Choose Empowering Language Over Apologies: What Meeting Jess Ekstrom Taught Me About Taking Up Space

Breaking the Stigma of Workplace Mental Health Support: Laura Kunz, President of Spirence

What if the support people need most arrives before the crisis hits? In this episode of RTDB, Christy sits down with Laura Kunz, co-founder and President of Spirence, for an honest conversation about recovery, resilience, and why workplace mental health support can't wait until burnout becomes a breakdown. Laura's path is anything but linear — from selling water filtration systems in early recovery (and getting called out for her recovery journey) to building a career in behavioral health to co-founding Spirence. Spirence is an award-winning wellness platform that lets you choose the learning tools that best fit your needs. Her story is proof that need drives ingenuity. In this episode: * Why people need mental health and wellness support before they reach crisis * How Laura's own recovery shaped her approach to behavioral health * What Spirence offers and who it's designed to serve * The joy of podcasting — and Laura's show, Prevention Pioneers * Breaking the stigma around asking for help at work * What Laura's personal tools are for mental health fitness If you've ever white-knuckled your way through burnout instead of reaching out, this one's for you. 🎙️ Connect with Laura: spirencewellness.com [http://spirencewellness.com] Listen to Laura's show: Prevention Pioneers podcast [https://open.spotify.com/show/38LpdX5oADe3X3Pv1rQBnW?si=6b64733805b54bf0] Connect with Christy and learn more about The Thrive Collective at thrivewithchristy.com [http://thrivewithchristy.com]

When Your Nervous System Is Maxed Out: Menopause, Creativity & Letting Others Be Happy

Some weeks the nervous system runs hot. In this Sunday Shortie of RTDB, I'm talking about windows of tolerance — the space where you can actually feel and function before you tip into overwhelm or shutdown — and what it looks like when menopause keeps shrinking that window without warning. I also get honest about something quieter: the pull to dim someone else's joy when you're depleted. Not out of meanness — out of exhaustion. And what it takes to let other people be happy without making it mean something about you. Then there's Yesteryear. I always thought I was writing the character's postpartum depression. Turns out the page was holding a mirror up to my own state of mind in menopause. The writing knew before I did. In this episode of RTDB: * What a "window of tolerance" is, in plain language * Why menopause narrows that window — and how to notice the edges sooner * The difference between protecting your peace and stealing someone else's * How my own writing surfaced what I wasn't saying out loud * A gentler way to move through a depleted week Key takeaways: * Your window of tolerance isn't fixed — hormones, sleep, and stress move the walls * Feeling depleted doesn't make you a bad person; it makes you human * Someone else's joy is not a withdrawal from your account * The creative work you make often reflects you before you're ready to look * You don't have to fix the whole feeling — you can just name where you are * What is a window of tolerance? The range where your nervous system can handle stress and emotion without tipping into overwhelm (hyperarousal) or shutdown (hypoarousal). * How does menopause affect emotional regulation? Hormonal shifts can narrow that window, making it easier to feel flooded or flat with less provocation than before. * What does "stealing someone's joy" mean? Diminishing another person's happiness — often unconsciously, when you're depleted — instead of letting their good moment exist on its own. Learn more about The Thrive Collective at thrivewithchristy.com

Removing the Subconscious Beliefs That Prevent Growth: Nicole Beaudin, pt. 2

The second half of Christy's conversation with Nicole Beaudin picks up right where things get real — shadow work. If Part 1 was about recognizing you want something different, Part 2 is about doing the deeper work to actually get there. Nicole walks through the coaching method she uses to help high performers uncover the subconscious beliefs quietly running the show — the ones formed at age seven that are still blocking you at forty. From denied personas to underlying commitments, this conversation gets specific about what the inner work actually looks like in practice. In this episode of RTDB, you'll hear: * What shadow work is and why the person who triggers you most is a mirror worth looking into * How subconscious beliefs form in childhood and show up as self-sabotage in adulthood * Nicole's concept of a "spiritual board of directors" — and why she recently fired hers and started over * What to do when your tools stop working (and how to build a regulation toolkit that evolves with you) * Why the aftermath of a big life change can feel harder than the change itself — and what that means for your nervous system Learn more and work with Nicole at nicolebeaudin.com [http://nicolebeaudin.com] Follow her Substack: https://substack.com/@nicolebeaudin [https://substack.com/@nicolebeaudin] Learn more about The Thrive Collective and work with christy at thrivewithchristy.com [http://thrivewithchristy.com]

Who Will You Inspire? Celebrating the Wins That Make Waves, Even if it's a Tiny Ripple Effect

In this Sunday Shortie episode of Rock the Damn Boat (RTDB), Christy slows down. Before she heads back to corporate life and a lot more screen time, she's spending the week outside — trading notifications for fresh air and reconnecting with nature. Benefits of nature include: • Pattern Recognition and Nervous System: Pattern recognition can create nervous system regulation. • Bird Song and Safety: Bird song can create a sense of safety. • Trees and Calming Effect: Trees releasing phytocides can have a calming effect. This one's a gentle nudge to celebrate your milestones, even when it feels like bragging. If you were taught to shrink as a kid, or you've spent years as a people-pleaser, owning your wins can feel uncomfortable. But Christy makes the case that celebrating your achievements isn't ego — it's a ripple effect. When you honor how far you've come, you give someone else permission to chase their own passions too. Tune in for a grounded reminder to rest, unplug, and take real pride in what you've built.

I Don't Want That Life: Moving from Corporate Retail to Spiritual Coaching with Nicole Beaudin, pt 1

What happens when you're succeeding on paper but falling apart on the inside? In Part 1 of this RTDB conversation, Christy sits down with Nicole Beaudin — alignment leadership coach, Reiki-trained facilitator, and author of the This Way to Lightness Substack — to talk about the corporate career that looked impressive from the outside and felt hollow from within. Nicole shares her path from Williams-Sonoma and West Elm to Tory Burch, and the moment a psychic in Wisconsin handed her a piece of black tourmaline and changed everything. She opens up about discovering she's an empath, learning Reiki as an act of self-preservation, and what it felt like to look up at the women ahead of her in corporate and think: I don't want that life. In this episode of RTDB, you'll hear: * How Nicole's reference to an archaelogical dig reminded Christy of a transformative book * Why high-achieving people pleasers are often the most disconnected from their own needs * What empaths are (and the neuroscience behind why they experience the world differently) * How Reiki became Nicole's entry point into intuitive healing * The moment Nicole knew corporate retail wasn't her final chapter — and how she leaned into spiritual practice instead of pushing through Learn more and work with Nicole at nicolebeaudin.com [http://nicolebeaudin.com] Follow her Substack here: https://substack.com/@nicolebeaudin [https://substack.com/@nicolebeaudin] Order your copy of Something More [https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/something-more-excavating-your-authentic-self_sarah-ban-breathnach/255009/?resultid=74dca32a-2e7c-469b-a83a-3cf1620eec6f#edition=2393849&idiq=3272951] by Sarah Ban Breathnach from Thrift Books