The Stone in My Shoe

The Stone in My Shoe is a podcast for women who find themselves questioning, shifting, or sensing that something more is calling. Hosted by Debbie Thompson, an educator, counsellor, and life coach, each episode shares real stories from women who learned to trust a quiet nudge or push, listen to their intuition, and follow what felt true. These conversations offer insight, inspiration, and lived wisdom. Whether you’re feeling stuck, curious, or simply longing for something deeper, it reminds you that life can be a doorway to refining, expanding, or reimagining the life you're here to live.

The Stone in My Shoe is a education podcast hosted by Debbie Thompson, with 25 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Debbie Thompson hosts The Stone in My Shoe, a education show with 25 episodes published.

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  The Stone in My Shoe

  She Left the Job But Kept Grading Her Own Worth | Connie Kwan on Self-Worth & Identity Change

  Sep 11, 202643 min

  Why does your sense of self-worth disappear the moment there's nothing left to point to? Have you ever finished a day with nothing "produced" and felt strangely uneasy about it, like the day didn't quite count? In this episode of The Stone in My Shoe, Debbie Thompson sits down with Connie Kwan, a former Silicon Valley product executive who spent over twenty years in leadership roles at companies including Microsoft and Atlassian, to talk about the belief she's carried since childhood: that her worth comes from what she does. Connie traces this belief back to growing up in Hong Kong, where achievement was simply the language everyone around her spoke, through immigrating to Canada and needing something legible to be recognised by, and into two decades of a career that rewarded exactly this pattern with promotions, paycheques and praise. Seven years after stepping away from traditional corporate life to build something of her own, she's honest about what hasn't disappeared: the quiet audit she still runs on herself, and the moment she realised the real work wasn't a new career — it was identity change at the root. This is a thoughtful conversation about self-worth, achievement and what it actually takes to stop needing proof that you were enough today. What you'll hear: Why growing up between Hong Kong and Canada shaped Connie's relationship with achievement The contradiction of being entrepreneurial while calling yourself "a very low-risk person" What it looks like to still audit your own worth, seven years after leaving the system that used to do it for you Why she believes real purpose has no guarantee attached to it What she means by "getting rid of my stone" Sometimes the hardest part isn't leaving the job that measured you. It's learning to stop measuring yourself. Connect with Connie Kwan Website: https://conniekwan.com/ Newsletter (STORYHabits): https://conniekwan.substack.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/conniekwan ✖️ X: x.com/ConnieKwan_ Product Maestro: productmaestro.com Connect with Debbie Thompson Facebook: facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe Instagram: instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe ▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast Website: debbiethompson.lovable.app If this conversation resonated with you, please follow the podcast, leave a review and share it with someone who may need to hear it. Every conversation helps another person recognise the stone that's been quietly shaping their own journey.

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  The Stone in My Shoe

  Why We Say Yes When We Really Mean No | Kirsty Tait on People Pleasing & Boundaries

  Sep 3, 202650 min

  Why do we keep saying yes to things we don't want to do, even when it leaves us feeling resentful and exhausted? Have you ever agreed to something before you'd even decided if you wanted to? Said yes to a hug, a favour, a plan not because you wanted to, but because saying no felt harder than just going along with it? In this episode of The Stone in My Shoe , Debbie Thompson sits down with Kirsty Tait , founder of Confidence in Connection, to talk about the quiet, everyday ways we abandon ourselves in the name of being liked. Kirsty shares a moment from a retreat that changed everything: “I didn't know I didn't have to hug people.” That single sentence unravelled something much bigger. Kirsty realised she'd spent years letting people override her in small, easy-to-miss ways without ever understanding she had a choice. Together, Debbie and Kirsty trace this pattern back to a childhood memory, through years of over-giving in friendships, and into the moment Kirsty finally understood that belonging was never something she needed to earn. This is a thoughtful conversation about people pleasing , setting boundaries , self-worth and relationship patterns and what changes once we notice we've been carrying them. In this episode you'll hear: Why we unconsciously say yes when we mean no. How a childhood memory can quietly shape a lifetime of people pleasing . The difference between being kind and seeking approval. Why setting boundaries often starts with something as small as a hug. How self-abandonment develops without us ever noticing. What Kirsty now understands about belonging and self-worth . Sometimes the hardest part isn't saying no. It's realising you were always allowed to. Connect with Kirsty Tait Website: https://confidenceinconnection.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taitface/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstytait/ Connect with Debbie Thompson Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/ ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast Website: https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/ If this conversation resonated with you, please follow the podcast, leave a review and share it with someone who may need to hear it. Every conversation helps another person recognise the stone that's been quietly shaping their own journey.

