Flourishing After Adversity

S2:E16 Roots, Disruption, and the Tiny Experiment That Got Me Unstuck

• Laura Broome

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Tiny Experiments: Turning Disruptions Into Forward Motion

Laura Mangum Broome hosts the Flourishing After Adversity podcast and explains how unexpected disruptions can become opportunities to move forward faithfully and intentionally. She shares a recent plumbing crisis caused by tree roots that required jackhammering her bedroom closet floor, forcing her to empty and reorganize her room, reschedule appointments, and choose between spiraling or finding the good. 

Using this experience, she contrasts a goal mindset (“did I succeed or fail?”) with an experiment mindset (“what did I learn?”), especially after adversity when people crave certainty and control. She offers three steps: pick one area you feel stuck, turn the goal into a tiny experiment with a simple hypothesis and small daily action, and review what you learned. She closes with a reflection prompt, an action step, and resources including her free guide “Reframe the Spiral.”

00:00 When Life Disrupts
00:36 Podcast Welcome
01:01 Free Reframe Guide
01:23 Plumbing Chaos Story
02:50 Finding the Good
03:42 Goals vs Experiments
04:56 Why We Crave Certainty
05:38 Three Tiny Steps
07:31 Reflection and Action
08:05 Recap and Next Steps
09:11 Final Encouragement

Schedule a free 15-minute Clarity Call with Laura: https://bit.ly/15mincallLMB 

 Have you ever had a normal week going along just fine, and then something breaks, something changes, or something gets disrupted and suddenly you're rearranging your whole life.  Maybe it was a home issue, a health issue, a schedule change,  a relationship curve ball, and in that moment you're standing at a crossroads.  You can get angry and spiral, or you can look for the good and ask, what can I do with this? If that's you, stay tuned to today's episode. 

Podcast Welcome

Welcome to the Flourishing After Adversity podcast. I'm your host, Laura Mangum Broome. If you've been knocked down by life, grief, illness loss, heartbreak, or unexpected change, you're in the right place. Here, we talk about how to keep moving forward one step at a time. Not perfectly. Not all at once. Just faithfully and intentionally.   

Free Reframe Guide

Before we begin, if you ever feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts after a setback, download my free guide. Reframe the spiral, five quick coping strategies to shift negative thoughts and reclaim your day.

These are the same coping strategies I use when life gets overwhelming. You'll find the link in the show notes.

Plumbing Chaos Story

Last week I had a bathroom plumbing problem repaired quicker than I expected.  Great news until I learned the root of the problem was literally roots. Tree roots had forced their way into the pipe, searching for water.  The plumbers told me they'd need to jackhammer the floor of my bedroom closet to access the pipe.

Wait. What?  That meant emptying my walk-in closet and anything else in my bedroom that didn't want  covered in the fine dust.  And I don't know about you, but my closet has accumulated a lot of stuff over the past few years.  The work crew was coming back in the morning, so I went into full protect the house mode.

I ran to the neighborhood hardware store before they closed  to buy plastic sheeting.  Then I emptied my bedroom, everything except the furniture, into my sister's room because she was out of town.  Talk about a workout.  Overall, it was a big disruption.  I had to reschedule a doctor's appointment and zoom meetings I already had on the calendar. 

And there I was at a crossroads: get angry or find the good.  Then a familiar saying popped into my head, don't let a bad situation ruin your day, and don't let a bad day ruin your week. So I chose the latter. I'll find the good. 

Finding the Good

Here's the truth. The timing was terrible, but I could feel the excitement of having an organized bedroom again.  I had talked about decluttering my bedroom for a while, but I kept procrastinating. I didn't know where to start,  and now everything was out of my bedroom.

Not exactly the way I would've started the process, but it gave me a clear opportunity. I could return only the items I actually wanted to keep and then give away, or throw away the rest.  My sleep sanctuary was starting to take shape.  And it made me ask a bigger question, what else in my life could I take action on that I've been procrastinating.  Because disruptions have a way of revealing what's been building underneath the surface. Just like those roots. 

