It's Not That Serious (Even When it Is)

Stop Inviting Judith to Your Dinner Table: Emotional Boundaries at Work

Stop Inviting Judith to Your Dinner Table: Emotional Boundaries at Work Host and coach Mary McDonald shares lessons from over 10 years in corporate America about handling difficult coworkers, projections, and passive-aggressive dynamics. She recounts being triggered by insecurity and projections early in her career, including a tense performance review, and explains how these experiences strengthened her communication skills and emotional resilience. Using the reticular activating system (RAS), she describes how repeatedly focusing on a frustrating coworker (“Judith”) reinforces negativity and gives that person power over your mental and physical state. McDonald urges listeners to interrupt the cycle by either seeking understanding and having an adult conversation to address issues or choosing to stop replaying the story and talking about it—“uninviting” the person from your dinner table after work. She also recommends visualizing white light to clear and protect your energy before leaving home and before sleep. 00:00 Welcome to the Show 01:02 Corporate Lessons Begin 03:46 Projections and Insecurity 05:54 Performance Review Blowup 08:26 Finding Your Voice 11:02 Reticular Activating System 11:51 Meet Judith the Trigger 15:10 Break the Obsession Loop 18:32 Not at My Table 20:43 Pattern Interrupt for Peace 23:07 White Light Energy Reset 24:47 Wrap Up and Farewell Let's Connect!  To get more info and updates on the podcast find me on Instagram (or the gram as the kids say) @marycatemcdonald [https://www.instagram.com/marycatemcdonald/] For Coaching Inquiries reach out here:  https://marycatemcdonald.com/contact [https://marycatemcdonald.com/contact] Sign up For My Weekly Newsletter here: https://marycatemcdonald.myflodesk.com/weeklynewsletter [https://marycatemcdonald.myflodesk.com/weeklynewsletter] Show Support:  If you're enjoying this episode, I would love it if you could please rate, review, and subscribe. If you're extra loving it and know someone who would also enjoy your impeccable taste please give it a share on socials.  Thank you again for joining me on this podcast. I am so grateful you are here!

Stop Being So Accommodating (Here's Why)

In this episode, I’m talking about a shift I’ve been making recently:  I’ve stopped being so accommodating. For a long time, I operated from a place of putting other people’s needs first—making things easier for them, anticipating what they might want, and adjusting myself to keep everything running smoothly. But over time, I realized that this pattern wasn’t actually serving me—or the people around me. It was keeping me disconnected from what I wanted, making me responsible for everyone else’s experience, and creating frustration that I wasn’t expressing out loud. In this episode, I share:  – what over-accommodating really looks like (and how subtle it can be)   – how this pattern shows up in work, relationships, and even small daily decisions  – the connection between people-pleasing and losing your voice  – why not communicating your needs leads to more problems—not fewer  – and how I’ve been practicing actually saying what I want (even when it feels uncomfortable) I also talk about how this connects to my Human Design as a Manifestor and a 5/1, and how learning to use my voice again has been a big part of this growth. If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly adjusting yourself to make things easier for everyone else… this episode will help you start looking at that differently. Let's Connect!  To get more info and updates on the podcast find me on Instagram (or the gram as the kids say) @marycatemcdonald [https://www.instagram.com/marycatemcdonald/] For Coaching Inquiries reach out here:  https://marycatemcdonald.com/contact [https://marycatemcdonald.com/contact] Sign up For My Weekly Newsletter here: https://marycatemcdonald.myflodesk.com/weeklynewsletter [https://marycatemcdonald.myflodesk.com/weeklynewsletter] Show Support:  If you're enjoying this episode, I would love it if you could please rate, review, and subscribe. If you're extra loving it and know someone who would also enjoy your impeccable taste please give it a share on socials.  Thank you again for joining me on this podcast. I am so grateful you are here!

The Death of Being “The Strong One”

In this episode, I’m sharing something I’ve been holding back for a while. It's a vulnerable one. This is a personal one—about my fertility journey, but more than that, about the identity I didn’t realize I was holding onto: being “the strong one.” I talk about what it’s looked like to carry that identity, why it’s no longer working for me, and what I’m learning about letting it go. We also get into:  – how grief and joy can exist at the same time  – why you don’t have to have it all together to move forward  – and what it really means to let yourself be supported If you’ve ever felt like you have to hold everything together… this one’s for you. If this resonated with you, share it with someone who might need it or leave a review—it helps more people find the podcast 🤍 Let's Connect!  To get more info and updates on the podcast find me on Instagram (or the gram as the kids say) @marycatemcdonald [https://www.instagram.com/marycatemcdonald/] For Coaching Inquiries reach out here:  https://marycatemcdonald.com/contact [https://marycatemcdonald.com/contact] Sign up For My Weekly Newsletter here: https://marycatemcdonald.myflodesk.com/weeklynewsletter [https://marycatemcdonald.myflodesk.com/weeklynewsletter] Show Support:  If you're enjoying this episode, I would love it if you could please rate, review, and subscribe. If you're extra loving it and know someone who would also enjoy your impeccable taste please give it a share on socials.  Thank you again for joining me on this podcast. I am so grateful you are here!

8 Silly Little Ways to Have more Joy

Joy and imagination are secret sauce to your life. This list of 8 silly little things that I do to bring me more joy in my day are yours to borrow. I promise you that you haven't heard most of these because I made them up so please don't expect this episode to be something "scientific" and "boring" because I bet you haven't tried half of theses but you absolutely should! Let me know what sticks, what resonates, and what you're willing to try all in the name of having more joy.  Let's Connect!  To get more info and updates on the podcast find me on Instagram (or the gram as the kids say) @marycatemcdonald [https://www.instagram.com/marycatemcdonald/] For Coaching Inquiries reach out here:  https://marycatemcdonald.com/contact [https://marycatemcdonald.com/contact] Sign up For My Weekly Newsletter here: https://marycatemcdonald.myflodesk.com/weeklynewsletter [https://marycatemcdonald.myflodesk.com/weeklynewsletter] Show Support:  If you're enjoying this episode, I would love it if you could please rate, review, and subscribe. If you're extra loving it and know someone who would also enjoy your impeccable taste please give it a share on socials.  Thank you again for joining me on this podcast. I am so grateful you are here!

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Host Mary McDonald introduces her new podcast, "It’s Not That Serious, even When It Is," sharing her background as a coach who uses human design to help clients recognize patterns, move blocks, and live a more joy-led, embodied life in a no-judgment space. She explains how eight years of personal development and a human design reading two years ago—learning she’s a 5/1 Manifestor—changed her approach to success by emphasizing rest, creativity, and staying grounded when others don’t understand her ideas. Mary also discusses her comedy background, including Second City improv and sketch, and how humor will be woven into conversations about personal growth and difficult experiences. The podcast aims to balance deep topics with laughter, intentionality about emotional input, and a reminder to seek joy even in hard seasons. Let's Connect!  To get more info and updates on the podcast find me on Instagram (or the gram as the kids say) @marycatemcdonald [https://www.instagram.com/marycatemcdonald/] For Coaching Inquiries reach out here:  https://marycatemcdonald.com/contact [https://marycatemcdonald.com/contact] Sign up For My Weekly Newsletter here: https://marycatemcdonald.myflodesk.com/weeklynewsletter [https://marycatemcdonald.myflodesk.com/weeklynewsletter] Show Support:  If you're enjoying this episode, I would love it if you could please rate, review, and subscribe. If you're extra loving it and know someone who would also enjoy your impeccable taste please give it a share on socials.  Thank you again for joining me on this podcast. I am so grateful you are here!