Friday Coffee Chats by The Happy 9 to 5

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Support our Friday Coffee Chats and help us bring you more insightful content! Your support makes a difference. Buy us a virtual coffee here and keep the conversation brewing. Every sip counts!

Ever been told to “stay calm” at work — when you're anything but?

In this Friday Coffee Chat, we sit down with Prof. Dr. Susanne Scheibe, an expert in emotion regulation, to talk about how to actually manage your emotions in high-pressure work situations — without suppressing how you feel or pretending everything’s fine.

We discuss:
 🧠 What emotion regulation really means (and what it doesn’t)
 🔥 How to stay composed during tough conversations, meetings, or moments of stress
 💡 Simple, science-backed strategies to help you feel more in control without burning out

Whether you're dealing with difficult feedback, workplace tension, or just trying not to spiral after a rough day, this conversation will give you practical tools to handle your emotions with more clarity and confidence.

If your work is taking over your life and you struggle to unplug in the evening or even the weekend, we'd love to help you create a work-life balance that works for you!

Support the show

Love,
Tina & Eleni

Youtube | Instagram: @thehappy9to5 | TikTok: @thehappy9to5

Send us a text

Support our Friday Coffee Chats and help us bring you more insightful content! Your support makes a difference. Buy us a virtual coffee here and keep the conversation brewing. Every sip counts!

In this Friday coffee chat, we’re reacting to some of the internet’s most popular (and questionable) tips on how to be more confident.

You'll hear: 

✨ Our honest takes on the most popular confidence hacks online
✨ Why some advice sounds great but isn’t always realistic in everyday life

✨ Tips that actually can help you feel more grounded and self-assured — without pretending to be someone you’re not

If you’ve ever second-guessed yourself at work or wished you could walk into a room feeling just a little more sure of yourself, this coffee chat is for you.

If your work is taking over your life and you struggle to unplug in the evening or even the weekend, we'd love to help you create a work-life balance that works for you!

Support the show

Love,
Tina & Eleni

Youtube | Instagram: @thehappy9to5 | TikTok: @thehappy9to5

Send us a text

Support our Friday Coffee Chats and help us bring you more insightful content! Your support makes a difference. Buy us a virtual coffee here and keep the conversation brewing. Every sip counts!

This isn’t a summer bucket list. It’s a blueprint for how we want to feel.

In this Friday Coffee Chat, we’re sitting down to share the six intentions shaping our summer, not based on what we should do, but what we actually need. If you're feeling burnt out from a busy year or just craving a more grounded rhythm, this one’s for you.

We talk about:

• How to stop future-tripping and stay present
• Why filtering information is a self-care move
• Protecting your energy like it’s your job
• Reclaiming play as a priority, not a luxury
• Letting go of rigid routines to make space for spontaneity
• Choosing the joy of missing out over performative “yeses”

Think of this episode as a mindset reset: less hustle, more intention.
 We’re not doing summer like everyone else. We’re doing it our way.

 📩 Share it with a friend who needs a "more me, less noise" summer, too.

If your work is taking over your life and you struggle to unplug in the evening or even the weekend, we'd love to help you create a work-life balance that works for you!

Support the show

Support the show

Love,
Tina & Eleni

Youtube | Instagram: @thehappy9to5 | TikTok: @thehappy9to5

Send us a text

Support our Friday Coffee Chats and help us bring you more insightful content! Your support makes a difference. Buy us a virtual coffee here and keep the conversation brewing. Every sip counts!

Taking time off should leave you recharged—but does it actually? In this Friday Coffee Chat, we’re joined by vacation and recovery expert Professor Jessica de Bloom to explore what truly makes time off restorative (hint: it’s not about a fancy destination).

We talk about:
✨ Why vacation is more about how you spend your time—not where
✨ Why waiting all year for one long vacation isn’t doing you any favors
✨ What most people get wrong about “workations” (and what to do instead)
✨ How to create mini-vacation moments at home that really help you detach

Whether you’re planning a trip or just craving better weekends, this coffee chat will help you rethink rest and start designing downtime that actually works.

