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personal growth

  • personal growth, women and burnout, work life harmony

    Are You Running on Empty? How to Break the Burnout Cycle & Reclaim Your Life

    Do you feel like you’re constantly juggling too many tasks, putting out fires, and meeting everyone’s needs but your own? If the words “I’m okay, I’ll handle it” are your go-to responses, you might be caught in a dangerous cycle of burnout that’s silently draining your energy, joy, and sense of self.

    In our latest podcast episode, “Break the Burnout Cycle: Set Boundaries & Reclaim Your Time,” we delve into why many of us, especially self-reliant women, often wear exhaustion as a badge of honor and how to break free. This isn’t about radical, overnight change: it’s about making small, intentional choices that lead to profound transformation.

    Listen to the Full Episode Below

    The Three Hidden Energy Drainers

    Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a slow leak, often caused by three hidden energy drainers that we mistake for strengths:

    1. Fear of Confrontation: You avoid difficult conversations to keep the peace, but the unspoken needs and resentment build up, creating a heavy emotional weight. Every time you swallow your truth, you’re telling yourself that your needs don’t matter.

    2. Misguided Optimism: You hope that if you just keep pushing, someone will notice and step in to help. But this magical thinking often leads to disappointment and loneliness, leaving you feeling invisible and unappreciated.

    3. Persistent Availability: In a hyper-connected world, being “always on” has become the norm. You answer emails at all hours, never miss a call, and make yourself constantly available to everyone. This leaves no room for mental rest, leading to decision fatigue and chronic exhaustion.

    “Sucking it up and going alone isn’t a badge of honor. It’s a recipe for exhaustion, resentment, and burnout.”

    From Surviving to Thriving: 4 Steps to Reclaim Your Power

    Breaking the cycle of burnout isn’t about becoming a different person. It’s about making space for yourself, one small choice at a time. Here are four actionable steps you can take today to start reclaiming your energy and wellbeing:

    1. Get Honest with Yourself Through Journaling

    You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. Dedicate just 10-15 minutes each day to journaling. Write down where you feel stretched thin, what conversations you’re avoiding, and where you’re overextending yourself. This isn’t about judgment; it’s about gaining clarity. Once you see the patterns on paper, you can start to address them.

    2. Speak Your Truth to Someone You Trust

    Burnout thrives in isolation. Choose one person—a partner, a friend, a therapist—and share your struggles. Voicing your feelings breaks the silence and is often the first step toward getting the support you need. You don’t need to have all the answers; you just need to be heard.

    3. Set One Small, Manageable Boundary

    Boundaries aren’t about building walls; they’re about protecting your energy. Start small. Pick one area of your life—work, home, or personal time—and set one clear boundary.

    •Work: “I will not check emails after 7 PM.”

    •Home: “I need 30 minutes of uninterrupted time for myself each evening.”

    •Personal: “I will turn my phone off for one hour before bed.”

    Communicate your boundary clearly, kindly, and firmly. Remember, you’re not responsible for other people’s reactions to your boundaries.

    4. Protect Your Energy with Intention

    Your energy is your most valuable resource. Protect it fiercely. This means scheduling non-negotiable time for rest and self-care, just as you would a critical meeting. It means saying “no” to things that drain you and “yes” to things that fill you up.

    “Thriving means setting loving boundaries that protect your wellbeing. It means speaking up for your needs with confidence and kindness.”

    Your Journey to a More Empowered Life Starts Now

    Imagine what your life could look like six months from now if you started implementing these changes today. Picture yourself leaving work at a reasonable hour, feeling present and engaged with your family, and having the energy to pursue your own interests.

    This journey is a marathon, not a sprint. Be patient with yourself, celebrate the small wins, and remember that you are worthy of a life where you feel energized, supported, and truly alive.

    Ready to dive deeper? Listen to the full podcast episode, “85: Break the Burnout Cycle: Set Boundaries & Find Your Power,” for more in-depth strategies, personal stories, and a guided path to reclaiming your life.

