Inspired Questions: Conversations on Self-Worth, Burnout & Showing Up Authentically

The Cost of Doing It All with Dot Rock

What does it actually cost us to be the person who handles everything? In this episode, I'm talking with Dot Rock — HR strategist, CFO, pilot, single mom, and host of The Power of Oxygen First podcast. Dot shares the story of nearly crashing a plane while running on empty, the lessons she learned about asking for help after major surgery, and why she no longer believes in overwhelm. We talk about hyper-responsibility, burnout, self-care, and what happens when we stop waiting for permission to do the things that bring us alive. We talk about: • Where the pattern of hyper-responsibility comes from • What burnout can look like when it isn't dramatic exhaustion • Why asking for help is often harder than doing it all yourself • The morning practices that help Dot stay grounded • Why Dot no longer believes in overwhelm • The power of doing the thing your heart is calling you toward Connect with Dot: Website: dotrockconsulting.com [http://dotrockconsulting.com] Podcast: The Power of Oxygen First [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-power-of-oxygen-1st/id1727607887] Connect with me: Website: groundingwithruth.com [http://groundingwithruth.com] Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn: Grounding with Ruth [https://www.instagram.com/groundingwithruth/] Free resource: Not Broken, Buried [https://pages.groundingwithruth.ca/free-guide-1] — a free guide and grounding meditation for women who are tired of pushing harder and want to start uncovering who they already are beneath the layers. If this episode resonated with you, please follow the show, leave a review, and share it with a woman in your life who might need to hear it.

Finding a Therapist: What Nobody Tells You

Have you been thinking about therapy but aren't sure where to start? Or maybe you tried it once, it didn't feel right, and you've been putting it off ever since? In this episode, I'm answering the questions I get asked most often about finding a therapist — from how to know if you even need one, to what to ask on a consultation call, to what to do if the first person you try isn't the right fit. I'm sharing what I know professionally as a registered social worker who has provided therapy for years, and what I know personally as someone who has reached out for support herself. Because I know what it's like to sit in the hard stuff alone. And I don't wish that for anyone. In this episode we cover: • How to know if therapy is right for you • What kind of therapist to look for • How to know if it's a good fit • What to do if the first therapist isn't right • Questions to ask on a consultation call • Common myths about therapy You don't have to figure everything out alone. You just have to take that first courageous step. Ways to stay connected: Website - groundingwithruth.com [https://www.groundingwithruth.com/] Counselling - Psychology Today Profile [https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/ruth-hirshberg-innisfil-on/286427] Free Guide - No Broken, Buried [https://pages.groundingwithruth.ca/free-guide-1] Instagram - Grounding with Ruth [https://www.instagram.com/groundingwithruth/]

Tired in a Way Sleep Can't Fix: Burnout and Finding Your Way Back with Mel Grime

Have you ever done all the "right" things — eating well, holding it together, showing up for everyone and everything — and still felt like something wasn't right? That's where this conversation starts. In this episode I'm talking with Mel Grime, a burnout coach, registered holistic nutritionist, and yoga teacher who helps women step out of survival mode and back into themselves. Mel knows this territory personally. In 2017 she hit a point where her body was no longer letting her push through and keep going the way she always had. We talk about what burnout actually looks like from the inside, why so many women don't recognise it until their body forces them to pay attention, and what it can look like to find your way back. Not by doing more, but by slowing down and learning to listen. We also talk about people pleasing, self-trust, strong independent woman conditioning, and the pressure so many of us feel to keep holding it all together. I loved this conversation and I think a lot of women are going to see themselves in parts of it. Connect with Mel: Website: melaniegrimerhn.com [http://melaniegrimerhn.com] Instagram: @melaniegrimerhn [https://www.instagram.com/melaniegrimerhn?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] Free resource from Ruth: If something in this episode resonated and you're wondering where to start, Not Broken, Buried is for you. It's a free video, guide, and grounding meditation built around one simple idea: you are not broken, you are buried. There is a difference. Get it here [https://pages.groundingwithruth.ca/free-guide-1] Connect with Ruth: Website: groundingwithruth.com [http://groundingwithruth.com] Instagram, Facebook: @GroundingwithRuth

A Meditation for Finding Your Ground Again

This is a guided meditation for the moments after hard things — when you're not quite back to yourself yet but you're trying. In this episode, Ruth guides you through a simple practice to help your nervous system settle, using breath, body awareness, and grounding techniques you can return to any time things feel like too much. If your chest has been tight, your mind has been racing, or you've hit those moments where you simply cannot face one more thing — this one is for you. An activated nervous system is not a failing. This meditation is one way to find your way back. In this episode you'll experience: A breath practice to signal safety to your nervous system, an orienting exercise to bring you back to the present moment, a grounding practice through body awareness, and a gentle reminder that returning to yourself is always available to you. Connect with Ruth: Website: groundingwithruth.com [http://groundingwithruth.com] Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn: search Grounding with Ruth or book a Clarity Call with Ruth: BOOK NOW [https://link.flowi.io/widget/bookings/clarity-call-gwr]

Coming Back Before I'm Ready

After almost a month away, I’m back — and in this episode I’m talking honestly about where I’ve been. Over the past few weeks, Keith and I have been navigating a flooded basement that turned into a major reconstruction project, weeks without heat and running water, and the anticipatory grief of learning that our cat Gus has cancer. But this episode isn’t really about the logistics of a hard month. It’s about what came up underneath it all. I talk about the old beliefs that resurfaced immediately, the nervous system responses that got loud fast, and the difference between knowing the work intellectually and trying to live it in real time when life genuinely falls apart. I also talk about: * asking for help * boundaries * the guilt of stepping back * the pressure to keep performing okayness * and the strange tension of having a public-facing business built around authenticity while trying not to turn grief into content. The work doesn’t make us immune. But it can change our relationship to what comes up. I’m not at a hundred percent. But I’m here. You can learn more about me and my work at groundingwithruth.com [http://groundingwithruth.com].