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  The Stone in My Shoe

  Choosing Herself Over Staying Fine | Amala on Self-Abandonment, People Pleasing & Finding Her Voice

  Aug 27, 202646 min

  Self-abandonment rarely feels dramatic. It looks like calling something fine, long after part of you already knows it isn't. Have you ever stayed somewhere — a job, a relationship, a version of yourself — long after you first felt it wasn't right? You knew something wasn't working, yet naming it out loud felt harder than simply enduring it. In this episode of The Stone in My Shoe, Debbie Thompson sits down with Amala, a former medical scientist and humanitarian worker who spent over a decade with organisations including the United Nations, the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders, working across more than ten countries, many of them active conflict zones. After a career spent serving others in some of the world's most demanding environments, Amala found herself asking a quieter question: when do I get to matter too? That question became the beginning of a long, unglamorous unlearning. That same pattern, she explains, ran through much more of her life than one job. From the age of seventeen, she lived inside a marriage that shaped nearly every choice she made — what to study, where to live, who to become — until, thirteen years later, one small decision to do something for herself became the first crack in a habit she hadn't fully recognised. Amala also opens up about surviving a hotel bombing in Jakarta, and the fear she didn't let herself feel until she had safely landed on the ground. She talks candidly about the physical and emotional toll of years spent in conflict-zone humanitarian work, and the eight months it took her to find her feet again afterwards. This is an honest, unhurried conversation about identity, self-worth, service, and learning to include yourself in your own circle of care — not as an act of selfishness, but as the missing piece that makes everything else sustainable. In this episode you'll hear: Why Amala kept telling herself a job was fine long after she felt it wasn't What thirteen years inside someone else's rules taught her about trusting her own voice Surviving a hotel bombing in Jakarta, and the fear she didn't let herself feel until she was safe What genuine humanitarian work in active conflict zones actually costs, physically and emotionally The eight months it took her to find her feet again afterwards Why she believes real alignment, once it arrives, never asks you to look back The sanctuary she's building for women in France, and what it means to finally include yourself Why noticing is always the first step, long before you know what to do next What “walking the way of love” means to her now, after everything she's carried Whether you're navigating a job that no longer fits, a relationship you've quietly outgrown, or simply wondering why you keep calling things fine that aren't, Amala's story offers an honest, unhurried way of understanding what might be happening beneath the surface. Sometimes the hardest part isn't leaving. It's admitting you already knew. About Amala Amala is a former medical scientist and humanitarian worker who spent over a decade with organisations including the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and Doctors Without Borders, working across more than ten countries, many of them active conflict zones. She is now building Maison de Rêve, a sanctuary and pilgrimage experience for women in France centred on rest, reflection, and reconnecting with one's own voice. Connect with Amala Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amalasoulsanctuary/ ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avanyathizephyra Connect with Debbie Thompson Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/ ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast Website: https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/

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  The Stone in My Shoe

  Why We Repeat the Same Relationship Patterns | Dr Judith Swack on Unconscious Beliefs & Self-Worth

