June 8, 2025 • 11 mins
Are you constantly exhausted, overwhelmed, or struggling to make even the simplest decisions? That’s decision fatigue and burnout — and today, we’re talking about how to stop overdoing it and start protecting your energy.
In this episode, I dive into:
✅ What decision fatigue really looks like (and why choosing a parking spot can suddenly feel impossible)
✅ The hidden dangers of being a high achiever who “can handle anything”
✅ Why burnout creeps in so quietly (especially for women in their 40s, 50s & beyond)
✅ Simple mindset shifts to stop glorifying busy and start prioritizing peace
✅ A real example of how I recently gave myself permission to slow down
✅ How to say no, delegate, and protect your energy — without guilt
✨ Whether you’re driving, folding laundry, walking into work, or just trying to reset your mind, this microdose is for you.
Thank you for tuning in! I truly appreciate every one of you, whether you’re here for the first time or have been with me from the start.
-
Subscribe & Catch full episodes of In Shock Podcast on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@inshock.podcast 📺
-
For daily doses of Inspiration Follow me @inshock.podcast on Instagram | TikTok | Facebook
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi everyone.
Welcome to your first officialin Shock Microdose series.
This is a new format that I'mintroducing to the show because
sometimes we don't have 30minutes or even an hour to tune
in to a podcast, and I reallybelieve that personal growth
(00:22):
comes in small doses theseepisodes are designed to be
short, but very meaningful sothat you can microdose your way
through healing, growth, andmoving forward.
Whether you're driving, foldinglaundry, walking into work, or
you're just trying to reset.
These are for you if you're newhere.
(00:45):
Let me give you a quickbackground on how in shock came
to life, and more importantly,why does it even exist.
This podcast was born from someof my hardest chapters that I
went through in my life.
I've had cancer four times.
I went through a lot of majorsurgeries.
(01:07):
As a result, I survived twobrain aneurysms that required a
craniotomy, which is open brainsurgery.
I've had three strokes, becauseof the cancer medications I was
taking, I also went through avery painful divorce.
And if that wasn't enough, Ilost my job during the global
(01:29):
financial crisis that took metwo years to recover
financially.
I was completely broke duringthat time, but this is not a
story about all my suffering.
This is about survival, and whatit takes to heal.
Grow and move forward, and thatis what in shock is all about.
(01:49):
It's about those moments thatshake us to our core and what we
have to do to overcome them.
So if you've ever had a momentin life where everything changed
or you didn't know how to getthrough, then you're in the
right place.
This podcast is here to remindyou that you're not alone.
(02:10):
Life is going to hit hard, andwhen it does.
It's nice to have a place to goto where stories resonate.
They're relevant and they'rereal.
And that is what I'm here toshare.
Back in my first episode titledThree Strategies of Navigating
(02:31):
Life's Curve Balls.
I talked about the tools thathelp me survive and rebuild.
If you haven't listened yet, Iencourage you to go back and
start there, but hang in with metoday because we are gonna talk
about something that many of usstruggle with and that's
overdoing it and how that leadsto decision fatigue.
(02:57):
Have you ever felt like you'rejuggling so much that even
something as simple as choosinga parking spot feels
overwhelming?
That's decision fatigue.
It builds when you're constantlymaking choices, managing chaos
in your life, trying to solveproblems, trying to make
decisions.
(03:18):
And staying on.
All of the time I have beenliving that lately.
We just finished a major outdoorrenovation at home, and let me
tell you the decisions for thiswere endless from the design,
the materials, the landscaping,the trees, the plants, the
(03:41):
flowers.
The outdoor furniture and on topof that, we've done a full
bathroom remodel this is not amoment about bragging the
renovations is the payoff of megrinding through 14 to 16 hour
days in my job, working a lot ofweekends, and I'm in corporate
(04:01):
America.
And if you're in a corporate joband you're grinding, you get it.
What I've realized and what thisepisode is here to unpack, I.
Is that just because you can doit all does not mean that you
should.
We high performers, survivors,doers, we tell ourselves we can
(04:23):
handle anything, and often wecan, but over time that mindset
can backfire and burn us out,and it happens quietly and
slowly.
