Podcasts about exhaustion

Husky voice, Friday night whiskey, and a mountain of cheese from the book launch. In this episode I lift the lid on what really happens inside a print judging room. The rotation of five from a pool of seven. Silent scoring so no one nudges anyone else. How a challenge works, what the chair actually does, and why we start with impact, dive through craft, then finish on impact again to see what survives. Layout over composition, light as the whole game, and a final re-rank that flattens time drift so the right image actually wins. If you enjoy a peek behind the curtain, you will like this one. You can grab a signed copy of the new Mastering Portrait Photography at masteringportraitphotography.com and yes, I will scribble in it. If you already have the book, a quick Amazon review helps more than you know. Fancy sharpening your craft in person? Check the workshops page for new dates and come play with light at the studio.  The book: https://masteringportraitphotography.com/resource/signed-copy-mastering-portrait-photography-new-edition/ Workshops: https://masteringportraitphotography.com/workshops-and-mentoring/   Transcript [00:00:00]  Hey, one and all. How are you doing? Now? I'll be honest, I still have the remnants of a cold, and if you can hear that in my voice, I do apologize, I suppose you could call it slightly bluesy, but you can definitely hear that I'm ever so slightly husky. It's Friday night, it's eight 30, and I was, I've been waiting a week to record this podcast, hoping my voice would clear it hasn't, and so I've taken the opportunity having a glass of whiskey and just cracking on. So if you like the sound of a slightly bluesy voice, that's great. If you don't, I'm really sorry, but whichever, which way I'm Paul. And this is the Mastering Portrait Photography podcast. So it's been a busy month or two. You can always tell when it's busy [00:01:00] 'cause the podcasts. Get, don't really get delivered in quite the pace I would like. However, it really has been a busy couple of weeks the past few. Let me, I'm gonna draw your attention to it. The past couple of weeks, we've, there's a ton of stuff going on around us for a moment. I was up in Preston. I've been up in Preston twice over the past couple of weeks. The first one was working as a qualifications judge for the BIPP, the British Institute Professional photographers. Um. Which I love judging. I love judging. It's exhausting, but I love it. And that was qualifications, panels. Then last week was the launch. Of the updated edition of Mastering Portrait Photography, the book, which is where it all started, where Sarah Plata and I published this book that seems to have been incredibly popular. 50,000 copies translated from English into four other languages. Chinese, Korean, German. And Italian, do not ask me, do not ask me the logic on why the book is in those [00:02:00] particular languages. To be fair, we only found out about the Chinese and Korean when we were trying to get some marketing material together to talk about the new book Nobody had told us. I'm not even sure the publisher knew, to be honest. Uh, but we have found copies. We have a Chinese copy here in the studio. I'm still trying to get a Korean version. So if you are listening to this. Podcast in Korea. Please tell me how to get hold of a version in Korean because we'd love to complete the set. There's, in fact, there's two Italian versions. We knew about that. There's a German version we knew about that hardback version. It's great. It's really beautiful. Very I, like I, I don't live in Germany and I don't like to stereotyping entire nation, but the quality of the book is incredible. It's absolutely rock solid, properly engineered. Love it. We have a Chinese version here but the Korean version still alludes us. However, this week the new version, mastering portrait photography is out. And as you know, I, Sarah interviewed me for the podcast last week to talk about it. Well, it's out. We've had our launch party, uh, we invited everybody who [00:03:00] has featured in the book who, everybody, every picture in the book that we asked the person in it to come to the studio for a soiree. And it was brilliant. I've never seen so much cheese in all my life, and by I don't mean my speech, I mean actual cheese. We had a pile of it, still eating it. So it's been a week and I'm still eating the cheese. I dunno quite how, well, quite by how much we vacated, but probably by several kilos. Which I'm enjoying thoroughly. I've put on so much weight this week, it's unreal, but I'm enjoying the cheese. And then on Sunday we had an open day where we had set the studio out with some pictures from the book and some notes of the different people. Who featured and what I might do, actually, I'd, I wonder if I can do a visual podcast. I might do a visual podcast where I talk about those images, at some point on the website, on masteringportraitportraitphotography.com. I will do the story and the BTS and the production of every single image that's in the book, but it's gonna take me some [00:04:00] time. There's nearly 200 images in there. Um, and every one of them, bar one is a new image or is, is. It is, it is a new image in the book, and it has been taken in the 10 years or the decades subsequent to the first book, all bar one. Feel free to email me. Email me the image you think it might be. You'll probably guess it, but it's it's definitely in there. Um, and so it's been really busy. And then at the beginning of this week, I spent two days up in Preston again, judging again, but this time it was for the British Institute of Professional