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This birthday didn’t feel loud or celebratory in the traditional sense. It felt quiet. Steady. Like a deep exhale. And in that quiet, I realized just how much has shifted over the last year — not because I forced massive change, but because I stopped waging war on myself.

In this episode, I’m sharing the 10 lessons my nervous system taught me as I moved from living in survival mode to cultivating self-trust, safety, and sustainable capacity. These aren’t hustle-based strategies or overnight transformations. They’re gentle, embodied shifts that helped me build a life that actually feels safe to live inside.

You’ll hear me explore what it means to forgive faster, treat your body like a partner instead of a problem, build pleasure and rest into daily life, create boring routines that stabilize your nervous system, set boundaries without guilt, and stop trying to “fix” yourself so you can start supporting yourself.

If you’re a high-functioning woman or caregiver who feels exhausted, overwhelmed, or disconnected from herself, this episode is an invitation to soften, slow down, and consider a gentler way forward.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why survival mode isn’t a personal failure — it’s a nervous system state
• How capacity matters more than willpower
• The role of rest, pleasure, and routine in healing
• Why boundaries are acts of love
• How staying open creates space for unexpected change
• and more...

You’re allowed to build a life that feels safe to live inside.

Caring for others—whether in your personal or professional life—can be deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its challenges. The weight of constant caregiving can leave even the most dedicated among us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. Too often, societal and cultural norms reinforce the idea that sacrificing ourselves is the price of being a “good” caregiver.

But here’s the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. You deserve to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Welcome to The JoyfulRx podcast—your weekly dose of inspiration, tools, and strategies to rediscover your inner joy. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s author, entrepreneur, and certified coach, this podcast is designed specifically for caregivers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Each week, Dr. Michelle dives into topics that matter most to caregivers, offering practical steps and actionable insights to help you reclaim your joy, build resilience, and create a life where you can serve others from your overflow, not your reserves.

Let’s stay in touch!

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca to download free resources, powerful exercises and activities you can do today, to move you from burnout to balance. You can also join our Newsletter (we promise to only send information you will love).

📅 Book a free call with me today. Visit: ...

Send a text

Why do we abandon routines that are actually working...and call it growth?

In this episode, Dr. Michelle explores a subtle form of self-sabotage common among high-functioning women: making tiny, logical-seeming pivots away from what’s working in the name of improvement, variety, or optimization. Using relatable examples like switching nail salons, changing diet or exercise routines, and constantly tweaking self-care practices, she explains why boredom doesn’t mean broken and why your nervous system actually craves simple, predictable foundations.

You’ll learn the difference between foundations and experiences, how small changes quietly kill big results, and how to create safety and momentum through gentle consistency. This episode offers practical reframes, micro-practices, and a compassionate nervous-system lens to help you stop starting over and begin protecting what already supports you.

Perfect for caregivers, overwhelmed moms, and high-achieving women who want sustainable change without burnout.

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Caring for others—whether in your personal or professional life—can be deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its challenges. The weight of constant caregiving can leave even the most dedicated among us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. Too often, societal and cultural norms reinforce the idea that sacrificing ourselves is the price of being a “good” caregiver.

But here’s the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. You deserve to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Welcome to The JoyfulRx podcast—your weekly dose of inspiration, tools, and strategies to rediscover your inner joy. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s author, entrepreneur, and certified coach, this podcast is designed specifically for caregivers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Each week, Dr. Michelle dives into topics that matter most to caregivers, offering practical steps and actionable insights to help you reclaim your joy, build resilience, and create a life where you can serve others from your overflow, not your reserves.

Let’s stay in touch!

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca to download free resources, powerful exercises and activities you can do today, to move you from burnout to balance. You can also join our Newsletter (we promise to only send information you will love).

📅 Book a free call with me today. Visit: ...

Send us a text

Feeling overwhelmed by New Year’s resolutions? This episode of the JoyfulRx podcast offers a compassionate alternative for caregivers and busy women: setting intentions without pressure.

Dr. Michelle explores how to step away from resolution culture and create nervous-system-friendly intentions that meet you where you are—whether that’s the month ahead, the week ahead, or simply today. This episode speaks directly to caregiver stress and burnout, offering permission to work with your current capacity rather than pushing past it.

