Work Stress Anxiety | Burnout Prevention & Work Anxiety Help

Why does one small work message pull me straight back into pressure?

Wellness advice is everywhere, but when you’re already tired and stretched thin, it can feel like the internet is yelling a thousand different fixes at you at once. Cheryl Paris sits down with Tierra to slow things down and answer the real question: where do you start when you’re overwhelmed, juggling work and family, and noticing your body changing in ways you didn’t expect? We talk about why a trusted healthcare provider is often the best first step, and why any “buy this now and you’ll be fine” pitch should raise your guard. 

We get honest about how many women are never properly taught what’s happening across the menstrual cycle, perimenopause, and menopause and how that lack of education turns common symptoms into fear and isolation. Tierra explains how shifting hormones can affect sleep, hot flashes, night sweats, fluid retention, body composition, and blood sugar regulation, plus why learning what’s normal versus what needs evaluation can be a relief. We also talk about body image and ageing, including the shock of seeing small physical changes and wondering what they mean, and how education helps you respond with curiosity instead of self-criticism. 

You’ll leave with practical, specific questions to ask your GP, and simple lifestyle steps that actually fit a high-functioning life: a cooler, darker sleep setup, consistent sleep and wake times, a 10-minute walk, and a steady breakfast. The bigger takeaway is even simpler: you have more control than you think, you can advocate for yourself, and you’re allowed to say no. If this helped, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s carrying too much, and leave a review so more women can find the support they deserve.

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The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

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Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion?

https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety

Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.

Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™

Connect with Cheryl Paris

LinkedIn:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin 

Facebook:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook

Shared stories are anonymised.

This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.

Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/

© Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

Work is over, so why does it still feel like I'm in it?

“I’m just stressed” can be true and still miss the point. When stress becomes the background noise of your life, it can start masking what your body is actually trying to tell you, especially if you’re a high-functioning woman juggling work, home, relationships, and the pressure to keep it together. We slow down and ask a sharper question: when does stress stop being a useful explanation and become a signal to look underneath the surface? 

I’m joined by women’s health educator Tierra Duncan to unpack how hormones work as whole-body chemical messengers. We talk about estrogen and progesterone beyond reproduction and why shifts around perimenopause and menopause can touch everything from bone density and digestion to cognition and brain fog. We also name the quiet, common signs of chronic stress, like the wired-but-tired feeling, gut issues, mood changes, anxiety, and that constant sense that you’re behind no matter how hard you push. 

Then we get practical. Tierra makes a clear case for strength training and resistance training as a cornerstone habit for women, supporting muscle, metabolism, blood sugar control, body composition, and bone health. We connect the dots between sleep quality, nutrition, movement, sun exposure, and stress tools that actually fit real life, whether that’s journaling, breathwork, walking, or joyful movement like dancing. We also talk about Google-driven health anxiety, when it’s smart to speak to a trusted healthcare provider, and why consistent symptoms deserve proper testing and attention. 

If you want a simple starting point, we end with a small reset you can do today, plus a few staple foods to keep on repeat. Subscribe for more honest conversations about work stress, anxiety, and health, and if this helped, share it with a friend and leave a review. What’s one signal from your body you’re ready to stop ignoring?

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The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

Support the show

Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion?

https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety

Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.

Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™

Connect with Cheryl Paris

LinkedIn:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin 

Facebook:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook

Shared stories are anonymised.

This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.

Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/

© Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

I am tired of needing fresh proof that I am not a fraud.

When high-achieving women keep renegotiating their work boundaries, it's not weakness—it's your nervous system anxiety trying to protect you. In this episode, Cheryl reveals why capable women dismiss body anxiety signals as failure and uncovers the hidden pattern behind boundary collapse. Discover how to listen to your fatigue as intelligent feedback instead of pushing through, and build sustainable work stress recovery without sacrificing ambition.

Burnout prevention for high-achieving women starts with listening to your body. Capable women often dismiss fatigue as weakness, but nervous system anxiety and body anxiety signals are intelligent messages about your work stress load. In this episode, Cheryl Paris reveals what your exhaustion is actually trying to tell you—and how to use body signals for real, sustainable recovery instead of pushing harder.

You can be high-functioning, responsible, and “doing all the right things” and still feel exhausted, snappy, and not quite like yourself. That’s the tension we sit in today, and we don’t treat it like a personal flaw. We talk about what happens when stress, hormones, sleep, and lifestyle pressures pile up at the same time and why the reflex to try harder often makes it worse.

