When You’re Knocked Down – But Not Out

There’s a moment, after the blow lands, when the air leaves your lungs.
When the shock sets in.
When you can’t tell whether you want to scream, cry, or just sit in silence and disappear.

Maybe it’s being passed over for the promotion you earned.
Maybe it’s being told your job is being “eliminated.”
Maybe it’s losing a career you poured your whole identity into.

Whatever the form, the experience of being knocked down—especially after you’ve done everything right—is a gut punch few talk about.

We talk about success. We talk about resilience.
But we rarely talk about the space in between—that raw, disoriented, painfully quiet place where you’re still on the ground, trying to decide if you’ll get back up.

The Reality of Being Knocked Down

When you’ve built your identity around competence and excellence, a fall feels personal.
You question everything:
Was I not good enough? Did I miss something? Was I naïve to think loyalty or hard work mattered?

And when you’re a woman in a male-dominated field, it cuts even deeper.
Because you know the margin for error was already razor thin.

You weren’t just carrying your own reputation—you were carrying the weight of being “the example.”
And when you fall, it feels like you’ve let down more than just yourself.

That’s the part no one talks about.
The grief, the shame, the loneliness that comes when the strong one finally cracks.

The Messy Middle

Resilience doesn’t begin the moment you hit the ground.
It begins in the silence that follows—when you decide what happens next.

The messy middle is the hardest part:

• When you’re reeling from loss but still have to show up.

• When your confidence is shattered and you can’t tell where to begin.

• When the future feels like a blank page, and you’re too tired to pick up the pen.

But it’s also where something remarkable begins to form:
Perspective. Power.
And the quiet, steady whisper: You’re not out.

What Rising Again Really Looks Like

We glorify comebacks as if they’re cinematic.
As if one day you decide to rise, and everything falls neatly into place.

But real comebacks are slow.
They’re uncomfortable.
And they start long before anyone else notices.

They begin when you:

• Choose honesty over denial. “This hurts, and I’m not okay—but I will be.”

• Reach out instead of retreating. You let trusted people in, even when you’d rather hide.

• Let go of what no longer fits. You stop trying to resurrect a version of yourself that no longer exists.

• Start small. One email. One conversation. One act of courage at a time.

Resilience isn’t about bouncing back to who you were.
It’s about becoming who you were meant to be next.

The Shift

When you’re knocked down, it’s easy to believe you’ve failed.
But sometimes, the fall is the only thing strong enough to push you toward your next chapter.

Maybe the door didn’t close—it slammed—because you were meant to build something entirely new.
Maybe the setback wasn’t rejection—it was redirection.
Maybe the fall wasn’t the end—it was the clearing you needed to see what’s next.

You’re allowed to grieve what was lost.
And you’re allowed to rise again, differently this time—stronger, wiser, softer, more whole.

Because being knocked down doesn’t mean you’re out.
It just means the story isn’t finished yet.

Ask yourself:

• What knocked me down that I still haven’t processed?

• What did that experience reveal about what I truly value?

• What would it look like to rebuild—not from fear, but from freedom?

If you’ve been knocked down and you’re not sure how to begin again—start here.
Download your free guide: Breaking the Cycle: 7 Hidden Signs It’s Time to Level Up—and Lead

Or, if you’re ready to rise with clarity and support: Schedule a call with me today to start mapping your comeback.

Beyond the cockpit. Beyond the collapse. Beyond the flight deck.
You’re not out—you’re just becoming something new.

The fall was never the finale.
It was the runway.

Until next week,
Dana