Overcoming Challenges:
Turning Setbacks into Stepping Stones
Why Challenges Are Inevitable (and Necessary)
If you’re a high-achieving woman, a leader, executive, or entrepreneur, you’ve likely built your life on grit, persistence, and the ability to figure things out. You don’t shy away from challenges. In fact, part of you might even thrive on them. But some challenges aren’t part of the plan. They blindside you. They derail your carefully laid path. They force you to slow down, or stop altogether, when all you want to do is keep moving.
I know this because I’ve lived it. And I also know this: challenges can either break you down or build you up. The difference is in how you respond to them.
The Years Before My Injury
I founded Momentum Fit in 2005, and for the next 16 years, I poured everything I had into building it. To be truthful, I still pour myself into it, just differently now. I worked passionately and tirelessly. Growing my team, training clients, partnering with other organizations, and taking on every opportunity that came my way.
Most days, my schedule looked like this: training clients from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m., with a couple of short breaks to grab food, workout, or return calls. On top of that, I worked with other organizations providing strength and conditioning, often staying out until 10 p.m. I worked Saturdays from 6 or 7 a.m. until about noon, and on Sundays I’d play soccer, then spend the rest of the day catching up on business operations and the long list of tasks that never fit into my week and that I never seemed to catch up on.
I didn’t just coach other people’s fitness. I trained myself, too, and played soccer on Wednesday nights. I told myself I was “staying healthy,” but the truth was, I was the non-example. I was running on 4–6 hours of sleep a night, convinced I could function just fine because I “wasn’t a good sleeper” anyway, and I never knew what it felt like to get enough rest. I never took a whole week off in all those years, just long weekends or the occasional random day when I burned out completely.
Looking back now, I can see it clearly:
I wasn’t leading well.
I was surviving my own life.
And I was burning myself down in the process.
When My Body Forced Me to Stop
A Sunday soccer game, one hit that took me out, and pain I thought I could push through. It progressed through the week. I got back on the field Wednesday, convinced that I had just tweaked something. However, I realized shortly into the game that something was wrong, and then I got off the field. I had never quit anything before in my life. I worked the next day, nursing my back and the pain that was shooting down into my leg. Then I drove to Orlando that night to get on a flight to Arizona the next day. Upon arrival, of course, I wanted to do something active to “help the pain” and went for a 3- or 4-mile hike. The pain progressed, became unbearable, and I spent the next 4 hours or so writhing around on the floor, crawling, anything to try to get it to stop. Then, I lost motor function in my leg. It was Friday, May 21, 2021. When I got back on Monday, I saw a non-surgical orthopaedic doctor and had an MRI that day. I was in surgery just a few weeks later.
When it happened, it felt like a betrayal. I had spent my entire life building my strength, training my body to be capable, resilient, and powerful, and now, in my mind, it had failed me.
But the truth was, my body hadn’t failed me. I had been failing it for years. The injury was just the final breaking point.
The Blessing in Disguise
As hard as it was, the injury did something I would never have done for myself. It forced me out of the constant grind of the owner-operator role. It forced me to learn how to sleep. It forced me to start caring for my mental and emotional health, not just my physical performance. And it forced me to finally lead my team in a way that empowered them, rather than trying to carry the entire load myself.
And here’s the surprising part:
When I started prioritizing recovery, my business didn’t crumble; it grew. Momentum Fit moved in a more positive, sustainable direction. I became a better leader, a better coach, and a better human.
That space also allowed me to pursue my Master Health Coach credential, which led to my National Board Certification. Now, I integrate that expertise into both Momentum Fit and my private health coaching practice, where I help high-achieving clients like me find balance and better health, without sacrificing their professional success.
The High Achiever’s Dilemma: Doing More vs. Doing What’s Needed
First, let’s define what I mean by a “high achiever.”
A high achiever is someone who:
Sets ambitious goals and rarely settles for “good enough.”
Thrives on productivity and accomplishment - again, I will admit that I have a toxic relationship with productivity. It is my drug of choice.
Holds themselves to high standards in nearly every area of life
Is often driven by both internal motivation and external expectations
Finds it hard to rest without feeling guilty - I am learning to allow the feeling of guilt because I would rather feel guilty than resentful. (This was something my therapist said to me, and it stuck.)
