In today’s episode, I’m sharing a vulnerable moment in my mental health journey: I have a four-hour psychological assessment scheduled tomorrow, and instead of fear, I’m feeling clarity and curiosity.

I reflect on what led me here—early ADHD patterns I can now recognize in hindsight, including Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)—and why seeking answers later in life feels grounding, not overwhelming.

This episode is less about labels and more about understanding how the brain works, especially when it comes to people-pleasing, emotional sensitivity, and chronic over-functioning.

• How people-pleasing is reinforced through dopamine and the amygdala
• Why the nervous system learns safety through approval and performance
• How insight and assessment can support healthier choices moving forward

When we understand the neurobiology behind our patterns, shame loses its grip. People-pleasing isn’t a personality flaw—it’s often a learned survival response shaped by the brain’s reward and threat systems.

For me, pursuing assessment now isn’t about rewriting the past. It’s about gaining clarity, self-compassion, and better tools for the decades ahead—so I can work with my brain instead of constantly pushing against it.

If you’ve ever wondered why you’re so sensitive to feedback, driven by approval, or exhausted by always holding it together, this episode offers context—and relief.

🎧 Listen now for a grounded, honest conversation about mental health, ADHD awareness, and understanding your nervous system with more kindness.

Interested in the Rise + Thrive retreat? Visit:

www.thrivewithchristy.com

In this episode, I’m joined by Sabrina Valdez, AI strategist and mindset coach, for a conversation that completely shifted how I think about using tools like ChatGPT.

Sabrina shares how she built her consulting business at the intersection of strategy, mindset, and artificial intelligence—and why AI doesn’t have to feel overwhelming, impersonal, or “out of alignment.” In fact, she’s the reason I finally became a ChatGPT convert.

We talk about:

• How Sabrina uses AI to support (not replace) human creativity
• Practical ways ChatGPT can save time and mental energy
• Using AI to create more personal freedom, clarity, and spaciousness in your work
• Why mindset still matters—especially when working with powerful tools

Whether you’re AI-curious, quietly skeptical, or looking for smarter ways to work without burning out, this conversation will help you see what’s possible when technology is used intentionally.

Learn more about Sabrina's work at thenextmoveconsulting.com and follow her on LinkedIn for more AI education.

✨ Less grind. More agency. Smarter support.

What’s the difference between healthy anger and the kind of resentment that quietly drains your energy?

In today’s Sunday Shortie, I unpack two very real moments from my week: my anger when my landlord refused to negotiate rent, and the spiral that followed after I ruminated on a gossip-filled social media post. One situation was strictly business — the other felt deeply personal… until I realized it actually wasn’t.

Drawing on my past 4th Step work in AA, I walk through how resentment forms, why it lingers, and how taking an honest look at my part helped me release what was never mine to carry in the first place.

This episode is for anyone who:

• Struggles to tell the difference between justified anger and self-sabotaging resentment
• Finds themselves replaying conversations, posts, or perceived slights
• Wants to process emotions without spiritual bypassing or self-blame
• Is learning how to let go — even when the feelings feel valid

Healthy anger can be clarifying. Resentment, left unchecked, can become a prison. This short reflection is an invitation to feel what’s real, take responsibility where it’s yours, and release the rest.

🎧 Tune in for a gentle but honest reminder: not everything is about you — and that realization can be incredibly freeing.

In this reflective year-end episode, I’m sharing my 2025 year in review, breaking the year down quarter by quarter to explore the personal growth, mindset shifts, boundaries, and life lessons that shaped me.

From navigating burnout and people-pleasing to making hard decisions, redefining success, and choosing alignment over approval, this episode offers an honest look at what growth really looks like behind the scenes.

Inside this episode:

• Quarter 1: Intentions, expectations, and eternal optimism for the year
• Quarter 2: Burnout, boundaries, and falling out of love with retail professionally and personally
• Quarter 3: Letting go, uncomfortable clarity, and identity shifts
• Quarter 4: Rebuilding trust with myself and stepping into alignment, even with unsure footing

This episode is for anyone reflecting on their own year, questioning what’s next, or craving permission to evolve — personally, professionally, or creatively.

If you’re searching for inspiration, clarity, or a grounded way to move into the new year, this 2025 personal growth podcast episode will help you reflect, reset, and move forward with confidence.

✨ Perfect for year-end reflection✨ Ideal for journaling and goal setting✨ A reminder that growth doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful

Sunday Shortie: How Did Your Boundaries Hold Up This Holiday?

The holidays have a way of testing even our strongest boundaries.
Maybe you spoke up, said no, and protected your energy.
Or maybe you found yourself overgiving, overexplaining, and ending the season feeling depleted.

In this Sunday Shortie, I’m inviting you to reflect — not judge — how your boundaries actually played out over the holidays. We’ll explore what worked, what didn’t, and what your exhaustion (or peace) might be trying to tell you as we move into a new season.

