Episode 9: The Real Cost of Staying Stuck

Surviving Isn’t Thriving: A Therapist’s Take on Over-Functioning, Burnout, and Breaking the Cycle with Renee Calhoun, LMFT

If you’ve ever been praised for holding everything together — and you’re exhausted from it — this episode is for you. Renee Calhoun is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over a decade of experience in trauma, family systems, and human trafficking prevention. In this conversation, we dig into the real roots of over-functioning: where it starts in childhood, why it gets praised, and what it’s quietly doing to your body, your relationships, and your kids. We cover: • The family roles that shape how you show up as an adult • Why over-functioning isn’t controlling — it’s hypervigilant • The generational patterns Xennials and Gen X are finally breaking • What the breaking point usually looks like — and what comes after • Practical tools to interrupt the cycle without burning everything down Free resource: Renee is offering a free journaling guide for over-functioning women on her new site, Therapy Snacks [www.therapysnacks.com] — use code word HOPE to download it for free. Find Renee at TherapySnacks.com [www.TherapySnacks.com] or  ReneeCalhounLMFT.com [www.ReneeCalhounLMFT.com].  Book directly with her if you’re in Pennsylvania or New York.  Enjoying the show? Here are two ways to go deeper: 🔗 Download the free “Who the F*ck Am I Now?” workbook — the starting point for women who are ready to stop surviving and start figuring out what’s next. [link] 📩 Ready for your next move? DM me NEXT on Instagram @kristygiarratano

SPECIAL EPISODE: Threads of Me and You: How to Reweave Your Life Without Tearing It All Down - with Laura Nespoli

What if the life you’ve been living isn’t wrong — it just needs to be rewoven? This week I’m sitting down with Laura Nespoli, strategic storyteller, founder of Meshin Movement, and author of the newly released memoir-meets-workbook Threads of Me and You. Laura spent 20 years helping brands like Google, Meta, and Southwest Airlines shape their stories — and from the outside, her life looked exactly like it was supposed to. Until it didn’t. At 38, something cracked open. And what followed was a two-year journey through emotional breakdown, childhood trauma, identity crisis, and ultimately — a complete reweaving of who she was and what she was here to do. In this episode we talk about: • What it actually means to be a highly sensitive person and empath — and why so many high-achieving women don’t know they are one • How your body keeps score long before your brain catches up • The cycle of beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and actions — and how to hack it when you have zero self-worth to start with • Why growth in one partner can feel threatening to the other (and what Laura and her husband actually did about it) • The concept of wonderlust — and why curiosity about your inner world is the fuel for everything • What self-awareness looks like in practice (hint: it’s not a vibe, it’s a skill) And her most powerful mic-drop of the episode: “You don’t need to tear it all down. Your life doesn’t need to be rebuilt. It needs to be rewoven.” If you’ve ever felt like something was missing but couldn’t name it — this one’s for you. Connect with Laura: meshinmovement.com [meshinmovement.com] Threads of Me and You — [Grab it on Amazon HERE [https://amzn.to/4e4gO5b]] Ready to figure out your next move? DM me NEXT on Instagram [www.instagram.com/raisinghopepodcast] or grab your Next Move Blueprint™ Session [HERE [www.kristygiarratano.com/buy]] Don't forget to subscribe wherever you're listening so you can get updated whenever an episode is available.

Highlight of Season 2 Episode 2: The In-Between: What to Do When You Don't Know Who You Are Anymore

The in-between isn’t a crisis. It’s a portal. 🌀 That low hum that never quite goes away. The grief that makes no sense because nothing has died — except something has. The old version of you is being released. The self you built piece by piece through every achievement, every title, every role — she’s in the process of letting go. And that’s a loss, even when it’s the right one. You can be grateful for your life AND feel like something important is missing. Those two things are not in conflict. This is not depression. This is disorientation. And disorientation is a sign that you’re growing — that the next version of you is trying to emerge. Website [www.kristygiarratano.com]- you can get my free workbook and book your Next Move Blueprint Session™

The In-Between: What to Do When You Don't Know Who You Are Anymore

You're not burned out. You're not broken. You're in the in-between — that disorienting threshold where the oldidentity no longer fits and the new one hasn't fully arrived yet. In this episode, Kristy goes deep on what thisstage actually is, what it feels like from the inside, and what it actually takes to move through it. Including herown story, a client story, and a five-part framework that goes way beyond "trust the process". What we cover: • Why the in-between is not the same as being lost• What this stage actually feels like (and why it's so disorienting)• Kristy's own years in the in-between as a single mom and nurse• Rachel's story — 18 years into a career that stopped fitting• Five things that actually help you move through it Links:• Comment BLUEPRINT on @raisinghopepodcast [www.instagram.com/raisinghopepodcast] latest post to enter the giveaway• Book your Next Move Blueprint Session → BOOK HERE [kristygiarratano.com/next-move]• Follow on Instagram → @raisinghopepodcast [https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/6pRWx2XrQzO8lygmTkIhz1/episode/6U5GeImphxaMCyGRtsibWY/www.instagram.com/raisinghopepodcast]• Comment BLUEPRINT on any post to learn more

Season 2 Episode 1 "Welcome to The In-Between"

If you’ve ever typed something into a comment section and thought that’s the thing I couldn’t name — this episode is for you. A few weeks ago, I left a comment on someone’s Reel. Ten seconds, totally off the cuff: “This is the weird in-between stage nobody talks about. The old identity no longer fits, but the new one hasn’t fully formed yet.” Two hundred women liked it almost immediately. That doesn’t happen by accident. That happens when something is true and nobody’s been saying it out loud. So that’s where Season 2 starts — right here, in the in-between. Season 1 gave it a name. Season 2 is going to help you move through it. In this episode:     •    What the in-between actually feels like (and why it hits high-achieving women especially hard)     •    Why this stage is so disorienting — and why that’s not a sign something is wrong with you     •    What Season 2 is going to give you to work with     •    Why naming it is only the beginning If you’ve been waiting for someone to just say it out loud — this is that episode. Welcome back. Ready to figure out your next move? DM me the word NEXT on Instagram → @raisinghopepodcast You’ll get access to the Next Move Blueprint™ Session — a 45-minute personalized natal chart + Human Design reading that shows you what you’re built for, what lights you up, and how to move forward. Free workbook → “Who the F*ck Am I Now?” [www.kristygiarratano.com/buy] DM me WORKBOOK on Instagram → @raisinghopepodcast Work with Kristy: kristygiarratano.com [www.kristygiarratano.com] Follow the podcast: @raisinghopepodcast on Instagram If this episode resonated, share it with one woman who needs to hear it. You know who she is. 🧡