You’ll learn how to:
 • Set intentions without overwhelm or self-criticism
 • Honor your capacity instead of forcing change
 • Use simple self-care rituals to support well-being
 • Create intention practices that feel safe and sustainable

Perfect for caregivers and women navigating chronic stress, this episode invites a gentler, more embodied way to enter the new year—one moment at a time.

About Our Sponsor: Omi & Cookie

Omi & Cookie is a Canadian-made, Caribbean-inspired bath and body care brand grounded in the belief that everyday rituals can support deep restoration. Their handmade sea-mineral soaps, nourishing seamoss lotions, and therapeutic bath salts are crafted with natural, toxin-free ingredients and a focus on sensory gentleness—making them especially supportive for sensitive bodies and overwhelmed caregivers. With both lightly scented and unscented options, Omi & Cookie prioritizes simplicity, safety, and sustainability, aligning beautifully with JoyfulRx values of slowing down, choosing consciously, and helping the body feel safe.

Learn more at www.omiandcookie.ca

Caring for others—whether in your personal or professional life—can be deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its challenges. The weight of constant caregiving can leave even the most dedicated among us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. Too often, societal and cultural norms reinforce the idea that sacrificing ourselves is the price of being a “good” caregiver.

But here’s the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. You deserve to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Welcome to The JoyfulRx podcast—your weekly dose of inspiration, tools, and strategies to rediscover your inner joy. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s author, entrepreneur, and certified coach, this podcast is designed specifically for caregivers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Each week, Dr. Michelle dives into topics that matter most to caregivers, offering practical steps and actionable insights to help you reclaim your joy, build resilience, and create a life where you can serve others from your overflow, not your reserves.

Let’s stay in touch!

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca to download free resources, powerful exercises and activities you can do today, to move you from burnout to balance. You can also join our Newsletter (we promise to only send information you will love).

📅 Book a free call with me today. Visit: ...

Send us a text

What happens when pain has no clear medical explanation—but still changes everything?

In this episode, I’m sharing a conversation I originally recorded as a guest takeover on a colleague’s podcast. As I listened back, I realized how deeply this topic connects to the work we explore here around capacity, nervous system load, and what happens when caregivers carry too much for too long.

I share my story as both a physician and a woman who has lived with chronic, unexplained pain—pain that persisted despite normal imaging, bloodwork, and exhaustive medical evaluation. Over years of working with women diagnosed with fibromyalgia and other chronic pain syndromes, I began to notice a consistent pattern: many had long histories of chronic stress, trauma, caregiving, and sustained over-functioning.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why chronic, medically unexplained pain so often leads to identity loss
• How the nervous system shifts into survival mode when pain is unpredictable
• Why awareness alone is often not enough to resolve pain cycles
• What it means to restore capacity rather than push for symptom control
• How listening to the body can become a turning point—without abandoning medical care

This conversation is not about diagnosing yourself or blaming emotions for pain. It’s about understanding how the body communicates when stress and emotional load have had nowhere else to land.

If your body has become loud after years of holding it together—this episode offers validation and a gentler way forward

Caring for others—whether in your personal or professional life—can be deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its challenges. The weight of constant caregiving can leave even the most dedicated among us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. Too often, societal and cultural norms reinforce the idea that sacrificing ourselves is the price of being a “good” caregiver.

But here’s the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. You deserve to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Welcome to The JoyfulRx podcast—your weekly dose of inspiration, tools, and strategies to rediscover your inner joy. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s author, entrepreneur, and certified coach, this podcast is designed specifically for caregivers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Each week, Dr. Michelle dives into topics that matter most to caregivers, offering practical steps and actionable insights to help you reclaim your joy, build resilience, and create a life where you can serve others from your overflow, not your reserves.

Let’s stay in touch!

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca to download free resources, powerful exercises and activities you can do today, to move you from burnout to balance. You can also join our Newsletter (we promise to only send information you will love).

📅 Book a free call with me today. Visit: ...

Send us a text

In this episode, we dive into the hidden impact of decision fatigue on caregivers — not just as a mental drain, but as an energetic one. We explore how constant decision-making pulls women out of their feminine energy, how it overwhelms men in their masculine energy, and why both lead to exhaustion, irritability, and emotional disconnection.

