Weekly Badass Mail

I remember exactly where I was. Middle of a Zoom meeting. Camera on. Smile plastered. Heart racing. Trying hard not to throw up or spontaneously erupt in tears. I'd had three panic attacks that week alone. I was waking up with chest pain. I'd cry in the shower and tell myself I just needed to "get through this week." But that day? Something snapped. A voice in my head said, If you don’t leave soon, you’re not going to come back from this. Damn. That was a terrifying truth. I was done. My body...

One year ago, I walked away from the job that nearly broke me. Not because I had a new one lined up. Not because I had it all figured out. But because staying was slowly crushing my soul and my health. This past weekend marked my quitaversary. One year since I closed my laptop, signed off from Slack, and decided to choose me over a paycheck that came with panic attacks. You'd think that would feel like a celebration. And in many ways, it does. But if I'm being honest? The first few months...

If you've built a career on being what other people need, this one's for you. You're the one who always shows up. The calm one. The capable one. The one who never drops the ball (even when you're quietly falling apart behind the scenes). You've mastered the "I've got it together" tone. You know how to write the perfect follow-up email. You anticipate what people need before they ask. And maybe you even take pride in how unflappable you seem. But that polished version of you is tired. Because...

When the strong ones start to slip. Her name's not really Sarah, but you probably know someone like her. She's in a mid-level leadership role at a company that says all the right things... people-first, flexible, DEI-forward. But in practice? It's all hands on deck, all the time. Sarah’s a helper by nature. A high performer. The one who volunteers, anticipates needs, double-checks her team’s work, and remembers Susan’s birthday. She’s clocking 55-hour weeks. She’s managing direct reports and...

You know that weird gut-drop feeling when you say no and immediately feel like a terrible person? This week on The Balanced Badass Podcast™, I'm pulling the curtain back on one of the sneakiest emotional traps high-achievers fall into: boundary guilt. That knee-jerk shame spiral that shows up any time you try to say, “Hey, I actually don’t have capacity for that.” I get it. I've lived it. I've said yes while having literal panic attacks before meetings. Not because I wanted to... but because...

Sunday was a full-circle moment. I spent the day facilitating a leadership retreat for the Junior League of Greenville. It was energizing, fulfilling, and one of those "this is exactly where I'm supposed to be" kind of moments. Balanced Badass Burnout Coach These are the conversations that change the trajectory of leadership teams. No more guessing who's ready to lead or hoping the right people step up. We mapped it out. They got clear. And they're moving forward with confidence. If your team...

Have you ever felt stuck in patterns that don't make sense? You know you should slow down. You know you're burning out. But you just... keep going. Why? Because 95% of your mind is on autopilot. It's old programming you didn't choose, but it's still running the show. This week on The Balanced Badass Podcast™, I sat down with Andrea Ramírez to talk about how hypnotherapy can help you rewrite that old programming and break free from burnout. Here's what we cover: Why burnout often comes from...

Feeling crispy? Here's how to tell your boss before you burn it all down. Look, we both know you're teetering on the edge. Not quite at the dramatic "I quit" email, but also... one "urgent" email away from screaming into the void. And you know what's funny? (Not ha-ha funny... more like, oh wow, capitalism is a nightmare funny.) People who burn out the hardest? They're the ones who look the most "together." The ones who get rewarded for saying, "Yes, I got it!" even when they absolutely do...

Managing your energy is just as important as managing your calendar. We talk a lot about burnout in terms of stress, exhaustion, and long hours (because, yes, those things matter). But there's a piece we don't talk about enough... Your energy. Because burnout is energetic. And if you've ever felt like no amount of sleep, PTO, or self-care Sundays are helping, this might be why. Your energy is drained, and you're not sure how to get it back. This week on The Balanced Badass Podcast™, I had an...