuse and the author of the memoir Bridesmaid , which shares a first-hand account of life inside a marriage to a covert narcissist. In April, she released a follow-up memoir chronicling her healing journey. Both books are available in paperback and e-book through her website, miajhanks.com , where listeners can also find links to purchase on Amazon. Help Us Grow If today's conversation with Mia resonated, leave a 5-star review on your podcasting app and share the episode with an introvert you know. Your reviews help more introverts grow into Quiet Warriors. Work with Serena Before deciding if your next career move is stay/go, take the SEEN Career Clarity Diagnostic . The diagnostic helps you reflect on where your career sits in relation to the four pillars of sustainability for introverts: Safety - Energy - Ethos - Need. Once you have completed the diagnostic, you will be invited to book a Clarity Consultation, during which I will share what I've observed from your responses and your options for moving forward. Work with Serena Low at serenalow.com.au. Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. T his episode was edited by Aura House Productions

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  The Quiet Warrior Podcast with Serena Low

  150. Letting Go of Control: How an INFJ Conductor Healed Generational Trauma (Joel Bein)

  Aug 30, 202647 min

  Joel Bein still remembers the exact feeling of trying to control something he could never control: standing in front of an orchestra, arms raised, believing the gesture had to look right rather than simply be true in the moment. Letting go of that grip, he says, was the same letting go he later had to learn in his own healing work. In this episode of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, host Serena Low talks with Joel Bein, founder of Human Liberation and host of The Joel Bein Show, about being an INFJ in leadership, the concept of psychological visibility, and the belief-clearing method he uses to free entrepreneurs from stress, self-doubt, and generational trauma passed down through childhood conditioning. Questions Answered What is psychological visibility and why do introverts crave it? What is the Human Liberation belief-clearing method? How do childhood beliefs create adult anxiety, imposter syndrome, and money stress? Why does letting go of control reduce anxiety and perfectionism? How does generational trauma pass from parent to child? How does internal family systems (IFS) work relate to clearing limiting beliefs? Key Takeaways The relief in realizing you are only truly "seen" by people who know your core values, not just your presence The chest-tightening recognition that a parent's frustration at a child's "no" is often an old, unprocessed wound resurfacing The freeing moment of discovering a belief like "money is hard" or "I'm not enough" was never proven by real experience, only assumed The quiet that settles in once a limiting belief is fully released, described as the noise in the head dropping close to zero Chapters (Approx.) 00:00 — Introduction: introverted entrepreneurs and belief clearing 00:29 — Joel's place on the introversion-extroversion spectrum, being INFJ 04:06 — What psychological visibility means and where it comes from 10:02 — Classical music as an outlet for unprocessed emotion 16:51 — Letting go of control as a conductor, and in life 20:54 — Childhood hypervigilance, safety, and reading the room 27:01 — Generational trauma and the beliefs parents pass to children 36:05 — Inside the Human Liberation belief-clearing method 44:27 — Where to find Joel and closing thoughts About Joel Bein Joel Bein is the founder of Human Liberation and host of The Joel Bein Show, where he explores new paradigms for personal growth, child-rearing, and a more voluntary, flourishing humanity. He works with entrepreneurs to permanently clear the subconscious limiting beliefs beneath stress, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome. Learn more at https://thehumanliberation.co. About The Quiet Warrior Podcast The Quiet Warrior Podcast is a show for introverted professional women navigating visibility, leadership, and career and personal growth. If this episode resonated, please rate and review the show on your listening app. Your support helps more quiet achievers become Quiet Warriors. Work with Serena Host Serena Low is a trauma-informed coach who guides introverted high-achieving professional women to understand what’s keeping them stuck, so they can make their next career move from clarity – not confusion. https://serenalow.com.au Work with Serena Low at serenalow.com.au. Loved this episode? Leave a review to help other Quiet Warriors find the show. T his episode was edited by Aura House Productions

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