The Blow Your Mind Podcast

What Holds You Together on the Days You Don't Want To

Belief wobbles. Energy runs out. Systems are what carry you through anyway. In this episode, Erika breaks down the second pillar of the Blow Your Mind framework: systems. Not the rigid, overwhelming kind, but the practices, habits, and sacred lines that quietly reinforce who you've decided to become. From 6am workouts after midnight flights to transcendental meditation and color-coded calendars, Erika shares the real rituals that hold her life together when belief wobbles and energy runs low. If you've been waiting for inspiration to change your life, this is your sign that you don't need it. You just need a structure built for the future version of you. Follow Erika on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/ [https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/] Check out her website: https://erikasinner.org/ [https://erikasinner.org/] Buy her book, Pets Are Family: https://erikasinner.org/book [https://erikasinner.org/book] Check out TinySuperheroes: https://tinysuperheroes.com/ [https://tinysuperheroes.com/] 00:00, Welcome back 00:44, Landing at midnight, 6am trainer still showing up 01:33, Why systems matter: mental health, TinySuperheroes, bone health 01:58, What systems actually are: practices, habits, standards 02:28, Why motivation isn't enough (and what replaces it) 03:39, How following through builds self-trust 04:31, Morning rituals that remind you who you are 05:39, "Future you needs a structure that past you never built" 07:46, Growing up on food stamps and learning you can decide who you become 09:38, The challenge: build your systems

The Cost of Believing the Wrong Story About Yourself

In this raw and deeply personal episode, Erika opens up about the stories we believe about ourselves that aren't actually true. Sharing her experience as a sexual abuse survivor within her own family, the pain of her father leaving, and the years of unworthiness that followed, she introduces the first part of the Blow Your Mind framework: identity. Because you cannot build the life you want from the identity of the life you survived. Erika unpacks how identity is shaped by the experiences we've lived through, why affirmations on sticky notes don't work, and what it actually takes to decide who you're becoming. From naming the false stories you've been carrying to making real identity shifts that build self-trust, this episode is an invitation to stop surviving as someone else's version of you and start choosing yourself on purpose. Follow Erika on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/] Check out her website: ⁠https://erikasinner.org/⁠ [https://erikasinner.org/] Buy her book, Pets Are Family: ⁠https://erikasinner.org/book⁠ [https://erikasinner.org/book] Check out TinySuperheroes: ⁠https://tinysuperheroes.com/ [https://tinysuperheroes.com/] 00:00 Welcome to Blow Your Mind  00:42 My story 02:19 Introducing the identity framework  03:30 The stories that shaped my unworthiness  04:27 When your own dad doesn't choose you  05:42 The stories you didn't consciously choose  06:34 Why survival identity has a ceiling 07:31 How to actually shift your identity  09:22 The morning ritual that changed everything  11:14 You can't build a new life from a survived identity  12:28 Mind blown moment, you get to decide

The ER Visit That Taught Me to Choose Myself

Erika thought she was having a brain bleed. She was actually having a panic attack, in an ER in Boston, with her client sitting next to her. She'd been running three full-time jobs out of one body, sleeping four hours a night, and gaslighting herself every time her body tried to warn her. In this episode, Chris joins Erika to talk about the moments most leaders never share. The ER visits. The denial. The cost of building something extraordinary while quietly falling apart. Chris shares what it was like to watch it happen up close, how it shifted his old-school views on mental health, and what changed once Erika finally started choosing herself. This one is honest, a little funny (Friday night rituals included), and a real look at what partnership, self-trust, and sustainable success actually require. Follow Erika on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/ [https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/] Check out her website: https://erikasinner.org/ [https://erikasinner.org/] Buy her book, Pets Are Family: https://erikasinner.org/book [https://erikasinner.org/book] Check out TinySuperheroes: https://tinysuperheroes.com/ [https://tinysuperheroes.com/] 00:00 Welcome to Blow Your Mind  01:00 The ER visit that changed everything  04:00 The second panic attack and the breaking point  06:40 Running three full-time jobs at once  08:55 Mind blown moment, choosing yourself doesn't have to be complicated  12:00 Reconnecting as partners  16:30 Friday night rituals  17:20 The challenge

I Lived Through 11 Rounds of Layoffs, So I Built Something Different

11 rounds of layoffs. Yellow envelopes on desks. Two ballrooms in two different hotels, and the news that everyone in the other room just lost their job. Before Erika built Directorie, she lived through some of the most painful corporate restructurings the pharma industry could deliver. In episode three of the Blow Your Mind Podcast, she walks through what those years actually felt like and how they shaped every decision she made when she got to build her own company. From the "moments that matter" framework to the no-asshole policy to why one-on-ones are non-negotiable, this episode is the playbook for anyone trying to build a culture where people feel safe, seen, and able to do their best work. If you've ever sat at a desk wondering whether tomorrow is your last day, or you're a leader trying to build something different, this one is for you. Follow Erika on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/ [https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/] Check out her website: https://erikasinner.org/ [https://erikasinner.org/] Buy her book, Pets Are Family: https://erikasinner.org/book [https://erikasinner.org/book] Check out TinySuperheroes: https://tinysuperheroes.com/ [https://tinysuperheroes.com/] 00:00 Welcome back to Blow Your Mind 00:42 The yellow envelope layoff 02:51 Two ballrooms, two outcomes 03:43 Why I built Directorie 05:25 Moments That Matter 06:36 Why one-on-ones are non-negotiable 08:42 Culture is how they feel on Sunday night 10:20 We're a team, not a family 12:35 Building intentional fun (and ziplining opt-outs) 13:35 Mind blown moment: culture doesn't just happen 14:10 This week's challenge

My Husband Is a Stay-at-Home Dog Dad (And Why That Works)

What happens when the wife becomes the breadwinner, the husband becomes the stay-at-home dog dad, and neither of them feels the need to apologize for it? In episode two of the Blow Your Mind Podcast, Erika is joined by her husband Chris for their first on-mic conversation about how they actually built their partnership. They go back to the lowest moment, a broken ankle, a lost job, and the decision to start Directorie anyway, and walk through what it really took: 22 weeks of travel in year one, hard conversations about chores, and a literal list slid across the dining room table. If you've ever struggled to ask for what you need at home, or wondered how unconventional partnerships actually work behind the scenes, this one is for you. Follow Erika on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/ [https://www.instagram.com/erika_sinner/] Check out her website: https://erikasinner.org/ [https://erikasinner.org/] Buy her book, Pets Are Family: https://erikasinner.org/book [https://erikasinner.org/book] Check out TinySuperheroes: https://tinysuperheroes.com/ [https://tinysuperheroes.com/] 00:00 Welcome back to Blow Your Mind 00:54 22 weeks on the road, year one of Directorie 02:15 The broken ankle and the lowest point 04:49 "I think I want to start a company" 06:05 Choosing a life without human kids 07:26 Rewriting who does what at home 10:12 Post-COVID: the day Chris "got retired" 12:22 Trophy husbands and the golf course reactions 14:19 The list that changed everything 18:14 Mind blown moment: just ask 20:28 This week's challenge