Helpful tools & links from our guest expert:

Slow travel: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14766820903464242

Challenges of digital nomads: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40558-020-00172-4

More evidence-based vacation tips: https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/making-holidays-work

DRAMMA model including self-test: https://psyche.co/guides/why-you-should-forget-work-life-balance-in-crafting-a-good-life

Why our brains need downtime: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mental-downtime/

If your work is taking over your life and you struggle to unplug in the evening or even the weekend, we'd love to help you create a work-life balance that works for you!

Support the show

Love,
Tina & Eleni

Youtube | Instagram: @thehappy9to5 | TikTok: @thehappy9to5

Send us a text

Support our Friday Coffee Chats and help us bring you more insightful content! Your support makes a difference. Buy us a virtual coffee here and keep the conversation brewing. Every sip counts!

Are we just bad at making friends once we grow up?
In this Friday Coffee Chat, we’re diving deep into a modern paradox: we’re more connected than ever, yet so many of us feel deeply alone. Over 53% of adults aged 18 to 44 say they feel frequently or always lonely. So… what gives?

We explore:

• Why adult friendships are harder than childhood ones
• How our busy, individualistic lifestyles sabotage real connection
• What trauma, trust issues, and fear of awkwardness have to do with it
• And the surprisingly simple (but brave) steps to build better bonds in adulthood

If you’ve ever moved cities, struggled to go beyond small talk, or wondered why no one told you how to make friends after college, this episode is for you.

✨ We also share personal stories, awkward friendship fails, and real tips for building genuine, lasting adult connections.

Making friends as grown-ups is tough. BUT you can do something about it.

If your work is taking over your life and you struggle to unplug in the evening or even the weekend, we'd love to help you create a work-life balance that works for you!

Support the show

Love,
Tina & Eleni

Youtube | Instagram: @thehappy9to5 | TikTok: @thehappy9to5

Send us a text

Support our Friday Coffee Chats and help us bring you more insightful content! Your support makes a difference. Buy us a virtual coffee here and keep the conversation brewing. Every sip counts!

Toxic coworkers: the struggle is real.
In this Friday Coffee Chat, we react to some of the wildest, strangest, and surprisingly relatable advice the internet has to offer on dealing with difficult people at work.

You’ll hear:
 😳 Our real-time reactions to the internet’s “top tips”
 😂 What made us laugh, cringe, or actually say, “okay, that’s not bad”
 ✨ Real talk on what it’s like to navigate office dynamics while protecting your peace

If you're working a 9–5 and trying to keep your cool around coworkers who test your patience, this episode is your reminder that you're not alone — and that sometimes laughter is the best coping strategy.

If your work is taking over your life and you struggle to unplug in the evening or even the weekend, we'd love to help you create a work-life balance that works for you!

Support the show

Love,
Tina & Eleni

Youtube | Instagram: @thehappy9to5 | TikTok: @thehappy9to5

Send us a text

Support our Friday Coffee Chats and help us bring you more insightful content! Your support makes a difference. Buy us a virtual coffee here and keep the conversation brewing. Every sip counts!

You’ve logged off. The laptop is shut. But your brain? Still thinks about that meeting from 2 PM. 🙃

In this Friday Coffee Chat, we’re talking about something so many of us struggle with: detaching from work—mentally, emotionally, all of it. Because you cannot fully enjoy your life and protect your well-being if you're constantly thinking about work.

We cover:
✨ Why it’s so hard to detach (hello, unfinished tasks and late-day emails)
✨ What reattachment is—and why starting your day right helps you end it better
✨ What to do before, during, and after work to protect your energy
✨ Simple mindset shifts and rituals to create boundaries that stick

You’ll get real-life examples that will help you:

• Stop bringing work into your evenings
•  Use brain dumps, shutdown plans & the “Cancel! Cancel!” technique
• Find ways to fill your after-hours with things that bring you joy.