Photographers print Masters competition. Ah, what, what a joy. Six other judges and me, a chair of judges. Print handlers, the organizers. Ah, I mean, I've seen so many incredible images over those 48 hours, and in this podcast I want to talk a bit about how we do it, why we do it, what it feels like to do it, [00:05:00] because I'm not sure everybody understands that it's it, it's not stressful, but we do as judges, feel the pressure. We know that we are representing, on the one hand, the association as the arbiters of the quality of the curators of these competitions, but also we feel the pressure of the authors because we are there too. We also enter competitions and we really, really hope the judges pay attention, really investigate and interrogate the images that we've entered. And when, when you enter competitions, that heightens the pressure to do a good job for the authors who you are judging. So in this podcast, I'm gonna talk through some of the aspects of that. Forgive me if it sounds like I'm answering questions. It's because I wrote myself some questions. I wrote some [00:06:00] questions down to, how I structures the podcast usually, uh, the podcast rambles along, but this one I actually set out with a structure to it, so forgive me if it sounds like I'm answering questions. It's 'cause I'm answering my own questions. What does it feel like? How do you do it? Et cetera, et cetera. Anyway, I hope it's useful. Enjoy. And it gives you an insight into what it's like to be a competition judge. Okay. As you walk into the judging room. For me at least, it's mostly a sense of excitement. There's a degree of apprehension. There's a degree of tension, but mostly there's an adrenaline rush. Knowing that we're about to sit and view, assess, score these incredible images from photographers all over the world, and let's remember that every photographer when they enter a print competition, which is what I'm talking about primarily here. Every photographer [00:07:00] believes that print that category that year, could win. Nobody enters an image thinking that it doesn't stand a chance. Now you might do that modest thing of, I don't know, you know? Oh no, I don't. I I just chance my arm. No one enters a print they don't think has a chance of doing well. That just doesn't happen. It's too expensive. It takes too much time. And as judges. We are acutely aware of that. So when you walk into the room, lots of things are going in your on, in your heads. Primarily, you know, you are there to do a job. You are there to perform a task. You are going to put your analytical head on and assess a few hundred images over the next 48 hours. But as you walk in, there's a whole series of things. You, you are gonna assess the room. You see that your fellow judges, you're gonna see the print handlers. You're going to see the chair, you're gonna see the people [00:08:00] from whichever association it is who are organizing it, who or who have organized it. You'll see stacks of prints ready to be assessed. There's a whole series of things that happen. A lot of hugging. It's really lovely. This year the panel of judges, uh, had some people in it I haven't seen for quite a few years, and it was beyond lovely to see them. So there's all of that, but you, there's this underlying tension you are about to do. One of the things you love doing more than anything else in as part of your job. So there's the excitement of it and the joy of it, but there's always this gentle underlying tone of gravitas of just how serious it is. What we are doing. So there will be plenty of laughter, plenty of joy, but you never really take your eye off the task in hand. And that's how it feels as you go to take your seats on the judging [00:09:00] panel. So the most important thing, I think, anyway, and I was chair of qualifications and awards for the BIPP for a number of years, is that the whole room, everybody there is acting as a team. If you are not gonna pull as a team, it doesn't work. So there has to be safety, there has to be structure. There has to be a process and all of these things come together to provide a framework in which you assess and create the necessary scores and results for the association, for the photographers, for the contestants. So you take your seats, and typically in a room, there are gonna be five judges at any one time assessing an image. It's typically five. I've seen it done other ways, but a panel of judges is typically five. The reason we have five is at no point do all of the judges agree. [00:10:00] We'll go through this later in more detail, but the idea is that you have enough judges that you can have contention, you can have. Disagreements, but as a panel of judges, you'll come up with a score. So you'll have five judges sitting assessing an image at any one time. To the side of the room, there'll be two more judges typically. Usually we have a pool of seven, five judges working, two judges sitting out every 10 prints or 10 minutes or whatever the chair decides. They'll we'll rotate along one, so we'll all move along one seat and one of the spare judges will come in and sit on the end and one of the existing judges will step off. And we do that all day, just rotating along so that everybody judges, broadly speaking, the same number of images. Now, of course there is a degree of specialism in the room. If a panel has been well selected, there'll be specialists in each of the categories, but you can't have, let's say there's 15 categories. You [00:11:00] can't have five specialist judges per category. That's simply impractical. Um, you know, having, what's that, 75 judges in a room, just so