Free to Be Mindful Podcast | Mindset, Permission and Real Talk for the High-Achieving Woman

Why the eldest daughter always says yes to everything, from overcommitting to giving 110 percent, is a pattern I know as a licensed Latina therapist. As the oldest girl in a Dominican family, I share what it cost me the year I was four months postpartum and leading a nonprofit board, and how to tell when a season of giving is ready to close.

What You’ll Learn
✅ Why the eldest daughter, especially the only girl, learns to say yes before anyone finishes asking
✅ Where the pressure to give 110 percent comes from for high-achieving women, and what it quietly costs us
✅ Two questions to help you tell when a season of giving is ready to close
✅ How to step back from a volunteer role or board you love without guilt running the show
✅ Why leaving a seat open can be how the next leader gets her turn

Chapters

00:00 Eldest Daughter Yes Reflex
00:34 Podcast Intro and Gala Glam
01:51 How I Filled Every Minute
04:05 Oldest Daughter Culture and 110%
06:39 The Cost of Overgiving Postpartum
08:16 When a Season Is Closing
09:48 Returning as a Guest
10:42 Guided Calendar Reflection
12:47 Wrap Up and Permission to Rest

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💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com

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ABOUT ME
I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. 

CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

What high functioning actually hides is something I hear about every week as a licensed therapist, especially from high-achieving women who look like they have everything handled. For World Mental Health Day, I talk about high-functioning anxiety, where held-in stress goes when we finally slow down, what the science says about scream clubs, and how to know when stress relief isn't enough and it's time for therapy.

What You'll Learn
✅ Why high-functioning anxiety isn't in the DSM-5, and why so many high-achieving women still recognize themselves in it
✅ The signs high functioning hides, from a clenched jaw to sitting in the driveway before walking inside
✅ Where held-in stress goes when we slow down, including tears in savasana and anger aimed at the people closest to us
✅ What the science says about scream clubs and why screaming feels like relief
✅ How to tell when stress relief isn't enough and it's time to reach out to a therapist
✅ How to check on a friend or colleague whose automatic answer is "I'm good"
✅ Why our expectations drive high functioning, and which ones we can put down at home
✅ A guided reflection to notice where your body holds stress and choose one expectation to let go of this week

Chapters
00:00 Scream Clubs Hook
00:39 Podcast Welcome
01:11 World Mental Health Day
01:45 Yoga Tears Story
02:42 High Functioning Anxiety
03:53 Signs It Shows Up
05:38 When It Spills Over
06:45 Why Screaming Helps
08:00 Scream Vs Therapy
09:23 Support A Friend
10:16 Drop The Expectations
11:35 Resources And Coping
12:01 Guided Check In
13:13 Closing Thoughts

🔎 Find a therapist: psychologytoday.com
🌎 Find a Latinx therapist: connecttherapydirectory.com
🎁 Free Resource, 120 Coping Skills: freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills
💛 Coaching for high-achieving women: amigamoms.com

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

GRAB AN OFFER
🎁 Free 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills

💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com

💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com

💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com

 🛍️ Shop My Favorites: https://shopmy.us/shop/counselorvdejesus


ABOUT ME
I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. 

CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

End of year overwhelm for high-achieving women is something I see every Q4, when work deadlines and holiday stress hit in the same week. As a licensed therapist, I talk about why Q4 feels so heavy and how letting go of end of year goals that no longer fit can protect us from burnout during the busiest season of the year.

What You'll Learn
✅ Why Q4 at work and Q4 at home become two sprints that nobody else sees in full
✅ How the pressure to set New Year's goals catches up with us in the last quarter
✅ Two ways to tell whether a goal still fits, starting with how you'd feel crossing it off unfinished
✅ How to reshape a goal into a smaller version you'll actually keep
✅ A simple way to sort end of year goals into what you'll finish, what moves to next year, and what you're done carrying
✅ A guided reflection to find and protect time for yourself on your calendar this season

Chapters
00:00 Q4 Reality Check
00:40 Welcome And Busy Season
02:21 Workload Meets Home Life
04:13 Goals And Q4 Pressure
05:40 Keep Or Drop Goals
07:25 Resize The Goal
08:28 Support And Coaching
08:43 Schedule Time For You
10:28 Final Encouragement

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

GRAB AN OFFER
🎁 Free 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills

💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com

💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com

💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com

 🛍️ Shop My Favorites: https://shopmy.us/shop/counselorvdejesus


ABOUT ME
I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. 

CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

How to stop caring what people think is something I used to think came with age, but it's really about confidence, self worth, and stakes changing over the years. In this episode I get honest about aging into confidence in your 40s, and what my two year old is teaching me about wanting things for myself again.

