Brilliant Balance

Merging professional ambition with managing your home life isn't easy, but I think it's worth it. While you may constantly have to task-switch between meeting professional goals and meeting the needs of your family, the satisfaction that comes from having a foot in each world runs deep.

The question is - what do we do with the guilt?! Wondering how our professional ambition will affect our kids keeps a lot of working women up at night, and that's why my guest today decided to investigate.

In this episode, I interview Lara Bazelon: attorney, law professor, and author of the book: Ambitious Like a Mother. Lara and I discuss how we can dance with work-life balance, embrace our ambitions and model for our children what it means to live a truly purposeful life.

Listen in…

Show Highlights Include:

• Why the word 'ambition' holds a negative meaning for women (and how looking past that can help you achieve your goals faster) (6:24)
• The three mother-child archetypes (and how they differ in work-home balance) (7:58)
• Why it's important to model vulnerability as a leader in the workplace (17:44)
• Why the children of working mothers fare slightly better than stay at home mothers (26:51)
• The boring conversations we have to hash out when starting a relationship (instead of going into it blindly) (29:37)

Interested in coaching with Brilliant Balance? Schedule an exploratory call here: www.brilliant-balance.com/schedule

Subscribe to The Brilliant Balance Weekly and we'll deliver it to your digital doorstep each Tuesday: www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly

Need a few moments of peace? Listen to our free 5-Minute Meditation: www.brilliant-balance.com/breathe/

Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/brilliant_balance

Join our private Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057

Check out Lara Bazelon's website: http://www.larabazelon.com/

Atlantic Article by Lara Bazelon - "The End of Mom Guilt": https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/working-mom-career-women-guilt/629364/

I've spent a LOT of time talking to women in midlife, women who have to constantly re-balance the competing demands of their professional lives and family responsibilities to make room for some FUN.

And a sad little secret of this life stage is that a lot of us don't actually like our lives very much. We've done all the things that are supposed to deliver us to the 'promised land'. We have the careers, the homes, the cars, the families. But we feel like we're not quite there yet.

And it can feel like we'll never get there.

So how are you supposed to take the pieces of your life and rearrange them into one you actually enjoy living?

There's one simple way you can start.

And that's by building a better day.

In this episode, I'll share with you a few ideas on how to start creating a life you love by building one great day at a time. You'll learn how to string together these ideas to design a life you truly like.

Listen in…

Show Highlights Include:

• The best place to start to create a life you actually like. (3:03)
• 5 ideas you can use to start creating a better life by building a great day. (4:22)
• Why prioritizing sleep is important for you to have a good day. (6:00)
• The 'last things first' approach and how it ensures you get the most important things done. (9:21)
• How thinking smaller instead of bigger can help you create fulfilling experiences (and reduce the pressure of a big goal). (13:40)

Interested in coaching with Brilliant Balance? Schedule an exploratory call here: www.brilliant-balance.com/schedule

Subscribe to The Brilliant Balance Weekly and we'll deliver it to your digital doorstep each Tuesday: www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly

Need a few moments of peace? Listen to our free 5-Minute Meditation: www.brilliant-balance.com/breathe/

Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/brilliant_balance

Join our private Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057

Have you ever felt like you're underwater? You have your head down, you're swimming hard and just trying to get through whatever life throws at you.

We've all been there at some point in our lives.

It happens when you're struggling to keep your business afloat, or dealing with career upheaval, or taking extra care of a family member.

It's not easy.

In these dark and difficult times, we need light more than ever. When we're deep underwater, we need to come up for air, find a little normalcy and just breathe.

In this episode, I'll share with you why you need to come up for air when you feel like you're drowning. You'll discover why you tend to resist coming up for air, and I'll show you how to break through that resistance.