that you can get through the 15 categories is. A logistics task, a cost. Even just having a room that big, full of judges doesn't work. So every judge is expected to be reasonably multi-talented, even if you don't shoot, for instance, landscapes. You have to have a working knowledge of what's required of a great landscape. Because our job as a panel isn't that each of us will spot all of the same characteristics in an image, all of the same defects, all of the same qualities. Each judge has been picked to bring their own. Sort of viewpoint, if you like, to the image. Some judges are super technical, some judges, it's all about the atmosphere. Some judges, it's all about the printing and there's every bit of image production is [00:12:00] covered by each of the individual specialisms of the judges. And so while there is a degree of specialism, there will be a landscape. Specialist in the room or someone who works in landscape, there will be plenty of portrait photographers, wedding photographers, commercial photographers. The idea is from those seven, we can cover all of those bases. So we have seven judges all at fellowship level, all highly skilled, all experienced. And then there's the chair. Now the chair's role is not to affect the actual score. The chair's role is to make sure the judges have considered everything that they should be considering. That's the Chair's job, is to make sure the judges stay fresh, keep an eye on the scores, keep an eye on the throughput. Make sure that every image and every author are given a. The time and consideration that they are due. What do I mean by that? Well, I just mean the photographers spent a lot of time and effort and [00:13:00] finance putting this print in front of us, and so it's really important that we as judges give it due consideration. The chair, that's their role is to make sure that's what really happens. So the process is pretty simple, really. We will take our seats as a panel of judges and when we are settled. The chair will ask for the print, one of the print handlers. There's normally a couple of print handlers in the room, one to put the image on, one to take the image off. The print handler will take the first image or the next image off the pile and place it in front of us on the light box. They will then check the print to make sure there's no visible or obvious dust marks, um, or anything, and give with an air blower or with the back of a a handling glove, or very gently take any dust spots away. They will then step back. Now, the way the judges are set, there are five seats in a gentle arc, usually around the light [00:14:00] box. The outer two judges, judges one and five will step into the light box and examine or interrogate the print carefully. They will take as much time as they need to ascertain what they believe the score for that image should be. They will then take their seats. The next two judges in, so let's say Judge two and four, they will step in to interrogate the print and do exactly the same thing. When they're ready, they'll step back and sit down. And then the middle judge, the final judge in seat three, they will step up and interrogate the print. And the reason we do it that way is that everybody gets to see the print thoroughly. Everybody gets to spend enough time. Examining the print. And at that point, when we all sit down, we all enter our scores onto whatever the system is we're using either using iPads or keypads. There's all sorts of ways of doing it, but what's really important is we do all of this in total silence and we don't really do it because we need to be able to [00:15:00] concentrate. Though that has happened, sort of distracting noises can play havoc. Um, we really do it so that we are not influencing any other judge. So there's no, oh, this is rubbish, or, oh, this is amazing. Or any of this stuff, because the idea is that each judge will come to their own independent score. We enter them, and then there's a process as to what happens next. So that's the process. If at some point a single judge when the image appears, says, I can't judge this for whatever reason, usually it's because they've seen the image before. I mean, there's one this week where I hadn't directly influenced the image. But the author had shown me how they'd done it, so they'd stepped me through the Photoshopping, the construction, the shooting, everything about the image. I knew the image really well, and so when the image appeared on the light box, I knew while I could judge it, it wasn't fair to the author or to the other [00:16:00] competitors that I should. So I raised my hand, checked in with the chair, chair, asked me what I wanted. I said, I need to step off this. I'm too familiar with the work for me to give this a cold read, an objective read. So I if, if possible, if there's another judge, could they just step in and score this one image for me? And that means it's fair for all of the contestants. So that's that bit of process when we come to our score. Let's assume the score's fine. Let's assume, I dunno, it gets an 82, which is usually a merit or a bronze, whatever the system is. The chair will log that, she'll say that image scored 82, which is the average of all five of us. She'll then check in with the scores and the panel of judges. He or she rather, uh, they, so they will look at us and go, are you all happy with that result? That's really important. Are you all happy? Would that result? Because that's the opportunity as judges for one of us, if we're not comfortable that the image is scored where we think it probably should. And [00:17:00] remember with five of you, if the score isn't