Recharging When You’re Running on Empty (and Pretending You’re Fine)

Ever stare at your laptop like it personally betrayed you?
Scroll your phone while telling yourself it “counts as rest”?
Or plan your day based on how late you can sleep before your first meeting?

Yeah. This episode is for that version of you.

In Episode 22, the Divas get real about energy — not the motivational-poster kind, but the lived-experience kind. The kind that dips quietly, leaks slowly, and eventually crashes hard if ignored. We unpack what it actually means to recharge in a world that expects constant output, endless availability, and zero downtime.

Spoiler: recharging isn’t a luxury. It’s a leadership skill.

💡 What we dive into

The difference between resting and recharging
Why stopping isn’t the same as restoring — and how to tell what your body and brain are actually asking for.

How low energy really shows up
From autopilot mode and “fourth coffee by noon” to dreading meetings, avoiding people, and feeling emotionally flat — even when you’re still delivering.

Why hitting zero isn’t failure
Energy crashes happen to high performers, parents, leaders, and people who “have it all together.” This isn’t weakness — it’s biology, life load, and overstimulation.

Micro-resets for chaotic days
Simple, practical ways to reset in the moment:

• Breathwork that actually calms your nervous system
• Stretching, walking, silence, and changing your physical environment
• Music, movement, and short intentional breaks that shift your state

The Energy Toolbox
Instead of waiting for your next vacation to save you, we introduce a practical framework for daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly energy support — from skincare rituals and workouts to vacations (with one big caveat: unplug or it doesn’t count).

The long game of sustainable energy
Guarding sleep, learning to say no earlier, creating white space in your calendar, and recognizing that constant “go-go-go” eventually shows up in your leadership, relationships, and emotional tone — whether you notice it or not.

🧠 Big ideas that stick

• Recharging is a skill, not a reward
• Low energy is information, not a character flaw
• Small resets done consistently beat heroic recoveries
• What drains you isn’t universal — your best practices are personal
• Protecting your energy protects the people around you

🔧 Practical tools you’ll hear

✔️ The “Pause, Pinpoint, Plug-In” reset
✔️ Micro-reset ideas for back-to-back days
✔️ The 10% rule for rebuilding energy after burnout
✔️ How to spot energy leaks before they turn into crashes
✔️ Why “delightfully unproductive” might be exactly what you need

✔️ Everyone’s ‘recharge’ tool set is different - it’s personalized for you and what functions best for you

You don’t recharge after you burn out. You recharge so you don’t.

Energy managemen

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Samantha Wallace, founder of re-mom, joins us to unpack why work-life balance is outdated, why burnout is not a personal failure, and how working mothers can reclaim energy, clarity, and confidence through work-life harmony.

What Is Work-Life Harmony (and Why Balance Isn’t Working)

Work-life balance implies equal distribution—time, energy, attention. But real life doesn’t work that way.

Samantha introduces work-life harmony as a values-based approach rooted in one core metric: feeling good. Harmony allows for seasons, ebb and flow, and intentional choices—without guilt or constant self-judgment.

For some women, work carries more weight. For others, family or personal well-being takes the lead. Harmony gives permission for both—and everything in between.

Many women experience burnout not because they’re doing something wrong—but because they’re trying to maintain a pre-motherhood identity in a post-motherhood reality. Motherhood doesn’t erase ambition—but it does require integration, not sacrifice.

Career Momentum, Maternity Leave & Workplace Support

Samantha challenges the myth that maternity leave derails professional growth and offers practical strategies for:

• Maintaining career relevance during leave
• Creating re-onboarding plans when returning to work
• Asking employers for flexibility, structure, and support
• Letting go of comparison and false timelines

Career momentum isn’t linear—and it was never meant to be.

Home Harmony, Mental Load & the Default Parent Trap

Harmony doesn’t happen organically—especially at home. Rather, it introduces a powerful framework for redesigning household responsibilities:

• Identifying household values
• Mapping invisible labor and mental load
• Addressing default parent dynamics
• Creating sustainable systems that reduce resentment

The goal isn’t 50/50—it’s what works for your household, without burnout. “Should” often comes from external pressure, cultural norms, and comparison.
“Could” and “would” come from choice, capacity, and alignment.

