Stop Sabotaging Your Success

Cindy Esliger explores regret, the unpleasant emotion we’d rather forget about that can actually help us grow and gain clarity. Regret isn’t a sign that something is wrong with us; it’s actually a sign that things matter to us. It alerts us to something that didn’t align or that still needs our attention. So if we learn to acknowledge regret, it can be a catalyst for transformation. Cindy offers i...

Cindy Esliger puts the spotlight on people-pleasing and conflict avoidance in the workplace, exploring how to stop playing small to please others. If we don’t define what we want from our careers, others decide what we deserve, and we end up settling for that. We deserve better, though, and Cindy explains the cost of staying silent about our needs. She offers ways to shift from reacting to respond...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger confronts self-doubt and explores what it takes to counteract it in our careers. Self-doubt shows up quietly, like a persistent undercurrent, and if we’re not careful it will chip away at our confidence while feeling logical. How do we reshape our response to self-doubt? Cindy discusses how a subtle but powerful mindset shift can lead to the kind of career growth we...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger unpacks what burnout really looks like when we’re still functioning at a high level. Burnout doesn’t happen all at once; it sneaks in quietly. On the outside, everything looks fine, except it isn’t fine. The joy is gone, the spark isn’t there, and we’re barely holding it together. Cindy explains how to recognize the early warning signs of burnout, what the long-term...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger addresses perfectionism and why the drive to be perfect quietly sabotages us, fuelling procrastination and self-doubt. The pursuit of flawlessness seems like a noble quest, but it proves to be a cleverly disguised trap that delays progress and increases our stress. What is the alternative to perfectionism? Cindy explains that sustainable excellence is what we should...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger discusses the pattern of catastrophizing that keeps us stuck in inaction and blocks career opportunities before we even give ourselves a chance to succeed. Catastrophizing - the anxious thought patterns that only allow us to imagine the worst-case outcome of any situation - is an exhausting form of self-sabotage that is keeping us stuck in place. But it can be disrup...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger addresses the myth that managing people is the only way up the career ladder. We’re often told that stepping up into management is the only way to advance in our workplace, but shoving people into management roles unprepared can come with devastating fallout. Both the managers and employees find that the move exacts a painful toll. Cindy explains why it’s critical to...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger explores why answering the question ‘how are you?’ with the knee-jerk answer of ‘fine’ is holding us back. It’s a reflex to deflect attention away from ourselves, but there’s a hidden cost that keeps us invisible. Cindy lays out why learning to answer honestly can transform not just our relationships but our professional opportunities. She guides us through how to sp...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about the necessity of learning how to collaborate effectively with coworkers. We need to learn how agreeable we need to be in the workplace and understand how to adjust that for circumstances: turning it up to build social capital or down to establish boundaries. When difficult personalities cross the line, Cindy advises us on how to stay professional and rese...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger addresses emotional numbness: that lack of joy and quiet disconnection from the person we once were. It often begins as a way to cope with deadlines, expectations, and the constant pressure to prove ourselves. Then staying busy becomes an acceptable way to avoid feeling our feelings. We’re polished on the outside, numb on the inside. How exactly does it show up, and...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger asks ‘What if work could actually be fun?’ She’s talking about finding room satisfaction, creativity, and fun in our careers instead of simply viewing work as an endless, stressful grind keeping us from the weekend. When we make work more enjoyable and better suited to us, we reduce our stress, protect our spark, and perform better as well. It may sound like a radica...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger addresses what she calls ‘work albatrosses’, the hidden burdens that steal our time and focus and derail our long-term goals. It’s tempting to always say yes, but the more we do, the more we become an albatross. She explores how to identify the early warning signs and subtle red flags that show up before the burdens become our problems. She identifies what an energy...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger challenges the mindset that the need to rest, recharge, and reset is an indulgence: it is a necessity. Constant burnout and chronic stress are not normal. We can’t sustain staying in survival mode forever. So how do we recognize the signs of being on the brink of a crash? How do we break the burnout cycle? Cindy defines what we should feel like when rested and explai...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger explores identity, not the curated professional version of ourselves, but the real and evolving true version of ourselves. We often get shaped by outdated assumptions and everything we’ve been praised for or paid to do, and we end up losing sight of what we actually want and who we genuinely want to become. Self-awareness is something we give lip service to but requi...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger discusses how workplace drama casts us in the role of victim, villain, or rescuer. Sometimes we stick to one role, but usually we bounce between all three. We tend to think other people are guilty of being a victim or a villain or even a rescuer, but at one point or another, we’re all in one of the roles. Cindy examines how the roles show up and what we can do to cha...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger breaks down all the meanings behind the deceptively innocent phrase “It must be nice”. We were taught not to say certain things aloud, so often this little phrase gets used as a passive-aggressive dig or expression of envy. Cindy lays out all the things really being said when people say “It must be nice”, from discomfort to unmet needs to jealousy, and offers advice...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger explores how we can dare to be more at work and avoid slipping into the conformity we think is expected. We’re conditioned to believe we need to keep our heads down, fit in, and work longer and harder than anyone else in order to succeed. But we were hired because of something unique that we brought to the company. Cindy dives into how we can reclaim the parts of our...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about hope. Hope is complicated. It keeps us going, but it can also sometimes feel dangerous. Hope spurs us onward when we meet resistance, but it also opens the door to disappointment, so we learn not to expect too much. Cindy counters this by asking what if hope isn’t some fragile emotion that leaves us vulnerable, but instead is a fierce and necessary force...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger looks at a better way we can choose to respond when things go wrong. We tend to spin out in overthinking or tighten our grip on control when setbacks happen at work, but neither of those responses leads to meaningful progress. Cindy suggests focusing on what’s actually within our control by reclaiming our power. It’s not about pretending everything is fine; it’s abou...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger discusses how the “always on” hustle culture mindset in society is pushing us steadily towards burnout. We’re running on empty, and what are we rushing towards? She explores the transformative idea of doing less, more slowly. A mindset shift towards doing what matters most with intention instead of simply working harder, faster, and longer for no good reason. How do...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about the invisible barrier of our own thinking that can be in the way of progressing in our careers. Our brains are wired for self-preservation, not bold career leaps, so even though we say we want impact or recognition, we are likely being steered away from risk and discomfort by our thoughts. So what do we do? How do we identify this kind of thinking and cha...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger examines micromanagement at work and when it might turn from a misguided attempt at mentorship to a more sinister form of intentional misdirection. In matrix environments, roles and responsibilities are fluid, and we tend to get input from all directions. We want to please people, so we internalize every correction as encouragement, even when it isn’t. Micromanagemen...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about how our natural instinct to feel safe can turn into a trap by silencing our bold ideas and keeping us in a role that no longer challenges us. She differentiates between blowing up our lives and doing small low stakes change experiments to reconnect to intuition. Stability is inviting but it can lead to too much safety. Cindy offers a way to push ourselves...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger addresses the belief that if one generation of women endured suffering in order to succeed, the next generation must too. Some women, consciously or not, believe that hardship is a necessary rite of passage. They gatekeep and end up reinforcing a toxic culture instead of paving the way for women coming up after them to succeed with fewer obstacles. Cindy looks at how...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger explores the idea that shifting our attention away from self-criticism can lead to a career that is both sustainable and futureproof. This happens through intentional, visible effort and starts with recognizing that momentum is about reclaiming minutes and tracking effort over perfection. We all have those voices in our heads criticizing what we do, but Cindy emphasi...