what you think, you could be the one who's not got your eye in or you haven't spotted something, it might well be you, but it's your job as a judge to make sure if there's any doubt in your mind about the scoring of an image that. You ask for it to be assessed again, for there to be discussion for the team to do its job because it might be that the other members of the panel haven't seen something that you have or you haven't seen something that they have, that both of those can be true. So it's really important that you have a process and you have a strict process. And this is how it works. So the chair will say you are happy. One of the judges may say. No, I'm not happy or may say I would like to challenge that or may simply say, I think this warrants a discussion. I'm gonna start it off. And then there's a process for doing that. [00:18:00] So the judge who raises the challenge will start the dialogue and they'll start in whichever direction it is that they think the scoring is not quite right. They will start the dialogue that way. So let's say the score, the judge who's raising a challenge says the score feels a little low. What happens then is raise a challenge and that judge will discuss the image or talk to the image in a way that is positive and trying to raise the score. And they're gonna do that by drawing attention to the qualities that they feel the image has, that maybe they're worried the other judges haven't seen when they're done, the next judge depends, depending on the chair and how you do it. The next judge will take their turn and he goes all the way around with every judge having their say. And then it comes back to the originating judge who has the right of a rebuttal, which simply means to answer back. So depending on how the [00:19:00] dialogue has gone it may be that you say thank you to all of the judges. I'm glad you saw my point. It would be great if we could give this the score that I think this deserves. Similarly, you occasionally, and I did do one of these where I raised a challenge, um, where I felt an image hadn't scored, or the judges hadn't seen something that maybe I had seen in the image, and then very quickly realized that four judges had seen a defect that I hadn't. And so my challenge, it was not, it's never a waste of a challenge. It's never ever a waste because it's really important that every image is given the consideration it deserves. But at the end of the challenge that I raised, the scoring stayed exactly the same. I stayed, I said thank you to all of the judges for showing me some stuff that I hadn't noticed. And then we moved on. More often than not, the scores move as the judges say, oh, do you know what, you're right, there is something in this. Or, no, you're right. We've overinflated this because we saw things, but we missed these technical defects. It's those kinds of conversations. So that's a, a chair, that's a, a judge's [00:20:00] challenge. Yeah, this process also kicks in if there's a very wide score difference between the judge's scores, same process, but this time there's no rebuttal. Every judge simply gives their view starting with the highest judge and then working anywhere on the panel. Um, and then there's a rare one, which does happen which is a chair's challenge, and the chair has the right in, at least in the competitions that I judge, the chair has the right to say to the panel of judges. Could you just give this another consideration? I think there might be things you've missed or that feels like you're getting a little bit steady in your scoring. 'cause they, the chair of course, has got a log of all the scores and can see whether, you know, you're settling into like a 78, 79 or one judge is constantly outta kilter. The chair can see everything and so your job as the chair is to just, okay guys, listen, I think this image that you've just assessed. Possibly there's some things one way or the [00:21:00] other that you might need to take into consideration. It doesn't feel like you have. I'd like you to discuss this image and then just do a rescore. So those are the, those are the mechanisms. So in the room you've got five judges plus two judges who are there ready to step in when required either on the rotation or when someone recuses themself and steps out. Usually two print handlers and then usually there's at least one person or maybe more from the association, just doing things like making sure things are outta their boxes, that the scores are recorded on the back of the prints, they go back into boxes, there's no damage because these prints are worth quite a lot of money. And so, there's usually quite a few people in the room, but it's all done in silence and it's all done to this beautiful process of making sure it's organized, it's clear it's transparent, and we're working as one team to assess each image and give it the score that it deserves. so when the print arrives on the box. It has impact. Now, whether you like it or not, [00:22:00] whether you understand it or not, whether you can define it or not, the print has an impact. You're gonna see it, you're gonna react to it. How do you react to it? Is it visceral? Does your heart rate climb? Do you. Do you explore it? Do you want to explore it? Does it tell a clear story? And now is when you are judging a competition, typically the association or the organization who are running the competition will have a clear set of criteria. I mean, broadly speaking, things like lighting, posing layout or composition storytelling. Graphic design, print quality, if it's a print competition. These are the kinds of things that, um, we look for. And they're