  Aug 21, 202644 min

  Why do we keep repeating the same painful relationship patterns, even when we desperately want things to change? Have you ever found yourself attracting the same kind of relationship, making the same decisions or feeling trapped in patterns you can't explain? You know something isn't working, yet understanding it with your mind doesn't seem to be enough to change it. In this episode of The Stone in My Shoe , Debbie Thompson sits down with Dr Judith Swack , biochemist, immunologist and creator of Healing from the Body Level Up (HBLU) . After building a successful scientific career, Judith found herself asking a deeply personal question: "I'm a smart woman. Why can't I figure out why I keep attracting emotionally unavailable men?" That question became the beginning of a journey that challenged everything she believed about healing. Judith shares how growing up with abuse and neglect created unconscious beliefs that shaped every area of her life, from relationships to career. Rather than seeing trauma as simply something that happened in the past, she explains how the beliefs and protective strategies formed through those experiences continue influencing our choices long after the events themselves are over. Together, Debbie and Judith explore the difference between the conscious and unconscious mind, why many people remain stuck despite years of personal development, and how healing begins when we recognise the invisible patterns we have been living by. This is a thoughtful conversation about trauma, emotional healing, identity, purpose and learning to understand ourselves with both curiosity and compassion. In this episode you'll hear: Why we unconsciously repeat the same relationship patterns. How childhood trauma shapes adult beliefs and behaviours. The hidden protective strategies that once kept us safe. Why understanding your mind isn't always enough to create change. The difference between conscious and unconscious healing. How emotions carry valuable information rather than simply getting in the way. Why hyper-independence often develops after childhood neglect. The role purpose, intuition and the body can play in healing. Why recognising your "stone" is often the first step towards lasting change. Whether you're struggling with difficult relationships, healing from childhood trauma, questioning long-held beliefs or simply wondering why certain patterns keep showing up in your life, Judith's story offers a compassionate way of understanding what may be happening beneath the surface. Sometimes the hardest part isn't changing. It's seeing what has been quietly shaping us all along. Connect with Dr Judith Swack Website: https://www.hblu.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Healing-from-the-Body-Level-Up-HBLU-90737451478/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hblu_drjudithswack/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judith-a-swack-ph-d/ ▶️ YouTube: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judith-a-swack-ph-d/ Connect with Debbie Thompson Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/ ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast Website: https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/ If this conversation resonated with you, please follow the podcast, leave a review and share it with someone who may need to hear it. Every conversation helps another person recognise the stone that's been quietly shaping their own journey.

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  The Stone in My Shoe

  Learning to Choose Yourself | EP21 with Jay Atwill

  Aug 16, 202653 min

  Some of our deepest wounds don't come from dramatic moments—they come from the quiet absence of feeling truly seen. In this deeply honest conversation, Claira J shares how growing up longing for emotional connection with her mother shaped the way she viewed herself, her relationships, and her worth. For years she searched for validation outside herself, believing she had to earn love by becoming who everyone else needed her to be. As a performer, singer, and vocal coach, Jay eventually discovered that finding her voice wasn't just about standing on stage—it was about learning to trust herself, stop self-abandoning, and choose herself in the smallest everyday moments. This conversation explores what happens when we stop waiting for someone else to give us the love we've always needed. If you've ever struggled with people-pleasing, questioned your worth, or felt caught between who you are and who others expected you to be, you'll find yourself in this conversation. In this episode, you'll hear about: Mother wounds and their lasting impact Self-abandonment and people-pleasing Learning to trust your own voice Why validation from others never truly heals us Choosing yourself without guilt Healing through curiosity, compassion, and self-awareness Finding freedom from old relationship patterns Sometimes healing doesn't begin when someone finally understands us. Sometimes it begins when we finally understand ourselves. Guest Links Instagram (Coaching): https://www.instagram.com/clairajcoaching/ Instagram (Music): https://www.instagram.com/clairajmusic/ Rewired & Radiant Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ thestoneinmyshoe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ thestoneinmyshoe

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