I've lived that way most of mylife.
It has certainly served me in alot of ways, but now standing on
(04:44):
the edge of turning 60.
I can't keep taking everythingon, and it's not because of
aging, it's because I've gottenwiser think of this episode as
your permission slip to slowdown to ask yourself, is this
really serving me?
Before you say yes, because wedon't have to prove anything to
(05:07):
anyone and we don't have tocarry it all.
And I think what's moreinteresting we have a tendency
to say yes to everything.
You're kind of in it, right?
You're jamming and you're like,yep, I can take that on.
Sure.
That's no problem.
That's no problem.
'cause we haven't taken a stepback to take a breath and tell
(05:27):
ourselves, what the fuck am Idoing?
Right.
Let's talk about what happenswhen we say yes or when we're
taking on too much and how wecan stop it.
When we take on too much, webecome exhausted.
We.
Not just physically, butmentally and emotionally.
(05:49):
Our clarity goes out the windowand we start second guessing
everything from big decisions tolittle ones like, what am I
making for dinner?
You could open the refrigerator90 times, open up the cabinets
50 times, and you're spinning ina circle because you have taken
on so much you're emotionally.
(06:12):
Mentally drained, you are burntout.
We stopped feeling joy in thethings that we used to love.
And instead, everything feelsheavy.
It feels like a fucking chore,and we start hating it.
I got to a point where I washating having to make decisions
about a lovely outdoor areaYesterday I was talking to one
(06:36):
of my girlfriends over the phoneand I even told her, I've
realized I am taking on way toomuch and I don't wanna do that
anymore.
It's exhausting.
I don't like that feeling of notbeing able to make a decision.
Think about when you sit backand you're wrestling with a
(06:56):
decision, and it could besomething small, it could be
something big.
Why are we wrestling?
Are we trying to change too muchat one time?
Are we trying to do too much atone time?
The answer is probably yes ifwe're honest with ourselves.
Burnout happens slowly.
(07:19):
It happens after you'vestretched yourself too thin.
So how do we stop doing this toourselves?
Well, we start to get honest.
We check in with ourselvesregularly and ask, am I adding
value or am I adding moreweight?
And that's why everything feelslike a fucking chore.
(07:41):
We need to stop glorifying beingbusy because it is not serving
us.
Start prioritizing.
Peace.
It means saying no even to thegood things so we can say yes to
what really matters.
It means giving ourselfpermission to pause before we
(08:01):
commit.
Let me give you an example.
I woke up today.
It's misty outside.
It's not that beautiful sunnyday I was hoping for, but I
shouldn't be surprised becausein Massachusetts it's been
raining every weekend and it'sbeen beautiful during the week I
sat in my chair in the kitchenlooking outside at my new
(08:23):
beautiful space with my coffeecup in hand, and it was very
difficult for me because I wassitting still and I had all
these things on my mind that Ithought I should be doing right
now.
But instead, I gave myselfpermission.
to sit quietly in the chair.
(08:45):
There was no reason I needed torush anywhere to do anything.
'cause quite frankly, I wasfeeling incredibly burnt out.
My body was hurting because Ihad been pushing it so hard in
the gym.
I was feeling fatigued mentallyfrom having to make all these
decisions that I was wrestlingwith that was keeping me up at
(09:07):
night.
I gave myself permission to havesome peace and quiet for myself.
So let's stop.
Slow down and ask ourselves,does this really matter?
Is it okay if I rest becauserest is productive.
It's actually serving us, and itrejuvenates us it means
(09:30):
building, breathing room intoour lives on purpose.
Because protecting your energyisn't weakness, it's wisdom.
I'm realizing I feel better whenI've taken just enough on and
said no to the excess, to theoverflow.
(09:51):
If you're burned out from tryingto do it all, here's your
reminder.
You were never meant to carryeverything alone.
I.
You do not have to do it all.
Leaders like Cheryl Sandberg,who was the COO at Facebook, she
didn't build success by doing itall.
She learned to delegate,prioritize.
