What’s the real outcome of mindset work?

It’s this: When the shit gets real… you get to keep going.

Recently, my medical adventure has continued—because as you may know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. What you might not realise, though, is just how many additional tests are needed to develop your treatment plan. It’s not just one appointment. It’s a whole series of scans, biopsies, and check-ins that happen behind the scenes to map out the best next steps.

So after the initial biopsy, one of the next steps was to become besties with the MRI machine. Why? Because they found a second area of ‘suspicion’—something that hadn’t shown up in the earlier scans. That meant I needed another round of investigation, including a second MRI-guided biopsy. More scans, more needles, more deep breaths.

Sounds technical, right? It is. And if you’re wondering what that involves—let me walk you through a guided MRI-biopsy (warning: it's not glamorous).

First, you get handed a flimsy disposable gown (the kind you tie at the front—bonus, you do get to keep your undies on). Then you lie face-down on a machine, with your boobs literally hanging through a framework—yes, really—so the medical team can get access to poke and prod. You’re slid into a small tunnel, also known as the MRI machine (which, if you’ve never had one, is basically a coffin-sized tube with a soundtrack straight out of a sci-fi horror film).

Here’s the kicker: I didn’t know I was claustrophobic until my first MRI. But there I was, trapped in what felt like a coffin, while a team of strangers worked around me and I had to stay perfectly still. For over an hour.

Yes, they give you a local anaesthetic to numb your breast for the guided biopsy—but let’s be honest, it doesn’t numb the experience of having more needles inserted while being moved back and forth inside the coffin-sized tube (aka the MRI machine).

So why am I telling you this?

Not to scare you (okay, maybe a little—to go get your boobs checked!), but mostly to share what mindset work really looks like in action.

It’s not just journaling with your favourite pastel pen, or taking bubble baths with a herbal tea in hand. Those things are lovely, and they help—but that’s not the depth of mindset work I’m talking about.

Mindset work is when you're in the middle of something terrifying or painful, and you can still find your centre. It’s when your brain is screaming “GET OUT!” and your body wants to run, but instead you focus on your breath and stay still—because your life depends on it.

It’s vulnerability—real vulnerability. Not the cute kind you post about online. But the kind where your body is exposed to a room full of strangers, and you're not performing or being paid to be there.

It’s learning how to meditate—not on a quiet mountaintop, but inside a screaming machine that sounds like R2D2 having a meltdown. And knowing all those hours of practice were worth it because now, in the most intense moment, you can calm your nervous system so you can get through it.

It’s asking a stranger to scratch your head because you can’t move. It’s having to keep asking them to adjust the headrest—because you literally can’t do it yourself. It’s needing to speak up for your comfort, again and again, without feeling like you’re being too much.

And here’s the thing: this mindset work isn’t just useful in a medical setting.

It’s vital in business.

There are moments in business where you’ll feel exposed, raw, uncertain. Times when you’ll have to ask for help. Times when you’ll need to receive support with grace. Times when you’ll want to cry in the corner but instead, you breathe and respond with clarity.

Running a business is like showing the world who you really are—over and over again. And that takes courage. Vulnerability. Resilience.

Mindset work is what helps you hold your centre when everything else is falling apart—whether it’s a challenging client, a financial wobble, or a full-blown personal crisis.

So, when you wonder why mindset work matters—this is why.

Because when life throws chaos your way (and it will), you’ll know how to come back to a place of calm. You’ll have the tools to keep going. You’ll be able to be okay, even when everything feels anything but.

And that was just the beginning of the MRI-guided biopsy adventure—and yes, it only got more interesting from there, to say the least.

To be continued....

Part Two: When Things Start Bleeding: Real Lessons on Letting Go and Finding Support (with extra bloody adventures...)