Alive & Well – Nervous System, Productivity, Time Management, Somatic Tools, Work-Life Balance, Burnout, Anxiety

Ever notice how you can get through the day…
but your body feels like it never actually powers down?
You’re productive.
You’re handling things.
You’re doing what needs to be done.
And yet — your nervous system feels like it’s been running in the background nonstop.

Like too many tabs open.
Like you’re always slightly braced for what’s next.
That’s survival mode.
And it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.
It means your nervous system hasn’t been taught how to come back to baseline.
In this episode, I’m sharing the five rules I live by now because I’m done living in chronic activation. 
These aren’t “self-care tips” or mindset hacks. They’re nervous-system boundaries grounded in physiology, neuroscience, and lived experience — the kind that actually change how your body feels day to day.
We talk about:
What survival mode really looks like when you’re high-functioning and capable
Why trying to think your way out of stress keeps you stuck
The nervous-system reason rushing drains your energy faster than being busy
How to get out of your head and into your body when you’re activated
Why comparison, automatic yeses, and misaligned sleep quietly collapse your capacity
What it takes to feel calm, clear, and present — without doing less with your life
This isn’t about becoming chill or lowering your standards.
It’s about expanding your capacity so your life stops feeling like it’s too much.
If you’re tired of managing yourself all day.

If you feel successful on paper but wired and exhausted in your body.

If your nervous system has been operating like it’s always on-call…
This episode will help you understand what’s actually happening — and what to do instead.
Press play if you’re ready to stop living like everything is urgent and start inhabiting your life again.

You know that moment where you keep telling yourself you’re “trying”… and somehow months go by and nothing actually changes?
Today we’re calling out the sneakiest productivity trap of all: the word try.
I’m joined by Carla Ondrasik, author of Stop Trying, who breaks down why “trying” keeps you stuck in your head — and why doing is a totally different energy (and outcome).
In this episode, we’re diving into:
Trying vs. doing: why trying is mental, doing is physical, and your brain hates vague instructions
The Tri Test: Carla’s simple experiment that instantly exposes why “try” creates confusion
The hidden cost of “I’ll try”: how it bakes in failure, kills accountability, and fuels excuses + people-pleasing
How to build your doer muscle: small, practical shifts (including saying a clean “no”) that create momentum fast
This conversation is for you if you’ve been living with a low-grade “I should’ve done this by now” pressure — and you’re ready to trade it for clarity, follow-through, and a nervous system that isn’t dragging around a thousand open loops.

Connect with Carla:
Purchase Stop Trying

You know that feeling when you wake up already behind, your to-do list is endless, and no matter how productive you are, it never feels like enough?
Today we’re talking about the quiet burnout that comes from living in constant urgency — and why time itself isn’t the problem.
I’m joined by Andrew Hartman, founder of Time Boss and former startup COO, who built his entire framework after burning out repeatedly in high-pressure environments… including a season where chronic stress literally cost him his sense of smell.
Andrew helps high-achieving leaders stop running their lives on hustle, adrenaline, and fear — and start operating at their highest sustainable pace, with more clarity, presence, and peace.
In this episode, we’re diving into:
Why productivity culture is keeping you dysregulated
The hidden reason time always feels scarce
A nervous-system-friendly way to plan your week
How to lead your life instead of reacting to it

This conversation is for you if you’re highly capable, deeply responsible, and exhausted by the pressure to always do more — even when things look “successful” on paper.
You’ll walk away with a calmer lens on time, permission to slow the pace without losing momentum, and a practical framework for creating days that feel spacious, grounded, and aligned with the life you actually want.
Connect with Andrew:
Free Time Boss Masterclass
Find him on LinkedIn

If you’ve been listening to this series and thinking,
 “Yes — this finally explains what’s happening in my body,”
 but also wondering,
 “Okay… what do I actually do with this?”
this episode is for you.
Because understanding your nervous system matters —
 but understanding alone doesn’t change how you wake up in the morning.
Experience does.
 Structure does.
 Repetition does.
In this final episode of the series, I’m talking about why burnout recovery doesn’t come from finding better tools — but from how those tools are practiced, supported, and integrated over time.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why nervous system insight alone doesn’t change your baseline
What breaks down when you try to do regulation work on your own
The difference between managing burnout and rebuilding capacity
Why sequencing and structure matter for lasting nervous system change
How Burnout Recovery Blueprint is designed to move you out of survival — sustainably
This episode is for you if you’re functional but exhausted, capable but constantly managing yourself, and tired of feeling like regulation never sticks.
If you’re ready to stop carrying this alone and want a nervous system that can actually support the life you’re living — not just help you cope with it — this conversation will help you understand what makes the difference, and what real support looks like.

If nervous system tools help… why do you keep needing them?
Why does regulation feel temporary?
 Why do you calm down — only to feel activated again a few hours later?
 Why does it feel like you’re constantly managing your nervous system just to get through the day?
This episode answers that question clearly and compassionately.
Because tools don’t change your baseline.
 Capacity does.
In this episode, I’m breaking down the difference between regulating in the moment and expanding your nervous system’s capacity, why high-achieving women often feel like regulation never “sticks,” and what’s actually required to widen your window of tolerance over time.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why needing frequent regulation tools doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong
The difference between momentary regulation and long-term capacity expansion
How allostatic load quietly narrows your window of tolerance
Why insight and self-awareness alone don’t change nervous system patterns
How productivity and busyness can function as stress coping strategies
What foundational habits actually build capacity instead of just managing symptoms
This episode is for you if you’re highly self-aware, using nervous system tools regularly, and still feel like stress comes back faster than you’d like.
If you’re tired of constantly managing your nervous system and want to understand how to change your baseline — not just calm yourself down — this conversation will help you see what’s missing, and what actually moves the work forward.