  • personal growth, women and burnout, work life harmony

    The Silent Burnout Trap: Why Your Need to Be “Always On” is Hurting Your Work-Life Harmony

    It’s Time to Power Down

    We live in the age of the perpetual ping.

    From the moment we wake up, our devices are screaming for our attention: Slack pings, email notifications, group texts, and the endless scroll of social media. We’ve been conditioned to believe that constant responsiveness is a sign of dedication, professionalism, and even love. If you’re not answering that email at 10 PM, are you truly committed? If you don’t reply to that text instantly, do you even care?

    This pressure to be persistently available is more than just a modern inconvenience; it’s a deeply damaging habit that is quietly draining your emotional battery. In this powerful installment of the “Suck It Up, Go It Alone” series, we’re unpacking why this need to be “always on” is not serving you, and how you can take brave action to reclaim your peace.

    The Cause of Your Hyper-Responsiveness

    The truth is, this isn’t just about technology. For many of us, the need to be constantly available is deeply rooted in our past.

    Think back. Were you the child who smoothed over tension, anticipated everyone’s needs, or felt responsible for keeping the peace? For those who grew up feeling they had to earn love or prove their value through their helpfulness, being needed became an identity.

    This is the Identity Trap: the dangerous, subconscious belief that says, “If I’m not available, I’m not valuable.”

    Let me be clear: Your worth is not tied to how quickly you respond or how many fires you put out. That survival strategy may have served you well as a child, but as an adult, it is an emotional drain that is leading you straight to exhaustion. You are valuable, period. Your availability is a choice, not a measure of your worth.

    Burnout Disguised as Dedication

    When you are constantly responding, checking, and anticipating, your nervous system is trapped in a perpetual state of “alert mode.” It never gets a break.

    This hyper-vigilance is the unseen cost of constant availability. It chips away at your peace of mind, manifesting as:

    • Irritability and Fatigue: You’re too wired to rest, and too tired to be present.
    • Resentment: You start to resent the very people you’re trying to care for and serve.
    • Emotional Exhaustion: You are the emotional glue for everyone your spouse, your kids, your parents, your team and the weight is crushing.

    We often label this constant state of “on” as dedication, but I want you to recognize it for what it truly is: burnout disguised as dedication. For some, this is even a trauma response, a hyper-awareness carried into adulthood from homes where peace was conditional on behavior.

    It’s time to stop being addicted to the chaos and start prioritizing your well-being.

    Let’s Reclaim Your Energy and Peace

    The good news is that you can unlearn this habit. You can reclaim your time, your energy, and your peace without losing your impact. It takes brave action, but the reward is a life lived in harmony, not survival mode.

    Here are four practical strategies you can implement today:

    ActionStrategyThe “Why”
    1. Set a Tech BoundaryTurn off all notifications outside of work hours. Create “no phone zones” during dinner, family time, or personal rest.To give your brain and nervous system a much-needed break from constant pings and demands.
    2. Communicate Your AvailabilityClearly state your response times. Example: “I check emails three times a day,” or “My cut-off time is 6:30 p.m. for family time.”People will respect your boundaries when they are clearly communicated and consistently enforced.
    3. Create Micro-Breaks to ResetImplement 5-minute deep breathing or stretching breaks, or a 30-minute “just sit, just be” ritual after work.These small, intentional pauses calm your nervous system and restore focus, preventing the buildup of stress.
    4. Remind Yourself of the TruthInternalize the truth: You are allowed to rest, and you are allowed to be unavailable.The world will keep spinning. Your value is inherent, not conditional on your responsiveness.

    People who love and respect you will understand your need for boundaries. When you clearly communicate your availability, you teach others how to treat you, and you give yourself permission to power down.

    The Takeaway: Persistent availability is a silent burnout trap. By taking these brave actions, you can stop trading survival mode for strategies that help you truly thrive in your career, life, and everything in between. You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to be unavailable. And the world will keep spinning.

