In this thoughtful episode, I explore the familiar pressure to “finish strong” as the year winds down. I unpacks the sense of collective urgency that builds in workplaces and homes as December approaches—from inboxes full of end-of-year reviews to the desire for neat conclusions on projects, goals, and even holiday celebrations.

Key Topics:

• The culture of closure: Why do we crave hitting targets and checking off lists?
• The hidden emotional labor behind finishing things, especially for women leaders.
• The real impact of chasing perfection—how the pursuit of tidy endings can fuel stress, self-criticism, and burnout.
• Reframing “unfinished”: How can leaders (and all of us) embrace uncertainty and take a gentler approach to projects, responsibilities, and ambitions that are still in motion?
• Permission for imperfection

• 00:02:40 - 00:03:23: Personal reflections on to-do lists, project completions, and the elusive "inbox zero."
• 00:03:23 - 00:04:28: The reality that not everything wraps up neatly at year-end; projects and relationships may stay unfinished.
• 00:04:29 - 00:05:58: The emotional exhaustion from trying to finish everything, especially as a leader, and the invisible labor behind it.
• 00:05:58 - 00:06:46: Responsibility and perfectionism in both work and family, along with the pressure to make everything “perfect,” especially around holidays
• discusses self-imposed expectations, desire for closure, and the impact of perfectionism.
• 00:07:18 - 00:08:12: How unfinished business can turn into self-criticism and burnout by conflating unfinished work with failure.
• 00:08:12 - 00:09:34: Reframing “unfinished” as “in motion” and exploring the creative and developmental possibilities that come from leaving things open.
• 00:09:34 - 00:10:43: The power of giving yourself permission not to rush endings, and the risks of rushing to artificial closure.
• 00:10:43 - 00:11:54: Accepting uncertainty as a leader, modeling groundedness for others, and the impact of uncertainty in personal and professional life.
• 00:11:54 - 00:13:56: Developing the ability to live with uncertainty, and the value of self-trust and reflection at year-end.
• 00:02:40 - 00:03:23: Personal reflections on to-do lists, project completions, and the elusive "inbox zero."
• 00:03:23 - 00:04:28: The reality that not everything wraps up neatly at year-end; projects and relationships may stay unfinished.
• 00:04:29 - 00:05:58: The emotional exhaustion from trying to finish everything, especially as a leader, and the invisible labor behind it.
• 00:05:58 - 00:06:46: Responsibility and perfectionism in both work and family, along with the pressure to make everything “perfect,” especially around holidays.
• 00:06:46 - 00:07:18: discusses self-imposed expectations, desire for closure, and the impact of perfectionism.
• 00:07:18 - 00:08:12: How unfinished business can turn into self-criticism and burnout by conflating unfinished work with failure.
• 00:08:12 - 00:09:34: Reframing “unfinished” as “in motion” and exploring the creative and developmental possibilities that come from leaving things open.
• 00:09:34 - 00:10:43: The power of giving yourself permission not to rush endings, and the risks of rushing to artificial closure.
• 00:10:43 - 00:11:54: Accepting uncertainty as a leader, modeling groundedness for others, and the impact of uncertainty in personal and professional life.
• 00:11:54 - 00:13:56: Developing the ability to live with uncertainty, and the value of self-trust and reflection at year-end.

Share this episode with someone needing a reminder that unfinished isn’t failure.

Subscribe, rate, or review the podcast!

Leave something undone on purpose. Let yourself breathe as you wrap up the year—no ribbon required.

Connect with Ruth:

Instagram

LinkedIn 

Website