(10:14):
That allowed her to focus onwhat really mattered.
And you can too, start askingyourself, what can I let go of?
Who can I trust to help?
If you need help with something,doing everything doesn't make
you strong.
Knowing what to let go of does.
So give yourself permission tostop proving, start delegating,
(10:38):
and make space for what fuelsyou, for what brings you joy and
doesn't burn you out.
Thanks for hanging out with metoday for your very first
microdose with tea.
That's me.
If this resonated with you, ifit gave you even a moment of
clarity, share it with a friendwho might need it too.
(10:59):
Until next time.
Hi everyone.
Welcome to your first officialin Shock Microdose series.
This is a new format that I'mintroducing to the show because
sometimes we don't have 30minutes or even an hour to tune
in to a podcast, and I reallybelieve that personal growth
(00:22):
comes in small doses theseepisodes are designed to be
short, but very meaningful sothat you can microdose your way
through healing, growth, andmoving forward.
Whether you're driving, foldinglaundry, walking into work, or
you're just trying to reset.
These are for you if you're newhere.
(00:45):
Let me give you a quickbackground on how in shock came
to life, and more importantly,why does it even exist.
This podcast was born from someof my hardest chapters that I
went through in my life.
I've had cancer four times.
I went through a lot of majorsurgeries.
(01:07):
As a result, I survived twobrain aneurysms that required a
craniotomy, which is open brainsurgery.
I've had three strokes, becauseof the cancer medications I was
taking, I also went through avery painful divorce.
And if that wasn't enough, Ilost my job during the global
(01:29):
financial crisis that took metwo years to recover
financially.
I was completely broke duringthat time, but this is not a
story about all my suffering.
This is about survival, and whatit takes to heal.
Grow and move forward, and thatis what in shock is all about.
(01:49):
It's about those moments thatshake us to our core and what we
have to do to overcome them.
So if you've ever had a momentin life where everything changed
or you didn't know how to getthrough, then you're in the
right place.
This podcast is here to remindyou that you're not alone.
(02:10):
Life is going to hit hard, andwhen it does.
It's nice to have a place to goto where stories resonate.
They're relevant and they'rereal.
And that is what I'm here toshare.
Back in my first episode titledThree Strategies of Navigating
(02:31):
Life's Curve Balls.
I talked about the tools thathelp me survive and rebuild.
If you haven't listened yet, Iencourage you to go back and
start there, but hang in with metoday because we are gonna talk
about something that many of usstruggle with and that's
overdoing it and how that leadsto decision fatigue.
(02:57):
Have you ever felt like you'rejuggling so much that even
something as simple as choosinga parking spot feels
overwhelming?
That's decision fatigue.
It builds when you're constantlymaking choices, managing chaos
in your life, trying to solveproblems, trying to make
decisions.
(03:18):
And staying on.
All of the time I have beenliving that lately.
We just finished a major outdoorrenovation at home, and let me
tell you the decisions for thiswere endless from the design,
the materials, the landscaping,the trees, the plants, the
(03:41):
flowers.
The outdoor furniture and on topof that, we've done a full
bathroom remodel this is not amoment about bragging the
renovations is the payoff of megrinding through 14 to 16 hour
days in my job, working a lot ofweekends, and I'm in corporate
(04:01):
America.
And if you're in a corporate joband you're grinding, you get it.
What I've realized and what thisepisode is here to unpack, I.
Is that just because you can doit all does not mean that you
should.
We high performers, survivors,doers, we tell ourselves we can
(04:23):
handle anything, and often wecan, but over time that mindset
can backfire and burn us out,and it happens quietly and
slowly.
I've lived that way most of mylife.
It has certainly served me in alot of ways, but now standing on
(04:44):
the edge of turning 60.
I can't keep taking everythingon, and it's not because of
aging, it's because I've gottenwiser think of this episode as
your permission slip to slowdown to ask yourself, is this
really serving me?
Before you say yes, because wedon't have to prove anything to
(05:07):
anyone and we don't have tocarry it all.
And I think what's moreinteresting we have a tendency
to say yes to everything.
You're kind of in it, right?
