Big Freakin’ Change: How to Gain Confidence by Stepping Out Before You Are Ready
| Cara Moeller Poppit, 2025
What’s It All About?
This book lives up to its name. Big Freakin Change: How to Gain Confidence by Stepping Out Before You Are Ready is a bold, honest guide for anyone who feels stuck—and doesn’t know what to do next. Cara Poppitt walks you through her “get unstuck cycle of change” in a way that feels like she’s in the room with you, simultaneously challenging you while cheering you on. She’s not about fluff or endless planning. She’s about making bold moves right now.
What hit me most is how universal her message is. Whether you’re managing a shift on the floor or leading a senior team through culture change, the real drag on progress isn’t strategy—it’s people being stuck. Fear, overthinking, burnout, indecision. Cara gives you the clarity and language to name where you are, and the courage to act even if you’re not ready.
I know Cara personally and had her on the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast. She brings warmth, strength, and straight talk that makes this book feel more like a conversation with someone who actually gets it. Not theory—real tools for real change.
Favorite Quotes
“We wait to feel confident before we act. But confidence is the result of taking action.”
Biggest Takeaway
What stuck with me most is how clearly Cara names the real stages people move through when facing change and how often we get trapped in the cycle without realizing it. Her eight-step model isn’t just a checklist—it’s a mirror. From “stuck” to “transformation,” each phase calls out what’s really happening behind the scenes: the internal resistance, second-guessing, and emotional disruption that leaders rarely talk about out loud.
The most powerful insight for me was the point where most people quit: disruption. That’s the moment when things don’t go as planned: when your team pushes back, when the new initiative feels harder than expected, or when your self-doubt kicks in. In manufacturing, we’re wired to fix and move fast. But that speed can keep us from sitting with discomfort long enough to let real growth happen. Leaders who quit here end up cycling back to stuck. When this happens, they often drag their teams with them.
Cara’s framework gave me language I can use with clients and teams. Now, when a plant leader tells me they’re feeling drained or unsure, we can map where they are in the cycle and shift the conversation from “what’s wrong?” to “what’s next?” That alone is a huge unlock for clarity, ownership, and movement. For leaders trying to drive lasting change in safety, culture, or performance—it’s not about another tool. It’s about understanding the cycle they’re in and having the courage to stay with it.
Bonus Information
Her framework took me right back to my daughter’s figure skating days. She had a visualization coach who helped her see the outcome before it happened. That mindset work unlocked real performance. Same thing here. Cara gives leaders a way to visualize who they want to be, then move toward it. And that’s exactly what so many in manufacturing need right now, especially in the middle of chaos and constant change.
If you’re leading a team through any kind of shift (and let’s be real, who isn’t right now?!) stay tuned to the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast for Cara’s episode on June 11th. It’s a great episode where we dig into how Cara’s model helps manufacturing leaders reconnect, reset, and drive results that last.