Sound familiar?
In moments of challenge, the default response for many high achievers is: do more. Work harder. Push longer. Prove yourself. I used to think I worked best under pressure and in high-stress situations. I can acknowledge now that I was so stuck in survival, I didn’t know what it felt like to truly thrive… I am still working on the thriving part.
But challenges aren’t always overcome by effort alone. Sometimes they require a different approach. One that’s less about output and more about strategy.
I call this strategic resilience. It’s the art of adjusting your plan without abandoning your goals. It’s knowing when to push, when to pivot, and when to pause so you can return stronger.
Mindset Shifts for Turning Setbacks into Stepping Stones
When I work with clients facing tough seasons, we focus on reframing the challenge so it becomes a teacher instead of a tormentor. Here are three mindset shifts that make that possible:
From Control to Curiosity (I LOVE Curiosity)
Instead of asking, “Why is this happening to me?”, try, “What is this here to teach me?” Curiosity opens the door to learning, while control keeps you stuck in frustration.From All-or-Nothing to All-or-Something
You might not be able to do everything you want right now, but you can do something. Progress in smaller, more manageable ways keeps momentum alive. If you read the last blog, you know that I believe Momentum is a powerful feeling.From Isolation to Connection
Challenges are heavier when you carry them alone. Lean on trusted people, friends, family, coaches, mentors, etc., who can help you see what you can’t see and support you while you find your footing.
Tools & Strategies for Overcoming Challenges
Challenges drain your resources. The first step in navigating them successfully is to stop the leak and rebuild your foundation.
Here’s a practical, four-part framework I use with clients:
1. Create Margin
What it is: Protecting pockets of time in your day that are free from work, obligations, or constant input. I call this “untouchable” time.
Why it matters: Margin gives your nervous system a chance to regulate, helping you think more clearly and make better decisions.
How to do it:
Schedule 10–30 minutes of white space daily. Treat it like a meeting you cannot cancel.
Use that time for breathing, stretching, walking, or simply doing nothing.
Say no to tasks that don’t align with your priorities for this season.
2. Focus on Micro-Wins
What it is: Breaking your challenge into the smallest actionable steps. This is important!!!
Why it matters: Micro-wins create momentum, build confidence, and make large challenges feel less overwhelming.
How to do it:
Identify the smallest next step you can take today, not the whole solution.
Acknowledge your progress, no matter how small.
Stack wins over time until you’ve built meaningful change.
3. Prioritize Recovery
What it is: Supporting your physical and mental health so you have the capacity to handle challenges. Recovery can be active, and in my professional opinion, it should be.
Why it matters: Without recovery, your body stays in survival mode, making it harder to think clearly and act effectively.
How to do it:
Breathwork: Two minutes of slow, deep breathing (inhale for 4, exhale for 6) before or after stressful moments.
Sleep hygiene: Create a consistent pre-bed routine. Dim lights, avoid screens, stretch, and journal for five minutes to help your body shift into rest.
Supportive movement: Choose exercise that energizes instead of depleting. Strength training, walking, and mobility work are great options during stressful seasons.
4. Redefine Success
What it is: Adjusting your expectations to fit your current reality instead of measuring yourself against a past version of you. This one is a challenge for me because my cells remember what it felt like to be the previous version of me.
Why it matters: Unrealistic expectations add unnecessary pressure and make challenges feel heavier.
How to do it:
Ask yourself, “What does success look like for me in this season?”
Release the pressure to match your highest-output days when life is demanding more from you elsewhere.
Measure progress by alignment with your values, not just achievement.
Your Challenge Is Not the End
Whatever challenge you’re facing right now, it may feel like it’s blocking the path forward. If I could reframe it for you, I would ask, what if it’s redirecting you toward a better one? What if the setback you’re dreading is the very thing that will equip you for the next level of your life?
You don’t have to figure it all out today. You just need to take one step, learn one lesson, or make one adjustment.
That’s how challenges turn into stepping stones.
If you’re navigating a difficult season and want tools, perspective, and support to get through it without losing yourself, I can help.
email me at marie@mariemerrittcoaching.com to learn more, or text me at 904-504-9894 to book a free consultation to start building your resilience plan today.