#44 Using the Difficulty: How to Move Forward When Life Feels Too Full

#49 Heartnomics: Power in Emotions and Alignment in Business & Life (ft. Hanna Bauer)

Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. Long before we reach exhaustion, our emotions, our relationships, and even our bodies begin telling us that something is out of alignment. The question is: are we paying attention? In this episode, Monique welcomes multi-time CEO, Six Sigma Black Belt, and Heartnomics founder Hanna Bauer to explore a new way of thinking about leadership - one that builds resilience before burnout even takes hold.  Drawing from her experience surviving childhood heart diseases, leading organizations through constant transformation, and helping teams thrive through change, Hanna introduces Hearnomics — a leadership philosophy that brings heart and execution together. Rather than seeing emotions as distractions, she explains why they’re some of the most valuable data leaders have, and how learning to listen to them can create healthier people, stronger teams, and more resilient organizations.  Together, Monique and Hanna unpack why sustainable leadership isn’t about pushing harder. It’s about building the kind of resilience that allows both people and performance to flourish long before burnout becomes the cost of success. Whether you’re leading a business, a team, or simply navigating a demanding season of life, this conversation will challenge the way you think about success and what it truly means to lead well. Because the strongest leaders aren’t the ones who wait until they’re burned out to change. They’re the ones who build a life and a leadership that make burnout far less likely in the first place.  In this episode: (03:16) - Understanding Heartnomics: The Intersection of Emotion and Execution (06:53) - Emotions as Data in Business (09:30) - The Role of Emotions in Organizational Health (14:24) - Identifying Signals of Disengagement and Burnout (17:38) - The Importance of Human Connection in Leadership (21:45) - Why Self-Care Is One of Your Greatest Leadership Responsibilities (23:29) - The Power of Deceleration (35:15) - The Heart Framework: How Heartnomics Turns Values Into High-Performing Teams (36:10) - The BEAT Method: Turning Awareness into Action (39:11) - How Resilient Leaders Turn Failure Into Forward Momentum (42:01) - How to Lead with Purpose Instead of Constant Presence Links and Resources: * The HEARTnomics CORE Alignment Diagnostic - Free Audit | https://heartnomics.com/#audit [https://heartnomics.com/#audit]  Connect with Hanna: * Website | https://heartnomics.com/ [https://heartnomics.com/]  * LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bauerhanna/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bauerhanna/]  Connect with Monique: * Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ [https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/]  * Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast/] * Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer [https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer]  * YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment [https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment]  Ask Monique Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?  'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.  https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8 [https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8]

#46 Reclaiming Your Agency

So often we find ourselves frustrated at work, in teams, in family, or in friendships, because someone else isn’t showing up the way we think they should. We get stuck waiting for them to act, to decide, and to fix things. And in that waiting, we surrender the control that’s always been ours.  In this episode, Monique dives deep into the concept of reclaiming your agency, emphasizing the importance of reclaiming personal power in various aspects of life, including relationships and workplace dynamics. Whether it’s navigating constant urgent requests at work, negotiating expectations with a team, or stepping back from relationships that no longer align with your values, this episode is a reminder that you always have a choice, and real change comes when you take action.  In this episode: (01:16) - Understanding “Agency”: The Power of Choice (02:18) - Waiting for Others to Change (And Why That Fails) (03:13) - Identifying and Addressing Agency in Group Dynamics (05:43) - Protecting Your Energy and Structuring Your Time (06:29) - Negotiation as a Leadership Tool (07:17) - Resentment as a Signal You’ve Lost Control (09:00) - When Values Are Fundamentally Misaligned (10:32) - Taking Action: Your Right to Change Links and Resources: * Book - Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself | https://a.co/d/01s96IQB [https://a.co/d/01s96IQB]  Connect with Monique: * Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ [https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/]  * Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast/] * Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer [https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer]  * YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment [https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment]  Ask Monique Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?  'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.  https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8 [https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8]

#45 Leading with Clarity: How to Manage Your Workload Without Burnout

Leadership isn’t about doing it all. It’s about making clear decisions, defining accountability, and protecting your team’s energy. In this episode, Monique draws insights from a quarterly business review to explore how leaders can prevent cognitive overload while maximizing team performance. She highlights the power of clear roles, well-defined accountability, and strategic prioritization - not just to keep projects on track, but to protect people, sustain productivity, and drive meaningful outcomes.  In this episode: (00:54) - Quarterly Business Review and Leadership Accountability (02:21) - Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Boundaries (03:52) - Action Steps for Clarity & Accountability (06:25) - Delegation and Ruthless Prioritization Connect with Monique: * Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ [https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/]  * Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast/] * Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer [https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer]  * YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment [https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment]  Ask Monique Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?  'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.  https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8 [https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8]

#44 Using the Difficulty: How to Move Forward When Life Feels Too Full

Life doesn’t slow down when you’re overwhelmed.  In this episode, Monique explores what it’s like when all aspects of life demand attention at once - work, parenting, health, leadership, and personal projects. She examines how to stay present and effective without letting overwhelm take control. Monique reframes difficulty as an opportunity rather than a failure. She shares practical strategies for navigating busy seasons with clarity, intention, and self-compassion. Through stories and reflections from her own life, she demonstrates how to use friction as a signal, make strategic decisions about what truly matters, and how to protect energy while still showing up fully.  In this episode: (00:51) - How Are You, Really? (03:12) - The Reality of Full Seasons (05:22) - Using Difficult Moments to Your Advantage (06:50) - Acknowledging Frustration Without Paralysis (08:51) - Brain Dumps & Clearing Mental Overload (11:37) - Glass Balls vs Rubber Balls Framework (13:42) - Protecting Your Team & Shielding Priorities (15:24) - Delegation, AI, Virtual Assistants, and Family Advisors Connect with Monique: * Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com [https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com]  * Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast]  * Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer [https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer]   * YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment [https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment]  Ask Monique Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?  'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.  https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8 [https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8]

# 43 The Permission to Pause and the Curiosity to Build with AI

In this episode, Monique gets honest about breaking her own consistency streak and why giving ourselves grace matters in a messy, overwhelming world. She talks about holding space for real feelings at work and at home, and shares practical, down‑to‑earth ways she’s using AI in real life—from planning a family trip to synthesizing feedback and even learning to build with AI through a product boot camp. Take what resonates, leave the rest, and keep experimenting. In this episode: (01:36) - Consistency, Priorities, and Starting Again (04:24) - When the World Feels Heavy (05:39) - Permission to Pause and Give Yourself Grace (07:30) - Holding Safe Spaces at Work (10:47) - Planning a Family Spring Break with AI (Practical Trip-Planning Use Case) (15:27) - Using AI to Synthesize Performance Review Data Responsibly (18:19) - Building a Front-End Using Natural Language (20:00) - APIs and Backend Learning (22:01) - Why Experimenting Builds Better Product Leaders Connect with Monique: * Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ [https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/]  * Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast/] * Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer [https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer]  * YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment [https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment]  Ask Monique Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?  'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.  https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8 [https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8]