This distinction alone can transform how women experience motherhood, work, and self-worth.

The 7-Day Work-Life Harmony Experiment

For seven days:

1. Notice every time you think “I should” or “I need to”
2. Write it down
3. Ask:
   • Where did this belief come from?
   • Do I believe it?
   • Does it align with my values?

This practice helps uncover hidden belief systems—and creates space for more intentional decisions.

Key Takeaway

Your life will become automatic either way. You can fall into default systems shaped by burnout, guilt, and unspoken expectations—or you can intentionally design harmony rooted in values, support, and self-trust. You don’t need permission to want a life that feels good. but if you do—you’ll find it in this episode.

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✨ Episode Summary
Fake it till you make it” sounds cute… until you’ve made it and still feel like you’re one bad day away from being exposed. In this episode, Misha, Daniela, and Claudia unpack imposter syndrome across generations—what it looks like, how it sneaks into everyday life, and why some of the most capable people are the ones doubting themselves the most.

From tech avoidance and career pivots to social media comparison and celebrating (or avoiding) big milestones, the Divas get honest about where imposter syndrome shows up for them personally—and how they coach others through it. Spoiler: it doesn’t magically vanish with a promotion, a house, or a “perfect” Instagram grid.

💡 Themes We Explore

1. Understanding & Identifying Imposter Syndrome
How imposter syndrome shows up across generations, why naming it matters, and how self-doubt often masks itself as perfectionism or “not enough” thinking.

2. Comparison, Social Pressure & the Role of Social Media
The impact of curated lifestyles, online validation, and silent comparison loops that intensify feelings of falling behind or not measuring up.

3. Fear of Failure & Comfort Zones
How avoidance, over-preparation, and opting out of new experiences stem from fear—and how thinking beyond the fear helps break the cycle.

4. Imposter Syndrome Types & Common Patterns
Key patterns such as the Natural Genius, Expert, Superhero, and Soloist, and how each influences decision-making, learning, and confidence.

5. Shifting Mindsets & Building Confidence
Moving from proving → improving, adopting a learning mindset, celebrating achievements, and building a personal recognition toolkit to counteract imposter narratives.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Imposter syndrome is common and ongoing; it rarely vanishes completely, but it can be managed.
• Naming it and noticing it is the first step; it’s a feeling, not proof of inadequacy.
• Comparison—online or offline—is almost always based on incomplete information.
• Shifting from proving to improving changes the entire inner dialogue.
• Building a habit of recognition and celebration helps anchor evidence of competence and belonging.
• A learning mindset, broken-down steps, and small acts of courage can weaken imposter syndrome’s grip over time.

🧭 Reflection Prompts for Listeners

• Where does imposter syndrome show up most in your life right now—work, money, relationships, learning, or lifestyle?
• Which pattern sounds most like you: natural genius, expert, superhero, or soloist?
• What would “improving, not proving” look like for you this month?
• What is one recent win you can add to your own recognition toolkit today?

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Women are nearly half the workforce, but periods, fertility journeys, postpartum recovery, and perimenopause still get sidelined at work. That silence costs careers, companies, and—let’s be honest—humans. Executive coach Laure Goubau joins us to break the hush, connect the dots between health and leadership progression, and show leaders how to build cultures where women don’t have to choose between their bodies and their ambitions.

What you’ll learn

• How women’s health events (burnout, fertility, cancer treatment, peri/menopause) intersect with career inflection points
• Why “go to EAP” is not a strategy—and what integrated support actually looks like
• A simple business case leaders can use to win buy-in (talent, productivity, retention)
• How to spot early, subtle signs of perimenopause and what to track
• Practical ways managers can create psychologically safe conversations—without lowering the bar
• Low-cost culture moves (panels, peer circles, language shifts) that start change now

Key ideas & quotables

• “We’re not asking organizations to lower the bar—we’re asking for support to raise performance.”
• “Treat women’s health and leadership as a Venn diagram—the magic is in the overlap.”
• “Perimenopause isn’t a switch; it’s a slope. Track what’s changing.”
• “If you want talent parity, you can’t ignore the biology shaping talent supply.”

