
With Karen D. The Podcast.
Karen Donaldson·47 episodes·Weekly
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Karen Donaldson's neuroscience-backed coaching on confidence, communication, and authority reaches executives through With Karen D. Podcast.
Episodes
Latest Episode
October 20, 2026 · 21m
Ever notice how your body suddenly decides to act up right before something important? Your heart starts racing, your hands get sweaty and your brain starts questioning everything you've spent weeks preparing for. And now you're nervous about being nervous…wonderful. In this episode, Karen D. is getting into what actually happens when pressure hits and why your nerves don't automatically mean you're about to screw things up. She's sharing five practical ways to get yourself together before and during high-stakes moments, including pre-performance routines, physical and scent anchors, visualization, breathing techniques and one powerful shift in how you interpret those uncomfortable physical sensations. You'll also learn why obsessing over the outcome can work against you and what to focus on instead when you need to deliver. Because you can be nervous and still be damn good at what you do. The goal isn't to eliminate the pressure. It's to stop letting the pressure decide how you perform. Make sure to subscribe, like and turn on your notifications so you know every time a brand new video is released. Interested in going deeper with us? Check out the following resources: Free Resource: How to Have Kick A$$ Confidence in the Next 72 hours: 4 science backed strategies to level up your confidence in any setting. 30 Day Overcome Imposter Syndrome Bootcamp (Online & self-paced) Connect with Karen On Tik Tok IG LinkedIn
More Episodes
Oct 13, 2026 · 19m
How many times have you told somebody that you're stuck, things have plateaued or nothing seems to be moving?Well, Karen D. has a question for you. How long are you planning to keep telling yourself that story?In this episode, Karen challenges three beliefs that can quietly sabotage your progress. We're talking about the words you use to describe your life, the difference between knowing success is possible and believing it's possible for YOU, and why one setback doesn't mean the whole damn thing is over.You'll also hear why comparing your timeline to somebody else's is a losing game and how to start shifting your attention from everything that isn't happening to what you can actually do next.Because you don't have to pretend everything is wonderful. But you do need to stop treating your current circumstances like a permanent address.You're allowed to be a work in progress and still be going somewhere.Now, what are you going to do about it?Make sure to subscribe, like and turn on your notifications so you know every time a brand new video is released.https://www.youtube.com/@KarenDonaldsonInc Interested in going deeper with us? Check out the following resources: Free Resource:How to Have Kick A$$ Confidence in the Next 72 hours: 4 science backed strategies to level up your confidence in any setting.https://karendonaldson.lpages.co/how-to-have-kick-ass-confidence-in-the-next-72-hours/ 30 Day Overcome Imposter Syndrome Bootcamp (Online & self-paced)https://www.theglobalconfidenceacademy.com/notenoughbootcamp Connect with Karen On Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@therealkarendonaldsonIG https://www.instagram.com/therealkarendonaldson/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealkarendonaldson/
Oct 7, 2026 · 26m
You don’t have a boundary problem.You have a follow-through problem.Because saying, “I don’t like when you do that” means absolutely nothing when your behavior keeps telling people, “But I’ll tolerate it anyway.”In this episode of With Karen D. The Podcast, Karen is cutting through the watered-down boundary advice and getting to the part nobody wants to talk about:A boundary without enforcement is just a suggestion.Boundaries aren’t about controlling what other people do. They’re about deciding what you will allow access to your time, energy, attention, and peace, and what happens when someone crosses the line.And here’s the uncomfortable part:You are 100% responsible for maintaining your boundaries.Not your partner.Not your family.Not your friends.Not your coworkers.You.Karen breaks down the 4-step blueprint for creating boundaries that actually hold, without over-explaining, apologizing, negotiating your standards, or crumbling the second someone pushes back.In this episode, Karen gets into:• Why most people don’t actually have a boundary problem• The difference between a boundary and a preference• Why you need to decide your standards before you’re tested• How to communicate a boundary without writing a dissertation to justify it• Why your behavior matters more than your words• How to handle pushback without immediately folding• Why some people only respected you when you had no boundaries• What happens when protecting your peace costs someone access to youIf you’re exhausted from over-giving, over-explaining, people-pleasing, and wondering why people keep crossing lines you’ve already told them not to cross, this episode is for you.Because people learn your boundaries by what happens when they break them.Stop explaining the line. Start holding it.Subscribe, like, and tell us in the comments:What boundary are you done negotiating?With Karen D. The PodcastNo fluff. No sugarcoating. Just the truth and the tools that move you forward.Interested in going deeper with us? Check out the following resources: Free Resource:How to Have Kick A$$ Confidence in the Next 72 hours: 4 science backed strategies to level up your confidence in any setting.https://karendonaldson.lpages.co/how-... 30 Day Overcome Imposter Syndrome Bootcamp (Online & self-paced)https://www.theglobalconfidenceacadem...