    Listen to the full episode of Work It, Live It, Own It for a deeper dive into this topic

  • personal growth, Self image, women and burnout, work life harmony

    Why Trying Harder Isn’t Working: The Truth About Misguided Optimism

    If you’ve ever thought, “Maybe if I just try harder, things will get better,” you’re not alone. That’s what many women in the sandwich generation, balancing work, caregiving, and family, tell themselves every day. But here’s the hard truth: sometimes, trying harder isn’t the answer.

    What Is Misguided Optimism?
    Misguided optimism is the belief that more effort will make others change, help you feel better, or fix what’s broken. It’s rooted in good intentions but often leads to exhaustion and resentment.

    When Optimism Helps and When It Hurts
    Healthy optimism keeps you motivated and hopeful. It’s what helps you push through challenges with confidence and faith. But misguided optimism crosses the line when it ignores your limits. It tells you that if you just do enough, things will change even when they won’t.

    How Childhood and Past Experiences Play a Role
    For many of us, these patterns started early. Maybe you were the helper, the peacekeeper, or the strong one who held it all together. That’s how you survived. But as adults, that same pattern becomes over-functioning, doing for others what they can do for themselves, and draining your own energy in the process.

    Breaking the Cycle

    1. Identify one area where you’re over-functioning.
    2. Focus on what’s actually yours to carry.
    3. Communicate your limits clearly and kindly.
    4. Let go of trying to control how others respond.

    Real optimism is about trusting that things can improve without sacrificing yourself to make it happen.

    Download Your Free Resource:
    Grab the PRONE to Power Worksheet, your step-by-step guide to cultivating the mindset that helps you thrive: Prioritize, Rejuvenate, Organize, Navigate Boundaries, and Empower.
    Download it here

  • personal growth, women and burnout, work life harmony

    Fear of Confrontation: The Silent Drain on Women

    Fear of confrontation is draining women in the sandwich generation. Learn how silence fuels burnout and discover practical steps to set boundaries, stop people-pleasing, and protect your well-being.

    So many women in the sandwich generation — balancing careers, raising kids, and caring for aging parents — have learned the same survival strategy: just suck it up.

    When your boss piles on another project, you say yes. When your family needs more of you, you stretch yourself thinner. You stay silent because speaking up feels risky. That silence gives a temporary sense of peace, but in reality? It creates what I call the pressure cooker effect.

    Like steam building with no release valve, unspoken frustration, resentment, and stress pile up inside of you. At first, you manage. But over time, the pressure starts to leak out — through exhaustion, disengagement at work, or snapping at the people you love most.

    This is what fear of confrontation costs us:

    • Energy — you’re drained from carrying unspoken tension.
    • Relationships — silence builds walls instead of connection.
    • Health — stress that simmers eventually takes a physical toll.

    The good news? You don’t have to overhaul your whole life to start changing this.

    Here’s a simple reset you can try this week:

    1. Write one boundary you’ve been afraid to set — at work or at home.
    2. Draft a kind but clear script. For example: “I’d love to help, but I’m fully booked this week. Can we revisit this next month?”
    3. Practice it, even if you don’t deliver it yet. Speaking the words out loud starts to release the pressure and rewires your confidence.

    Silence may feel safe, but it’s not sustainable. Real strength comes when you stop “sucking it up” and start showing up honestly — for yourself and those you love.

    Want help putting this into practice? Download my free PRONE to Power Worksheet.

  • personal growth, Self image

    Why Suffering in Silence is Holding You Back

    So many women in the sandwich generation — balancing careers, caregiving for aging parents, and raising kids — have been conditioned to “suck it up.” We tell ourselves it’s just what strong women do: hold it all together, sacrifice our own needs, and push forward without complaint. But here’s the hard truth: that mindset is not strength; it’s survival mode. And over time, it erodes our health, our relationships, and our sense of self.

