Your Priority Centered Life

Is what you're calling ambition actually avoidance? Executive coach Kenyada Meadows spent over 25 years in Wall Street risk and compliance before he started asking that question about himself. In this episode, he brings that same clarity to burnout, boundaries, and the cost of being everyone's go-to person. Kenyada is the author of The New Alpha and The Passenger Seat , founder of Executive Parent...

This is the final episode of the Actually Talking series, and possibly the one your chronically busy self needs most. Dr. Alise opens with a story about her dad, a pile of stuffed animals, and a family of toys he didn't know existed. And from there: why the people who are best at getting things done are often the worst at handing things off, and what that's costing them and everyone around them. I...

You've agreed something needs to change. Now what? In Episode 3 of the Actually Talking series, Dr. Alise walks through a structure for problem-solving conversations that keeps both people feeling like they're on the same team, whether it's a financial disagreement with your partner, a conflict at work, or a recurring tension with a teenager. The problem isn't that you can't find a solution. It's...

It’s ironic that, for a lot of us, the relationship with our partner is the one that gets the leftovers. In this episode of the Actually Talking series, Dr. Alise brings 20+ years of clinical experience to the conversation most couples aren't having about how they actually communicate. Backed by the Gottman Institute's landmark research on couples' communication, this episode covers what predicts...

Summer is almost here, and so are two and a half months of conversations that are a little less "screaming with joy off the school bus" and a little more navigating. In this first episode of the Actually Talking series, Dr. Alise gets into the communication skills that don't just get you through to bedtime, they build the relationship you actually want with your kids. In this episode: Why a peacef...

If you've ever wondered why you can know exactly what you should do and still not do it, this episode is for you. Dr. Laurel Mellin is a health psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and creator of Emotional Brain Training (EBT), an approach developed over 40 years at UC San Francisco. EBT helps people rewire stress patterns at the root, not just manage symptoms. Dr. Mellin has spent dec...

The Problem Was Never You Your Priority Centered Life | Busy On Purpose Series, Episode 5 There's a question a lot of self-aware, high-achieving people carry but don't say out loud. This final episode of the Busy On Purpose series answers it as directly as possible and leaves you with the one thing Dr. Alise most wants you to believe about yourself when you walk away. Because there's a good chance...

The Decision You Keep Not Making (And What It's Costing You) Your Priority Centered Life | Busy On Purpose Series If you've been listening to this series thinking "this makes so much sense, this is exactly what's been missing" and you're not sure you're going to do anything about it, this episode is for you. Because the thing that keeps capable, self-aware, high-achieving people stuck isn't a lack...

Still Behind at 10pm? This Episode Is for You Your Priority Centered Life | Busy On Purpose Series It's 10pm. The kids are in bed. The house is quiet. And instead of winding down, you open your laptop. You tell yourself it'll just be an hour. If that's you, this episode is about what's actually going on beneath that pattern. And it's probably not what you think. In this episode of the Busy On Purp...

Why Your Productivity System Keeps Failing (It's Not You) Your Priority Centered Life | Busy On Purpose Series You've tried the planners. The apps. The color-coded spreadsheet. The Notion setup you haven't opened since February. And at some point, you probably decided the problem was you and that you're just not disciplined enough to stick with anything. This episode makes the case that you've had...

What if, at the end of this summer, your answer wasn’t “it was fine”… but something that actually felt true? Because if you’re anything like the busy professionals I work with, summer tends to blur. It’s full, it’s fast, and somehow it’s over before it ever felt like it began. So instead of trying to “do more” this summer, I want to give you a better approach. In this episode, I’m kicking off a ne...

You know that moment when your plan completely falls apart? Everything looked manageable when you started your day… And then something shifts. A delay. An unexpected errand. A change in timing. And suddenly, your whole day feels off. In this final episode of the road trip series, we’re talking about one of the most important skills in life planning: Adjusting when things don’t go as planned Becaus...