You’ll learn how decision fatigue shows up in everyday moments, and why the mental load of caregiving is far heavier than most people realize.

Most importantly, we talk about simple, grounded tools anyone can use to restore balance and create more ease in day-to-day life:

✨ Strategy 1: The 3-Breath Reset

A calming nervous-system tool that brings you out of your head and back into your body.
 Three slow breaths — soften, release, and choose one next step — to quickly lower overwhelm and reset your energy.

✨ Strategy 2: Decision Buckets

A cognitive-load reducer that helps you categorize decisions into:

• Decide Now
• Decide Later
• Decide Never
  This simple structure brings clarity, reduces mental tension, and prevents decision spiraling.

Whether you’re a mom, dad, partner, adult child, or professional caregiver, this conversation will help you understand your energy patterns, reduce overwhelm, and reconnect with a more grounded, intuitive version of yourself.

Caring for others—whether in your personal or professional life—can be deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its challenges. The weight of constant caregiving can leave even the most dedicated among us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. Too often, societal and cultural norms reinforce the idea that sacrificing ourselves is the price of being a “good” caregiver.

But here’s the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. You deserve to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Welcome to The JoyfulRx podcast—your weekly dose of inspiration, tools, and strategies to rediscover your inner joy. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s author, entrepreneur, and certified coach, this podcast is designed specifically for caregivers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Each week, Dr. Michelle dives into topics that matter most to caregivers, offering practical steps and actionable insights to help you reclaim your joy, build resilience, and create a life where you can serve others from your overflow, not your reserves.

Let’s stay in touch!

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca to download free resources, powerful exercises and activities you can do today, to move you from burnout to balance. You can also join our Newsletter (we promise to only send information you will love).

📅 Book a free call with me today. Visit: ...

Send us a text

In this deeply personal and heart-opening episode of The JoyfulRx Podcast, Dr. Michelle shares a story that blends nostalgia, grief, ancestral wisdom, and the profound truth that joy is never truly lost — only waiting to be accessed again.

Inspired by her late mother’s beloved peach crumble recipe, Dr. Michelle reflects on how certain memories and traditions hold emotional wisdom that lives inside us, even when we believe they’ve disappeared. Through tender storytelling, she explores how caregiving, parenthood, and the demands of daily life can disconnect us from our own joy — and how reconnecting to it doesn’t require dramatic life changes, but gentle presence and willingness.

Listeners will learn:

✨ Why joy isn’t something you “lose,” but something you temporarily lose access to
 ✨ How the nervous system stores emotional and ancestral memory
 ✨ Why certain smells, tastes, and rituals can reconnect you to parts of yourself
 ✨ How grief and joy can coexist — beautifully
 ✨ How to reclaim parts of your identity you thought were gone
 ✨ Why your inner wisdom is still alive, waiting for you
 ✨ How this simple peach cobbler moment became a metaphor for inner healing

This episode is a reminder that you are not disconnected from joy — just out of practice. And the journey back begins with small acts of self-trust, curiosity, and compassion.

📌 If you’ve ever felt like you’ve lost yourself to caregiving, parenting, or life responsibilities… this episode will feel like a warm invitation home.

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Caring for others—whether in your personal or professional life—can be deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its challenges. The weight of constant caregiving can leave even the most dedicated among us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. Too often, societal and cultural norms reinforce the idea that sacrificing ourselves is the price of being a “good” caregiver.

But here’s the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. You deserve to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Welcome to The JoyfulRx podcast—your weekly dose of inspiration, tools, and strategies to rediscover your inner joy. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s author, entrepreneur, and certified coach, this podcast is designed specifically for caregivers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Each week, Dr. Michelle dives into topics that matter most to caregivers, offering practical steps and actionable insights to help you reclaim your joy, build resilience, and create a life where you can serve others from your overflow, not your reserves.

Let’s stay in touch!

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca to download free resources, powerful exercises and activities you can do today, to move you from burnout to balance. You can also join our Newsletter (we promise to only send information you will love).

📅 Book a free call with me today. Visit: ...