    In his book Triage Your School, Dr. Christopher Jenson highlights three main areas where stress silently takes its toll: physical health, emotional well-being, and relational health. Those areas don’t just apply to schools — they apply to every woman trying to hold too much together. Ignoring them leads to resentment, disconnection, and full-blown burnout.

    Let’s break that down:

    Physical health – Stress shows up as fatigue, headaches, or even chronic conditions. When you keep pushing through, your body eventually forces you to pay attention.

    Emotional well-being – “Sucking it up” often means stuffing down feelings. That emotional silence turns into irritability, anxiety, or numbness.

    Relational health – When you never speak your needs, the people around you can’t support you. Distance grows, and loneliness sets in.

    These costs are hidden at first, but they’re very real. And they’re the reason why silence and self-sacrifice can’t be the badge of honor we wear anymore.

    A Practical Reset

    Here are two small but powerful steps you can take this week to break the silence:

    1. Journal one area where you’ve been “sucking it up.” Maybe it’s taking on extra work at the office, caring for a parent without asking siblings for help, or agreeing to commitments you don’t have the bandwidth for. Write it down — naming it is the first step to changing it.
    2. Say it out loud to someone you trust. Share your journal entry with a friend, spouse, or mentor. Speaking the words creates connection and signals to your brain that you don’t have to carry it all alone.

    It’s not about dumping every burden at once. It’s about creating tiny cracks in the silence so your truth — and your needs — have room to breathe.

    The Bottom Line

    Dr. Jenson’s framework reminds us that no system—schools, families, or our own lives—can thrive without good staffing, communication, and resources. The more you suffer in silence, the weaker those areas become. Real strength isn’t in silence or self-sacrifice; it’s in asking for help, setting boundaries, and making sure your resources are protected so you can thrive.

  • Health & Nutrition, personal growth

    The Nutrition Reset: Boost Energy & Beat Burnout

    Fatigue, fog, and stress—if you’re over 35 and trying to balance career, caregiving, and self-care, you’re likely no stranger to burnout. But exhaustion doesn’t have to be your default. In a recent episode of Work it, Live it, Own it!, I sat down with naturopath and holistic nutritionist Alana Bonnemann to explore how food can be both your greatest tool and your gentlest reset.

    Press play to listen to entire conversation.

    Key Takeaways from the Conversation

    1. Energy Is a Plate Away

    Alana challenged the idea that nutrition is about restriction or clean eating. Instead, she focused on mindful nourishment—using food as feedback rather than punishment. When you listen to how your body reacts, you begin to restore your natural vitality.

    2. Healing Starts with Trust—and Flavor

    A common myth is that healthy food has to taste bland. Alana dismisses it. She emphasizes the joy of eating and the importance of flavors that nourish not just your body but your spirit.

    3. The Power of the 80/20 Reset

    Instead of eliminating indulgent foods, Alana recommends an add-first approach: start with nourishing foods that naturally crowd out the less nourishing ones. The 80/20 rule—nutrient-rich foods 80% of the time and the rest flexibly—creates sustainable dietary harmony.

    4. Break the Food Fear Loop

    Alana and I discussed how restrictive rules or moralizing language around food breed stress and guilt. By shifting from “good vs. bad” thinking to “What feels energizing vs. draining?”, you build confidence and resilience, not shame.

    5. Make Food a Partner, Not a Punishment

    In our chat, we agreed: your plate shouldn’t be a battleground. Food can support your cognitive performance, emotional balance, and even spirituality. Alana beautifully tied nutrition to a holistic sense of self, fueling not just your body but your purpose.

    Why This Conversation Matters

    For many women 35+ balancing multiple roles, eating better can feel overwhelming. But Alana’s approach reframes that pressure into possibility. Rather than another diet, this is a reset through real food and self-trust—a reset powerful enough to recharge your energy and rebuild your inner spark, sustainably and joyfully.