Listen in…

Show Highlights Include:

• 3 situations you find yourself in that feel like you're swimming underwater. (04:01)
• Why you need to come up for air instead of fighting for your life underwater. (06:28)
• 5 reasons we resist the opportunity to come up for air. (07:39)
• The 'Atlas' savior complex and how it stops us from giving ourselves a break. (11:30)
• How you can push past that resistance so you can get the air you need using this 'build-up' method. (16:36)

Interested in coaching with Brilliant Balance? Schedule an exploratory call here: www.brilliant-balance.com/schedule

Subscribe to The Brilliant Balance Weekly and we'll deliver it to your digital doorstep each Tuesday: www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly

Need a few moments of peace? Listen to our free 5-Minute Meditation: www.brilliant-balance.com/breathe/

Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/brilliant_balance

Join our private Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057

Midlife is a life chapter I see a lot of women struggle with.

It's a time you suddenly start questioning everything you've devoted yourself to for the last couple of decades. All your carefully laid plans don't seem to make sense anymore.

You tend to ask: Is this all there is to it? Am I doing enough? Am I enough?

Women that experience the midlife blahs go through a range of tough emotions: a sense of boredom, emptiness or sadness. And while it may be mild for some people, it can be intense and hard for others.

But you don't have to endure or get comfortable with the midlife blahs. You can shake yourself out of this cycle and find meaning in your life again.

In this episode, I'll reveal 5 signs you should look out for to recognize if you're in the mid-life blahs. You'll discover how to regain your sense of excitement, vibrancy and fulfillment.

Listen in…

Show Highlights Include:

• Why midlife crisis doesn't always mean a middle aged man with an expensive sports car and younger girlfriend (and the actual effects of mid-life on women) (1:46)
• 5 signs you're experiencing the mid-life blahs. (2:41)
• Why you shouldn't get comfortable in the mid-life blahs (and how to feel a sense of fulfillment again) (11:43)
• The 'mix-it-up' trick you can use to help yourself stop feeling like you live on autopilot (and how it wakes your brain to a fresh perspective).(12:56)
• How this 'weekly tracking' routine helps if things just don't excite you anymore. (14:37)
• How to find meaning and clarity in your life on a day to day basis (without the crushing weight of figuring out your entire life) (16:18)
• The 'micro-change' technique you can use to take pressure off yourself (while generating momentum and excitement in your life). (19:07)

Interested in coaching with Brilliant Balance? Schedule an exploratory call here: http://www.brilliant-balance.com/schedule

Subscribe to The Brilliant Balance Weekly and we'll deliver it to your digital doorstep each Tuesday: http://www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly

Need a few moments of peace? Listen to our free 5-Minute Meditation: http://www.brilliant-balance.com/breathe/

Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/brilliant_balance

Join our private Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057

Do most women know how to set boundaries??

Not at all. We rarely protect time for ourselves. We always delay the mini adventures in our life because our kid gets sick, or there's a surprise meeting, or that one extra-needy friend calls. And what happens when we stand up for ourselves? We feel guilt, shame, anger, and resentment when we impose boundaries.

But in order to take our careers to the next level, and have a happier marriage and family life, we NEED to impose boundaries.

And when you set boundaries, the feelings of guilt, shame , anger, and resentment come flooding back.

So in today's episode, my guest, Heather Chauvin, TedX speaker and founder of the Emotionally Uncomfortable podcast, reveals how to set boundaries (without feeling guilt or shame.)

Listen now!

Show Highlights Include:

• The counter-intuitive reason why you have less control in your overall life when you spend 3 hours making sure your hair is perfect (5:18)
• How you become an obsessive control freak by purchasing $1,000 self-help books (8:27)
• The "hermit crab in a shell" secret to skyrocketing past your comfort zone (and blast through your next life hurdle) (16:29)
• How to unlock an unbreakable mindset instantly by potentially giving yourself hypothermia for 60 seconds (20:35)
• Why leaving your needy friend on "seen" for 24 hours liberates your feelings of guilt, shame, and need (26:26)
• How to take time off, and go for that hike with your best friend with the "10 minute habit" (30:17)

Interested in coaching with Brilliant Balance? Schedule an exploratory call here: http://www.brilliant-balance.com/schedule

Subscribe to The Brilliant Balance Weekly and we'll deliver it to your digital doorstep each Tuesday: http://www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly

Need a few moments of peace? Listen to our free 5-Minute Meditation: http://www.brilliant-balance.com/breathe/

Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/brilliant_balance Join our private Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057

Connect with Heather here: https://heatherchauvin.com

How can we be lonely when we always seem to be so busy and surrounded by other people? We're constantly at work, on zoom calls, in our homes with children running around, running errands, watching sporting events, and generally living our lives out in the world…and yet, we're isolated. How on earth does that happen?

