Rock the Damn Boat

In this Sunday Shortie episode of RTDB, we’re unpacking two classic people-pleasing behaviors that keep us stuck in anxiety cycles: rehearsing conversations before they happen and ruminating long after they’re over.

If you’ve ever:

• Practiced what you were going to say 47 different ways
• Played out worst-case scenarios in your head
• Replayed a conversation for hours (or days) afterward
• Wondered if you were “too much,” “too blunt,” or “not enough”

This episode is for you.

Rehearsing isn’t about preparation — it’s about protection.

When you grow up managing other people’s emotions, your brain learns that safety equals predictability. So before hard conversations, your nervous system tries to:

• Predict every possible reaction
• Script the perfect response
• Avoid conflict at all costs
• Control the outcome

The problem? You can’t control the outcome. And trying to creates anxiety, not clarity.

We’ll talk about the neuroscience behind rehearsing — how your brain’s threat system (hello, amygdala) activates when connection feels at risk — and why your body treats social tension like physical danger.

In this episode of Rock the Damn Boat, I sit down with Alicia "ACE" Easter, founder of Ace Yoga LA, for an honest conversation about leaving corporate life, navigating burnout, and building a career rooted in alignment rather than approval.

ACE shares her journey from the corporate world into full-time yoga teaching in Los Angeles—and the emotional, financial, and identity shifts that come with making a major career pivot. We talk candidly about entrepreneurial alignment, trusting intuition after years of external expectations, and how yoga becomes a grounding practice during seasons of uncertainty.

This episode is for women craving something more—those questioning the “safe path,” navigating a career transition, or craving more meaning in their work and lives. It’s a grounded, real-world look at what happens after you leap, and how to build something sustainable without losing yourself in the process.

In this episode, we explore:

• Leaving corporate life without a perfect plan
• Newfound freedom and nervous system regulation
• The realities of entrepreneurship for women
• Yoga as a tool for clarity, resilience, and self-trust
• Redefining success beyond productivity and income

Whether you’re a yoga teacher, creative, founder, or woman navigating a career change, this conversation offers reassurance, perspective, and permission to listen to what your body and intuition already know.

Follow ACE and support her work at aceyogala.com

Subscribe to her Substack The Life of a Ram

Check out three of her boat-rocking role models:

Rae Okino: https://www.raeokino.com/

Maryam Hasnaa: https://www.maryamhasnaa.com/

Imani Cohen: https://thehoodhealer.com/

Learn more about Christy's work at thrivewithchristy.com

including her upcoming Texas and Tahoe retreats

In this episode of RTDB (Rock the Damn Boat), I’m talking about something that doesn’t get nearly enough daylight: the increased risk of suicide during menopause — and what can happen when hormone or medication changes impact your mental health.

This Sunday Shortie is personal.

I’m sharing my own experience with medication adjustments that unexpectedly triggered intrusive and suicidal thoughts — not because I wanted to die, but because my brain chemistry shifted. If you’ve ever felt blindsided by anxiety, depression, or dark thoughts during perimenopause or postmenopause, you are not broken — and you are not alone.

We’ll talk about:

• The link between menopause, hormone shifts, and mental health
• Why medication changes (including HRT or antidepressants) can temporarily intensify symptoms
• Why to discuss this with your doctor, even if they are dismissive
• The importance of monitoring mood during hormonal r medication transitions

Menopause mental health is still wildly under-discussed — especially in high-functioning women who “look fine” on the outside.

If you’re navigating perimenopause, postmenopause, hormone therapy, antidepressants, ADHD, or mood instability in midlife, this episode is a reminder: your brain deserves support just as much as your body.

If this conversation resonates, please share it with a woman who might need to hear it.

And if you’re struggling right now, reach out for professional help immediately. You are not meant to carry this alone.

9-8-8 is the national suicide hotline in the United States.

You can reach me at [email protected] for more resources on substance abuse.