Sep 29, 2026 · 11m
Ever start answering a question and halfway through think, “Where the hell was I going with this?”Your brain has 72 tabs open, your mouth is moving faster than your thoughts and now everybody is coming along for the ride.In this quick episode, Karen D. gives you four practical techniques to get your mind focused and your words organized when you need to speak clearly under pressure. You'll learn how to find the one sentence that actually matters, reset your body before answering, organize messy thoughts into three simple buckets and recover when you completely lose your train of thought.Because confident communication isn't about thinking faster or having the perfect answer immediately.Sometimes you need to stop talking, find the damn point and start again.Make sure to subscribe, like and turn on your notifications so you know every time a brand new video is released.https://www.youtube.com/@KarenDonaldsonInc Interested in going deeper with us? Check out the following resources: Free Resource:How to Have Kick A$$ Confidence in the Next 72 hours: 4 science backed strategies to level up your confidence in any setting.https://karendonaldson.lpages.co/how-to-have-kick-ass-confidence-in-the-next-72-hours/ 30 Day Overcome Imposter Syndrome Bootcamp (Online & self-paced)https://www.theglobalconfidenceacademy.com/notenoughbootcamp Connect with Karen On Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@therealkarendonaldsonIG https://www.instagram.com/therealkarendonaldson/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealkarendonaldson/
Sep 23, 2026 · 25m
Some people can get on your last damn nerve before you've even finished your morning coffee.But here's the bigger question: why are we giving difficult people that much access to us?In this episode, Karen D. breaks down how to stay calm and grounded when someone is pushing your buttons, disrespecting your boundaries or bringing their chaos directly to your doorstep. You'll learn three practical tactics you can use immediately: create a gap before you respond, stop overexplaining your boundaries and refuse to match somebody else's emotional energy.This isn't about being passive, staying quiet or letting people get away with bad behaviour. It's about learning how to hold your ground without losing yourself in the process.Because difficult people aren't going anywhere.Your job isn't to control them.Your job is to stop handing them the remote control to you.Make sure to subscribe, like and turn on your notifications so you know every time a brand new video is released.https://www.youtube.com/@KarenDonaldsonInc Interested in going deeper with us? Check out the following resources: Free Resource:How to Have Kick A$$ Confidence in the Next 72 hours: 4 science backed strategies to level up your confidence in any setting.https://karendonaldson.lpages.co/how-to-have-kick-ass-confidence-in-the-next-72-hours/ 30 Day Overcome Imposter Syndrome Bootcamp (Online & self-paced)https://www.theglobalconfidenceacademy.com/notenoughbootcamp Connect with Karen On Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@therealkarendonaldsonIG https://www.instagram.com/therealkarendonaldson/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealkarendonaldson/
Sep 16, 2026 · 23m
Stop Matching People’s Energy: How to Stay Calm, Powerful, and in ControlMatching someone’s negative energy might feel like strength, but it’s actually a sign you’ve handed over control. In this episode of With Karen D.The Podcast, Karen Donaldson explains why reacting to other people’s moods and attitudes keeps you stuck in survival mode, and how real power comes from choosing your response. Learn how to regulate your nervous system, stay calm under pressure, and lead interactions with grounded confidence instead of emotional reactivity.
