35. Loosening the grip: 9 lessons on scaling your business without losing your soul

39. From group home to corporate America: what they don't tell you about grief, identity, and rebuilding after rock bottom ft. Sandy Davis

Most people white-knuckle through hard seasons hoping no one notices. Sandy did it for decades: childhood abuse, alcoholic parents, ward of the state at 16, told by a school counselor she wasn't "fit for society." She didn't just survive all of that, she built a 25-year corporate career in investment banking and commercial real estate, moved across the country with no job and no contacts, and eventually founded her own operations advisory firm. Then she lost both parents within 37 days of each other. That was the moment the armor stopped working. In this episode, Sandy shares what grief, identity collapse, and a toxic workplace in your 50s actually feel like from the inside, and what it took to do a real hard reset. A full excavation of who she was, whose voice she'd been carrying, and what she actually wanted her next season to look like. We get into: * Why the "healing process" people talk about is actually about returning to older versions of yourself, one by one * The danger of letting someone else write your story (especially when you're 16 and in crisis) * How imposter syndrome shows up the moment you shrink to fit a room and what it takes to stop * Why the negative voice in your head is a younger, scared version of you and how to actually talk to it About Sandy Davis: Sandy Davis is a Fractional COO, Founder of Elevate Operations Advisory, and the creator and host of Elevate Within, a platform centered around reinvention, healing, entrepreneurship, and the honest conversations women are often afraid to have out loud. With more than 25 years of experience in operations and leadership, Sandy helps founder-led businesses move from “successful chaos” to structured, scalable operations so they can grow without burning out their teams or themselves. She’s known for quickly identifying operational breakdowns, founder bottlenecks, and organizational friction points, then implementing practical systems that create sustainable growth and operational stability. But her work extends beyond business. Through Elevate Within, Sandy openly shares her personal journey through loss, burnout, healing, rebuilding, and rediscovering herself after major life transitions. What began as a personal outlet has evolved into a powerful space for women navigating reinvention in both life and business. Her work sits at the intersection of operational strategy, emotional resilience, and personal transformation. “Keep elevating.” Connect with Sandy Davis: Website: https://elevateopsadvisory.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-davis-abb21236/ Substack (Elevate Within): https://substack.com/@elevatewithin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ElevateWithinAlways Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5RYST6DEyeQTgmIa5O6J1t?si=e3b6f7942635466f Timestamps: [2:03] Losing both parents within 37 days of each other [6:51] Healing the past: childhood abuse, alcoholic father, bipolar mother, ward of the state [9:12] "It's okay if you fail" what a counselor told her at 16, and how it lit her fire  [12:04] Getting her first corporate job with a fake reference and a payphone on the resume [18:00] Getting laid off on a Wednesday and moving to California by the weekend  [32:49] Your life is a series: how to think in seasons instead of a straight line  [36:07] Why instant gratification is making us miss the actual story of our lives  [42:43] Why everyone wants to be seen, loved, and heard, and why you have to earn your own version of it  [47:50] Learning to fight for yourself when no one taught you how  [54:14] Stop editing the ugly parts, that's where the resilience lives  [55:58] The inner child voices in your head: how to identify them and what to say back  [58:58] Imposter syndrome explained and how Sandy got over it  [1:03:24] Why "know who you are" is the hardest and most important work you'll ever do [1:07:19] Sandy's three non-negotiables for protecting her identity, peace, and sense of worth

38. Your body is running the meeting (and how to take back control in 6 minutes)

Most founders don't realize they're operating at 60% capacity until it's already costing them. When you're mid-decision and your thinking suddenly goes foggy, that's your nervous system in threat mode, redirecting blood away from your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for strategic thinking, nuanced judgment, and long-term planning. In this episode, we walk through a 6-minute somatic discharge practice specifically designed to complete the stress cycle, restore executive function, and get the real you, not the activated version, back in the room before your next negotiation. You'll learn: * Why your nervous system is making your business decisions (and has been for a while) * What somatic discharge actually is and why standard "relaxation" advice doesn't work * How shaking, grounding, and vocalization physiologically shift your state in minutes * Why the quality of your decisions changes categorically when your prefrontal cortex is fully online This is nervous system performance science applied directly to the founder experience. If you've ever walked into an important conversation wired and disconnected and made a call you later questioned, this episode is for you. 14 Day inerOS Reset https://deannawrose.com/osreset [https://deannawrose.com/osreset] Take the Performance Archetype Quiz https://shorturl.at/aHm4Q [https://shorturl.at/aHm4Q] Connect on Social https://instagram.com/dr.deannawrose/ [https://instagram.com/dr.deannawrose/] How I support high performers https://deannawrose.com/programs [https://deannawrose.com/programs]  Get email updates https://deannawrose.com/connect#newsletter [https://deannawrose.com/connect#newsletter] Clarity call https://calendly.com/deannawrose/claritycall [https://calendly.com/deannawrose/claritycall]

