38: High Functioning Does Not Mean Healthy

41: The Hidden Health Cost of Toxic Relationships with Deanna Scaldaferri

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2524252/fan_mail/new] → High performance starts with understanding what your body truly needs. Take the Free 2-Minute Quiz [https://bit.ly/4urhdVg] to identify the missing pieces affecting your energy, focus, and overall performance. Have you ever felt anxious, exhausted, inflamed, or like something just isn't right in your body - even when no one can explain why? Licensed massage therapist and Reiki master, Deanna Scaldaferri, joins this episode to unpack a truth most of us were never taught: the quality of your life is directly tied to the quality of your relationships. And the toxic ones? They show up in your bloodwork. Deanna shares her deeply personal story of navigating nearly two decades in narcissistic relationships, and the shocking moment her lab results confirmed what her body had been screaming all along. After leaving, her chronic symptoms didn't just improve. They disappeared. If you've ever been told you're "too sensitive," struggled with unexplained symptoms, or felt like you've been shrinking yourself to keep the peace, this episode will remind you to trust what your body has been trying to say. Because sometimes your body knows before your mind does. Connect with Deanna Scaldaferri: healinghandsbydeanna.com [http://www.healinghandsbydeanna.com/] Facebook [http://facebook.com/share/1BKfYBaUax/?mibextid=wwXIfr], Instagram [http://instagram.com/decamde1?igsh=M2FtZ3FsM2N6dHdh&utm_source=qr], LinkedIn [http://linkedin.com/in/deanna-decamillo-scaldaferri-6b242a2a5], YouTube [http://youtube.com/@HealingHandsbyDeanna] Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Community [http://meetup.com/charlotte-narcissistic-abuse-recovery-meetup-group] In This Episode: * (01:50) Why relationships impact your health more than you think * (04:40) The abandonment of self and emotional suppression * (07:50) Deanna's story: when her body started sounding the alarm * (12:10) Leaving familiar environments and breaking unhealthy cycles * (16:00) The subtle signs of emotional abuse most people miss * (22:00) How to recognize unhealthy patterns in relationships Connect with Daffney: The Game-Changer Consult [https://calendly.com/liftprowellness-info/the-game-changer-consult?utm_campaign=button_list_RequestAConsultation&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio&month=2025-11] → This 60 min deep dive offers you clarity and insight into what’s possible for your next 60 days. Leave this consult feeling full of possibility and with the energy of purpose! liftprowellness.com [https://liftprowellness.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dontfknshrinkpodcast?igsh=eHdiYWh4N3pjaW80] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9l5-Vd_DXrRhi_bGrFIr1A] | Merch [https://dfs-podcast-store.printify.me/]

40: Productivity Is a Trap

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2524252/fan_mail/new] Daffney challenges the relentless pressure to optimize every aspect of your life and asks a question many high-achieving women avoid: What if slowing down is exactly what you need right now? She explains why pushing through stress, exhaustion, and overwhelm often creates more problems than it solves, how your body may be sending signals you've been ignoring, and why true leadership starts with presence, not productivity. With summer routines shifting and many moms feeling stretched thin, Daffney shares a powerful perspective on creating more connection, more intention, and less guilt. If you've been running on empty and wondering why no amount of doing feels like enough, this conversation is for you. → Your body is talking. This Free 2-Minute Quiz [https://bit.ly/4urhdVg] can help you pinpoint what’s draining your energy, impacting your health, and keeping you stuck in survival mode.  In This Episode: * (01:30) The productivity trap * (04:35) What your body has been trying to tell you * (06:00) Summer, motherhood, and the pressure to be everything for everyone * (10:10) Why slowing down can actually move you forward Connect with Daffney: The Game-Changer Consult [https://calendly.com/liftprowellness-info/the-game-changer-consult?utm_campaign=button_list_RequestAConsultation&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio&month=2025-11] → This 60 min deep dive offers you clarity and insight into what’s possible for your next 60 days. Leave this consult feeling full of possibility and with the energy of purpose! liftprowellness.com [https://liftprowellness.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dontfknshrinkpodcast?igsh=eHdiYWh4N3pjaW80] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9l5-Vd_DXrRhi_bGrFIr1A] | Merch [https://dfs-podcast-store.printify.me/]