It's because feeling lonely doesn't necessarily mean being alone.

Loneliness is a state of mind that occurs when there's a disconnect between our need for human connection and our actual level of connection with the people around us.

So how do we get out of this lonely state and foster deeper connections with people around us?

In this episode, I'll share with you the questions to ask yourself if you want to build stronger relationships with the people who matter to you.

Listen in…

Show Highlights Include:

• Why we don't easily recognize when we're lonely (and how to realize and pull ourselves out of that hole of loneliness). (04:40)
• The right questions you can ask yourself to forge more meaningful relationships with your loved ones. (06:28)
• A 3-part formula you can use to foster deeper connection and increase the 'connective tissue' in your relationships. (08:33)
• The eye-contact rule for forming higher quality connections with your loved ones. (09:24)
• How to get beyond cliched small talk and into proper conversation and build an even deeper connection. (10:40)
• How to use shared activities to take pressure off conversations and make it easier to advance the relationship to a place of real comfort. (14:00)

Interested in coaching with Brilliant Balance? Schedule an exploratory call here: www.brilliant-balance.com/schedule

Subscribe to The Brilliant Balance Weekly and we'll deliver it to your digital doorstep each Tuesday: www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly

Need a few moments of peace? Listen to our free 5-Minute Meditation: www.brilliant-balance.com/breathe/

Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/brilliant_balance

Join our private Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057

So many of us want to be more productive.

Because most of us live in a chronic state of affairs in which we have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Staring down our never-ending list makes us feel like we'll never catch a break…we're just destined to run on this treadmill forever.

Worse, we think when we finally get this never ending list done, only then will we have time for ourselves. Time to pursue new goals, find time to rest, and finally be the person we want to be.

You don't have to WAIT to clear your list to do ANY of those things, but finding some ease with our to do list just feels GOOD. And I have one big idea for you that will help a ton.

In this episode, I'll reveal my single best productivity tip for getting things done.

Listen in…

Show Highlights Include:

• My number one tip you can apply to be more productive (and how it drives accountability to ourselves and others). (04:23)
• How this tip can help you stick to your exercise routine (even if you struggle with consistency) (07:57)
• How the technique helps you master elusive habits and complete projects (even the ones without a deadline) (09:16)
• Why this tip works so efficiently (and how it stops you avoid losing hours pointlessly) (12:26)

Interested in coaching with Brilliant Balance? Schedule an exploratory call here: www.brilliant-balance.com/schedule

Subscribe to The Brilliant Balance Weekly and we'll deliver it to your digital doorstep each Tuesday: www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly

Need a few moments of peace? Listen to our free 5-Minute Meditation: www.brilliant-balance.com/breathe/

Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/brilliant_balance

Join our private Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057

Whether it's for a sense of security, having the funds to fulfill our life goals, or to feel the thrill of freedom, we all want to save money.

But most of us get stuck when it comes to actually doing it. Habits like impulse buying or upgrade-itis stop us from saving regularly so we can move closer to our goals.

In this episode, I'll show you a simple hack you can use to save almost effortlessly. You'll discover how to drop bad spending habits and pick up a saving approach that is just right for you.

Listen in…

Show Highlights Include:

• 4 tools you can use to save and grow your money (and the psychology questioning' method you can use to pick the right one for yourself). (05:48)
• A simple hack you can use to make your saving process almost effortless. (10:54)
• 3 ways intentional savings affect your life positively (so you don't go into panic mode every time you need cash). (14:59)
• How to assess your spending habits so you can be intentional about your savings. (17:01)

Interested in coaching with Brilliant Balance? Schedule an exploratory call here: www.brilliant-balance.com/schedule

Subscribe to The Brilliant Balance Weekly and we'll deliver it to your digital doorstep each Tuesday: www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly

Need a few moments of peace? Listen to our free 5-Minute Meditation: www.brilliant-balance.com/breathe/

Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/brilliant_balance

Join our private Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057

This is part one of a four part series on "Getting what you want." And #1 on the list is to live healthier and feel better…which makes sense because a healthy lifestyle helps us feel vibrant and energized so we can contribute in meaningful ways to ourselves, our families and our careers.