    Your Next Step: Start Your Nutrition Reset Today

    Instead of trying to overhaul your entire life, begin with one meal this week:

    • Choose nourishment over perfection: Add a serving of protein, healthy fat, or veggies first.
    • Tune into how you feel after eating: Notice if you feel energized, clear-headed, or balanced.
    • Let go of food fear: Remind yourself that treating yourself once in a while doesn’t derail progress—it’s permission to live fully.

    Because luxury isn’t about what you eliminate—it’s about rediscovering how good you can feel.

    Watch or Listen to the Full Conversation

    For practical insights and gentle guidance on how to reset your energy and master burnout through food, be sure to check out the full episode of Work it, Live it, Own it!

  • personal growth

    True Friendship vs. Fake Support: How to Build a Circle that Lifts You Higher

    Friendships, like any meaningful relationship, require effort, mutual respect, and emotional safety. But what happens when a once-close friendship starts to feel more like a burden than a blessing? Whether you’re dealing with a draining connection or trying to recover from a falling-out, knowing how to assess, repair, or release a friendship is a vital life skill.

    In this post, we’ll explore:

    • How to recognize when a friendship has become toxic
    • Practical strategies to mend broken trust
    • How to know when it’s time to move on — gracefully and guilt-free

    Press Play to Listen to the Episode

    The Real Value of True Friendship

    Friendship is not just a social luxury — it’s essential for your health and happiness. Research shows that people with strong friendships:

    • Live longer
    • Manage stress more effectively
    • Experience lower levels of anxiety and depression
    • Feel supported and understood

    However, when a friendship turns toxic, it can create emotional strain, cloud your judgment, and distract you from your personal or professional goals.

    Signs It’s Time to Reevaluate a Friendship

    If you’re questioning a relationship or feeling worse after spending time with someone, it may be time to assess the dynamic. Common red flags include:

    Feeling emotionally drained after interactions
    You consistently feel exhausted or discouraged after conversations.

    Lack of reciprocity
    You do most of the giving — emotionally, mentally, or physically — while your needs go unnoticed or unmet.

    Boundary violations
    Despite your efforts to communicate your limits, they continue to disrespect your time, space, or privacy.

    Undermining behavior
    Instead of celebrating your success, they criticize, minimize, or compete with you.

    How to Repair a Strained Friendship

    Not every conflict means the friendship must end. Many relationships can be restored through honest reflection and respectful communication. Here are a few effective strategies:

    Start with self-reflection
    Ask yourself: “Have I contributed to the misunderstanding?” Taking ownership of your role helps defuse tension and creates space for accountability on both sides.

    Initiate a calm and thoughtful conversation
    Here are a few phrases you can use to open the dialogue:

    • “I’ve been reflecting on our friendship and would love to talk through something that’s been on my mind.”
    • “I value our relationship and want to make sure we’re okay. Can we talk about what happened?”
    • “I feel like there’s been some distance between us lately. Can we check in with each other?”

    Focus on resolution
    Approach the conversation with curiosity, not criticism. The goal is understanding and restoration — not blame or control.

    When to Let Go of a Friendship

    Sometimes, despite honest efforts, a friendship reaches its natural end. You may come to realize that the person no longer fits into your life in a healthy way. Letting go is not a failure — it’s a form of self-respect. Consider stepping away if:

    • The relationship is consistently one-sided, unkind, or emotionally unsafe
    • Multiple conversations have been had, but nothing changes
    • You feel lighter and more peaceful when there’s distance

    Moving on doesn’t require resentment. It simply means recognizing that your emotional well-being is worth protecting.

    Final Thoughts: Choose Growth Over Guilt

    Letting go of a long-standing friendship can be difficult, but growth often requires release. As we evolve, our relationships must evolve too. You don’t have to hold onto people out of habit, obligation, or fear.

    Be intentional. Surround yourself with people who support your growth, honor your boundaries, and celebrate your journey.

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