Learn about my upcoming retreats or work with me by visiting thrivewithchristy.com

In this episode of Rock the Damn Boat, Christy sits down with Jessica Berger, founder of Bundle x Joy and a former PetSmart colleague who left corporate seven years ago to build a purpose-driven pet food brand from the ground up.

With more than a decade in the pet industry, Jessica shares what it took to stay the course long before the wins were visible — including the moment her brand finally lit up a Times Square billboard.

As a first-generation Latina founder, Jessica reflects on how her heritage, values, and commitment to community shape her leadership and business decisions. This conversation is a real-world example of the kind of steady persistence Christy coaches on — the quiet, resilient tenacity that compounds over time.

In this episode, we discover:

• Tenacity isn’t loud — it’s the daily choice to keep going when progress feels slow or invisible
• Leaving corporate doesn’t mean instant freedom; it means learning to trust your timing and instincts
• Representation matters — building a brand can also be about creating space for others
• Big moments (like Times Square billboards) are usually the result of years of unseen effort

If you’re in the messy middle, questioning your timeline, or wondering whether your determination is enough, this episode is your reminder to keep going.

Check out the full product line at https://bundlexjoy.com/

Follow Jessica Berger on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Learn how to work with Christy at thrivewithchristy.com

What happens when time passes between texts, calls, or visits—and shame fills in the gaps?

In this episode, I explore theory of mind and how our ability (and tendency) to assume what others are thinking can quietly sabotage friendships. When we haven’t heard from someone in a while, our brains often jump to self-blaming stories: I did something wrong. They’re upset. They don’t care anymore.

But what if none of that is true?

I share how shame convinces us to stay silent and how we can move forward with courage: by reaching out without over-explaining, releasing relationships that have naturally run their course, and making peace with the fact that not every friendship is meant to last forever.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever stared at their phone, wanting to reconnect—but letting shame stop them.

In this episode:

• What theory of mind is—and how it works against us in adult friendships
• Why silence often has nothing to do with rejection
• How shame convinces us to assume the worst about ourselves
• The difference between grief and shame when friendships change
• When reaching out is brave—and when letting go is healthy
• How to stop making neutral situations mean something about your worth

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do isn’t protecting ourselves from rejection—it’s refusing to let shame write a story that was never true in the first place.

In this honest and grounding conversation, I sit down with Allie Van Fossen, founder of The Body Mind Soul Studio, former travel blogger, and creator of the Yoga with Allie Van Fossen YouTube channel, to explore what happens when passion alone is no longer enough.

After years of building a thriving yoga business and online community, Allie reached a quiet but undeniable truth: she no longer felt like she was giving her work her all. Rather than pushing harder or forcing herself to keep going, she chose a braver path—taking a year-long sabbatical from her studio and embracing what author and entrepreneur Neha Ruch calls The Power Pause.

Inspired by Neha Ruch’s book, The Power Pause, Allie shares what it looks like to step back without guilt, redefine success beyond productivity, and trust that rest can be an intentional, strategic choice—not a failure.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why pausing can be a powerful leadership move for founders and creatives
• The identity shift that comes with stepping away from a business you’ve built
• How burnout often whispers before it screams
• What clarity, creativity, and alignment can emerge when you stop forcing momentum

Allie continues to support her community through accessible online yoga practices on her YouTube channel, Yoga with Allie Van Fossen (https://www.youtube.com/c/YogawithAllieVanFossen), even as she honors this season of rest and recalibration.

In this Sunday Shortie, Christy reflects on being ten weeks post-corporate—fully in motion, yet quietly questioning what success is supposed to feel like after leaving a decades-long career.

This episode explores the tension many women face after a big transition: staying productive without turning life into a constant cycle of self-promotion, metrics, and visibility. Christy shares why she’s choosing to prioritize joy, meaning, and alignment over relentless output—and what it looks like to trust yourself when the old structures are gone.

If you’ve left a corporate role, started a business, or are navigating an identity shift where busyness doesn’t equal fulfillment, this honest reflection will resonate.