What You'll Learn

✅ Why the stakes actually change with age, and what that shifts in what you're able to shrug off
 ✅ Three real reasons your circle, your energy, and your evidence change how much you care what others think
 ✅ Why saying "I don't care" can sometimes be armor instead of the truth
 ✅ A guided reflection for noticing when you're still managing what someone else thinks of you

Chapters

00:00 Childlike Freedom Returns
00:36 Welcome to the Podcast
01:09 When Opinions Lose Power
02:16 Surviving the Worst Case
03:23 Three Reasons We Stop Caring
04:37 Confidence Takes Evidence
05:45 Performing Not Caring
07:28 Guided Reflection Challenge
08:16 Birthday Week Sendoff

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

GRAB AN OFFER
🎁 Free 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills

💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com

💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com

💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com

 🛍️ Shop My Favorites: https://shopmy.us/shop/counselorvdejesus


ABOUT ME
I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. 

CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

Stop code switching and start showing up: that's what I'm learning to do as a first gen, Dominican, high-achieving woman who's spent years adjusting my voice for every room I walk into. In this episode, I open up about the bridge generation, what code-switching actually costs, and what changed the moment I decided to show up as my authentic self instead.

What You'll Learn

✅ Why the switching started long before she had a word for it, and why it never actually stops, it just changes rooms
 ✅ What it costs to spend years adjusting yourself so everyone else stays comfortable
 ✅ Why the timing of feeling "othered" looks different depending on where and how you grew up
 ✅ The unwritten professional and entrepreneurial rules nobody can hand you when your parents were never in those rooms
 ✅ What it looks like day to day to stop code-switching and let your full self show up instead
 ✅ One reflection to use this week to notice where you're still switching out of habit

Chapters

00:00 Code Switching At Home
00:45 Hispanic Heritage Month Theme
01:38 First Gen Bridge Skills
04:04 College And Othering
05:19 Entrepreneurship And Loneliness
06:52 Dropping The Switch
07:58 Authentic In Every Room
10:20 Guided Reflection
11:23 Share And Closing

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

GRAB AN OFFER
🎁 Free 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills

💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com

💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com

💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com

 🛍️ Shop My Favorites: https://shopmy.us/shop/counselorvdejesus


ABOUT ME
I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. 

CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

High-achieving women don't need gold stars to keep chasing validation, we just found more sophisticated adult ways to earn it. As a licensed therapist, I see this constantly in the women I coach, and in myself. This episode is about what happens when you try wanting something with absolutely no one watching.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
 ✅ Why the validation you got from childhood gold stars never actually stopped, it just changed shape
 ✅ The difference between preparation that comes from real care and preparation that comes from needing to be noticed
 ✅ A simple way to find a want you've been quietly editing down for years
 ✅ Why reclaiming something just for yourself starts with taking the audience away

CHAPTERS 

00:00 Chasing Gold Stars
00:41 Podcast Welcome
01:14 Adult Approval Habits
02:32 Compliments As Stickers
03:15 What Do You Want
04:00 Salsa And Self Focus
05:15 Finding The Want Again
06:24 Guided Reflection
07:11 Let It Stay Full
07:31 Coaching Invitation
08:02 Final Sendoff

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

GRAB AN OFFER
🎁 Free 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills

💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com

💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com

💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com

 🛍️ Shop My Favorites: https://shopmy.us/shop/counselorvdejesus


ABOUT ME
I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. 

CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

Why should women play smaller just to prove they know how to rest? In this episode, I unpack the real difference between ambition that comes from fear and ambition that comes from something alive, and why wanting more and actually resting can be true at the same time.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
✅ Why wanting more isn't something women need to apologize for, and why we don't ask men to prove they can rest before we respect their ambition
✅ The real difference between ambition that comes from fear and ambition that comes from something alive, and why it changes how rest fits in
✅ How to hold both wanting more and enjoying what you've built, without needing them to split evenly down the middle

CHAPTERS

00:00 Poolside Spark
00:39 Show Welcome
01:03 Season Reset
02:02 Stop Apologizing
02:29 Summer Reality Check
03:20 Redefining Rest
04:55 Ambition Without Fear
05:57 Reflection Prompts
07:42 Coaching Invitation
08:13 Final Sign Off

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

GRAB AN OFFER
🎁 Free 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills

💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com

💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com

💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com

 🛍️ Shop My Favorites: https://shopmy.us/shop/counselorvdejesus


ABOUT ME
I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. 

CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

You've been the strong one for so long it started to feel like your whole personality. Free to Be Mindful Season 8 launches with a new trailer, and this one's for the high-achieving woman nobody's checking on, the one everyone counts on at work, at home, in every group chat. This season we get honest about ambition, identity, and mental load, no filler, no 45-minute episodes, real talk you can actually fit into your day. 

Free to Be Mindful was named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast of 2026 by Feedspot. Season 8 starts September 1, 2026.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Who This Is For
00:33 Meet Vanessa
00:40 Podcast Milestone
01:01 The Hidden Load
01:36 Weekly Real Talk
01:56 How To Listen
02:06 Subscribe And Closing

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

GRAB AN OFFER
🎁 Free 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills

💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com

💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com

💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com

 🛍️ Shop My Favorites: https://shopmy.us/shop/counselorvdejesus


ABOUT ME
I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. 

CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

Summer is here and so is the quiet disconnection that comes with it. Longer days, busier schedules, kids home, and somehow you and your partner are co-managing the season instead of actually connecting. In this episode, licensed therapist Vanessa De Jesus Guzman sits down with Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Sheila Arias to talk about how couples rebuild emotional closeness through small, intentional moments, not grand gestures, not perfect timing, just presence.

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

• Why emotional disconnection is common in long-term relationships
• How judgment and comparison quietly erode intimacy
• The role of curiosity and compassion in strengthening emotional bonds
• Why small, consistent moments matter more than grand gestures
• How structure and intentionality support connection and intimacy
• The importance of physical affection beyond sexual intimacy

TUNE IN TO LEARN

• How to rebuild emotional connection without blaming yourself or your partner
• Simple communication tools couples can practice right away
• Why emotional intimacy fades and how to restore it intentionally
• How scheduling connection can still feel meaningful and authentic
• Ways to reconnect that fit real life, not unrealistic relationship ideals

CONNECT WITH SHEILA

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheilaariaslmft
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sheilaariaslmft
• Website: https://www.compasiontherapy.com
  
  

TAKEAWAY MESSAGE

Rebuilding emotional connection isn’t about fixing your relationship or judging where you are. It’s about choosing one small, intentional shift that brings curiosity, warmth, and presence back into your connection. Over time, those moments add up and help relationships feel alive again.

As always, thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, consider sharing it with a partner or someone who may need this reminder. And remember - in a world where you are free to be anything, you are always free to be mindful

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

GRAB AN OFFER
🎁 Free 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills

💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com

💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com

💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com

 🛍️ Shop My Favorites: https://shopmy.us/shop/counselorvdejesus


ABOUT ME
I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. 

CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

Every summer, something shifts. The schedule loosens, the pace changes just enough to notice... and our brains completely miss the memo. If you've ever found yourself mentally planning the next quarter while your kids are finally at camp, this one is for you.

In this season seven finale, we're talking about what intentionally slowing down actually looks like for high-achieving women, why rest feels like falling behind, and three questions to help us move through July with intention instead of accidentally sprinting through it.


What You'll Learn:
✅ Why slowing down feels like falling behind, and what that discomfort is actually trying to tell us
✅ The difference between anxious planning and intentional visioning, and how to stop letting fear disguise itself as productivity
✅ Three questions to help us move through July with purpose instead of guilt
✅ How to name one intentional rest day before the month is over, and why staying in the discomfort of it matters more than getting it perfect
✅ A guided reflection to reconnect with what we actually want the fall to feel like, before we turn it into a project plan


CHAPTERS
00:00 Why Rest Feels Hard
01:01 Summer Pace Shift
02:54 High Achiever Wiring
03:34 Three July Questions
03:52 Slow Pace Keep Purpose
04:19 Connect More Intentionally
04:53 Dream Without Executing
05:35 Pick One Rest Day
06:27 Season Finale Gratitude
08:02 Guided Reflection Meditation
10:21 Share And Work Together
11:00 Mindful Sendoff

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

GRAB AN OFFER
🎁 Free 120 Coping Skills: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills

💛 Coaching for the Mom CEO: https://www.amigamoms.com

💡 Coaching for Child Therapists: https://www.thekidclinician.com

💚 Coaching & Community for Latinx Therapists: https://www.latinxpracticecollective.com

 🛍️ Shop My Favorites: https://shopmy.us/shop/counselorvdejesus


ABOUT ME
I'm Vanessa, the therapist who helps high-achieving adults become the best version of themselves, not just at work, but in the rooms that matter most. I host the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, named the #1 Latino Mental Health Podcast in 2026 by Feedspot. 

CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
📋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/counselorvdejesus/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.