WE...ARE...SOOO....TIRED. Do you feel it? We have so much SHIT going on at work...then we have no energy to manage our emotions and then say ALL the things that we don't want to say to people because we have no filter and then feel like such a bitch, but we're not a bitches (unless we WANT to be), but we DON'T want to be thought of as  bitches with our colleagues because we love them but, we are the coach, the mentor, the leader and we are all learning new habits and sometimes we're so tired we just don't have the energy or the patience to deal. 

We all started to hustle when we were young. Shelby had a part-time job at the age of 12! Many of us worked our way through college or High School and hustled in those very first jobs because we felt like we had to prove ourselves. Some of us hustle to meet important deadlines and client demands. Some of us work multiple jobs to keep the lights on and food on the table. Then some of us started and worked to "prove ourselves" to our male counterparts that we can juggle ALL the balls...childbirth, being a parent, and a dedicated employee. And now....now, that we're more or less 50--we're just tired. Too tired to hustle any more. 

Amanda Ortega ...HELP US PLEASE!! Our guest today, is an author, speaker, and certified professional coach. Her mission is to help high achievers (like us) prevent burnout by cultivating a healthy approach to success.

Her new book, Inward to Upward: Discover your Blueprint for True Success and Escape the Toxic Success Trap Forever, offers a guidebook for ambitious professionals to redefine success for themselves and achieve greater calm, balance, and fulfillment in their lives. 

Amanda's mission is to change the way we view our self worth and the collective definition of success in our society. In our episode today, she raises awareness of our state of chronic stress and our underlying belief that stress is the fuel behind our success. Guess what..our level of stress is NOT helping us to be more successful! 

No it is not.  It's actually burning us out and making us sick.We're not the only ambitious high achievers out there who are unhappy. So, why do we call this success? Our guest's definition of the "toxic-success trap" is cycles of achievement in which we pursue external goals at the expense of our wellbeing. As we advance in our careers, the idea of "performance" can pull us out of alignment with our true selves and damage our sense of innate self worth. Amanda wants to help people break free of that cycle.

SO....Amanda! TEACH US how to return to our authentic Self (Capital S) and separate ourselves from the external performance and fucking dog and pony show we pull off every day.We're ready to STOP defining success transactionally and honor the fact that we are so much more than what we produce!!

In this episode, Amanda teaches us: 

1. The "success trap" isn't a place, but rather a mindset and an approach to success that isn't sustainable. The definition includes a perception that stress is necessary for success and that current day suffering is a trade off for future happiness.
2. Trust that "calm presence" can help you enjoy your life more and you can be more successful.
3. Life should NOT be stress, stress, stress....pocket of calm. It SHOULD be calm, calm, calm...pocket of stress. You body is equipped to deal with pockets of stress, but burn out happens when your body faces chronic stress daily.
4. Learn to check in with your body and notice what it is telling you...are your shoulders hunched, do you have a pit in your stomach? This is your body in stress. Learn to recognize it and ask yourself if this level of stress is serving you right now and if you're operating from your "fear center". Then, downshift into a more neutral space by breathing or taking a short walk.
5. When you feel your body move into stress, get curious. Use what you notice as (potential) triggers as data points. Then set up "experiments" (not goals) to put to practice your new theories about how you can show up differently and prove the world won't fall apart.

You can find Amanda at:

Website | beyondbalancecoaching.com

Instagram | @beyondbalance_coach

Inward to Upward: Discover your Blueprint for True Success and Escape the Toxic Success Trap Forever

Raise your hand if YOU are feeling the same burnout! Please leave us a 5-star review and let us know how this episode helps YOU to stop your own insanity. KNOW we are right there with you. Let's tackle this hustle culture together. Join our Facebook Community or follow us on Instagram.