Tierra Duncan joins me to unpack the difference between the occasional off day and a pattern your body is trying to flag. We get into the mental and emotional load so many women carry, the way caregiving and work demands quietly expand over time, and why routines that worked years ago can stop working in perimenopause, menopause, or simply in a heavier season of life. We also explore boundaries without guilt, especially for the sandwich generation balancing kids and aging parents.

You’ll leave with practical tools you can use immediately: mapping your real day versus the day you want, protecting small pockets of time for yourself, and a simple diaphragmatic breathing practice to help your body decompress after a long day. We also share a grounded take on HRT and supplementation: powerful tools for some, but never a substitute for sleep, movement, real food, and stress reduction. If this conversation helps, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs permission to stop pushing through, and leave a review with the one change you’re making this week.

Send us Fan Mail

The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

Support the show

Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion?

https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety

Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.

Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™

Connect with Cheryl Paris

LinkedIn:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin 

Facebook:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook

Shared stories are anonymised.

This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.

Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/

© Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

 I’m exhausted. So why can’t my body just bloody switch off? 

You shut your laptop, but your nervous system stays wired. Tight jaw, shallow breathing, jumpiness at notifications—this is work stress that doesn't clock out. In this episode, I walk through Joan's story and reveal why your body keeps acting like the next demand is already here. Learn the nervous system anxiety pattern hiding behind "just relax" advice, and discover stress recovery techniques that actually reset your threat response after work.

You finally stop working, but your body keeps acting like the next demand is already on its way. If you’ve ever shut the laptop, sat in a quiet room, and still felt a tight jaw, shallow breathing, and that jumpy reaction to a notification sound, you’re not alone. I talk about the “wired but tired” experience through the lens of work stress anxiety and why your nervous system may not calm down just because your schedule says you’re off.

I walk through a story of “Joan,” a young dentist on leave who expects time away to feel restorative, only to find her body staying on high alert. We unpack the hidden belief that fuels the spiral: “If I were safe, I would feel calm immediately.” Calm can come with safety, but its absence isn’t proof that something is wrong with you or that you’re failing at rest. After sustained pressure, your system may need a real cooldown, more like an engine coming down from speed than a switch flipping off.

You’ll also get a small, practical grounding exercise you can try in a manageable moment. We use orientation (naming three things you can see), feeling your feet on the floor, and a single comfortable exhale to look for flexibility rather than perfection. The goal is not a relaxation test. It’s gathering evidence that the present is different, even by two percent.

If you find this helpful, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one, share it with someone who’s carrying too much, and leave a review to help more people find support. What’s the first sign your body gives you that you’re still “on”?

Send us Fan Mail

The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

Support the show

Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion?

https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety

Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.

Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™

Connect with Cheryl Paris

LinkedIn:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin 

Facebook:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook

Shared stories are anonymised.

This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.

Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/

© Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

Feel like nothing ever goes right at work? High-functioning anxiety and burnout prevention start by recognising that "bad luck" might be your nervous system sending SOS signals. In this episode, Cheryl explores how high-achieving leaders mistake early burnout symptoms for personal failure—and how reframing these patterns through nervous system awareness opens the door to real burnout recovery.

One broken laptop should not feel like a personal disaster, yet when work stress and anxiety have been building for weeks, a single failure can feel like “proof” that everything is collapsing. We start with Emily, a business owner who keeps putting off a replacement because it feels like one expense too many. On the morning she needs to send a proposal to a client, the laptop dies, and panic rushes in, tangled up with missed admin, hard deadlines, poor sleep, and the quiet exhaustion of holding it all together.

From there, we unpack a common trap: mistaking control for safety. When you’re depleted, your mind asks control questions like, “How do I stop anything going wrong?” But agency questions are different and far more useful: “What is still mine to decide?” We talk about how money pressure narrows your options, why “I can’t afford every option I want” is not the same as “I have no options,” and how being responsible for a business is not the same as being personally responsible for every task inside it.

We also borrow perspective from Jane Eyre: you may have limited circumstances, but you can still protect your sense of self and your right to choose. To make it practical, we share a three-minute exercise you can do today with one work problem: Mine, Not Mine, Next. If you want more tools for work stress, burnout prevention, and calmer decision making, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Send us Fan Mail

The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

Support the show

Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion?

https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety

Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.

Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™

Connect with Cheryl Paris

LinkedIn:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin 

Facebook:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook

Shared stories are anonymised.

