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Life & resilience / Julie Basler

Dr. Julie Basler — The Lie That You're Not Enough (and the Truth That Frees You)

Jun 24, 2026 · 55 min · Season 2, episode 18

Inside the conversation

The story behind the episode.

If you've ever felt like you're not enough — like you've lost yourself somewhere along the way — this conversation is for you.

Dr. Julie Basler returns to Mosaic Minds for an honest talk about burnout, depression, self-worth, and finding your way back. As an author, speaker, and former college president and board chair, she knows what it's like to look successful on the outside while quietly struggling underneath — and she's here to remind you that you're not alone, and you matter.

In this episode:

• Why "knowing you're enough" and "feeling you're enough" are two different things

• The advice she got at 27 — "never take your jacket off" — and what it really meant

• Trading the suit for tennis shoes: leading among people, not above them

• How her mental health and her career collided — and how she came back

• The freight-train-vs-locomotive boardroom moment

• Why she handwrites a letter to a stranger every Friday

• The story behind her new book, "She's Strong Enough to Break"

CHAPTERS

00:00 "Knowing you're enough and feeling you're enough are two different things"

02:00 Meet Dr. Julie Basler & the new book

07:48 "I Kept My Jacket On" — the advice she got at 27

09:31 Trading the suit for tennis shoes: leading among them, not above them

12:36 Going to the deep end: writing with raw vulnerability

15:16 When mental health and career collide

19:32 Grieving the title vs. keeping the mission

21:14 The text experiment: what every woman wrote back

22:23 Freight train vs. locomotive — the boardroom story

25:53 The most underrated leadership trait

28:12 Who the book is really for

30:54 The Friday letter project

50:26 One piece of advice to leave you with

51:50 Where to find Julie & the book

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr. Julie Basler is an author, keynote speaker, and former college president and board chair. Her new book is "She's Strong Enough to Break: How Female Leaders Can Reclaim Their Mental Health, Their Boundaries, and Their Lives Without Losing Their Seat at the Table."

LINKS

🌐 Website (audio + video, all in one place): https://MosaicMindsPodcast.com

▶ Watch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-f-IFt612kI

📖 Book and Website available on July 1: https://juliebasler.com

🔗 Connect with Dr. Julie Basler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-julie-basler-building-strong-teams/

Hosted by Nick & Jason Yocum. New episodes wherever you stream podcasts — follow Mosaic Minds so you never miss one.

A note: this episode touches on mental health and depression. If you're struggling, please know you're not alone — consider reaching out to a mental health professional or someone you trust.

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