Rock the Damn Boat

What Dogs Can Teach Us About Energy, Connection & Trusting Our Intuition What if our dogs have something to teach us about how we move through the world? In this episode of Rock the Damn Boat , Christy takes inspiration from an unlikely source: her little dog Jolene and the daily interactions they encounter on their neighborhood walks. But first, in the spirit of Halloween and Día de los Muert...

Change is inevitable, but that doesn't mean it's easy. In this episode of Rock the Damn Boat , we're talking about the challenges of navigating midlife, including menopause and the reality that no two women's experiences are exactly alike. From physical symptoms to emotional shifts, menopause can look and feel dramatically different for each of us. And sometimes, simply knowing that our experience...

Ever watched another woman do the thing you’ve been too scared to try and thought, “How did she do that?” In this episode of Rock the Damn Boat (RTDB), Christy Hughes talks about how we grow by learning from women who’ve already taken brave steps, especially in the areas where we have the least experience. None of us has to figure it all out alone. When women share what worked, what didn’t, and wh...

What if something as simple as a doormat could say something about who you are? In this episode of Rock the Damn Boat , I’m talking about individuality, self-expression, and what it really means to respect people whose choices, beliefs, and personalities look different from our own. Our clothes say something about us. Our homes say something about us. Our political views, spiritual beliefs, sense...

How often do you say yes when you really want to say no? Whether it's accepting an invitation you don't have the energy for or putting someone else's needs ahead of your own, setting healthy boundaries can feel uncomfortable—especially if you've spent your life people-pleasing. In this episode of Rock the Damn Boat, we're talking about how to set boundaries, stop people-pleasing, and protect your...

In this episode of RTDB (Rock the Damn Boat), I'm unpacking the Good Good controversy and what it means when a brand glorifies violence against women in an ad. I share my own experience being assaulted by a college football player and why this hits close to home. We talk about the female golfers speaking out, what books like Yesteryear and the Calamity Club teach us about how recent women's rights...

In this episode of RTDB, I'm taking you along on my solo trip to Nevada City, California, and the unexpected gut-punch I got at the Rosie the Riveter museum. I talk about why I travel alone to actually experience a place instead of just visiting it, and how standing in that museum reignited my drive to finish my WWII novel — because the themes I've been writing about, women empowerment, female and...

On this episode of Rock the Damn Boat, Christy gets real about a season she didn't see coming — menopause hitting hard enough to trigger old, familiar feelings from early recovery. She unpacks what it means to feel like a "dry drunk" without a drink in hand, why pattern-recognition is the skill that prepares us for life's next season, and why she's walking back into recovery meetings — not because...

Why Do We Focus on the Negative and How Can We Shift Our Mindset? In this episode, Christy Hughes shares her insights on common cognitive biases like negativity bias and confirmation bias, illustrated through stories from her recent book club experience, her personal journey in podcasting, and reflections on Greek mythology. She explores how these biases influence our perceptions, decision-making,...

Colette Jane Fehr, a licensed psychotherapist and author, shares her journey of becoming a traditionally published author and the insights from her book 'The Cost of Quiet: How to Have the Hard Conversations That Create Secure Lasting Love'. We discuss how it feels to fufill a childhood dream at age 52, proving it's never too late to play it big! Colette's book addresses conflict avoidance as the...

The conversation explores the importance of setting boundaries, the power of using 'I don't' instead of 'I can't', and the management of emotions and relationships. It emphasizes the significance of speaking up and setting boundaries to lead a fulfilling life. What I Discuss in this episode: How do you get clear on areas where you need to set boundaries? How can you start your boundaries with "I d...

In this episode of RTDB, Sondra Primeaux shares how her early thrifting days forged her love of fashion and specifically, sustainable fashion. As my most learned enneagram friend, we also explore historical enneagram types 2 and 9, who like to play it safe. Questions this episode answers: How can fashion become more sustainable, and who's actually pushing for change? What is an Enneagram Type 2, a...

In this episode of RTDB (Rock the Damn Boat), Christy Hughes sits down with Maggie Blackburn of maggie-blackburn.com to talk about what it really looks like to leave the traditional 9-to-5 and build a portfolio career on your own terms. What You'll Hear in This Episode What a portfolio career actually is — and why it's more than just "having a side hustle" The difficult conversation with a manager...