Send us a text

Have you ever caught yourself reacting to your child or loved one in a way that made you think, “Where did that even come from?” You’re not alone. In this episode, Dr. Michelle dives deep into the quiet, unseen patterns that drive so much of our parenting and caregiving — the moments when we respond from default instead of intention.

You’ll learn why survival mode makes you slip into old programming, how your childhood experiences shape the way you show up now, and why exhaustion can make even the most loving caregivers reactive.

Through compassionate storytelling and relatable examples, Michelle shares how self-awareness and nervous system regulation allow us to reprogram our defaults — so we can respond with calm, flexibility, and love, even in the hardest moments.

Because when you start to parent yourself with compassion, you naturally begin to parent — and care for others — with intention.

✨ In this episode, you’ll discover:

• What “parenting on autopilot” looks like (and why it happens)
• How stress and survival mode override your best intentions
• The science behind why your childhood shapes your reactions
• Simple practices to interrupt old patterns and create new ones
• How to build your emotional capacity — and rewrite your default responses

This is your gentle reminder that you’re not failing — you’re human. And with awareness, rest, and intention, you can create a version of “autopilot” that actually feels aligned, calm, and loving — for you and your family.

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Caring for others—whether in your personal or professional life—can be deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its challenges. The weight of constant caregiving can leave even the most dedicated among us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. Too often, societal and cultural norms reinforce the idea that sacrificing ourselves is the price of being a “good” caregiver.

But here’s the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. You deserve to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Welcome to The JoyfulRx podcast—your weekly dose of inspiration, tools, and strategies to rediscover your inner joy. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s author, entrepreneur, and certified coach, this podcast is designed specifically for caregivers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Each week, Dr. Michelle dives into topics that matter most to caregivers, offering practical steps and actionable insights to help you reclaim your joy, build resilience, and create a life where you can serve others from your overflow, not your reserves.

Let’s stay in touch!

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca to download free resources, powerful exercises and activities you can do today, to move you from burnout to balance. You can also join our Newsletter (we promise to only send information you will love).

📅 Book a free call with me today. Visit: ...

Send us a text

In this heartfelt and honest episode, Dr. Michelle sits down with her husband, Wayne, for a vulnerable conversation about mindfulness, marriage, parenting, and personal transformation. Together, they explore how mindfulness has shaped their individual journeys and their growth as partners and parents.

Wayne shares how he began seeking self-awareness after feeling lost amidst societal expectations, and how this shift impacted his identity as a husband and father. The couple discusses the impact of intentionality, the challenge of maintaining mindfulness in the chaos of parenting, and how inner work can transform communication and connection at home.

They open up about:

• How external influences shape our thoughts and relationships
• The role of self-reflection in healing and growth
• Reclaiming time and presence as parents (and avoiding "revenge bedtime procrastination")
• The mental “algorithm” and the importance of curating what we consume
• Practical ways to stay grounded while parenting in noisy, emotionally intense environments

This is a refreshing, real-world look at mindfulness beyond meditation cushions—one that acknowledges messy days, imperfect progress, and the power of pausing.

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Caring for others—whether in your personal or professional life—can be deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its challenges. The weight of constant caregiving can leave even the most dedicated among us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. Too often, societal and cultural norms reinforce the idea that sacrificing ourselves is the price of being a “good” caregiver.

But here’s the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. You deserve to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Welcome to The JoyfulRx podcast—your weekly dose of inspiration, tools, and strategies to rediscover your inner joy. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s author, entrepreneur, and certified coach, this podcast is designed specifically for caregivers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Each week, Dr. Michelle dives into topics that matter most to caregivers, offering practical steps and actionable insights to help you reclaim your joy, build resilience, and create a life where you can serve others from your overflow, not your reserves.

Let’s stay in touch!

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca to download free resources, powerful exercises and activities you can do today, to move you from burnout to balance. You can also join our Newsletter (we promise to only send information you will love).

📅 Book a free call with me today. Visit: ...

Send us a text

Ever feel like parenting just feels harder than it should?
You’re not alone — and there’s a reason it feels that way.

In this episode of The JoyfulRx Podcast, Dr. Michelle shares why parenting feels almost impossible when your own emotional and nervous system needs are unmet — and how nervous system regulation can change everything.