We know we can maintain this lifestyle by sleeping more, eating healthier, exercising more, and quitting bad habits that impede our progress.

But do we DO those things?

No! Why on earth is that?

Why don't we consistently do the things that keep the "human machine" performing optimally? Why don't we invest time into healthy living so we can feel amazing?

In this episode, I'll reveal some common "stories" you might be telling yourself that cause inconsistency in the practices that help you feel vibrant and energized. You'll discover how to confront and overcome some of these challenges so you can live your best life.

Listen in…

Show Highlights Include:

• The 4 core practices we should engage in to add vitality and vibrancy to our lives. (05:57)
• The major reasons we don't allocate enough effort to the practices that keep the human machine functioning optimally. (09:00)
• How neglecting sleep to savor alone time can negatively affect our health (and how to re-engineer that behavior). (12:55)
• The benefits of having a full-night's rest (and why we should confront our inability to prioritize sleep). (17:25)
• The # 1 reason we don't prioritize exercise and how to streamline your daily schedule to easily solve that problem. (24:45)

To Join 30 Days to Vibrant Energy: www.brilliant-balance.com/energy

Thinking about coaching? Schedule an exploratory call here: www.brilliant-balance.com/schedule

Subscribe to The Brilliant Balance Weekly and we'll deliver it to your digital doorstep each Tuesday: www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly

Need a few moments of peace? Listen to our free 5 Minute Meditation: www.brilliant-balance.com/breathe/

Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/brilliant_balance

Join our private Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057

As we progress in our careers from office newbies to seasoned leaders, we face the challenge of updating our look to keep up with the image we want to project to the world.

It can all be confusing: trying to understand your style and what it means for your personal brand, and at the same time wearing what makes you feel confident and look good.

So, the million dollar question is: How do you dress like the leader you are?

Lizzie Edwards knows how.

In this episode, I talk with Lizzie, a London-based stylist with an uncanny knack for deconstructing exactly how we can create the image we want. She reveals how to start with the clothes you already have and ultimately create a wearable, stylish wardrobe that's in line with your personal brand and projects the image you want.

Listen in…

Show Highlights Include:

• How Lizzie's past careers contributed to her career as a stylist and the one thing she invested in to accelerate her career to where she is now. (05:23)
• One overlooked attribute you can't progress without, even if you have amazing taste. (11:30)
• The truth behind why even powerful women are stressed out about what to wear (and how it applies to other aspects of life) (13:52)
• The biggest wardrobe mistakes professional women make that diminish their image. (17:20)
• How having an organized wardrobe can have a profound positive effect on your image. (17:28)
• How knowing the colors that work for you can define your signature style (and help you avoid shopping pointlessly online and offline) (22:00)
• Why your big picture is important when building your style and brand image. (29:25)

Find Lizzie Edwards online at https://lizzieedwards.com or https://instagram.com/lizzieedwardsuk

To download a free copy of "Dress Like the Leader You Are": https://BookHip.com/MCJARFX

To get your colors done: https://yourcolorguru.com/ and use code "LizzieSentMe" for a discount Interested in coaching with Brilliant Balance? Schedule an exploratory call here: www.brilliant-balance.com/schedule

Subscribe to The Brilliant Balance Weekly and we'll deliver it to your digital doorstep each Tuesday: www.brilliant-balance.com/weekly

Need a few moments of peace? Listen to our free 5 Minute Meditation: www.brilliant-balance.com/breathe/

Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/brilliant_balance

Join our private Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/281949848958057

Join 30 Days to Vibrant Energy: www.brilliant-balance.com/energy