Life on MY Terms

People pleasers tend to do anything possible to avoid conflict, even if it means turning into an entirely different person. Your worth depends on how others see you. People pleasers need validation from others to feel good about themselves. They can go to extremes to earn words of praise from others. The thing is, people-pleasing holds us back. We can stay trapped in a job that doesn't suit us, al...

According to the World Health Organization (WHO),  stress has been classified as the health epidemic of the 21st century . What does this mean for Americans? The general level of worry and unhappiness in the modern world is creating a national epidemic of stress. I've seen the impact of chronic stress, firsthand, and so have many of you. But then there is today's guest, Natalie Newhart, a...

If you have entered into your 40s you may feel a little different. I know I have. I am constantly feeling like my body is falling apart - that I am not myself. That was how the founder of Joi Women's Wellness, Katy Whalen felt. Her long journey through infertility, miscarriages, IVF, and finally giving birth to her little boy left her feeling fatigued, hormonal, overweight, and struggling with...

If you're tired of chasing standards that are imposed on you by others; if you are drowning in to-do lists that deplete your energy and maybe even your impact; if you're swimming in negative thoughts and self-talk; or if you are simply seeking more meaning - you are not alone. Today I sit down with JJ Geronimo, award-winning author, keynote speaker, and thought leader who helps women raise...

I don't know about you but I've been stuck in the comparison trap lately. In the spirit of working through tactics to avoid it, I thought I'd share them with all of you. Comparison wastes a lot of our precious time and energy. Comparison can make us bitter and jealous, ultimately damaging great relationships and halting our progress. It's important for all of us to admit that, beca...

Did you know: 9.8 million working mothers in the U.S. are suffering from burnout? Just by being a working mother, women are 28% more likely to experience burnout than fathers,  according to the analysis . That means in the U.S., there are 2.35 million additional cases of burnout due to the unequal demands of home and work that are placed on working mothers. And cases of burnout are higher among Bl...

We're back with another listener Q+A episode and this time we're going deep into that feeling of being stuck. What does it feel like, why do we get in this rut, and of course, ways to become unstuck? When we look at this feeling of being stuck, the statistics are sad. A recent study has found that 69% of people feel trapped in the same old routine, and only 3 out of 10 people are happy wit...

I thought that by now, in 2023, we wouldn't see so many diets. Seriously. Now there are lifestyle diets to consider as well as diets to lose weight and get to that "ideal" body image you're after. THE THING IS: While it is important to maintain healthy eating behaviors, dieting isn't the best way to achieve them. Dieting typically leads to disappointment because they can'...

The struggle with self-confidence is a real thing, regardless if we have been through trauma in our life or not. But how much harder is it to bounce back, transform, and build a new life steeped in self-confidence when you have had trauma like Shametria Gonzales? Shametria’s extraordinary story of transforming her life from being trafficked, and escaping extreme poverty to being a Founder, life co...

Life can be hard. I know. In every, single day, there will be both junk and joy. And sometimes, there are going to be TOUGH challenges and struggles. But what if we were in control of the meaning of our lives? What if we had the power to choose whether something is good or bad? Spoiler alert: we DO have that power. In this episode, I am going to chat about what reframing is, what it looks like in...

What are the benefits of running (and movement, in general)? I decided to sit down with Elizabeth Knight to get the answers to that question - and more. She is a health coach, health researcher, and nurse practitioner who made a career shift over the past two years due to burnout (self-rescue accomplished!). Elizabeth is also a trail runner with a passion for using movement and athletics to improv...

Negative stress happens. And yes, it can get the better of us. But as we move through life at the pace society seems to think it normal, we often begin to collect coping mechanisms to deal with the stress versus taking time to find a solution to the stress - to truly find radical acceptance in some cases. Coping usually involves adjusting to or tolerating negative events or realities while you try...

To what extent are you will to go to achieve your goals? And are your expectations in check? These are a couple of questions we reflect on in this episode. These questions align to a time in Marilyn Shaw's life where she was coming unhinged. This pursuit of achievement, and everything else she was juggling (the life basics) took a major toll; one that sent her straight into the hospital with a men...

Eating disorders. Disordered eating. They are both very serious and are a silent epidemic that affect all genders and races. And as a country, we have a lot of work to do. Don't believe me? Here are some stats: 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. BIPOC with eating disorders are half as likely to be diagnosed or to receive treatm...

Failure is NOT FINAL! Failure is GREAT! (What, Amy?) Failure offers each of us the opportunity to examine what worked or what didn't even more so than success. It can foster your critical and analytical thinking skills, allowing you to innovate, redirect and try another way to execute something the next time. It's time to move out of the fixed mindset that often holds failure as a means to...

Do you find yourself saying any of the following statements regularly? "I am nothing compared to that person." "No matter what I do, it never seems to be enough." "If I work harder maybe they will notice me more." "Nobody 'liked' or 'commented' on my last Instagram post, and now I am totally doubting myself." "I can't seem to do anyt...

As a total introvert on my own growth journey, I recently decided to start to prioritize my social self-care. Yes, this is a thing. Social self-care is all about cultivating our feelings of love, appreciation, gratitude, and connection with others. Socializing is important for our mental health (yes, even for us introverts!) and is just one aspect of your self-care that should be tended to regular...

Droves of nurses, hospital workers, teachers, and principals are leaving their careers. When we compound the stress that is happening is these service fields, in particular, with the pandemic and school shootings, there is no wonder that the compassion fatigue that has always been present is quickly escalating to burnout. The bigger problem: these open positions are not getting filled leaving crit...

Welcome to listener Q+A. In these episodes, I work to compile the most commonly asked questions and answer them live on the podcast. I work to put them into a theme. On this episode, we are looking at "I can't" statements/questions. This reframe is necessary because "I can't" statements are a part of "all or nothing" thinking. This type of thinking can cause a...

There is so much content out there for personal growth (this podcast being one medium), but how often to do we take the time to actually process - to reflect, synthesize, and make plans for action in our own lives? This seems to be the missing link as to why we invest a lot of our time in personal growth but rarely see improvement. I recently just attended the VIP event at the Jay Shetty Love Rule...

Not only does complaining put a negative spin on everything, but it also makes it harder to be aware of a possible solution to feeling satisfied. Did you know that every minute of a conversation someone is complaining? WOW. There are a ton of negative health impacts to complaining - or hanging around complainers. In this episode I share some of the research, discuss why people complain, and share...

What is spirituality really?  To me it means knowing that something greater than you has your back. It goes beyond what our society says about organized religion; we all need to have a spiritual path to live our best lives on this earth. When I was in the burnout trenches I felt so alone. Because the reality is, we do hold on to our deepest fears with no one to turn to without it. Spirituality all...

We are all chasing goals. Thinking up a goal is the easy part. Pinpointing the specifics of a goal, developing a plan of action, and then following through with that plan of action and pushing past the inevitable obstacles that will arise is a different story altogether. As you can see, there are many reasons why we fail to achieve our goals. But giving up is also the easy part. I've spent that la...

A lack of self-confidence comes in many shapes and forms, and learning how to build confidence is an ongoing project for most of us – we are all a work in progress! Some of the best perspectives in how to build self-confidence comes from entrepreneurs as they are often faced with more struggles than successes as they chart their path. On this episode I chat with Sugar Sugar Wax founder, Salome Sal...

Your life purpose consists of the central motivating aims of your life—the reasons you get up in the morning. When I was going through burnout, all purpose in my life had been lost. So I went through some self-discovery to find it. Purpose can guide life decisions, influence behavior, shape goals, offer a sense of direction and create meaning. For some people, purpose is connected to vocation—mean...