listed out in the competition guides that the entrant, the author will have known those when they submitted their print. And the judges know them when we're assessing them, so they're kind of coherent. Whatever it is that the, the entrance were told, that's what we're judging [00:23:00] to the most important. Is the emotional connection or the impact? It's typically called visual impact or just impact. What's really important about that is that it's very obvious, I think, to break images down into these constructed elements like complimentary colors or tonal range or centers of interest, but they don't really do anything except create. Your emotional reaction to the picture. Now, we do use language around these to assess the image, but what we're actually looking for is emotional impact. Pictures tell stories. Stories invoke emotions. It's the emotions we're really looking for. But the trick when you are judging is you start with the initial impact. Then you go in and you in real tiny detail, look at the image. Explore it, interrogate it, [00:24:00] enjoy it, maybe don't enjoy it. And you look at it in all of the different categories or different areas, criteria that you are, that the judges that the organization have set out. And then really, although it never gets listed twice, it should do, impact should also be listed as the last thing you look at as well. Because here's the process. You look at the image. There's an impact. You then in detail investigate, interrogate, enjoy the image. And then at the very end you ask yourself, what impact does it still have? And that's really important because the difference between those two gives you an idea of how much or how well the image is scoring in all of the other areas. If an image has massive impact when you, let's put 'em on the light box, and then you explore it and you [00:25:00] enjoy it, and you look at it under the light, and then at the end of it you're still feeling the same thing you did when it came on the light box, that's a pretty good indicator that all the criteria were met. If on the other hand, as you've explored the image, you've realized. There are errors in the production, or you can see Photoshopping problems or blown highlights or blocked blacks, or things are blurred where they should be sharp or you name it. It's these kinds of things. You know, the printing has got banding in the sky, which is a defect. You see dust spots from a camera sensor. These gradually whittle away your impact score because you go back to the end and you ask, what impact does the image now have? And I've heard judges use terms like at the end of the process, I thought that was gonna be amazing when it first arrived on the light box. I just loved the look of it from a distance, but when I stepped in, there were just too many things that [00:26:00] weren't quite right. And at the end of it, I just felt some would, sometimes I've heard the word disappointed you. So that's certainly how I feel. When an image has this beautiful impact and the hair stand up on the back of your neck and you just think, I cannot wait to step in and explore this image in detail. 'cause I tell you one thing, most authors don't own a light box. When you see a print on a beautiful light box, the, there's something about the quality. The way the print ESS is you actually get to see what a print should look like. So when you step in, you are really excited to see it. And if at the end of that process you're slightly disappointed because you found defects in the printing or problems with the focusing or Photoshop or whatever it is. You really are genuinely disappointed. So that's how you approach it. You approach it from this standpoint of a very emotional, a very emotional connection with the image to start with, and then you break [00:27:00] it down into its elements, whatever those elements are for the competition. And then at the end, you ask yourself really, does it still have the impact? I thought it would because if it does, well, in that case, it's done really, really well. one of the things that's really interesting about judging images is we, we draw out, we write out all of these criteria and. Every image has them really. I mean, well, I say that of course every image doesn't have them. If you are, if you're thinking about landscape or a picture of a shampoo bottle, it doesn't have posing, for instance, if that's one of your criteria. But typically there's a standard set of criteria and every image has them layout, color uh, photographic technique, et cetera. So if we look at let's say composition, let's talk about composition. Personally, I like to use the term layout rather than composition because it [00:28:00] feels a little bit more like a verb. You lay the image out, you have all of the bits, you lay them out. I like that because when we are teaching photography when we say to someone, right, what are all of the bits that you have in front of you? How are you gonna lay them out? It feels a lot more, to me, at least more logical than saying, how are you gonna compose the image? Because it allows. I think it allows the photographer to think in terms of each individual component rather than just the whole frame. So we are looking for how the image is constructed. Remember that every photographer really should think about an image. As telling a story, what's the story that you want somebody else? Somebody that you've never met. In this case a judge, but it could be a client or it could just be somebody where your work is being exhibited on a wall. What do you want them to look at? What do you want them to see? Where do you want that eye to