In this episode:

• Life after corporate identity and why “busy” can still feel disorienting
• The pressure to self-promote—and why it can quietly drain joy
• Redefining success beyond productivity and external validation
• Choosing joy as a strategy, not a reward

Perfect for women in transition, former people-pleasers, and anyone learning how to build a life that feels good—not just looks good.

To learn more about what I'm up to now, check out thrivewithchristy.com

In this episode, I’m joined by Amy Green, founder of NeuroMagic Club, for an honest, validating conversation that connects a lot of dots many women are struggling to name.

We talk openly about my own ADHD diagnosis later in life — and how so many symptoms didn’t fully make sense until hormones entered the picture. From perimenopause to chronic stress, we explore how fluctuating estrogen, cortisol, and nervous system overload can amplify ADHD traits like overwhelm, emotional reactivity, brain fog, and exhaustion.

Amy shares why so many traditional ADHD strategies fall flat for women, especially in midlife, and why nervous-system regulation is often the missing piece. We dig into what regulation actually looks like (beyond bubble baths and breathing apps), how safety and capacity come before productivity, and how women can begin working with their brains instead of constantly fighting them.

We also talk about how women can work with Amy through NeuroMagic Club — from personalized ADHD coaching to therapeutic approaches designed for neurodivergent nervous systems — and why community and compassion are just as important as tools.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• “Is this ADHD… or hormones… or both?”
• Why your old coping strategies stopped working
• Or how to calm your nervous system without shaming yourself into burnout

This conversation will make you feel seen — and give you a clearer path forward.

Learn more about Amy’s work at neuromagicclub.com.

Follow Amy on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/neuromagic.amy/

In this Sunday Shortie of Rock the Damn Boat, I’m sharing a candid reflection on resilience in real time—after the disappointment of postponing a women’s retreat I deeply believed in.

When one person’s frustration shows up loudly, it can trigger the “1 in 100” negativity bias: our brains fixate on the single negative response instead of the many quiet affirmations. I unpack how this bias shows up in leadership, people-pleasing, and decision-making—and how to interrupt it with perspective and self-trust.

I also zoom out to acknowledge a deeper truth: the world is hurting right now. Global events, collective grief, and uncertainty are weighing heavily on so many of us. And yet, that reality has only strengthened my commitment to helping women use their voices with clarity and courage.

This episode is for anyone navigating disappointment, self-doubt, or emotional whiplash while still feeling called to lead, create, and make waves.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why negativity bias hits people-pleasers and leaders especially hard
• How global pain can sharpen—not silence—our sense of purpose
• Why helping women amplify their voices matters now more than ever

If you’re learning how to stay steady, speak up, and keep going—even when it would be easier to shrink—this one’s for you.

In this episode of Rock the Damn Boat, I’m joined by Ellen Scherr—licensed therapist, midlife coach, and Substack writer whose work on midlife and people-pleasing has resonated with women around the world.

Ellen shares her midlife pivot from a successful career in sales to becoming a therapist, and how that transition reflects the deeper shifts many women experience in midlife. We explore how changes in neurochemistry and hormones affect emotional regulation, tolerance, and boundaries—and why people-pleasing often becomes unsustainable during this stage of life.

We also break down Ellen’s viral Substack article, which offers direct, practical guidance for anyone ready to stop over-explaining, over-giving, and prioritizing everyone else’s comfort over their own.

Ellen also previews her upcoming Midlife Clarity Assessment, designed to help women better understand where they are in midlife, what’s changing internally, and how to move forward with confidence and clarity.

✨ In this episode, we discuss:

• How midlife neurochemical changes impact boundaries and emotional tolerance
• Why people-pleasing is replaced by raw truth in midlife
• Career pivots, identity shifts, and redefining success in the second half of life
• Steps women can take at any age for more direct communication

Learn more about Ellen and her work at https://lifebranches.com, and watch for the launch of her Midlife Clarity Assessment.

Read the article that launched a movement here!