127 | Resilience in Action: How to Rebuild After Setbacks featuring Dr. Michele Kehrer
episode
Career Growth for Working Women | Career Advancement, Visibility, Promotion, Raises
16 min
1 speaker
5 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
How did surviving four cancers reshape Michele’s definition of success?
What happens when life forces you to completely rethink what success means? My guest today has faced cancer not once. Not twice, but four times. And through those experiences, she discovered something powerful about resilience, setbacks, and how we move forward when life doesn't go as planned. Because the truth is, setbacks don't define your career or your life. What matters is what you choose to do next. Let's dive in.
Welcome to Career Growth for Working Women. If you're feeling tired in a way rest alone won't fix, or successful on paper but unsure what's next, you're not broken. You're not alone. I'm Shannon, a promotion and compensation coach, and this space is about helping women grow their careers with clarity, confidence, and sustainability, not pressure or hustle. Take a breath, settle in, and let's talk about what's really going on beneath the surface. Hello and welcome to the show. My guest today is Dr. Michelle Kerr, and her story is one that puts a lot of our everyday pressures into perspective. Michelle is a doctor of physical therapy, entrepreneur, and business coach with more than 30 years of experience launching, running, and selling businesses across multiple industries.
But her career has also been shaped by something far more personal. Michelle is a four Time cancer survivor. Over the years, she has faced repeated health crises while continuing to rebuild her life and career through each challenge. Those experiences force her to rethink what resilience actually means. Not just surviving difficult moments, but learning how to move forward after them with clarity and intention. Today, Michelle works with leaders and entrepreneurs through her company Shift to Success. Helping them navigate obstacles, rebuild after setbacks, and grow in ways they feel sustainable. Michelle, welcome. I'm really glad to have you here today.
Oh my gosh, thank you so much, Shannon. So good to be with you.
Okay. So you face cancer not once, not twice, but four times. How did the that experience change the way you think about work, life, success?
I think well, everyone had a every incident had like a different Take right. So the first time I was, you know, young and I was like, okay, I can do this. You know, I was out in the world. I was like talking on stages, telling people like cancer's not contagious, like don't even worry about it. I was running around bald because I didn't know how to put a wig on my head and Um yeah, it was wild. And then The second time was like right after. Like it was eight months later. Um And that one I was like, oh man, like is something bigger than me. Um, and that one I was more introspective, more quiet and just um didn't tell too many people, just kinda did the thing. Uh and then I went Twelve years cancer free. So and if you're like ten years cancer free, everyone kinda goes, Oh, you're out of the woods and
You're you should be great. Uh And then when that one happened, it I it was it never even occurred to me that it could possibly be cancer. I just started coughing and wasn't feeling good. And next thing I knew, I was sitting in my oncologist office with cancer that was through my in my bones, it was everywhere.
Oh wow.
Um and that I was like, whoa, people have come back from this. Um and that was uh get my life in order, you know. put two trusts, make sure I've got powers of attorney and Like all that all those things and continuing to do my inner work of You know. What does this mean for me? You know, what does life really mean? What do I really want? Um and I was doing great. Um and you know, after um I was cleared and everything I was living and All of a sudden little lumps started forming again. And um I was like, oh my gosh, this cannot be. Um and at this point I'm just kind of I'm doing things holistically. uh which everyone's got their own journey is I'm not here to give medical advice by any stretch of the imagination.
Um And you know, just being patient and listening to my body and really figuring out
What mindset shifts helped Michele move from over‑thinking to taking action?
You know, what is all of this mean? Where am I going? Uh, you know, you being a career coach and promotion coach.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
How did surviving four cancers reshape Michele’s definition of success?
0:00–4:34
2
What mindset shifts helped Michele move from over‑thinking to taking action?
4:34–8:20
3
Why does Michele say true success is more than money or career titles?
8:20–11:43
4
How can we use a visual “setback shrinking” exercise to reframe challenges?
11:43–15:48
5
What daily habits does Michele recommend for building sustainable resilience?
15:48–15:55
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Career Growth for Working Women | Career Advancement, Visibility, Promotion, Raises
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