go? And there are lots of tricks to [00:29:00] this, and one of them is layout or composition. So we've got through the initial impact, boom. And the excitement. And then you start to think, is the image balanced? I like to think of an image having a center of gravity. Some photographers will use center of interest, which is a slightly different thing, but I think an image has a center of gravity. The component parts of the image create balance. So you can have things right down in the edges of the frame, but you need something to balance it like a seesaw. You can't just. Throw in, throw parts of the puzzle around the frame. So you are looking for where do they land? And of course, as photographers, we talk about thirds, golden ratios, golden spirals, all of these terms. But what we are really looking for is does the image have a natural flow? Does it feel like everything's where it should be? Does your eye go to the bit that the author probably wanted you to look at? Have they been effective in their [00:30:00] storytelling? And by storytelling, I don't necessarily mean storytelling as in photojournalism or narrative rich photography. What I mean is what did they want you to see, and then did you go and see it? Separation? Is the background blurred? And let's say the, the subject is sharp. That's a typical device for making sure you look at the subject. Is the color of the background muted in a way that draws your attention? Again to whatever it is in the foreground. So layouts one of those tools. So we work our way around it and try and figure out does the positioning of all of the elements of the image does their positioning add or distract from the story? We think that author was trying to tell. Let's remember that it's not the judge's job to understand the story. It's the author's job to tell the story in a way that the judges can get it. Too often, you know, when I, when I've judged [00:31:00] a competition, someone will come and find me afterwards and say, did you understand what that was about? I was trying to say this, and it's like, well, I didn't see that, but that's not my fault. You know, it's, it's down to you to lead me pictorially to. Whatever it is you're trying to show. Same with all judges, all viewers, clients. It doesn't really matter. It's the author's job, not the judges. So at the end of that, you then move on to whatever's the next criteria. So you know, you assess these things bit by bit, and by the way, every judge will do it in a slightly different order. There'll be written down in an order. But each judge would approach it in a different manner. For me, typically it's about emotional connection more than anything else, it's about the emotion. I love that genuine, authentic connection of a person in the image. To me, the viewer. I will always go there if, if it's a portrait or a wedding or fashion image, if there's a person in it or a dog, I suppose, [00:32:00] then I will look for that authenticity, that, that visceral, it feels like they're looking at me or I'm having a dialogue with them. That's my particular hot button, but every judge has their room and that's how you approach it. So when it comes to a photograph in the end, you don't really have anything other than light when you think about it, right? That's, you pick up a camera, it's got a sensor, it's got film, it's got a lens on the front, and a shutter stopping light coming, or it goes through the lens, but the, the shutter stops it hitting a sensor. And at some point you commit light to be recorded. And it's the light that describes the image. There's nothing else. It's not something you can touch or hear, it's just light. And of course light is everything. I think, I think the term pho photography or photograph is a mix of a couple of words, and it's a relatively recent idea. I think [00:33:00] it was Victorian and it's, isn't it light and art photographic or photograph, um. So that's what it is. It's capturing light and creating a reaction from it. So the quality of light is possibly the most important thing. There is too much of it, and you're gonna have blown highlights, nasty white patches on your prints, too little of it. You're gonna have no detail in the shadows and a lot of noise or grain, whether it's film or whether it's off your sensor. And then there's the shape of the light. The color of the light, and it doesn't really matter whether it's portrait, wedding, landscape, product, avant garde, it's light that defines things. It's light that can break an image. So with portraiture, for instance, we tend to talk about. Sculpting or dimensionality of light. We tend to talk about the shape of the subject. We talk about flattering light. We talk about hard and soft light, and all of these things [00:34:00] mean something. This isn't the podcast to talk about those in detail, but that's what we're looking for. We are looking for has the light created a sense of shape, a sense of wonder, a sense of narrative. Does the lighting draw your eye towards the subject? And when you get to the subject, is it clear that the lighting is effective and by effective, usually as a portrait photographer anyway. I mean flattering. But you might be doing something with light that's counterintuitive, that's making the subject not flattered. That's maybe it's for a thriller style thing, or maybe it's dark and moody. Harsh, as long as in tune with the story as we are seeing it, then the lighting is assessed in that vein. So we've seen some incredible beauty shots over the past couple of days where the lighting sculpted the face. It had damaged ality, but it was soft. There were no hard shadows, there