In this Monday Mini episode of RTDB, Christy gets honest about the fatigue that comes with aging, the strange grief of realizing some "firsts" are behind her, and why she's leaning harder into travel to satisfy her wanderlust. She also unpacks why women's brains seem to dig up old trauma out of nowhere — and what to do when it happens. Show Notes: The real, unfiltered version of fatigue — not "tir...

Rachel Skaff is the Senior Vice President of Sales at FedEx and a veteran of the tech industry with past leadership stints at AWS and Intel. Known for her "messy, magical, and spectacular" career path, Rachel combines the technical mind of a computer scientist with the heart of a mentor. She is a passionate champion for STEM and a believer that an exceptional life only happens outside of your comf...

Christy shares a thrilling (and hilarious) hiking adventure through Northern California and Tahoe, complete with a rickety bridge crossing, a steep tumble, and an unexpected visit to a secret clothing-optional beach. This episode is all about courage, rediscovery, and the messy side of stepping outside your comfort zone. What Happened Christy tackled a challenging hike that included crossing a ske...

Getting laid off doesn't have to be the end of the story — sometimes it's the opening scene. In this episode of RTDB, I sit down with Alison Kinsey , host of the Real Time Creator podcast. After being laid off last year, Alison didn't scramble for the next "safe" job — she leaned into creative work and said yes to whatever came her way. She already had the skills: Alison runs a podcast editing bus...

In this episode of RTDB, Christy shares the responses from her viral reel on saying what's true instead of what's polite — sparked by a real moment where a podcast guest asked to reschedule two months out, and she defaulted to "it's fine" when it really wasn't. What you'll learn: Why "it's fine" is often a polite lie, not a real answer Crowdsourced advice from RTDB listeners on ditching doormat st...

What if the support people need most arrives before the crisis hits? In this episode of RTDB, Christy sits down with Laura Kunz, co-founder and President of Spirence, for an honest conversation about recovery, resilience, and why workplace mental health support can't wait until burnout becomes a breakdown. Laura's path is anything but linear — from selling water filtration systems in early recover...

Some weeks the nervous system runs hot. In this Sunday Shortie of RTDB, I'm talking about windows of tolerance — the space where you can actually feel and function before you tip into overwhelm or shutdown — and what it looks like when menopause keeps shrinking that window without warning. I also get honest about something quieter: the pull to dim someone else's joy when you're depleted. Not out o...

The second half of Christy's conversation with Nicole Beaudin picks up right where things get real — shadow work. If Part 1 was about recognizing you want something different, Part 2 is about doing the deeper work to actually get there. Nicole walks through the coaching method she uses to help high performers uncover the subconscious beliefs quietly running the show — the ones formed at age seven...

In this Sunday Shortie episode of Rock the Damn Boat (RTDB), Christy slows down. Before she heads back to corporate life and a lot more screen time, she's spending the week outside — trading notifications for fresh air and reconnecting with nature. Benefits of nature include: • Pattern Recognition and Nervous System: Pattern recognition can create nervous system regulation. • Bird Song and Safety:...

What happens when you're succeeding on paper but falling apart on the inside? In Part 1 of this RTDB conversation, Christy sits down with Nicole Beaudin — alignment leadership coach, Reiki-trained facilitator, and author of the This Way to Lightness Substack — to talk about the corporate career that looked impressive from the outside and felt hollow from within. Nicole shares her path from William...

Seven months into building a business from scratch, Christy Hughes gets honest about what entrepreneurship in this economy actually looks like — and why the disappointment so many women feel isn't a sign they didn't believe hard enough. In this Sunday Shortie, she shares how a new corporate opportunity found her when she stopped forcing it, what it sounds like when intuition speaks up, and why The...

In this episode of RTDB, Christy sits down with Lori Wahl — a pet industry veteran with 15+ years in rescue and pet sales — to talk about the unexpected ways those two worlds overlap. Lori went from the corporate pet industry to serving as Development Director for Heidi's Village in Phoenix, one of the most meaningful pivots she's made. Now, after relocating to Charlotte for her husband's career,...