39: Why High-Achieving Women Walk Away (When Everything Looks Fine)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2524252/fan_mail/new] → You’ve optimized your business. Now it’s time to optimize your body. Take the Free 2-Minute Quiz [https://bit.ly/4urhdVg] to discover what’s keeping you from performing at your highest level. What happens when you're successful and leading at the highest level but it's not your dream? Daffney talks with Sarah Elder, a former CEO who spent 17 years building a thriving art consulting company before making the bold decision to walk away and build a life on her own terms. Sarah gets honest about the years of upheaval, personal and professional, that finally pushed her to ask what she truly wanted outside of her title and her results. Together, her and Daffney dig into the trap high-performers fall into when their identity gets swallowed by their career, why endlessly optimizing yourself like a product is costing you more than it's giving you, and why real joy doesn't just happen. It requires intention, action, and the willingness to hand off what belongs on someone else's plate so you can finally lead the life you've earned. Connect with Sarah Elder: sarahelder.com [https://www.sarahelder.com/about] Substack: I Make The Rules [https://imaketherules.substack.com/] In This Episode: * (01:55) Sarah’s corporate journey; building someone else’s dream * (06:50) When career identity becomes your entire identity * (16:15) The pressure high-achieving women feel to constantly optimize themselves * (20:50) Reclaiming joy, freedom, and intentional living after burnout * (24:20) How creating space leads to more creativity and clarity Connect with Daffney: The Game-Changer Consult [https://calendly.com/liftprowellness-info/the-game-changer-consult?utm_campaign=button_list_RequestAConsultation&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio&month=2025-11] → This 60 min deep dive offers you clarity and insight into what’s possible for your next 60 days. Leave this consult feeling full of possibility and with the energy of purpose! liftprowellness.com [https://liftprowellness.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dontfknshrinkpodcast?igsh=eHdiYWh4N3pjaW80] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9l5-Vd_DXrRhi_bGrFIr1A] | Merch [https://dfs-podcast-store.printify.me/]

38: High Functioning Does Not Mean Healthy

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2524252/fan_mail/new] What happens when the vacation you desperately needed becomes the moment your body finally breaks down? Daffney shares the moment a panic attack forced her to confront a hard truth: high functioning does not mean healthy. Beneath the constant productivity, people-pleasing, and pressure of “holding it all together” was a nervous system running on fumes. In this episode, Daffney identifies the three daily “energy sucks” silently draining driven professionals and eventually showing up as anxiety, brain fog, burnout, and emotional shutdown. Through practical tools and powerful mindset shifts, she shares simple ways to reconnect with yourself, regulate your nervous system, and stop living life in survival mode before your body forces you to slow down. → Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or like your body is waving a red flag? Take the Free 2-Minute Quiz [https://bit.ly/4urhdVg] to uncover what may be holding back your health, energy, and performance. In This Episode: * (01:00) Panic attacks and the breaking point behind “doing it all” * (03:00) The hidden “energy sucks” draining you daily * (07:40) Reclaiming your 30% * (14:10) Endurance over sprinting: a new definition of success Connect with Daffney: The Game-Changer Consult [https://calendly.com/liftprowellness-info/the-game-changer-consult?utm_campaign=button_list_RequestAConsultation&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio&month=2025-11] → This 60 min deep dive offers you clarity and insight into what’s possible for your next 60 days. Leave this consult feeling full of possibility and with the energy of purpose! liftprowellness.com [https://liftprowellness.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dontfknshrinkpodcast?igsh=eHdiYWh4N3pjaW80] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9l5-Vd_DXrRhi_bGrFIr1A] | Merch [https://dfs-podcast-store.printify.me/]

37: Why You're Exhausted Before The Day Even Starts

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2524252/fan_mail/new] You wake up exhausted before your feet even hit the floor. The coffee isn’t working anymore. The pressure never shuts off. And somewhere along the way, being “high-achieving” started feeling more like survival than success. In this episode, Daffney exposes the invisible weight so many women are carrying, and explains why reclaiming even the first hour of your day can completely shift your energy, health, and leadership. This is a raw conversation about nervous system overload, the wellness industry’s empty quick fixes, and what happens when you start investing in yourself before everyone else.  → Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or like your body is waving a red flag? Take the Free 2-Minute Quiz [https://bit.ly/4urhdVg] to uncover what may be holding back your health, energy, and performance. In This Episode: * (01:10) The hidden cost of constantly “doing it all” * (07:50) The three areas every woman must invest in to avoid breakdown * (13:00) Reclaiming the first hour of the day * (17:45) How changing your habits transforms your leadership Connect with Daffney: The Game-Changer Consult [https://calendly.com/liftprowellness-info/the-game-changer-consult?utm_campaign=button_list_RequestAConsultation&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio&month=2025-11] → This 60 min deep dive offers you clarity and insight into what’s possible for your next 60 days. Leave this consult feeling full of possibility and with the energy of purpose! liftprowellness.com [https://liftprowellness.com/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dontfknshrinkpodcast?igsh=eHdiYWh4N3pjaW80] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9l5-Vd_DXrRhi_bGrFIr1A] | Merch [https://dfs-podcast-store.printify.me/]