You can chase “success” for years and still feel empty, exhausted, and off on the inside. In this solo episode of The Confident Woman Podcast, Rachel Brooks breaks down why real success isn’t the boxes you check, the titles you collect, or the numbers you hit—it’s personal, values-based, and rooted in what actually matters to you.

Rachel talks about the cost of living by everyone else’s standards, why boundaries are self-respect (not selfishness), and how perfectionism keeps you stuck—hesitating, overthinking, and refusing to start unless the outcome feels guaranteed.

She also names what a lot of women won’t say out loud: you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely—and if the community you need doesn’t exist, sometimes you have to create it.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why “success” is personal—and what changes when you stop living by someone else’s definition
• How boundaries protect your peace, time, and identity (and why they’re self-respect)
• What perfectionism actually does to your progress—and how “good enough” unlocks movement
• Why loneliness shows up even when you’re “doing everything right,” and how to find or build real community
• A simple end-of-episode check-in: are you investing your energy in what matters most?

If this episode hit you, share it with a woman who’s tired of striving and needs language for what she’s been carrying.

Next steps:

Subscribe to The Confident Woman Weekly: https://iamrachelbrooks.com/subscribe

Start with I Am Enough (10-Minute Reset): https://iamrachelbrooks.com/reset

trategic Clarity & Stewardship Session: https://iamrachelbrooks.com/strategy-session

Connect with Rachel Brooks:

Website: https://iamrachelbrooks.com

Instagram: @iamrachelbrooks

LinkedIn: iamrachelbrooks.com/linkedin