Sep 8, 2026 · 14m
Who decided where you were supposed to be by now?If you’ve been looking at other people’s careers, relationships, money, businesses or accomplishments and quietly thinking, “I’m behind,” Karen D. has a question for you: behind compared to whom?This episode gets into inherited timelines, “comparisonitis” and the pressure we put on ourselves to hit milestones we may not even want anymore. Karen challenges you to separate your actual desires from everybody else’s expectations and gives you practical questions to figure out what you want now—and what you’re going to do about it.You’re allowed to change your mind. You’re allowed to start late. You’re allowed to take a completely different route. Stop using somebody else’s life as the measuring stick for yours. Your way is the right way for you. Now go do something with it.Make sure to subscribe, like and turn on your notifications so you know every time a brand new video is released.https://www.youtube.com/@KarenDonaldsonInc Interested in going deeper with us? Check out the following resources: Free Resource:How to Have Kick A$$ Confidence in the Next 72 hours: 4 science backed strategies to level up your confidence in any setting.https://karendonaldson.lpages.co/how-to-have-kick-ass-confidence-in-the-next-72-hours/ 30 Day Overcome Imposter Syndrome Bootcamp (Online & self-paced)https://www.theglobalconfidenceacademy.com/notenoughbootcamp Connect with Karen On Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@therealkarendonaldsonIG https://www.instagram.com/therealkarendonaldson/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealkarendonaldson/
Sep 1, 2026 · 8m
pretending you've got it all together.The problem is... pretending is exhausting.In this episode of With Karen D. The Podcast, I'm challenging one of the most common pieces of advice in personal development:"Fake it till you make it."I don't buy it, where should you and it's BS!When you spend your life performing confidence instead of building confidence, you create a gap between who you really are and who you think you have to be. That gap often leads to anxiety, burnout, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome.Real confidence isn't about putting on an act. It's about trusting yourself enough to move forward before everything is perfect.In this episode, we unpack:• Why fake confidence often creates more self-doubt• The hidden cost of constantly performing for other people• Why authenticity is one of the greatest confidence builders• How to stop chasing perfection and start building self-belief• Why courage matters more than pretending• The mindset shift that helps you show up as yourself—even when you're nervous• Practical ways to build confidence from the inside outHere's what I know...The people who leave the biggest impact aren't the ones pretending to be perfect.They're the ones who are grounded enough to be real.If you've been carrying the weight of trying to prove yourself, I hope this conversation gives you permission to put it down.Subscribe for weekly conversations on confidence, communication, executive presence, leadership, and personal growth.Welcome to With Karen D. The Podcast. where we get honest about what shapes how you show up, lead, perform, and live... and what you can actually control.Make sure to subscribe, like and turn on your notifications so you know every time a brand new With Karen D. The Podcast. episode is released.https://www.youtube.com/@KarenDonaldsonInc Weekly Podcast Drops:Monday Thoughts: Every Monday at 9am Eastern (They are solid, short and value packed)New Podcast Episodes: Every Tuesday Morning Interested in going deeper with us? Check out the following resources: Free Resource:How to Have Kick A$$ Confidence in the Next 72 hours: 4 science backed strategies to level up your confidence in any setting.https://karendonaldson.lpages.co/how-to-have-kick-ass-confidence-in-the-next-72-hours/ 30 Day Overcome Imposter Syndrome Bootcamp (Online & self-paced)https://www.theglobalconfidenceacademy.com/notenoughbootcamp Connect with Karen On Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@therealkarendonaldsonIG https://www.instagram.com/therealkarendonaldson/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealkarendonaldson/
Aug 25, 2026 · 14m
Fear has one job; to convince you not to move.In this episode, Karen Donaldson explores why so many people stay stuck waiting to feel confident, how fear quietly shapes the decisions we make, and why changing your focus can completely change your future. Through personal stories and practical strategies, Karen shares how to stop feeding fear, build confidence through action, strengthen your mindset, and take back control of how you show up in your career, relationships, and life.If you've been playing small because you're waiting to feel "ready," this episode is your wake-up call.Primary Keywordsconfidencehow to overcome fearmindsethow to be more confidentconfidence coachpublic speaking confidencecommunication skillsleadershipself confidencefear of failureMake sure to subscribe, like and turn on your notifications so you know every time a brand new video is released.https://www.youtube.com/@KarenDonaldsonInc Interested in going deeper with us? Check out the following resources: Free Resource:How to Have Kick A$$ Confidence in the Next 72 hours: 4 science backed strategies to level up your confidence in any setting.https://karendonaldson.lpages.co/how-to-have-kick-ass-confidence-in-the-next-72-hours/ 30 Day Overcome Imposter Syndrome Bootcamp (Online & self-paced)https://www.theglobalconfidenceacademy.com/notenoughbootcamp Connect with Karen On Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@therealkarendonaldsonIG https://www.instagram.com/therealkarendonaldson/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealkarendonaldson/
Aug 19, 2026 · 21m
Karen D shares powerful insights on building confidence, overcoming setbacks, and taking decisive action to achieve success. This episode emphasizes that confidence is a skill you can train and that waiting for perfection is a trap.Make sure to subscribe, like and turn on your notifications so you know every time a brand new video is released.https://www.youtube.com/@KarenDonaldsonInc Interested in going deeper with us? Check out the following resources: Free Resource:How to Have Kick A$$ Confidence in the Next 72 hours: 4 science backed strategies to level up your confidence in any setting.https://karendonaldson.lpages.co/how-to-have-kick-ass-confidence-in-the-next-72-hours/ 30 Day Overcome Imposter Syndrome Bootcamp (Online & self-paced)https://www.theglobalconfidenceacademy.com/notenoughbootcamp Connect with Karen On Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@therealkarendonaldsonIG https://www.instagram.com/therealkarendonaldson/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealkarendonaldson/