In this inspiring discussion aimed at empowering Black women to prioritize self-care, the Black Women Self Care Bundle Ambassador Chats brought together eight wellness practitioners who shared their insights and personal experiences.

These conversations focused on the radical act of self-preservation in a world that often demands relentless sacrifice.

Let’s explore the highlights from this empowering discussion with me, Tiffany Mimms, Chioko Grevious, Dr. Diane Gaston, Dr. Tonia Burgess, Prea Epps, Rakita Brown, and other knowledgeable speakers.

Redefining Selfishness: A Necessary Shift

I opened the discussion by recounting my journey to radical selfishness, a path I pursued to reclaim her health and identity after being diagnosed with premature ovarian failure. I also discussed the burden carried by mothers and their ancestors, who felt their worth was tied to labor and sacrifice. My message is clear: self-care is not betrayal, but an essential act of survival.

Success Without Sacrifice

Tiffany Mimms challenged the notion that success requires sacrificing one’s sanity. By critiquing productivity narratives, she introduced the idea of self-care as political warfare and emphasized rest as a form of resistance. Mimms’s contribution underscored the power of refusing to work to the point of personal detriment.

The Healing Journey of Self-Care

Chioko Juliette Grevious discussed the transformative power of storytelling in redefining narratives imposed upon us. She advocated for soul care over superficial self-care practices, emphasizing internal reflection to prevent burnout. Grevious’s perspective invites us to care for our innermost selves.

Deserving Rest: The New Paradigm

Dr. Diane Gaston explored how over-functioning is often normalized, particularly among Black women. She called for a cultural shift, viewing rest not as something to be earned, but as something deserved. Her insights encourage a reevaluation of societal expectations and personal well-being.

Community and Culture: The Blueprint for Change

Dr. Tonia Burgess highlighted the collective nature of healing, asserting that Black women are the cultural blueprint. By caring for themselves, they set the stage for communal healing and create a legacy of wellness for future generations. This perspective acknowledges the interconnectedness of individual and community health.

The Strength of Boundaries

Prea Epps delivered a powerful message: prioritizing oneself is not selfish, but necessary for growth. She urged Black women to invest in their personal development and set boundaries, reassuring them that discomfort is a natural part of the transformation process.

Creating Safe Spaces

Rakita Brown spoke passionately about crafting spaces for Black women to truly be themselves. Her initiative, Holistree, serves as a love letter to Black women, offering them judgment-free environments to rest and rejuvenate. Brown’s dedication to this work addresses a critical need for visibility and joy in the lives of Black women.

Conclusion: Embrace the Radical Act of Self-Care

The Ambassador Chats were a reminder of the power and necessity of self-care as a radical act. Each practitioner brought unique insights into the ways Black women can reclaim their well-being in a world that often undervalues their existence. By embracing self-care, setting boundaries, and seeking joy, Black women can not only heal themselves but also inspire and lead future generations toward a healthier, more empowered existence.

In a world where relentless duties often overshadow personal needs, these ambassadors remind us that self-care is not only essential but transformative. Let their words inspire you to prioritize yourself and join a community dedicated to healing and empowerment.

A Love Letter to You, Wrapped in a Bundle

This bundle is basically a love letter to Black women who are tired of performing wellness and are ready to actually live it. Boundaries. Nervous system support. Rest that isn’t earned through exhaustion. Bliss that isn’t conditional.

Your Invitation

And it’s ready for you.

The Black Women Self Care Bundle opens July 13 and closes July 31.

If you’ve been in survival mode, burnout mode, “I’ll rest when I’m done” mode, this is your sign. Not to add another to-do, but to finally choose yourself.

Come get your bundle. Come get your bliss.

👉 blackwomenselfcarebundle.com

Self Care Oasis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Hey beautiful ones, welcome back to the Self Care Oasis Podcast! I’m Samantha Gregory, the Self Care Alchemist. Today, I’m inviting you into an eye-opening, real-talk conversation with Roxanne Turner, a powerful mental health professional who gets personal about what it really takes to move from burnout back to bliss.

If you’re tired of pretending that having it all feels as good as it looks, or you’re noticing your body and soul pulling you in a whole other direction, sit with us and take a few deep breaths. This is a conversation I know you’re going to feel in your bones.

Conversation Highlights

* What Happens When Success Isn’t Enough: Roxanne Turner and I dig into the moment she realized her hard-won career and shiny titles just weren’t lighting her up anymore (01:24). That realization shifted everything about how she now lives and works.

* No One Prepares You for the Letdown: We talk about the missing chapters in the “success manual” and why achievement can sometimes trigger unexpected grief and confusion along with celebration (02:00).

* Family, Career, and the Cost of Disconnection: Roxanne Turner got honest about how “protecting everyone else” almost made her miss the most important people in her life (04:18).

* Making Healing a Team Sport: We talk about therapy, body wisdom, and what it was like letting family remind her when she was pushing too hard after burnout. It’s raw, real, and so needed for high achievers (09:30).

* Hormones, Burnout, and the Wake-Up Call: We laugh (and commiserate) about perimenopause and how those body shifts force us to stop living like machines and start honoring our own rhythms (14:37).

* The Values Framework: Roxanne Turner breaks down her signature approach for helping women reconnect with their top values, get brutally honest with where they’ve sacrificed themselves, and make decisions that finally feel like self-devotion and not duty (19:21).

* Come Home to Your Inner Teen: One of my favorites: Roxanne Turner asks us to reflect on what lit us up around age 15 or 16 before everyone else’s opinions got louder than our own. Start there and see what you discover (31:45).

Segments in the Conversation

* Burnout Gets Personal: The moment when burnout became impossible to ignore (05:42)

* The Permission Slip: How to cope when people meet your healing with “it must be nice” and why that isn’t your stuff to carry (12:44)

* Custom-Tailored Self Care: Self care isn’t bubble baths unless that’s your actual love language

* A Practical Toolkit: Using values to check in with your real self, make your next move, and break out of the hamster wheel

Connect with Roxanne Turner

Trust me, you want more of Roxanne Turner’s energy and expertise in your life. Visit her at Pivotal Perspectives CC and follow @pivotalperspectivesllc on socials. She’s open for discovery calls and shares plenty of bite-sized wisdom to get you back in alignment with yourself.

Before You Go…

If this conversation hit home or gave you something you didn’t hear anywhere else, subscribe to the Self Care Oasis Podcast wherever you listen. Leave a review. That’s how our community keeps growing and reaching more women who need these reminders that self care and self devotion aren’t selfish—they’re necessary.

Share this episode with someone who’s quietly struggling or ready to redefine success. Connect with me here on Substack and on my socials for more self care inspiration.

REMEMBER: You absolutely deserve every single bit of the bliss you’re craving. Go and claim it.

This episode sponsored by the 1-Minute Budget Toolkit 💰

Welcome to Your New Self Care Era

Hey beautiful people! It’s Samantha Gregory, your Self Care Alchemist, host of the Self Care Oasis Podcast. I’m all about helping women, especially Black women, breakup with burnout and step into a life that’s all about better boundaries, more balance, and shameless bliss.

In this beautiful episode, I sat down with therapist and wholeness advocate , lovingly known as Dr. Nic. We get real about what it means to reclaim your energy, become the leading lady of your own life, and unapologetically prioritize yourself.

We talked about…

1. Redefining Self Care for Black WomenWe set the stage by exploring how self care isn’t a luxury or an afterthought—it’s the new norm. We talk about stepping away from external validation, turning inward, and rooting self care as a personal, radical practice.

2. You Are the Table – Own ItDr. Nic shares her philosophy that you are the table, not just a guest at one. She breaks down how self leadership and wholeness aren’t about selfishness (which is okay) but about abundance. If you’re tired of scraping from an empty cup, this segment is your permission slip to pour into yourself first.

3. Banishing Guilt & Embracing BoundariesThe guilt and shame of putting yourself first? Time to send that packing. We discuss why the best gift you can give your kids (or any young person in your orbit) is your example of living aligned, setting boundaries, and normalizing alone time, decompression, and unapologetic self devotion.

4. The Power of the PauseLet’s get into sustainable self care and those “power pause” moments. Ten minutes of solitude, a mindful breath, or a creative break can fill you up in ways you never imagined. We talk about redefining what’s possible, one intentional pause at a time.

5. From Burnout to Blossoming – Dr. Nic’s StoryDr. Nic gets vulnerable about her own forced pause—her life-changing car accident—and how it sparked her path toward holistic healing and leaving behind work cultures that care more about output than well-being. Her story is a wake-up call to anyone who feels trapped by obligation.

6. Owning Your Villain Era & Main Character EnergyReady to disrupt the good-girl script and step into your own villain era (in the best, boundary-honoring way)? We’re talking about a radical reclamation—a refusal to let traditions drain the life out of us, and an invitation to center your joy and wellbeing, even if it rocks the boat.

Connect with Dr. Nic

Want more of ’s wisdom? You can find her on Substack at Dr. Nicole Pertillar 🔴 “The Pause for Solos” and on Instagram/Threads @thepauseforsolos. Her website, nicolepertillar.com, is where you’ll find everything about her upcoming journal, “Girl Pause, Stop Dreaming and Start Doing.” Trust me, you need this in your life if you’re ready to turn dreams into action and stop sacrificing them for everyone else.

Join the Movement!

Ready to surround yourself with women who get it? Look for the upcoming Black Women’s Wellness Rolodex and the Black Women’s Self Care Bundle launching in July. These resources are crafted BY Black women FOR Black women and packed with everything you need to nourish yourself, set boundaries, and thrive.

Don’t Miss an Episode

Loved this conversation? Make sure you subscribe to the Self Care Oasis Podcast wherever you listen. If this episode resonated, share it with a friend, and leave a review!

Your support helps spread this gospel of wholeness and self care. Let’s make “self devotion” a daily reality, not just a wish.

Thanks for listening, y’all. Step boldly into self care this week—rebuild your table, fill your cup, and stay blissful. See you next time!

What does it truly mean to be an alchemist of your own life? In this deeply moving episode, I sits down with fellow alchemist Beauty Reyna to explore the profound shift from carrying heavy life wounds to broadcasting pure brilliance and global impact.

Beauty opens up about her raw, spiritually elevating journey through a toxic pregnancy, choosing solo sovereignty over easy “on-paper” illusions, and discovering her innate power to sustain a beautiful lineage for her daughter.

Together, we unpack how women can reject the crushing weight of self-sacrifice, tap into sensory self-care, and remember the fearless, unjaded little girl waiting inside.

✨ Key Takeaways & Insight

* The Power of the Frequency Choice: Every single day, women have a choice to make. We carry the power to turn our circumstances into something magnificent or let them fall to a lower frequency. The pivot begins with your thoughts and heart’s deepest desires.

* Motherhood as a Divine Catalyst: True alignment often requires making sudden, world-shifting choices. Beauty shares how navigating a high-conflict relationship breakup on the exact day she discovered her pregnancy forced her to lean out of worldly stress and entirely into spiritual elevation.

* Intentional Parenting Shifting Lineages: Motherhood isn’t just about giving life; it’s about maintaining, sustaining, and elevating it. By intentionally choosing how we show up, we completely rewrite the ancestral storylines that ran through our families.

* Remembering Her (The 7-Year-Old Self): We don’t necessarily have to labor to become someone new; we just have to remember who we’ve always been. Reconnect with the fearless, confident, unjaded child you were before the world instilled doubt and logic over your soul’s truth.

* Sensory Grounding for Tough Days: Real life gets heavy, and toxic positivity doesn’t cut it. When thoughts don’t align with actions, tap into the physical magic of herbalism and aromatherapy—smells and textures possess the power to instantly bring you home.

About Beauty Reyna

Beauty is an herbalist, sacred alchemist, and author whose journey began with the discovery of her own power to transform personal wounds into wisdom. Realizing her innate brilliance, she chose to channel it into making a meaningful impact, guiding visionary women to recognize and embrace their inner alchemist. Through her work, Beauty inspires others to see the transformative power within themselves, especially women who are not only creators and mothers but also trailblazers in the world.

💬 Memorable Quotes

“I realized, wow, I’ve been really amazing at turning my wounds into wisdom. And my brilliance... this time I’m turning it into impact.” — Beauty Reyna

“We are not necessarily becoming, we’re just remembering.” — Samantha Gregory

“No matter how low, no matter how high, you have your own unique power that maybe you just haven’t tapped into, resonated with, or remembered... There truly is that magical voice in you speaking to you, just waiting for you to listen.” — Beauty Reyna

“Remember that you have the power and the opportunity to choose your bliss today. Do what you need to do in order to get on that path and to unblock your brilliance.” — Samantha Gregory

📖 Featured Spotlight

The She Is Alchemy Awards

An exquisite celebration launching this year to honor and crown visionary women who are turning their wounds into wisdom and their brilliance into impact. Featuring 10 distinct crowning categories, the physical ceremony takes place on October 22nd in Miami. Community nominations open after April 9th on Beauty’s lifestyle platform!

Book Release: Toxic Confessions: From Sensual Shadows to Soul Missions

This isn’t your standard Amazon read. It is a unique, soul-elevating memoir and tell-all detailing a wild 90s/2000s journey through LA and Miami, packed with rigorous soul lessons. The Ritual Edition release comes complete with an interactive workbook designed to serve as a deep spiritual experience for your own evolution.

🌐 Connect with the Guest & Host

* Visit Beauty Reyna’s Official Website: She Is Alchemy Lifestyle (For award voting, nominations, boutique book distributors, and sacred rituals).

* Connect with Samantha Gregory: Explore The School of Self Devotion, subscribe to the newsletter, or apply for one-on-one burnout mentorship.

This episode of the Self Care Oasis Podcast is pure fire! I got deep with Dr. Nikki Coleman — psychologist, sexologist, and a Black woman who is absolutely redefining what it means for us to live fully, joyfully, and unapologetically. If you’ve ever felt stuck in burnout, starving for more pleasure, or tired of the old narratives weighing you down, this is the conversation you need in your life.

What Went Down: Highlights from Our Real Talk

* Pleasure Isn’t Just for After the Work’s DoneDr. Nikki Coleman dropped this gem: pleasure is a pathway to liberation. We get into why waiting to “earn” pleasure is a trap, especially for Black women, and how flipping the script is radical (08:44).

* Who Told You Who You Are?We unravel all that negative programming and talk about making a new choice—actually, remembering who you were before everybody tried to tell you otherwise (05:05).

* Slow Down, Sis…Seriously, did you know most of us are disconnected from our own bodies? We talk about how to gently come back to yourself and why tuning in is where real self care starts (11:01).

* Escapism vs. Embodied PleasureLet’s be real: zoning out is not the same as lighting yourself up from the inside. We go there! (14:16)

* What Does REAL Joy Feel Like?Performing happiness for the ’gram or buying brunches isn’t the same as being deeply nourished. We unpack how to tell the difference and why it matters (17:35).

* From Womb Healing to Erotic LiberationWe get vulnerable about generational trauma, the power of reconnecting with our wombs, and how pleasure—at every level—is for us, right now (34:34; 25:13).

* Liberation Is an Inside JobYou have permission. Seriously. Nobody is going to hand you a gold star for living small. Dr. Nikki Coleman and I want you to walk away from this episode knowing your pleasure is yours to claim (37:18).

Self Care Oasis is the gateway to your softer life glow-up via Self Devotion, wellness travel, and early semi-retirement. Join 2400+ Self Devotion Divas who are proactively creating the life they love by becoming a free or paid subscriber. Plus get FREE access to the Oasis Vault containing resources and tools to support your journey from burnout to better boundaries and shameless bliss!

Want More? Here’s How to Connect with Dr. Nikki Coleman

If you loved Dr. Nikki Coleman’s wisdom, go follow her right now! She created the Pleasure Pursuit Journal a yearlong guided practice for women finally ready to make pleasure a priority. She also offers therapy, group programs (the Sanctuary), and some of the most soulful content you’ll find.

* Peep her site: drnikkinows.com

* Find her everywhere: @drnikknows

Stay Connected with Me and the Oasis Community

I’d love nothing more than to hear how you’re reclaiming your pleasure and showing up for yourself, day by day. Find me and the Oasis community on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Drop your questions, joy moments, or even just a “hey girl!” DM.

Don’t Forget to Subscribe & Leave a Comment!

I know you felt that energy and insight so hit subscribe on the Self Care Oasis Podcast. If you vibe with the show, take a quick second to leave a comment.

Tell us what shifted for you, what you crave more of, and invite a friend to tune in with you next week. We grow and glow together!

You are the boss of your own joy. Give yourself full permission, right now, to live lit up from the inside. The world was made for your pleasure—don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

Grateful for you, always can’t wait for you to join us again.

How do you keep your calm and lead with clarity when chaos threatens to throw your whole world off balance?

Founders today are not just building businesses—they’re facing an onslaught of industry instability, mounting internal pressure, and a relentless need to perform under stress. The panic in your body can feel like a physical force, leaving you scrambling for control, hypervigilant, or ashamed of your own reactions.

Top Moments & Episode Highlights

* Chaos as the Default—But Not Your Destiny:Olivia Denton Thomas and I take you through what it looks like to embrace the fact that chaos is always lurking, but panic doesn’t have to run the show. We dig into why preparation—emotionally, mentally, physically—is the flex for founders who want to move from fear to fierce agility (02:23).

* Preparation over Panic:I share what I learned in my NASA disaster recovery days—because your nervous system deserves a contingency plan, not just your business. Let’s talk crisis response, backup plans, and the power of knowing yourself and your triggers (05:55).

* Let’s Reframe the Shame:We get candid about that urge to control, shame around the moments you freeze or panic, and why you must treat every “I didn’t know better” as an opportunity, not a character flaw. It’s not an identity, it’s just information (12:14).

* The Power of the Pause:Holding your ground, even when your internal alarms are blaring, is a skill. I walk you through how to take a sacred pause, stand ten toes down in stillness, and give yourself the gift of an actual choice—instead of letting pressure make decisions for you (19:13).

* Identity, Community, and Celebrating Your Progress:We talk about building an environment (internal and external) that supports your most grounded, capable self. And yes, we high-five ourselves for every tiny win—because celebration builds resilience like nothing else (26:38).

* Soul Print, Not Just Fingerprint:I bring it home with “know your crisis management blueprint”—your soul print. Who are you, really, when the heat is on? How do you want to show up next time? Know your vibration, protect your peace, and don’t absorb anyone else’s panic (35:06).

Segments from This Episode

* From Hustle to Wholeness: How to drop the hypervigilant founder act and lead regulated from within.

* Disaster Recovery—But Make It Nervous System Chic: Lessons from NASA and how to apply redundancy, contingency, and backup strategies to your daily rituals.

* Celebration as Self-Regulation: Making joy, acknowledgment, and self-esteem your everyday fuel.

* Visibility, Vulnerability & Reframing Imperfection: Why repair builds more trust than perfection ever could—and how to let the world see the “messy middle.”

Connect with Us!

Love what you heard? Pull up and connect with me, Samantha Gregory, over at Self Care Oasis on Substack for my newsletter and more episodes. Find me on YouTube at Samantha Gregory and on LinkedIn under the same name as well as TikTok. Let’s start a conversation about your burnout breakthroughs or your own rituals for staying in your power.

Olivia Denton Thomas is a founder and advocate for self devotion as the anchor in times of chaos. Guided by mentorship and experience, she champions resilience and intentional self care as the foundations of effective leadership. Connect with Olivia at https://wintentional.com and follow her journey on and LinkedIn.

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

You can spend 35 years as a healthcare executive and still feel completely lost when you finally become the patient.

Dana Sherwin joined the Self Care Oasis podcast to share her powerful journey from being a high-level healthcare consultant to navigating a life-threatening blood cancer diagnosis. Her story is a wake-up call for anyone who puts their career and family responsibilities ahead of their own physical well-being.

In a world where we often give away our power in the medical space, Dana highlights why we must reclaim our sovereignty and act as the lead coordinator of our own care.

Self Care Oasis is the gateway to your softer life glow-up via Self Devotion, wellness travel, and early semi-retirement. Join 2400+ Self Devotion Divas who are proactively creating the life they love by becoming a free or paid subscriber. Plus get FREE access to the Oasis Vault containing resources and tools to support your journey from burnout to better boundaries and shameless bliss!

Here are the essential takeaways from her experience:

📍 Don’t ignore the small signs. Dana pushed symptoms aside for years because she was busy being productive. Those minor pains were actually early warnings of a serious blood disorder.

📍 A primary care physician is a non-negotiable baseline. Relying solely on specialists or yearly OBGYN visits can leave dangerous gaps in your health monitoring. You need someone looking at the big picture of your blood work and history.

📍 Become the CEO of your own health. The healthcare system, insurance companies, and employers do not teach us how to navigate care. You have to take agency and lead the process yourself.

📍 Master the 15-minute window. Doctors are often stretched thin with very little time per patient. Learning how to communicate effectively and advocate for your needs is a vital skill for survival.

Self-care is more than just a luxury; it is about having the autonomy and power to navigate the healthcare system with confidence. When you prioritize self-devotion, you gain the tools to stay equipped even in a crisis.

How are you taking charge of your health journey this week? Let’s discuss in the comments below.

Watch the full video:

Enter the Oasis: The Gateway to Your Pleasure, Inner Power, and Prosperity aka Bliss!