Goals vs Experiments

So often we think we need a perfect plan before we begin. We think we need certainty, confidence, and a clear goal of where everything's headed.  But a goal often asks one question, did I succeed or fail?

And that question can bring a lot of pressure.  It can make you overthink. Delay and wait until you feel more ready.  But an experiment asks a better question, what did I learn?  That one shift changes how you show up. It creates breathing room.

It helps you begin before you have everything figured out.  It reminds you that progress isn't always about getting it right on the first try.  Sometimes it's about gathering real life evidence one step at a time. 

You don't need to know exactly where the road leads before you move. You just need a simple hypothesis, a small next step, and the willingness to pay attention to what happens. That's not a lack of ambition. It's a smarter way to pursue it,  and here's the truth we all need to hear sometimes. The real risk is staying stuck because you're waiting to feel sure before you begin.

Why We Crave Certainty

This matters so much after adversity because hard seasons can make us want control.  When life is already knocked you down, it makes sense that you want guarantees. You wanna know you're not going to waste energy. You wanna know you're not going to get hurt again, so you wait.  You think, what if I try and it doesn't work?  What if I don't have the energy? What if I regret it?  What if I make it worse? 

But tiny experiments give you a way forward without demanding certainty. They help you rebuild trust in yourself, not through big promises, through small proof. 

Three Tiny Steps

Here are three simple steps you can use this week.

Step one. Pick one area where you feel stuck. Ask yourself, where have I been waiting until I feel more sure, more ready, or more confident?  And then just choose one,  not 10, just one.   

Step two, turn the goal into a tiny experiment.  Instead of saying, I need to figure out my whole plan,  try stating  my hypothesis is that if I spend 10 minutes a day on this for one week, I'll feel clearer and less overwhelmed.  Keep it small enough that you can start today.  Here are a few examples.  If you're overwhelmed at home:  My hypothesis is that if I declutter one drawer for 10 minutes a day for one week, I'll feel lighter and more in control.  If your schedule feels chaotic: My hypothesis is that if I do a 10 minute calendar reset each evening for one week, I'll feel calmer tomorrow morning.  If you're stuck emotionally:  My hypothesis is that if I take a 10 minute walk after lunch for one week, I'll feel less anxious and sleep better.   And if you're rebuilding after loss or divorce: My hypothesis is that if I reach out to one safe person each week for one month, I'll feel more connected and less alone.

And step number three, review what you learned. At the end of the experiment, don't ask only whether it worked. Ask, what did I notice? What gave me energy? What felt hard? What surprised me? What do I want to try next? Learning is forward motion. 

Reflection and Action

Here's your reflection prompt for the week. What is one tiny experiment you could run this week instead of waiting for the perfect plan?

And here's your action step. Choose one brave small step. Put a short window on it, 24 to 48 hours. Then pay attention to what you learn. You don't need a perfect roadmap to move forward. You need one brave small step, and then another, and then another.  That's how growth happens. 

Recap and Next Steps

Let's recap what we covered today.  Disruptions can frustrate you and they can also reveal what needs attention.  You can choose: get angry or find the good.  Tiny experiments create breathing room when you feel stuck.  A goal mindset asks did I succeed or fail? But an experiment mindset asks, what did I learn?  You don't need a perfect plan. You need a simple hypothesis, a small step in a short window. 

If this episode encouraged you, please share it with a friend who needs a reminder that a disruption doesn't have to derail their whole week. And if you've not already, be sure to  subscribe, leave a review, and visit iCope2Hope.com  for more resources, coaching, support, and encouragement.  Don't forget to download your free guide. Reframe the spiral. Five quick coping strategies to shift negative thoughts and reclaim your day. The link is in the show notes. 

Final Encouragement

You're right where you need to be.  

Growth happens one step at a time. Adversity can make you bitter or better. Choose better! You've got this!