The High Functioning Hot Mess Podcast

You can check every box, get a whole lot done, and still feel disconnected from yourself. So what does it look like to stop living from the neck up—and actually feel present in your life? In this episode of The High Functioning Hot Mess , I’m joined by Jamie Dorn, an embodiment and somatic coach, breathwork facilitator, and Reiki master, for an honest conversation about self-trust, feeling our fee...

Season 2 is here! After a summer of rest and play, a few business plot twists, and a whole lot of guest interviews recorded for the fall, it felt like time for a new chapter. In this solo episode, I’m catching you up on what’s changed: working entirely for myself, starting the Chippewa Valley chapter of Sister Circle, and saying goodbye to an office space I loved. These are good changes, and I’m e...

What if the goal of taking care of yourself… wasn’t actually to get better at taking care of yourself? In the final episode of the Create Capacity for Fall mini series, we’re bringing everything together and talking about the real reason we create rhythms, nourish our bodies, support ourselves, and make our lives a little more effortless: So we have the capacity to actually LIVE them. Because your...

What if the answer isn't figuring out how to do more ... but creating a life that requires less force from you? In this episode of The High Functioning Hot Mess , we're continuing the mini-series with a conversation about capacity —and how the things we sometimes convince ourselves we "don't have time for" may actually be the very things that give us more energy, patience, creativity, and presence...

What does it really mean to be nourished? Last week, we asked: Where in my life am I trying to force what actually needs support? This week, we're taking that conversation one step further with another question: What truly nourishes me? After seven years as a dietitian, one thing has become increasingly clear to me: wellness is about the food…and it’s not about the food at all. In this episode, we...

What if you don’t need more discipline - you need more support? Back-to-school season brings a return to routines, structure, and often a renewed desire to “get healthy again.” But when life is already full, adding more wellness goals to the list can quickly become another source of pressure. In the first episode of this mini-series preparing for fall, we’re exploring a different approach to welln...

In the final episode of the Little House Summer series, I'm reflecting on everything this journey with Laura Ingalls Wilder has taught me — about slowing down, stepping back from social media, building rhythms that ground us, and prioritizing family above all else. I share my thoughts on the new Netflix adaptation vs. the original series, why the heart of the books still shines through both, and t...

What happens when the home you grew up in no longer exists? In this episode, I get vulnerable about losing my childhood home and my grandmother within the same year — and what that's taught me about home being something we have to actively create, not just something we're given. Drawing inspiration from Ma Ingalls and her little china shepherdess, I talk through the small, sentimental prac...

This week on The High Functioning Hot Mess, we're continuing our Little House Summer Series with a conversation about something many of us are craving more than ever: community. Using Little House on the Prairie as a backdrop, I reflect on my own experience moving to Wisconsin during the pandemic, the loneliness that followed, and what the Ingalls family can teach us about sisterhood, belongin...

What if the reason so many of us feel overwhelmed, distracted, and dysregulated isn't because we're doing life wrong—but because we're trying to navigate a world our nervous systems were never designed for? In this episode, Elizabeth explores what modern women can learn from the rhythm, simplicity, and attention of pioneer life without romanticizing the past. From endless notifications...

This week we're wrapping up the book reading portion of our Little House mini series with Little House on the Prairie — and what a book to go out on. We walk through the Ingalls family's journey from the forests of Wisconsin out onto the open Kansas prairie, chapter by chapter. From the heart-stopping creek crossing in chapter two (and the moment we almost lose beloved Jack) to wolf packs...

We’re finally getting into the books! In this episode, I’m diving into the very first installment of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved series — Little House in the Big Woods — and I have a lot of feelings about it. As someone who lives about an hour from Pepin, Wisconsin (where Laura was born!), this book hits a little differently for me. I share about driving past the site of the original log cabin...

In this episode of our Little House Summer Series, I’m sharing my honest thoughts on the upcoming Netflix reboot of Little House on the Prairie — including why I’m excited, why I’m skeptical, and why I think so many of us are craving slower, quieter, more grounding stories right now. We talk about: How I unexpectedly fell back in love with the Little House books and TV show as an adult The surpris...

