As we move into December, a lot of people are quietly noticing the same thing:

The work you care about is still meaningful, but the pace you are expected to move at is becoming harder to sustain.

If you’ve been feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed, or like you’re always catching up, you’re not imagining it and you’re not the problem.

Most of the structures we work inside were not built around human wellbeing. They emphasize output, efficiency, availability, and volume. And when you add the realities of December on top of that, it becomes even more obvious. There are more deadlines, more stimulation, more emotional weight, less light, and very little space to integrate anything.

This episode breaks down what to do when your body is signaling that the current pace is too much.

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⭐ What you’ll hear in the episode

• The early signs your system is overloaded

Small signals are usually the first sign that something needs to shift.

• Why December feels heavier for so many people

Less daylight affects the nervous system and increases the sense of pressure.

• How to protect your energy without stepping away from leadership

Simple shifts that help you show up clearly and sustainably.

• Five practical strategies to create space inside systems that don’t slow down

Including micro-buffers, bending time, reclaiming your best thinking hours, and pace-setting.

• A simple 30 second nervous system reset

A quick practice that brings your system back online.

• One question that helps you choose a pace that matches your actual capacity this month

This episode is built to help you stay grounded and effective, even when the structures around you keep accelerating.

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⭐ DECEMBER INTENTION SETTINGS

If you’re feeling the weight of the season, you are welcome to join my last intention-setting sessions of 2024:

Tuesday, December 3 at 8:00 pm ET - Sign up here

Thursday, December 5 at 11:30 am ET - Sign up here

These sessions help you clear mental and emotional clutter, reconnect with your own pace, access clarity, remember where you’ve been, and feel like yourself again.

People often tell me, “I had no idea how much I needed that.”

Register HERE.

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⭐ A simple prompt for the month ahead

Where can you create even five percent more space inside a system that is not slowing down? Sometimes that small amount of space is the thing that brings everything back into coherence.

Sending you warmth & gratitude,

Sydney

P.S. The Winter Intuitive Leadership Cohort is SOLD OUT and launching this coming Wednesday! If you are interested in reading the Impact Report from our June Beta Cohort, you can check it out HERE. Want the details for our Spring 2026 Cohort, join the waitlist HERE! I’d love to share this transformational and deeply supportive journey with you.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theintuitivelyalignedpodcast.substack.com