This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.

Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/

© Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

Cheryl Paris discusses with Dr. Carla Caturia the silent expectations that fuel work stress and burnout. Tune in for three effective strategies to recalibrate your mindset, supporting sustainable progress and emotional resilience.

Success can be a trap when the only version you accept is “more, faster, higher.” I’m Cheryl Paris, and I’m joined by  Dr Carla Caturia  for a grounded, honest conversation about work stress, anxiety, and the quiet panic that hits when you even think about slowing down. If you’ve been pushing through exhaustion because rest feels like losing, we start where real rebuilding begins: your definition of success, the real one.

Dr. Catua shares a powerful reframe from her work with athletes and high performers: outcomes matter, but the journey has to count. We talk about why chasing promotions, praise, or perfect results can keep you stuck in external validation and burnout, and how to shift toward learning, growth, and sustainable progress. You’ll hear practical goal-setting strategies that make ambition safer, including how to “chunk” big goals into small daily actions so you actually follow through, build consistency, and gather evidence that you can do hard things.

We also go deeper on identity. When your job title becomes your identity, work starts to control your self-worth. We explore how to separate who you are from what you produce, how to widen your life beyond the nine-to-five, and what it looks like to build purpose through values, family, community, and legacy. To make it actionable, Dr. Catua offers a simple weekly reset: plan time off if you can, set two to three priority tasks to complete by 11 a.m., and limit email checks to twice a day to protect your focus and energy.

If this helped you breathe a little easier, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s carrying too much, and leave a review so more people can find Work Stress Anxiety.

Send us Fan Mail

The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

Support the show

Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion?

https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety

Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.

Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™

Connect with Cheryl Paris

LinkedIn:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin 

Facebook:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook

Shared stories are anonymised.

This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.

Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/

© Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

High standards or anxiety masquerading as ambition? Work stress & nervous system recovery expert Cheryl Paris sits down with Dr. Carla Caturia to untangle the achievement trap—that moment when ambition quietly becomes self-abandonment. Discover the hidden signs: people-pleasing, defensive reactions to feedback, and a nervous system stuck in overdrive. Learn how perfectionism anxiety differs from genuine ambition, and find practical ways to reclaim your identity.

Cheryl sits down with  Dr Carla Caturia  to untangle the achievement trap and the moment ambition quietly turns into self-abandonment. We talk about the tells: always putting other people first, getting defensive with criticism, and measuring your value by awards, promotions, raises, or flawless performance. From burnout and overwork to the pressure of perfectionism, we map the difference between healthy pride in your job and the exhausting need to prove you are enough.

We also get practical about boundaries at work, because workplaces often reward over-responsibility with more work. Dr. Carla breaks down why “just set a boundary” rarely sticks without inner work, and she explains limiting beliefs as the untrue assumptions that shape how you see yourself and how you show up. To bring it home, she offers a simple nightly question that shifts you from chasing goals to building a life that actually fits: “Who am I becoming?”

If you want less work stress, steadier confidence, and a healthier relationship with success, listen through to the end. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Send us Fan Mail

The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

Support the show

Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion?

https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety

Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.

Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™

Connect with Cheryl Paris

LinkedIn:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin 

Facebook:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook

Shared stories are anonymised.

This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.

Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/

© Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

You can look perfectly pulled together and still be running on empty. High-functioning anxiety is the silent cost high-achieving women pay: the pressure to appear calm, capable, and endlessly available while stress builds invisibly underneath. In this episode, Cheryl sits down with Dr. Carla Caturia to name the mask that so many of you wear in silence—and more importantly, how to recognize when your nervous system is screaming while your calendar says you're fine. Discover why appearing in control can actually deepen burnout, and learn the micro-recovery tools you can use right now, even while looking composed at work.

You can be the person everyone depends on and still be quietly running on empty. We sit down with  Dr Carla Caturia  to name what so many high-achieving women carry in silence: the pressure to look calm, capable, organised, and endlessly available, even when stress and anxiety are building underneath. We talk about the hidden emotional cost of being “the reliable one,” and why competence can become a mask that keeps you disconnected from your own needs.

Dr. Carla breaks down her “success without self” cycle, including how chasing achievement can turn into an identity that crowds out rest, self-trust, and joy. We get honest about what burnout can look like in real life, from years of overwork to panic, shutdown, and the feeling that you’re performing at a high level while trusting yourself less. If you’ve ever thought, “This is just normal,” while waking early, working late, and never truly switching off, this conversation will feel uncomfortably familiar in the best way.

