EP 111: When Your Body Keeps Score: Putting Your Oxygen Mask On First with Ruth Hirshberg

Ep 120: How to Pull Out of a Business Tailspin: What Flying Airplanes Taught Me About Leadership

I once let my flight instructor blindfold me mid-air. On purpose. Then he put the plane into a stall spin. What happened to my body in that cockpit became a lesson I still use with every leader I work with, especially the ones white-knuckling their way through a hard season.  In this episode, I'm getting into what a stall actually is, why your instincts might be the exact thing working against you, and what I trust instead when everything in me is screaming to grip tighter. What You'll Hear * The night I let my flight instructor blindfold me mid-flight * Why my body lied to me the second I couldn't see the horizon * The real reason a stall happens (it's not what most people think) * The signs I look for that tell me a business is already spinning * The recovery process I walk leaders through when they're gripping too tight * My go-to method for hiring the right support, instead of just more of myself Ready to Breathe Easier? Whether you’re navigating a difficult people decision, feeling buried in work that drains your energy, or ready to build support that actually fits.  Start With Oxygen 1st https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/contact [https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/contact] You’ll be guided to the right next step — without pressure, urgency, or overwhelm. Free Tool: Support + Breathe Calculator https://dotrockconsulting.myflodesk.com/hiring-calculator [https://dotrockconsulting.myflodesk.com/hiring-calculator] Connect with Dot Instagram - www.instagram.com/dot_rock_ [http://www.instagram.com/radiantsoulcoach] Remember: your energy is your greatest asset. Protect it, invest in it, and always put your oxygen mask on first.

What to Do When Your Business Doesn't Care That Life Fell Apart

This isn't a typical episode about hiring, firing, or delegation — it's a raw, real-time update about the hardest season me and my son, Dominic, have faced in years. After a baseball injury was repeatedly misdiagnosed, a gut-instinct second opinion led the family to a renowned surgeon in Vail, emergency surgery, and a summer that looks nothing like the one they'd planned. This episode shares the full story — the medical misdiagnoses, the surgery, the support that showed up in unexpected ways, and the framework that's gotten her through it. This episode is about what happens when "doing less" stops being a productivity philosophy and becomes survival. In this episode: * The injury, the misdiagnosis, and trusting her gut anyway * How a year-old conversation led to a surgeon almost no one can get in to see * The call from the OR and the community that showed up * Solo parenting through trauma, grief, and her own exhaustion * The Basics, Elevated, Emergency framework — built in crisis, used again now * Why asking for help isn't weakness Ready to Breathe Easier? Whether you’re navigating a difficult people decision, feeling buried in work that drains your energy, or ready to build support that actually fits.  Start With Oxygen 1st https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/contact [https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/contact] You’ll be guided to the right next step — without pressure, urgency, or overwhelm. Free Tool: Support + Breathe Calculator https://dotrockconsulting.myflodesk.com/hiring-calculator [https://dotrockconsulting.myflodesk.com/hiring-calculator] Connect with Dot Instagram - www.instagram.com/dot_rock_ [http://www.instagram.com/radiantsoulcoach] Remember: your energy is your greatest asset. Protect it, invest in it, and always put your oxygen mask on first.

Ep 118: Should You Fire Them? The Grow or Go Framework for Difficult Employee Conversations

One of the questions I hear most often from leaders is, "Should I fire them?" After more than 20 years in HR and leadership, I've learned that most leaders don't actually have a termination problem—they have a clarity problem. In this episode, I'm sharing a real conversation I recently had with a CEO who thought she was ready to let go of a senior executive. She was exhausted, frustrated, and carrying the weight of a decision that had been keeping her up at night. But as we talked, we realized something important: this wasn't just about performance. It was about fit. Sometimes people aren't failing because they're incapable. They're struggling because they're sitting in the wrong seat. And when we avoid addressing that truth, everyone feels it—the leader, the employee, the team, and the entire organization. That's exactly why I created my Grow or Go Framework. [https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/fire-with-grace] I believe difficult conversations can be handled with both compassion and accountability. I call it the "velvet hammer" approach: leading with heart while still holding clear expectations and boundaries. Because leadership isn't about avoiding hard conversations. It's about having them with courage, kindness, and honesty. In This Episode: * Why most leaders struggle with certainty—not termination * How to tell the difference between a performance issue and a fit issue * The hidden cost of avoiding difficult conversations * Why the right conversation can create clarity for everyone involved * How to lead with both compassion and accountability * What my Grow or Go Framework looks like in practice * How to create a path forward that honors both the employee and the organization   Grow or Go Framework: https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/fire-with-grace [https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/fire-with-grace] Ready to Breathe Easier? Whether you’re navigating a difficult people decision, feeling buried in work that drains your energy, or ready to build support that actually fits.  Start With Oxygen 1st https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/contact [https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/contact] You’ll be guided to the right next step — without pressure, urgency, or overwhelm. Free Tool: Support + Breathe Calculator https://dotrockconsulting.myflodesk.com/hiring-calculator [https://dotrockconsulting.myflodesk.com/hiring-calculator] Connect with Dot Instagram - www.instagram.com/dot_rock_ [http://www.instagram.com/radiantsoulcoach] Remember: your energy is your greatest asset. Protect it, invest in it, and always put your oxygen mask on first.