were no [00:35:00] blown highlights. The skin, it was clear that the texture of the skin, the light, it caught the texture. So we knew exactly what that would be. It had. Captured the shape. So the way the gens or shadows ripple around a body or a face tell you its shape. They haven't destroyed the shape. It's it's catch shape, but it hasn't unnecessarily sculpted scars or birthmarks or spots, you know? And that's how lighting works. So you look for this quality, you look for control, you look for the author, knowing what they're doing. With landscapes, typically it's, it is very rare, in my opinion, for a landscape. To get a good score if it isn't shot at one end of the day or the other. Why? Well, typically, at those points of the day, the light from the sun is almost horizontal. It rakes across the frame, and you get a certain quality to the way the shadows are thrown. The way the [00:36:00] light, sculpts hills, buildings, clouds, leaves, trees, the way it skips off water, whether it's at the beginning of the day or the end of the day. It's quite unusual though we do see them for an amazing photograph of escape to be taken at midday. But you can see how it could be if you have the sun directly overhead, because that has a quality all of its own. And you know, if when an author has gone to the effort of being in the right place to shoot vertical shadows with a direct overhead son, well maybe that's so deliberate that the, the judges will completely appreciate that and understand the story. So it's looking for these things and working out. Has the lighting been effective in telling the story? We think the author was trying to tell? Lighting is at the heart of it. So when we've been through every criteria, whatever they are, lighting, composition, color, narrative, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, [00:37:00] we've assessed every image, hundreds of them. We've had challenges, we've had conversations. We have a big pile of prints that have made it over the line. To whatever is your particular association scoring, whether it's merit or bronze or whatever. The puzzle isn't quite complete at that stage because there is of course, a slight problem and that problem is time. So if you imagine judging a section of images might take a couple of hours to do 70 prints, 60, 70 prints might take longer than that. In fact, it might take the best part of an afternoon. During that time. There's every chance the scores will wander. And the most obvious time is if a category spans something like a lunch break. We try to make sure categories don't do that. We try to complete categories before going for a break. We always try to be continuous, but [00:38:00] you've still got fatigue. You've got the judges rotating. So all of these things are going on. It sometimes it depends what images come up in what order could conceivably affect the scoring. For instance there's an image that came up this year where I think probably I was the judge that felt the strongest about it. There was something about this particular image that needed talking about, and so when it came up and it was scores that I raised a challenge and my heart rate, the minute the print hit the stand, my heart rate climbed through the roof. It was. Something about it that just connected with me. And then when I explored the image on the lights, on the light box, to me, there was very little that was technically holding it back. There were a couple of bits, but nothing that I felt warranted a lower score. And so I raised a [00:39:00] challenge. I said my point, I went through it in detail. I asked the other judges to consider it. From my viewpoint, they gave their views as to why they hadn't. But each of them understood where I was coming from and unlike the challenge I talked about earlier where no one changed their mind on this one, they did on this one. They also saw things that I saw when we went through it. But at the end of the process, the image was got a higher score, which is great, but. I didn't feel that I could judge the next image fairly because whatever came in, my heart rate was still battering along after seeing this one particular image. And that happens sometimes. It's not common, but I felt I needed to step off the panel before the next image came up. Which I did in work, working with the chair and the team. I stepped off for a couple of prints before stepping back on [00:40:00] just to let my eye settle and let myself get back into the right zone. But during the day, the zone changes. The way you change your perception of the images, as the images come through is so imperceptible, imperceivable, imperceptible. One of those two words is so tiny that you don't notice if there's a slight drift. And so there's every opportunity for an image to score a couple of points lower or a couple of points higher than it possibly could have done. If it had been seen at another point in the day. Maybe it had been, maybe if the image was seen after a series of not so strong images, maybe it would get a higher score. Or of course, the other way round. Maybe after seeing a series of really, really powerful, impactful images that came up, maybe it scored be slightly diminished. Both of those can be true. And so it's really important that we redress that any possible imbalance and every competition I've ever done has a final round. And the [00:41:00] way this is done is that we take the highest scoring images, top five, top 10, depending on the competition, and we line them up. And all of the judges now, not just the judges who are the five on the panel, all seven judges. Get an opportunity to bring each image back