What My Bum Foot Taught Me About Frames

In my career, I’ve spent years calling challenges “opportunities.” It’s the corporate version of putting lipstick on a pig. Not because I’m trying to spin reality, but because reframing is part of how we help people move from being stuck to seeing what’s possible. I never thought much about it until two days ago, when I was walking my dogs.

My Foot Pain Dominated My Headlines

If you’ve talked to me in the last year, you know I’ve been dealing with relentlessly stupid and soul-sucking foot pain. I think I made it my entire personality while I tried everything: reflexology, physical therapy, shockwave treatment (on my foot, not my brain), acupuncture, myofascial release, arch supports, new shoes, stretching, ice, heat, cortisone shots.

Still pain. Still frustration. Still “Why me?” And if you really know me, “For the love of all things, isn’t there a pill for this?”

By the end of the year, the pain peaked and an MRI confirmed a pretty severe injury. The prescription was simple and awful. Wear a walking boot. No distance walking. No strenuous exercise. Focus on recovery instead of fighting the injury.

I complied because I was out of options. I even hired a dog walker.

An Epiphany

Fast forward almost two months. Yesterday, I took my dogs for a 30‑minute walk and felt thrilled. It felt like progress.

Two months ago, that same 30‑minute walk would have upset me. I would have seen it as proof that nothing was working and that I was destined to suffer for the rest of my life (insert dramatics).

The only thing that changed was the frame. I stopped thinking about the injury and started thinking about the recovery. Same foot. Same walk. Completely different feeling.

Reframing Doesn’t Fix Everything, But It Helps

Reframing doesn’t magically fix anything. If it did, I’d be on a jog (who am I kidding, I mean walk) instead of writing this. But reframing does something important by shifting your posture toward the solution. It reduces frustration, opens up curiosity, and encourages collaboration. It helps you work with reality instead of fighting it.

Even when I call something an “opportunity” that feels like a complete sh*t show, reframing forces me to look for the learning or the value of the experience. It doesn’t erase the difficulty, but it changes my experience and how I show up.

What This Means for Leaders and Teams

Organizations often treat challenges the way I treated my foot for months, as something to battle or outsmart. But real change requires a different stance.

When teams stay in “injury mode,” they push harder instead of smarter. They burn out and focus on symptoms instead of causes.

When they shift into “recovery mode,” everything opens up. Progress feels like a win, and success feels good because of the outcome and the process of getting there.

Reframing shouldn’t be viewed as spin. It’s mindset and leadership. It helps people see the same situation in a way that creates movement instead of paralysis.

The Takeaway

My foot didn’t heal because I reframed the situation. It healed because I changed my behavior. But the behavior only changed because the frame changed first.

That’s the heart of change work. Sometimes the job isn’t fixing the injury but rather learningg how to support the recovery.