Because boundaries aren’t about getting it perfect — they’re about learning, adjusting, and choosing yourself again and again.

✨ A gentle check-in for anyone who loves deeply… and is learning not to disappear in the process.

Don't forget to check out thrivewithchristy.com for coaching programs that help build confidence, especially when it comes to setting boundaries. Cohorts kick off in January.

People-pleasing doesn’t always look like saying yes to everyone. Sometimes, it shows up as perfectionism.

In this episode of Rock the Damn Boat, I unpack how the need to be liked, approved of, or “not rock the boat” quietly morphs into over-preparing, over-performing, and never feeling like what you do is enough. We’ll talk about how perfectionism can be a socially acceptable mask for fear of rejection—and why it keeps so many thoughtful, capable people stuck, exhausted, and disconnected from themselves.

If you’ve ever:

• Felt crushed by your own high standards
• Delayed starting because you couldn’t do it “right”
• Tied your worth to productivity or praise
• Confused being responsible with being self-sacrificing

…this episode is for you.

This is an invitation to loosen the grip, question the rules you didn’t consciously choose, and begin separating your value from your performance—without swinging into apathy or burnout. You don’t need to be perfect to be powerful. You just need to be honest.

In this Sunday Shortie, I’m sharing what the five stages of grief really look like in real time as I close my yoga studio — and how I’ve found myself stuck in bargaining more than anywhere else. The quiet negotiations. The “what if I just tried one more thing?” The hope that maybe the right post, the right reel, the right moment could change everything.

I’m also talking about why I’m taking a social media hiatus — because scrolling and posting started to feel less like marketing and more like gambling, waiting for a viral hit to save the day.

This episode is about letting go, noticing where we cling, and choosing presence over performance when an ending is unavoidable. If you’ve ever struggled to stop negotiating with something that’s already over, this one’s for you.

What started as a desperate attempt to heal her son’s eczema turned into a thriving non-toxic skincare and cosmetics brand—with a little cosmic cowgirl energy along the way.

In this episode, I sit down with Tamera Heidelman, founder of Fat Girl Tallow, to talk about how she turned to an ancestral, often misunderstood ingredient—beef tallow—when conventional products failed. The result wasn’t just healthier skin, but a bold, unapologetic business rooted in clean ingredients, intuition, and punchy, scroll-stopping marketing.

We talk about:

• Why non-toxic skincare starts with questioning modern beauty norms
• The healing power of beef tallow and ancestral ingredients
• Turning motherhood into mission-driven entrepreneurship
• Building a brand with personality, confidence, and a little cosmic cowgirl rebellion

This conversation is for anyone curious about clean beauty, unconventional business paths, and what happens when you trust your instincts—even when the solution looks wildly different from the mainstream.

Find the full collection at fatgirltallow.com

You know I've been bravely using my voice, rocking the boat in my own life by leaving the corporate hustle and pursuing my passions. They say behind every great man is a great woman. What man is behind a great woman who is daring greatly?

In this case, a practical one. I've asked my husband, Ryan Hughes, to come on the show and share his side of the story. His resounding "no" when I suggested leaving corporate to pursue coaching and speaking had me thinking my dream was dead in the water.

Together, we sharing the intimate conversations we had about compromise and supporting each other. If you have an eternal pessimist (or at least, a staunch realist) who you think always crushes your dreams, this episode is for you! Maybe you'll be inspired to bravely speak up and pursue your passions, with or without the support you expected.

In this episode, I sit down with Angela Morgan, founder of the Baker Hotel Ghost Walk and Believe BOO-tique in Mineral Wells, Texas—and a woman who, like me, walked away from a comfortable six-figure corporate career to build a life that felt aligned, magical, and true.

Angela shares why she traded boardrooms for haunted hotels, how her business prioritizes family bonding, and how she found the courage to follow her intuition over traditional definitions of success.

We also dive into what it’s like to talk openly about spiritual messages, ghost encounters, and intuition in the Bible Belt, where skepticism runs deep and “sticking to the script” is the safer path. Angela’s story is a powerful reminder that trusting your inner voice—even when others question it—can lead you to your most authentic work.

If you love ghost stories, rich history, spiritual awakening, women’s empowerment, and stories about leaving corporate life for a purpose-driven path, this conversation will inspire you to follow your own inner calling.

Key Takeaways

• How Angela left a six-figure corporate job to build a business rooted in history, intuition, and the paranormal.

• What it’s like to talk about spiritual messages in the Bible Belt, where stigma and misunderstanding are common.
• Behind-the-scenes stories from her haunted walking tour at the iconic Baker Hotel.
• The power of trusting your gut—even when your path looks nothing like what others expect.
• How entrepreneurship and intuition intersect, especially for women reclaiming their voice and agency.