Ep 117: Rest, Surrender & Receiving Support - Why High Performers Struggle To Let People Help Them

Sometimes the teacher needs to learn the lesson too. This episode is a vulnerable one. I'm getting personal about the last few weeks — my son's unexpected injury (a rare thrower's fracture at baseball practice), the ER visit that went from "Epsom salt bath" to "emergency surgery" and back again, and the way that shock cracked something open in me. What followed was a real-time reckoning with the very thing I teach: putting on your oxygen mask first and actually asking for support. If you've ever caught yourself carrying everything and calling it strength, this one's for you. In this episode: * What a thrower's fracture is and how Dominic's injury became a turning point for me * Why hyper-independence in entrepreneurs is actually a form of codependency — and why I think we need to call it something different * The over-functioning cycle: how "I'd rather just do it myself" quietly becomes survival mode * What I actually did to get the trauma out of my body (breathwork, kitchari, reading in the middle of the day — yes, really) * The new session I'm adding to the Oxygen First Club * Why rest isn't the reward for finishing everything — it's the thing that creates the clarity to move forward Kitchari recipe: (2-4 servings) Kitchari is a potent blood purifier and an Ayurvedic superfood. Mung beans help to strip environmental toxins out of the tissues, which is especially helpful for the reproductive organs liver and thyroid gland health. Kitchari is a great source of protein, easily digestible and perfect for seasonal cleanses. Enjoy preparing! Ingredients: 1/2 cup basmati rice 1/2 cup split mung beans 4-6 cups of water (vegetable stock/bone broth) 2 T ghee (clarified butter) 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 Tbs whole cumin 1 Tbs coriander 1 tsp. fennel 1 Ts fresh grated ginger 1 teaspoon of sea salt 1 teaspoon of turmeric, powered or fresh root. In a saucepan or in your instant pot, warm the ghee. Be really careful to NOT burn it. It is like burning butter. Add spices and sauté for one to two minutes until the aroma the spices is released. Add rice and mung beans and sauté for 2-4 minutes or until they star sticking to the sides of the pot. Then add 4-6 cups of water or , stock (I use water only) and bring to a boil. In Instant Pot, I pressure cook for 20 min (in Colorado at altitude), then slow release. Sometimes it isn't ready but it often is. If using a saucepan, turn down to medium-low heat, cover and cook until beans & rice are tender (approximately 45 minutes). Add salt in when Kitchari is almost done. Your finished kitchari should be the consistency of oatmeal, as opposed to a broth. You may find yourself needing additional water and add more salt as needed. Serve with fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime and a dollop of plain, whole yogurt or ghee. I also add chopped avocado to mine and sprinkle with finishing salt. Mung Beans: https://a.co/d/0bLYxN0D [https://a.co/d/0bLYxN0D] Kitchari Spice Mix (I don't use this): https://a.co/d/0iV7jUBb [https://a.co/d/0iV7jUBb] My favorite Ghee: https://a.co/d/09vfk118 [https://a.co/d/09vfk118] Ready to Breathe Easier? Whether you’re navigating a difficult people decision, feeling buried in work that drains your energy, or ready to build support that actually fits.  Start With Oxygen 1st https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/contact [https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/contact] You’ll be guided to the right next step — without pressure, urgency, or overwhelm. Free Tool: Support + Breathe Calculator https://dotrockconsulting.myflodesk.com/hiring-calculator [https://dotrockconsulting.myflodesk.com/hiring-calculator] Connect with Dot Instagram - www.instagram.com/dot_rock_ [http://www.instagram.com/radiantsoulcoach] Remember: your energy is your greatest asset. Protect it, invest in it, and always put your oxygen mask on first.

Ep 116: Delegation WITHOUT Systems Is Just Expensive Babysitting

Sometimes support doesn’t feel like relief. It feels like more people needing something from you. In this episode, I’m unpacking why delegation so often fails for entrepreneurs and why hiring help can sometimes create even more overwhelm instead of less. I share the deeper truth behind operational exhaustion, the emotional side of leadership, and why simply adding people to chaos is not the same thing as creating support. I’m walking through the difference between task dumping and true delegation, how founders accidentally become the bottleneck inside their businesses, and why so many leaders are still carrying every decision, system, and emotional burden themselves. I also introduce my Four T’s Framework—Trash, Trim, Treasure, and Transfer—to help identify where your energy is leaking and what no longer belongs on your plate. This episode is for entrepreneurs, leaders, and business owners who are tired of holding everything together alone and are ready to create support systems that actually help their business breathe. In this episode, you’ll discover: *  Why hiring without systems creates more overwhelm *  The difference between control and true delegation *  How founders accidentally become operational bottlenecks *  Why delegation is an exchange of trust and energy *  How the Four T’s Framework helps plug oxygen leaks Book a Consultation Call: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/1fbcf12d/appointment/23908581/calendar/3919747?appointmentTypeIds[]=23908581 [https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/1fbcf12d/appointment/23908581/calendar/3919747?appointmentTypeIds[]=23908581] Ready to Breathe Easier? Whether you’re navigating a difficult people decision, feeling buried in work that drains your energy, or ready to build support that actually fits.  Start With Oxygen 1st https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/contact [https://www.dotrockconsulting.com/contact] You’ll be guided to the right next step — without pressure, urgency, or overwhelm. Free Tool: Support + Breathe Calculator https://dotrockconsulting.myflodesk.com/hiring-calculator [https://dotrockconsulting.myflodesk.com/hiring-calculator] Connect with Dot Instagram - www.instagram.com/dot_rock_ [http://www.instagram.com/radiantsoulcoach] Remember: your energy is your greatest asset. Protect it, invest in it, and always put your oxygen mask on first.