Before this became a summer series… before it became something I wanted to share… Little House on the Prairie was something that quietly found me in a season where I really needed it. In this episode, I’m sharing the story of how I reconnected with the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder as an adult—and how what started as a nostalgic, late-night read turned into something much deeper. What it looked li...

This summer, we’re doing things a little differently. When I first heard that Little House on the Prairie is getting a reboot on Netflix (coming July 9), I had two immediate thoughts: I will absolutely be watching We need to talk about this Because over the past year and a half, the world of Little House —especially the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder—has become something really meaningful to me. No...

Modern dating can feel like a full-body stress response… and if you’ve ever confused anxiety for attraction or felt exhausted by dating apps, this episode is for you. Elizabeth is joined by Sarah Harkness , founder of Austin Elite Matchmaking and creator of The Frequency of Love method. Together, they dive into what’s actually happening in the dating world right now—and why so many high-functionin...

In this episode of The High Functioning Hot Mess , I sit down with business educator, speaker, and founder of Sister Circle, Stephanie Ross, for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, resilience, and what it really looks like to rebuild your life when things don’t go as planned. Stephanie shares her journey from building a six-figure fitness studio in her early 20s to navigating massive finan...

In today’s episode of The High Functioning Hot Mess , I’m joined by our very first returning guest, Jesie Steffes — and this conversation is every bit as nourishing, thoughtful, and grounding as you’d expect. Jesie first joined me back in episode 3, and after hearing how deeply that conversation resonated with so many of you, I knew we had to bring her back. This time, we’re diving even deeper int...

If you’ve been doing all the things —tracking your food, working out, taking the supplements, trying to follow the protocols—and still not feeling the way you thought you would… This episode is for you. Because the truth is… it’s not that you’re doing it wrong. It’s that you may be skipping the very things your body needs first . In today’s episode, we’re talking about foundations —the pieces of y...

In this solo episode, Elizabeth shares a candid Q1 life and business check-in , reflecting on the seasonal energy shift that spring brings and what’s currently unfolding in her world. She opens up about navigating grief after the loss of multiple family members, the surge of creative ideas that has followed, and what it’s like having a multipassionate entrepreneurial brain . Elizabeth also shares...

In this episode of High Functioning Hot Mess , Elizabeth sits down with fitness coach Jenna Stern, founder of The Philosophy, to talk about finding the “gray area” between diet culture and sustainable wellness. Jenna shares her journey from early-2000s dieting and over-exercising to building a more balanced approach to fitness, nutrition, and body autonomy. Together they discuss gym intimidation,...

It’s my birthday week, so we’re doing something different. For the first time ever, I have a guest with a Y chromosome on the podcast — my husband, Tye. This episode is giving 2016 YouTube boyfriend tag energy… except we’re married, talking about grief, nervous systems, faith, law enforcement, Kwik Trip, and whether egg rolls at the Wabasha Kwik Trip taste superior (they do). We talk about: Our bl...

We love a dramatic transformation story. The before. The after. The perfectly wrapped glow-up. But what if your healing doesn’t come with a headline? In this deeply personal solo episode, I’m sharing the story I used to feel ashamed of — gaining 40 pounds as a dietitian, navigating my parents’ divorce, unresolved grief, chronic pain with no clear medical answers, and realizing that the real work w...

If you’ve ever looked “so put together” on the outside… while privately running on fumes, this conversation will feel like a deep exhale. Elizabeth sits down with Holly Lambrecht , founder of Stillroot & Co , where she partners with small business owners to move out of burnout and into clarity, systems, and sustainable growth . Holly shares her story of running a boutique straight into burnout...

In this deeply personal episode of The High Functioning Hot Mess , Elizabeth steps away from the usual format to honor the life and legacy of her Grandma Janel. She shares a heartfelt reflection on love, loss, faith, laughter, and the simple joys that shape who we become—ice cream cones, listening deeply, not taking life too seriously, and living fully even when life is hard. This episode is a lov...