For leaders: do this next

1. Educate yourself and your managers on women’s health stages and impacts.
2. Audit resources you already fund (EAP, benefits, coaching, flex) and make the path obvious.
3. Normalize the convo: add women’s-health panels/brown bags; set language cues (“Thanks for flagging—how can we adjust this week?”).
4. Train with scenarios (bias interrupts, private check-ins, resource handoffs, promotion timing).
5. Measure quietly: track utilization, retention, promotion rates for affected populations.

For individuals: small moves, big leverage

• Track: energy, sleep, cognition, mood, cycle; bring data to care providers.
• Stack support: medical care + coaching + manager conversation + peer circle.
• Reframe: you’re not “asking for exceptions”; you’re designing how you keep delivering.

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Episode Summary
Leadership doesn’t pause for personal storms. In this candid conversation, the Divas explore how to lead through workplace “crises” while privately managing burnout, family illness, layoffs, caregiving, and other hidden struggles. Daniela recounts a high-stakes client rescue during her father’s cancer diagnosis; Claudia shares guiding a team through outsourcing while losing her own role; and Misha reflects on leading amid burnout and parental cancer scares. Together they show how honest boundaries, trusted support, and steady—not perfect—leadership sustain you and your team.

What You'll Learn in this Episode

• How to name the real crisis: Distinguish organizational urgency from your personal capacity and needs.
• Healthy disclosure that helps teams: When and how to say “me too” to reduce isolation and build trust.
• Grounding practices for hard seasons: Daily self-check, resilience “anchors,” and small acts of steadiness over perfection.
• Boundary-setting scripts: Practical language for time limits, workload, and availability without abandoning accountability.
• Building your safety net: Identifying a small, trusted network (coach/mentor/peer) before you need it.
• Spotting hidden strain: The subtle ways crisis shows up (sleep loss, overeating, detachment) and what to do early.

Takeaway

You are not the company’s emergency room. Define what’s truly in crisis, protect your non-negotiables (sleep, time, support), and communicate with steady honesty. Leading with humanity—especially when you’re struggling—keeps you effective, strengthens your team, and turns survival into sustainable resilience.

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We peel back the label “soft power” and reveal it as kind, intelligent, human-centric leadership—the foundation that makes hard metrics possible. From biotech to startups to security engineering, Azin Tabrizi shows how empathy, intuition, and clear boundaries turn tense, KPI-driven work into collaborative execution.

She describes being the buffer and bridge: translating “we need it yesterday” client urgency into achievable commitments while protecting her team’s energy and dignity. It’s the everyday touches—quick gratitude, “how are you really?”, picking up the phone—that quietly compound into trust, retention, and yes, better numbers. The crew challenges the “hard vs. soft” binary, landing on a truth: fear can force output; safety unlocks initiative. When people feel trusted, they bring ideas, not just deliverables.

Why It Matters

• Soft power is performance infrastructure. Culture shows up later as KPIs: lower turnover, faster decisions, more creative problem-solving.
• Trust first, then course-correct. “My trust is yours to lose” creates ownership—and makes tough feedback land.
• Leaders model the weather. Vulnerability (“I missed this—my bad”) invites truth early, before small issues become expensive.
• Human > theater. Team-building is built in the micro-moments, not offsites.

Azin’s Soft-Power Playbook (you can steal this)

• Be the bridge. Name client pressures to your team and show the team you’ve got their back.
• Micro-gratitude. “Could you please…”, “Thank you for the quick turnaround”—tiny phrases, outsized compounding effect.
• Trust as default. Hire → grant trust → protect it. Course-correct clearly when needed.
• Everyday culture. Call, drop by, check in. Rituals > slogans.
• Model accountability. Apologize fast; ask “What happened and how do we move forward?” (save the retro for later).
• Guard the standard with kindness. Kind ≠ permissive. Address poor behavior directly and respectfully; protect the culture.

Proof Points & Stories

• Client-team translator: Empathy on both sides turned “us vs. them” into partnership—and better delivery.
• Technician loyalty: Field teams stay for years; clients notice—the culture is visible at the edge.
• Crisis generosity: During COVID, Azin paid meaningful bonuses to essential field staff—loyalty deepened.
• Dignity with customers: When a client mistreated an employee, leadership backed the employee, reset norms, and preserved the relationship.
• Ripple effect: Clients asked Azin for mentorship on building similar environments internally.