We also dig into practical signs and resets: perfectionism that won’t let go, overthinking that steals sleep, and the moment “busy” crosses into chronic stress. Dr. Carla shares why “good enough” is a skill, how boundaries protect your energy, and why saying no is often the biggest action you can take at work and at home. Most importantly, we end with a message for anyone whispering “I’m fine” while spiralling inside: you’re not alone, and support is a strategy.

If this hit home, share it with a friend who always seems okay, subscribe for more conversations on work stress and anxiety, and leave a review to help more women find the support they deserve.

Send us Fan Mail

The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

Support the show

Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion?

https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety

Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.

Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™

Connect with Cheryl Paris

LinkedIn:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin 

Facebook:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook

Shared stories are anonymised.

This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.

Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/

© Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

That Sunday night panic isn't laziness—it's nervous system dysregulation. For high-achieving women, work anxiety peaks on Sunday evenings as your body senses the week ahead. Learn why this dread is actually valuable data, how nervous system awareness transforms panic into a reset signal, and the three body-awareness practices that turn Sunday anxiety into proactive recovery time—not shame spirals.

That Sunday night panic feels like betrayal—your mind says "stop spiraling" while your nervous system screams danger. For high-achieving women, this isn't laziness; it's dysregulation. Learn why work anxiety peaks on Sunday evenings, how nervous system awareness transforms that dread into a reset signal, and three practical tools to restore calm before Monday. If you're lying awake at 10 p.m. spiraling about your inbox, this episode is your permission slip to stop fighting yourself and start supporting your nervous system instead.

Sunday evening looks like rest on the outside, but inside your body is already in Monday mode. We walk through why that happens, using Rachel’s story: a quiet house, a normal afternoon, then the sudden stomach drop when the clock reminds her the work week is coming. We unpack how “Sunday scaries” can be a form of anticipatory anxiety, where your nervous system tries to prevent surprise by rehearsing, checking, and scanning for problems before they appear. 

We also get honest about what well-being advice often skips. If the pressure at work is real, chronic understaffing, bullying, unrealistic expectations, your anxiety is not a character flaw. Still, worrying earlier does not create more control. When email checking brings a quick hit of relief, it can train your brain to ring the alarm sooner next weekend. Sunday becomes a trigger, like a bell, and your time off gets quietly billed to work stress. 

We share a practical reset you can try tonight: finish one specific sentence, “Tomorrow I’m afraid that ___,” then decide whether it deserves one small, bounded action for 5 to 10 minutes or whether it belongs on Monday’s list. The aim is not perfection. It is learning to notice the signal without obeying it, and protecting your recovery time so you can show up with more steadiness. 

If this resonates, subscribe for more tools for work anxiety and burnout, share the episode with someone who dreads Sundays, and leave a review so more listeners can find the words for what they are carrying.

Send us Fan Mail

The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

Support the show

Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion?

https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety

Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.

Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™

Connect with Cheryl Paris

LinkedIn:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin 

Facebook:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook

Shared stories are anonymised.

This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.

Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/

© Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.

Stress at work doesn’t just make you tired. It can quietly strip away your patience, your focus, and the parts of you that used to feel steady. We’re joined by clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Vanessa Labode-Richman, who shares a practical framework she built from both personal experience and brain science: the FORWARD Method.

We start with the most important move when you feel overwhelmed: framing the problem. Dr. Vanessa explains how to sort stressors into what you can fix, what you should face for a meaningful goal, and what you may need to forget because it is unhealthy to accept. From there, we dig into outlook without fake positivity, why being “capable of struggle” expands your options, and how rigid beliefs like “I can’t leave” can trap you in higher-cost choices.

Then we get specific about the neuropsychology of chronic stress. When the amygdala is on high alert, clear thinking shrinks and rumination takes over. Dr. Vanessa explains how outside understanding, mentors, books, podcasts, or therapy can bring your prefrontal cortex back online so you can make better decisions. We also talk about reflection that gives pain meaning without pretending you have to be grateful, plus a Monday-morning reset for anyone running on empty using her “brain dollars” idea.

If this helped, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who’s burning out, and leave a review so more people can find practical tools for workplace stress and anxiety.

Send us Fan Mail

The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers

Support the show

Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion?

https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety

Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.

Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™

Connect with Cheryl Paris

LinkedIn:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin 

Facebook:
https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook

Shared stories are anonymised.

This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.

Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/

© Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.