37. You're measuring steps, calories and sleep. Why aren't you measuring this?

You track your sleep, steps, calories, time, revenue religiously, but research now shows that the quality of your human connections may have a greater impact on your health, performance, and longevity than all of those things combined. And most high performers have no benchmark for it whatsoever. In this episode, Deanna sits down with Stuart Knight, founder of the Human Connection Group, global keynote speaker, and one of the leading voices on human connection in high-performance environments, to explore why meaningful connection is not a soft skill. It is an essential physiological and human need. And what happens to founders and high achievers when that need goes unmet. What you will take away: * Why human connection has been proven to outperform diet, exercise, and sleep as a predictor of health and longevity and what that means for how you are building your life *  The HYPHA Standard, Stuart's proprietary framework for measuring and improving the quality of your human connections at work, at home, and in your community * Why the loneliness epidemic is not just a cultural problem but a performance problem, and why founders are disproportionately affected * The specific reason most people score far lower on human connection than they assume,  and the one shift that changes it immediately * Why co-regulation, the nervous system's need for safe human proximity, makes connection an essential biological need If you have been moving fast, carrying a lot, and quietly noticing that the connections in your life have become more surface than substance, this episode shows exactly what that is costing you, and what to do about it. About Stuart Knight: Stuart Knight has written, produced and starred in shows that have been seen by over one million people and each year speaks around the world helping some of the planet’s biggest companies reach new levels of success.  You may have seen or heard him on many TV and Radio shows where he is often asked for his expert opinion on high level communication.  As an international traveler, Stuart Knight writes a sought after blog, hosts a hit podcast and shares videos that are seen by over twelve thousand people every week.  As a critically acclaimed author of two books, Stuart Knight encourages people to boycott what they thought and join a new revolution in thinking.  Please join me in welcoming Stuart Knight. Find Stuart at: Website: humanconnectiongroup.com [http://humanconnectiongroup.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stuartsknight/ [https://www.instagram.com/stuartsknight/] Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-knight-human-connection-expert/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-knight-human-connection-expert/]  14 Day inerOS Reset https://deannawrose.com/osreset [https://deannawrose.com/osreset] Take the Performance Archetype Quiz https://shorturl.at/aHm4Q [https://shorturl.at/aHm4Q] Connect on Social https://instagram.com/dr.deannawrose/ [https://instagram.com/dr.deannawrose/] How I support high performers https://deannawrose.com/programs [https://deannawrose.com/programs]  Get email updates https://deannawrose.com/connect#newsletter [https://deannawrose.com/connect#newsletter] Clarity call https://calendly.com/deannawrose/claritycall [https://calendly.com/deannawrose/claritycall]

36. Why rest stopped working (and the 6 minute practice that actually resets your system)

You took the holiday, slept in, took no calls, and it seems like you did everything right to reset. Within 48 hours of being back, you felt exactly the same as before you left. In this episode, we go through exactly what’s happening in your body when rest stops working and what actually shifts it. In this episode: * The science of why the nervous system can’t downregulate just because the envuronemnt changes * What a stress cycle is, why most founders never complete one and what that costs * The 6 minute stress cycle completion protocol you can use right now, anywhere and any time. Links: Download the protocol here: https://deannawrose.com/resources#Mini-stress-cycle-completion [https://deannawrose.com/resources#Mini-stress-cycle-completion] 14 Day inerOS Reset https://deannawrose.com/osreset [https://deannawrose.com/osreset] Take the Performance Archetype Quiz https://shorturl.at/aHm4Q [https://shorturl.at/aHm4Q] Clarity call https://calendly.com/deannawrose/claritycall [https://calendly.com/deannawrose/claritycall]  Connect on Social https://instagram.com/dr.deannawrose/ [https://instagram.com/dr.deannawrose/] How I support high performers https://deannawrose.com/programs [https://deannawrose.com/programs]  Get email updates https://deannawrose.com/connect#newsletter [https://deannawrose.com/connect#newsletter]

35. Loosening the grip: 9 lessons on scaling your business without losing your soul

I spent my 20s paralyzed by social anxiety and a desperate need for approval, traits many high performers mistake for drive. In this episode I’m sharing the 9 pivotal lessons that allowed me to stop fighting the world. If you feel like you’re white-knuckling your business, struggling with burnout, or waiting for a future version of yourself to finally be happy, this conversation is your pattern interrupt. Book a free Clarity Call with me https://calendly.com/deannawrose/claritycall [https://calendly.com/deannawrose/claritycall] 14 Day inerOS Reset https://deannawrose.com/osreset [https://deannawrose.com/osreset] Take the Performance Archetype Quiz https://shorturl.at/aHm4Q [https://shorturl.at/aHm4Q] Connect on Social https://instagram.com/dr.deannawrose/ [https://instagram.com/dr.deannawrose/] How I support high performers https://deannawrose.com/programs [https://deannawrose.com/programs]  Get email updates https://deannawrose.com/connect#newsletter [https://deannawrose.com/connect#newsletter] [05:58] Lesson 1: Let them be: Why we must allow others to experience their own pain to change. [07:54] Lesson 2: The seasons of life: Embracing winters of rest and healing as a natural part of growth. [09:47] Lesson 3: The power of surrender: Stepping out of the prison of perceived control. [12:06] Lesson 4: The impact of one kindness: How small gestures change the lives of those carrying hidden burdens. [13:28] Lesson 5: Releasing suppressed emotions: Moving beyond childhood survival skills to somatic expression. [15:36] Lesson 6: Loosen the Grip: Why being stuck is often just gripping your timeline or identity too hard [17:34] Lesson 7: Facing pain directly: Breaking the cycle of avoidance and reclaiming your power. [19:18] Lesson 8: Being your own best friend: Moving from seeking external validation to internal completion. [21:18] Lesson 9: Choosing aliveness amid tragedy: How to acknowledge the world's pain without drowning in it. Keywords: Founder burnout, entrepreneur mental health, scaling leadership, emotional intelligence for CEOs, high-performance mindset, social anxiety in business, entrepreneurs, CEOs, founders, high achievers, how to stop people pleasing as a boss, managing stress while scaling a company, how to deal with social anxiety as a founder