This one’s for you if you’re craving more headspace and clarity, better after-work routines, and the kind of evenings that actually feel like a break.

Support the show

Love,
Tina & Eleni

Youtube | Instagram: @thehappy9to5 | TikTok: @thehappy9to5

Send us a text

Support our Friday Coffee Chats and help us bring you more insightful content! Your support makes a difference. Buy us a virtual coffee here and keep the conversation brewing. Every sip counts!

Ever feel like your work stress is running the show even after hours? Like you just can’t switch off, no matter how many deep breaths you take?

In this Friday Coffee Chat, we’re talking about a feeling that way too many of us carry quietly: the constant pressure and hidden tension that work stress creates in our lives. Whether you're overthinking every conversation, feeling physically wound up at your desk, or riding that familiar burnout rollercoaster, you’re not alone.

We’re joined by Dr. Anita Keller, a Professor of Organizational Psychology who’s spent years studying how people deal with stress at work, how we recover, and how we don’t.

Together, we explore:

• Why work stress isn’t just about deadlines or bad bosses
• The sneaky stressors that are messing with your energy and focus (without you realizing it)
• Real, doable ways to bounce back—without needing a two-week vacation

We also tackle your real-life questions like:

• “Why do I replay work convos in my head at night?”
• “Is venting about my work actually helping me or hurting me?”
• “How do I stop crashing after sprinting through work for weeks?”

Because your peace of mind should be just as important as your performance.
And no, you’re not the only one holding your breath at work.

Support the show

Love,
Tina & Eleni

Youtube | Instagram: @thehappy9to5 | TikTok: @thehappy9to5

Send us a text

Support our Friday Coffee Chats and help us bring you more insightful content! Your support makes a difference. Buy us a virtual coffee here and keep the conversation brewing. Every sip counts!

Are you constantly chasing the next goal… but still feel like you’re not doing enough?

In this Friday Coffee Chat, we’re talking about something that so many of us high-achieving women secretly struggle with: toxic productivity. That sneaky voice that says “rest is lazy” and “you’ll only succeed if you work harder.”

We’ll help you spot the signs, understand where this pressure comes from, and 
most importantly, how to break free from it without giving up on your dreams.

In this Friday Coffee Chat, we dive into:

• What toxic productivity really looks like (it’s sneakier than you think)
• Why so many ambitious women fall into this trap
• The emotional toll it takes (hello, burnout, anxiety, and guilt)
• How to start redefining success in a more sustainable, joyful way

Because success shouldn’t cost you your peace.

Find out more resources on dealing with toxic productivity in these episodes:
1. Do you have to love your job to be happy?
2. Hustling vs. work-life balance - can you have both?

If your work is taking over your life and you struggle to unplug in the evening or even the weekend, we'd love to help you create a work-life balance that works for you!

Support the show

Love,
Tina & Eleni

Youtube | Instagram: @thehappy9to5 | TikTok: @thehappy9to5

Send us a text

Support our Friday Coffee Chats and help us bring you more insightful content! Your support makes a difference. Buy us a virtual coffee here and keep the conversation brewing. Every sip counts!

Working from home sounds like a dream—until it starts to blur the lines between work and life...

In this Friday Coffee Chat, we share 3 powerful strategies to help you take back control, boost your productivity, and actually enjoy remote work again.

You’ll learn how to:
✅  Set clear work hours & boundaries at home
✅  Use transition rituals to mentally switch gears
✅  Stay productive without burning out

Whether you’re fully remote or hybrid, these tips will help you feel more focused, energized, and in charge of your time.

If your work is taking over your life and you struggle to unplug in the evening or even the weekend, we'd love to help you create a work-life balance that works for you!

Support the show

Love,
Tina & Eleni

Youtube | Instagram: @thehappy9to5 | TikTok: @thehappy9to5