Join the Community and get free access to the Oasis Vault and the Emergency 72-Hour Nervous System Reset Guide.

Your next level doesn’t need more struggle. It needs better support. Get it in the Self Devotion Shop

Get 1:1 Mentorship where we create a customized Self Devotion protocol to take you from overwhelm to overflow.

Coming Soon: The Pleasure Mystic Membership. A soft-power space for nervous system-led self-devotion with pleasure as a daily practice, boundaries without the guilt hangover, and receiving as the default standard.

Self Care Oasis is the gateway to your softer life glow-up via Self Devotion lifestyle, wellness travel, and early semi-retirement. Join 2400+ Self Devotion Divas in training who are creating the life they love by becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Week 2 of The Regulated Founder

The professional mask was never really protection. It was a prison.

In this episode, me and brand counselor Olivia Denton Thomas go deep on what it actually costs women founders to perform professionalism at the expense of their own humanity and what becomes possible when you finally stop negotiating with the armor.

We name the invisible dynamics underneath founder burnout: the nervous system running on fawn mode, the self-trust that got buried under everyone else’s mission and values, the perfectionism that quietly became the bottleneck. This is not a conversation about hustle. It’s a conversation about what it looks like to build something from your actual self.

In this episode, we explore:

* Why your perfectionism might be the bottleneck — and what it takes to admit that

* The “professional liar” mask and how it forms when we don’t trust ourselves to show up

* Why women receive contradictory messages (too much and not enough simultaneously) and how that fuels imposter syndrome

* The biology of trust: why self-trust is the soil that holds everything else

* What fawning actually looks like in business — and how it’s quietly draining your 24 hours

* The difference between persistence and consistency when building authority

* How to train your nervous system to feel safe in visibility and vulnerability

* Morning prep and evening decompression as daily trust-building rituals

* Embracing your “villain era” — what healthy boundaries actually look like from the outside

* The Courage to be Disliked and why walking in your own job frees everyone

* How to shift from being the superstar to being the visionary

* Documentation, SOPs, and operationalizing trust so you’re no longer the bottleneck at 3am

* Attribution and celebration as trust infrastructure for your team

* Being heart-first and AI-augmented — why your humanity is your differentiator in an AI-saturated world

Quotable Moments:

“Self-trust is the ground that you begin to till and build and add the nutrients to so that it’s fertile for the thing you’re building.”

“Be the villain in their story while you’re the hero in your own.”

“Armoring yourself through softness, self-acceptance, and joy — that’s the armor of authenticity.”

“It’s not the business protecting you. You are protecting the business from your ego.”

“Heart first and AI augmented — that’s how you become someone people can trust.”

Resources & Connections:

* 📬 Self Care Oasis Newsletter — Substack: Samantha Gregory

* 💼 LinkedIn: Samantha Gregory

* 📺 YouTube: Samantha Gregory

* 🎵 TikTok: @MsSamanthaGregory

* 🌐 Olivia Denton Thomas — The Brand Counselor | Substack: Get daily calibrations for founders going from hustling to wholeness

* Olivia’s Website: Wintentional.com

* LinkedIn: Olivia Denton Thomas

Self Care Oasis is for women who are done surviving and ready to build from the inside out.

Welcome to the Self Care Oasis Podcast, where we strip away the “shoulds,” get real about what boundaries actually feel like in your body, and remind leaders that rest is not something you earn. I’m Samantha Gregory, self-devotion radical and your standing permission slip to stop performing your life and start living it.

For the next four weeks I’m co-hosting The Regulated Founder with Olivia Denton Thomas, brand counselor and quiet disruptor of hustle culture and half-truths. If you’ve ever tried to be a full human being inside a rigid, rule-heavy industry, this one’s going to feel familiar.

The Series Breakdown:

* Part 1: The Perfection Penalty (Thursday, April 2 | 2PM EST) The cost of corporate masking and what sits on the other side.

* Part 2: Trust Without the Armor (Thursday, April 9 | 2PM EST) Building a high-trust, credible brand without hiding your humanity.

* Part 3: Softening the Systems (Thursday, April 16 | 2PM EST) Designing operations built around ease instead of endurance.

* Part 4: The Anchor in the Chaos (Thursday, April 23 | 2PM EST) Staying strategically grounded and regulated during global uncertainty.