Memorable Lines

• “Being ‘soft’ never meant I wasn’t noticing. Kind leadership is intelligent leadership.”
• “Trust is yours to lose.”
• “Culture is built in the day-to-day, not at a team-building event.”
• “Safety invites creativity; fear shrinks it.”

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In this episode, we go beyond policies and platforms to unpack the human side of hybrid work. Inspired by themes from past Coaching Divas conversations, we look at how leadership, self-awareness, and empathy play critical roles in making hybrid teams successful—and sustainable.

Hybrid work isn’t just about where you work. It’s about how you show up, how teams stay connected, and how leaders foster environments where trust, autonomy, and clarity can coexist. Whether you’re an executive redefining team culture or a solo contributor managing your energy, this episode will spark fresh thinking on how to navigate the new normal with intention and impact.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• 🧭 Flexibility is Powerful—But Needs Structure
  We love the freedom hybrid work offers—but without shared expectations, that freedom can become fragmentation. We explore how leaders and teams can co-create guardrails that support both autonomy and accountability.
• 💬 Communication Must Be Intentional
  As the Coaching Divas have often said, “What gets left unsaid gets misunderstood.” In a hybrid world, intentional communication isn't optional—it’s essential. We talk strategies for maintaining psychological safety, building team rituals, and avoiding the slow fade of connection.
• 👀 Proximity Bias is Real—And Fixable
  Those showing up in-person often get more facetime—and sometimes, more favour. We explore how conscious leadership and inclusive practices can ensure remote team members aren’t left behind in visibility or advancement.
• 🏢 Culture Doesn’t Live in Walls
  Culture is built in every interaction. We look at how to intentionally shape team culture—virtually and physically—through coaching-style leadership, shared values, and emotional intelligence.
• 🔄 The Inner Work of Hybrid Work
  One of the most overlooked pieces of the hybrid puzzle? Mindset. We discuss how awareness of your own habits, biases, and needs can transform how you collaborate—and how you lead.

✨ Bonus Insight:
Just like past Coaching Divas episodes have highlighted, success in hybrid work isn't just operational—it's relational. The leaders and teams thriving right now are the ones asking better questions, not just implementing better tools.

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In this dynamic and down-to-earth episode, the Coaching Divas dive into the buzzing world of Artificial Intelligence — not as techies, but as curious, conscious humans navigating the future of work. From awe to uncertainty, creativity to caution, we unpack how AI is showing up in our lives and reshaping how we think, feel, and connect at work and beyond.

This isn’t just a conversation about code — it’s about co-creation, emotional intelligence, and the very human responses to a rapidly changing world. Whether you’re already collaborating with ChatGPT or just starting to explore, this episode invites you into a rich, real conversation about what it means to be human alongside machines.

✨ Key Themes Explored:

🖋️ Co-Creation with AI:

• Real-life stories of using AI for writing, brainstorming, presentations, and even coaching prep.
• How people are blending their voice with AI to elevate creativity (without losing authenticity).

🤔 Trust & Skepticism:

• What makes us trust an AI-generated answer?
• How do we check for accuracy and bias — and how do we feel when AI gets it wrong?
• Why emotional intelligence matters more than ever in this tech-forward world.

👵👩‍💻 Generational Perspectives:

• Are younger generations more open to AI? How are seasoned professionals adapting?
• Is this wave of AI just another tool — or is it something fundamentally different?

🧭 Call to Action — Join the Experiment:

• Try an AI tool this week — write something, brainstorm, co-create!
• Reflect: How did it feel? What surprised or challenged you?
  Share your story with us: What's your most memorable or emotional moment involving AI?
  Ask yourself: What kind of relationship do I want with technology?

🎧 Tune In If You’re Curious About:

• The emotional and ethical layers of AI in the workplace
• How to stay creative and empowered while using emerging tech
• Having real, honest conversations about what AI means for our work and our humanity

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review us on your favourite podcast platform! Thanks for tuning in!

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