Through a personal story about her daughter and the lessons she learned about awareness, flexibility, and self-regulation, Michelle helps you see that parenting isn’t about perfection — it’s about capacity.

You’ll learn:
 ✨ Why it’s so hard to parent from survival mode
 ✨ How to recognize when your nervous system is running on empty
 ✨ What emotional regulation really looks like in daily parenting moments
 ✨ Simple, practical steps to restore your calm — so you can respond with clarity and connection, not exhaustion and guilt

If you’ve ever found yourself snapping when you want to stay calm, or feeling like you’ve lost touch with your own needs while trying to meet everyone else’s — this episode is your gentle reminder: you don’t need to parent perfectly, you just need to parent regulated.

🌿 Tune in to rediscover your calm, your awareness, and your capacity to parent from peace instead of depletion.

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Caring for others—whether in your personal or professional life—can be deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its challenges. The weight of constant caregiving can leave even the most dedicated among us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. Too often, societal and cultural norms reinforce the idea that sacrificing ourselves is the price of being a “good” caregiver.

But here’s the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. You deserve to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Welcome to The JoyfulRx podcast—your weekly dose of inspiration, tools, and strategies to rediscover your inner joy. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s author, entrepreneur, and certified coach, this podcast is designed specifically for caregivers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Each week, Dr. Michelle dives into topics that matter most to caregivers, offering practical steps and actionable insights to help you reclaim your joy, build resilience, and create a life where you can serve others from your overflow, not your reserves.

Let’s stay in touch!

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca to download free resources, powerful exercises and activities you can do today, to move you from burnout to balance. You can also join our Newsletter (we promise to only send information you will love).

📅 Book a free call with me today. Visit: ...

Send a text

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca for free resources, including the "Decision Fatigue Self-Check Quiz"

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If you’ve ever caught yourself staring blankly inside the fridge, scrolling endlessly through your phone longing for escape, or thinking, “I can't make another decision today,” — this episode is for you.

In this gentle yet powerful conversation, Dr. Michelle unpacks the hidden mental load of decision fatigue — the exhaustion that comes from making hundreds of daily choices as a caregiver, mom, or support professional.

You’ll discover how decision fatigue shows up in four key areas of life — at home, emotionally, in caregiving roles, and in your professional life — and how it quietly drains your energy, focus, and joy.

Dr. Michelle shares her own personal story of hitting that point of “I don’t care anymore,” and how learning to simplify, regulate her nervous system, and build self-trust completely changed her relationship with decision-making.

You’ll learn:
 ✨ Why decision fatigue isn’t a sign of failure — it’s a signal your system is overloaded.
 ✨ The simple shifts that help you move from reaction to regulation.
 ✨ Practical, heart-centered tools to reduce mental clutter and restore clarity — starting today.
 ✨ Long-term strategies to strengthen your decision-making capacity and protect your peace.

If you’ve been feeling mentally exhausted, overwhelmed by choices, or disconnected from your own preferences, this episode will remind you that you’re not broken — you’re just depleted. And with the right tools, you can come home to calm again.

🎧 Listen now to learn how to reclaim your energy, simplify your days, and start making decisions from peace, not pressure

Caring for others—whether in your personal or professional life—can be deeply fulfilling, but it also comes with its challenges. The weight of constant caregiving can leave even the most dedicated among us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burned out. Too often, societal and cultural norms reinforce the idea that sacrificing ourselves is the price of being a “good” caregiver.

But here’s the truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup. You deserve to care for others without losing yourself in the process.

Welcome to The JoyfulRx podcast—your weekly dose of inspiration, tools, and strategies to rediscover your inner joy. Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s author, entrepreneur, and certified coach, this podcast is designed specifically for caregivers who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.

Each week, Dr. Michelle dives into topics that matter most to caregivers, offering practical steps and actionable insights to help you reclaim your joy, build resilience, and create a life where you can serve others from your overflow, not your reserves.

Let’s stay in touch!

Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca to download free resources, powerful exercises and activities you can do today, to move you from burnout to balance. You can also join our Newsletter (we promise to only send information you will love).

📅 Book a free call with me today. Visit: ...