Rock the Damn Boat

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,...

In this Sunday Shortie episode of RTDB, Christy explores Enneagram Type 9 — The Peacemaker — and what it really means to keep the peace at your own expense. After testing equal parts Type 2 and Type 9, Christy digs into the 9's core patterns: avoiding conflict, numbing out, and the slow fade of self. She connects the 9's spiritual potential to the eight limbs of yoga as a grounding framework for g...

In this episode of RTDB, I sit down with Beckie Irvin to talk about the hidden cost of mission-driven work and why so many nonprofit leaders quietly struggle with burnout. Beckie shares her personal experience navigating exhaustion, overwhelm, and the emotional weight that can come from constantly serving others without the systems and support needed to sustain the work. We discuss how nonprofits...

In this episode of RTDB, Christy dives into Enneagram Type 2 — The Helper. If you're a Two (or love one), this episode is your permission slip to stop giving from an empty cup. What You'll Learn in This Episode Why Type 2s are the ultimate people pleasers — and what's really driving it The genuine strengths that make Twos magnetic, generous leaders The unhealthy patterns that can leave Twos burned...

If you'd like to be part of a community that supports this season of life, visit thrivewithchristy.com In this episode of RTDB, Christy shares the unfiltered reality of 50 becoming one of the hardest — and most transformative — years of her life. What began as a season of exhaustion, brain fog, emotional overwhelm, and feeling like she was “falling behind” eventually led to deeper answers: menopau...

I drove to San Antonio for the NAWBO conference specifically to hear Jess Ekstrom speak. As someone navigating entrepreneurship, visibility, podcasting, and leadership after corporate life, I deeply wanted to learn from women who are already standing confidently in rooms I’m still growing into. But despite intentionally putting myself in that room, despite years of leadership experience, I still c...

In this episode of RTDB, Christy sits down with Danni Carr of iquitalcohol.com.au — and this one starts with a full-circle moment: back in 2022, Danni had Christy on her podcast when Christy first published her sobriety memoir. Now the tables have turned, and the conversation is just as good the second time around. Danni shares her own sobriety journey — one she walked alongside her husband, music...

What if the anxiety, exhaustion, or low-grade frustration you've been feeling isn't a discipline problem — it's an alignment problem? In this Monday Mini, Christy breaks down all nine Enneagram types and what they can teach us about why we're wired the way we are. More importantly, she explores what happens in our bodies and nervous systems when we spend too much time performing a version of ourse...

What does it take to build a service-first auto shop — and rebuild yourself after losing it all? In this episode of RTDB, Christy sits down with JeanAnn Saint Grace, host of Shop Talk Her Way , to talk about grit, grief, and what it really means to lead with service. JeanAnn spent more than a decade running a successful automotive service shop alongside her husband — until cancer took him. Now she...

What does gardening have to do with launching a business? Everything. In this bite-sized episode of RTDB, Christy Hughes breaks down how revamping her garden revealed the truth about growth: conditions matter more than effort. She'll walk you through how that realization led her to stop circling Thrive Collective and finally launch — and what it means for you to stop waiting and start planting. Th...

In this episode of RTDB, Christy sits down with Courtney Koenig, host of the ROI of Peace podcast — a connection that sparked when Christy spotted Courtney's LinkedIn post about attending Create & Cultivate in Austin and realized they'd both been there. What started as an online comment turned into a conversation neither of them planned but both of them needed. What you'll hear in this episode...

In this Monday Mini of RTDB, Christy pulls back the curtain on the Rise + Thrive Retreat — what happened, what was created, and the unexpected personal decision that came out of it. What you'll hear in this episode: What the Rise + Thrive Retreat actually looked like — and why the safe space it created mattered so much The corporate role Christy was interviewing for (and why she was a perfect fit...

Some of life's hardest moments don't wait for a convenient time. They show up on a Tuesday — and then so does your 9am meeting. In this episode of RTDB, Christy sits down with Brie Kluytenaar, founder of Practicing Wellness, for an honest, human conversation about what it looks like to carry grief into the workplace and white-knuckle your way through the day alone. Brie opens up about her own expe...