You're jamming and you're like,yep, I can take that on.
Sure.
That's no problem.
That's no problem.
'cause we haven't taken a stepback to take a breath and tell
(05:27):
ourselves, what the fuck am Idoing?
Right.
Let's talk about what happenswhen we say yes or when we're
taking on too much and how wecan stop it.
When we take on too much, webecome exhausted.
We.
Not just physically, butmentally and emotionally.
(05:49):
Our clarity goes out the windowand we start second guessing
everything from big decisions tolittle ones like, what am I
making for dinner?
You could open the refrigerator90 times, open up the cabinets
50 times, and you're spinning ina circle because you have taken
on so much you're emotionally.
(06:12):
Mentally drained, you are burntout.
We stopped feeling joy in thethings that we used to love.
And instead, everything feelsheavy.
It feels like a fucking chore,and we start hating it.
I got to a point where I washating having to make decisions
about a lovely outdoor areaYesterday I was talking to one
(06:36):
of my girlfriends over the phoneand I even told her, I've
realized I am taking on way toomuch and I don't wanna do that
anymore.
It's exhausting.
I don't like that feeling of notbeing able to make a decision.
Think about when you sit backand you're wrestling with a
(06:56):
decision, and it could besomething small, it could be
something big.
Why are we wrestling?
Are we trying to change too muchat one time?
Are we trying to do too much atone time?
The answer is probably yes ifwe're honest with ourselves.
Burnout happens slowly.
(07:19):
It happens after you'vestretched yourself too thin.
So how do we stop doing this toourselves?
Well, we start to get honest.
We check in with ourselvesregularly and ask, am I adding
value or am I adding moreweight?
And that's why everything feelslike a fucking chore.
(07:41):
We need to stop glorifying beingbusy because it is not serving
us.
Start prioritizing.
Peace.
It means saying no even to thegood things so we can say yes to
what really matters.
It means giving ourselfpermission to pause before we
(08:01):
commit.
Let me give you an example.
I woke up today.
It's misty outside.
It's not that beautiful sunnyday I was hoping for, but I
shouldn't be surprised becausein Massachusetts it's been
raining every weekend and it'sbeen beautiful during the week I
sat in my chair in the kitchenlooking outside at my new
(08:23):
beautiful space with my coffeecup in hand, and it was very
difficult for me because I wassitting still and I had all
these things on my mind that Ithought I should be doing right
now.
But instead, I gave myselfpermission.
to sit quietly in the chair.
(08:45):
There was no reason I needed torush anywhere to do anything.
'cause quite frankly, I wasfeeling incredibly burnt out.
My body was hurting because Ihad been pushing it so hard in
the gym.
I was feeling fatigued mentallyfrom having to make all these
decisions that I was wrestlingwith that was keeping me up at
(09:07):
night.
I gave myself permission to havesome peace and quiet for myself.
So let's stop.
Slow down and ask ourselves,does this really matter?
Is it okay if I rest becauserest is productive.
It's actually serving us, and itrejuvenates us it means
(09:30):
building, breathing room intoour lives on purpose.
Because protecting your energyisn't weakness, it's wisdom.
I'm realizing I feel better whenI've taken just enough on and
said no to the excess, to theoverflow.
(09:51):
If you're burned out from tryingto do it all, here's your
reminder.
You were never meant to carryeverything alone.
I.
You do not have to do it all.
Leaders like Cheryl Sandberg,who was the COO at Facebook, she
didn't build success by doing itall.
She learned to delegate,prioritize.
(10:14):
That allowed her to focus onwhat really mattered.
And you can too, start askingyourself, what can I let go of?
Who can I trust to help?
If you need help with something,doing everything doesn't make
you strong.
Knowing what to let go of does.
So give yourself permission tostop proving, start delegating,
(10:38):
and make space for what fuelsyou, for what brings you joy and
doesn't burn you out.
Thanks for hanging out with metoday for your very first
microdose with tea.
That's me.
If this resonated with you, ifit gave you even a moment of
clarity, share it with a friendwho might need it too.
(10:59):
Until next time.
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