Have you ever noticed that two people can go through the exact same day and have completely different experiences? One feels rushed and frustrated. The other feels present and engaged. So what’s the difference? It’s not their schedule. It’s how they’re showing up. In this episode, we’re continuing the road trip series by exploring a powerful shift: Noticing the drive itself. Because even if you’ve...

What if the reason you feel exhausted isn’t because you’re doing life wrong? If your days feel like one long stretch of responsibilities, this episode is for you. We’re continuing the road trip series, and today we’re talking about something that most busy people overlook. Rest. Not the kind you “earn” after everything is done, like some kind of twisted reward. The kind that actually makes your li...

How often do you catch yourself thinking, “When am I ever going to get all of this done?” If your days feel busy but not satisfying, this episode is going to hit home. Because the problem usually isn’t your time. It’s that your time isn’t protected. Last week, we kicked off this road trip series by talking about how to choose what you actually want to experience in your life. Not just what you nee...

What if the reason you feel stuck, busy, or oddly unfulfilled isn’t because you’re doing life wrong, but because you never chose a destination in the first place? In this episode, I want to introduce a simple but powerful idea: what if you treated your life like a road trip? Because here’s what I see all the time. You’re responsible. You’re showing up. You’re doing everything you’re supposed to do...

What if the struggles you’ve been blaming on yourself aren’t actually personal failures? What if they’re connected to the way your brain processes the world? In this episode, I’m joined by Donna Redman, creator of The Secret Genius Project, and occupational therapist Cindy Duffy to explore how sensory processing shapes everything from focus and emotional regulation to behavior, stress, and self-co...

This is part three of our series on moving beyond productivity and into intentional life design. In Ep. 71: You Don’t Need More Productivity , we challenged the belief that doing more is the solution. In Ep. 72: How to Audit Your Time and Reclaim Your Life , we looked at what your calendar is actually building. Now we are going deeper. Because even when you know you do not need more productivity…...

What are you voting for with your time? Not what you say you value. Not what you intend to prioritize. What are you actually funding with your hours, your energy, your attention? This is part two of our series on moving beyond productivity and into intentional life design. In this episode, we take a hard but clarifying look at your calendar. Because if we audited your time the way a financial advi...

If you are the person everyone counts on… If you are praised for being responsible, productive, dependable… If you know how to get things done but still feel stretched thin… This episode is for you. Today we are talking about a distinction that changes everything: achievement versus life design . Most high achieving professionals have mastered achievement. You know how to execute. You know how to...

If you’ve been telling yourself “I don’t have time to work out right now” … this episode is your permission slip to stop treating fitness like an all-or-nothing conquest. In today’s interview, I’m joined by Alison Katschkowsky (aka Alison K) —a fitness coach with 30+ years in the industry , a Master’s in Exercise Science , and decades of college-level teaching experience. Alison specializes in hel...

Welcome back. This is part three of our winter series focused on maintaining energy during the colder months. Before we dive in, a quick note. If you’ve been wanting more energy but do not have bandwidth for another program, stay with me. I’ve created something intentionally small and effective, and I’ll tell you about it before we wrap up. Today, I want to talk about yoga. But not in the way you...

Welcome back. This is part two of our winter series focused on helping you get more energy during these cold, dark months. And a quick note before we dive in. If your energy has been low lately and big plans have not been sticking, stay with me. I’ll share a small, supportive way to rebuild energy later in this episode. Today, we’re talking about sleep. And more specifically, insomnia. If we were...

If January has you waking up in the dark, working in the dark, and eating dinner in the dark, this episode is for you. I’m recording this in the Pacific Northwest, where winter days are short and heavy. And while I know some of you are listening from places that are much colder, the experience is the same. Everything feels harder right now. You’re more tired. Less motivated. A little foggy. Maybe...

Feeling overwhelmed by AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity? In this interview, psychologist and coach Dr. Alise Murray talks with AI strategist Marni Wills about how to use artificial intelligence in a thoughtful, human-centered way that supports productivity, focus, and creativity without increasing cognitive overload. You’ll learn how to “talk to AI” like a collaborator...