The Story Beneath the Strategy with Denise Liriano

What if the thing keeping you stuck isn’t a lack of discipline, ambition, or strategy—but a story you’ve been carrying for years?

In this episode of Catalyst Conversations, Desi Bolin sits down with coach Denise Liriano for a deeply human conversation about the hidden stories that shape how we work, lead, parent, relate to others, and see ourselves.

Denise’s perspective comes from lived experience. Growing up in a hardworking household taught her to keep going without stopping to consider what that constant motion was costing her. Therapy began revealing patterns she hadn’t recognized before. Moving out on her own challenged her to discover who Denise was without everyone else around her. Then motherhood—and recovering from a C-section after having twins—confronted her with another identity shift: learning that strength can also mean stopping, healing, and asking for support.

Together, Denise and Desi explore what happens when high-capacity women become so accustomed to performing, producing, caregiving, and achieving that they lose connection with themselves.

Sometimes what looks like procrastination, perfectionism, inconsistency, or lack of motivation isn’t the real problem. It may be the visible expression of something deeper—a protective pattern, an old belief, or a story that once served a purpose but no longer fits the life you’re building.

Denise shares how naming those stories can begin rebuilding self-trust. Rather than shaming the version of yourself that learned to survive, you can understand why that version existed, take the lessons with you, grieve what needs to be grieved, and choose what comes next.

This conversation also reaches beyond personal growth. The relationship you build with yourself influences how you mother, lead, communicate, build a team, and show up in your community. As Denise says, children are watching. Leaders set the tone. The way we treat ourselves has a ripple effect.

If you’ve been trying harder but still feel exhausted, disconnected, or stuck in familiar patterns, this episode invites you to ask a different question:

What’s the story beneath the strategy?

Listen in and give yourself permission to hear the answer.

Connect with Denise:
LinkedIn | Evanis Coaching | Facebook

Connect with Desi:
talkwithdesi.com