What We Get Into This Episode

We talk about what happens when the script you were handed stops fitting. Olivia and I go into the masks we learned to wear in law firms, boardrooms, hospitals, churches. And we’re honest that shedding them isn’t a breakthrough moment. It’s slow. It’s layered. You don’t blow yourself up to get free. You peel, gradually, at a pace your nervous system can actually hold. (13:49)

We talk about boundaries as regulation, not rules. Not something HR hands you in a PDF. Something you build from the inside out, because your time, your body, and your mental bandwidth answer to you first. (06:09)

We go deep on perfectionism and what’s actually underneath it. The overcontrolling, the over-giving, the need for validation that shows up dressed like high standards. That stuff has roots. And if you want a different business or a different bottom line, you have to get honest about what’s running the show under all that competence. (22:21)

We talk about what real community feels like versus performance community. The kind that tells you the truth without trying to sand your edges down. The kind that holds you accountable to your own growth without asking you to shrink. (37:16)

And we close on ritual as a return. Not a checklist. Not a morning routine for optimization. Just the small, consistent ways you come back to yourself when the day has taken you somewhere far from home. (54:40)

Self Care Oasis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Segment Breakdown

* Borrowed Identity: What “professionalism” cost you and what it’s still costing you

* The Regulated Founder’s Pressure Cooker: How to work within structure without being flattened by it

* Self-Trust as Foundation: Why your leadership starts with believing yourself first

* Everyday Rituals: What it actually looks like to tend to yourself on a regular Tuesday

Connect with Olivia

Olivia is rewriting how brand and integrity actually work together. Find her daily calibrations on Substack and at wintentional.co, and connect with her on LinkedIn. You’ll want her thinking close.

Stay Connected

Subscribe to the Self Care Oasis Podcast wherever you listen. Leave a review if something in this conversation landed. Share it with someone who keeps telling herself she has to be perfect before she can be powerful.

You can find me, Samantha Gregory, across podcasts, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok. And if you’re ready to move from performing leadership to actually embodying it, come to my Substack. That’s where the real conversation lives.

Let’s be legendary. Samantha

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

From Burnout to Bliss: A Private Journey. I help high-achieving women master the art of self-devotion. If you’re ready for 1:1 support to regulate your nervous system and reclaim your joy, let’s talk.

In this episode, I sit down with the phenomenal Vanity Jenkins. She’s a single mom, business owner, founder, and unapologetic advocate for self-care. Together, we unravel what it means to survive (and eventually thrive) through seasons of exhaustion, guilt, and growth. If you’ve ever felt like your whole life is run on fumes, this episode will meet you right where you are.

Episode Highlights

* Surviving and Naming Burnout:Vanity Jenkins shares her lived experience as an introverted eldest daughter, single parent, and nonprofit executive. She talks about those years of never sleeping, and how the layers of responsibility and cultural expectations left her so deep in burnout she didn’t even realize it until her body finally said “enough!”

* The Hidden Toll of the Nonprofit Sector:We discuss the unique guilt that comes from serving communities you identify with—particularly opening a school for Black children during COVID, balancing the desire to make a difference with the brutal realities of underfunding and overwork.

* Signs That You’re Over Capacity:Both of us share those moments when burnout revealed itself physically—when “just keep pushing” was no longer sustainable. We talk about the unhealthy coping mechanisms that show up (hello, wine and weed!) and how recognizing these signals helped us start healing.

* Boundaries, Joy, & Somatic Practices:Vanity Jenkins reveals how setting boundaries, practicing somatic awareness, and reconnecting with her body has been crucial to restoring her wellbeing. She now teaches these practices to women of color through Shifted Consulting, helping others reclaim joy, rest, and alignment.

* Societal Structure & Self-Care:We didn’t shy away from calling out how society isn’t designed for us to thrive—especially as single parents and women of color. The constant expectations and the myth of the nuclear family make self-care vital.

Guest Connection InvitationWant to connect with Vanity Jenkins? Follow her on Instagram and Facebook at Shifted Consulting, and check out her offerings—including leadership coaching and her “Authentically Me” fellowship for women of color—on shiftedconsulting.com. She’s also on LinkedIn, so look her up and find out how you can thrive in your work, business, and life!

Join the Oasis Community!Are you loving these real, raw, and restorative conversations? Be sure to hit subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, leave a review if this episode spoke to you, and share it with anyone who needs a reminder to choose themselves.

Connect with me on Substack, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok the links mentioned in the episode description!

Until next time, take care, be well, and follow your bliss.

With gratitude,Samantha Gregory