onto a light box if they wish, if they haven't seen them already. Because remember, some of those images may not have been assessed by the, well. It cannot have been assessed by all seven of the judges, so there's always gonna be at least two judges who haven't seen that image or seeing it for the first time as a judge. So we bring them back, we look at them, and then we rank them using one of numerous voting mechanisms where we all vote on what we think are the best images and gradually whittle it down until we're left with a ranked order for that category. We have a winner, a second, a third, a fourth, sometimes all the way down to 10 in order, depending on the competition. And that's the fairest way of doing it, because it means, okay, during the judging, [00:42:00] that image got, I dunno, 87. But when we now baseline it against a couple of images that got 90 something, when we now look at it, we realize that that image probably should have got a 90 as well. We're not gonna rescore it, the score stands, but what we are gonna do is put it up into there and vote on it as to whether it actually, even though it got slightly lower, score, is the winning image for the category. And every competition does something similar just to redress any fluctuations to, to flatten out time. It takes time outta the equation because now for that category, all seven judges are judging the winner at the same time, and that's really important. We do that for all the categories, and then at the end of that process, we bring back all of the category winners and we vote on which one of those. Wins the competition. Now, not every competition has an overall winner, but for the one we've just done for the print masters, for the BIPP print masters, there is an overall winner. And so we set them all out [00:43:00] and we vote collectively as a winner on the winner. And then, oh, we rank them 1, 2, 3, 4, or whatever. Um, really we're only picking a winner, but we also have to have some safety nets because what happens if for instance. Somebody unearths a problem with an image. And this has happened, sadly, this has happened a couple of times in my career where a photographer has entered an image that's not compliant with the rules but hasn't declared it. And it's always heartbreaking when it does happen, but we have to have a backup. So we always rank one, two, and three. So that's some backups, and that's the process. That's how we finish everything off. We have finished, we've got all the categories judged, the category winners judged, and then the overall one, two, and three sorted as well. at the end of the process? I can't speak for every judge. I can speak for me, I feel, I think three things. Exhaustion. It's really hard to spend 48 hours or longer [00:44:00] assessing images one by one, by one by one, and making sure that you are present and paying attention to every detail of every image. And you're not doing an author or an image a disservice. You pay each image or you give each image, you pay each image the due attention it deserves. I feel exhilaration. There's something energizing about assessing images like this. I know it's hard to explain, but there's something in the process of being alongside some of the best photographers that you've ever met, some photographers that you admire more than any others, not just as photographers, but as human beings. The nicest people, the smartest people, the most experienced people, the most eloquent people. There's something in that. So there's this [00:45:00] exhilaration. You are exhausted, but there's an exhilaration to it. And then finally, and I don't know if every photographer feels this or every judge feels this, I do. Which is massively insecure, I think. Can't think of the right words for it. There must be one. But I come away, much like when you've been out on the beers and you worry about all the things you've said, it's the same process. There was that image I didn't give enough credit for. There was this image I was too generous on. There were the things I said in a challenge when it gets a little bit argumentative or challenging. 'cause the clues in the title, you know, maybe I pushed too hard, maybe I didn't push hard enough. There are images you've seen that you wished you'd taken and you feel like. I'm not good enough. There's an insecurity to it too, and those are the three things I think as you leave the room, it's truly [00:46:00] energizing. Paradoxically, it's truly exhausting, but it's also a little bit of a head mush in that you do tend to come, or I do tend to come away a little bit insecure about. All the things that have gone on over the two days prior, and I've done this a long time. I've been judging for, I dunno, 15, 16, 17 years. And I've got used to those feelings. I've got used to coming away worrying. I'm used to the sense of being an underachiever, I suppose, and it's a wonderful , set of emotions that I bring home. And every time I judge. I feel better for it. I feel more creative. I feel more driven. I feel more determined. I feel like my eyes have been opened to genres [00:47:00] of photography, for types of imagery, for styles of posing or studio work that I've never necessarily considered, and I absolutely adore it every single second. So at the end of that, I really hope I've described or created a picture of what it's like to be a judge for this one. I haven't tried to explain the things we saw that as photographers as authors, you should think about when you are entering. I'm gonna do that in a separate podcast. I've done so many of those, but this one was specifically like, what does it feel like to be a judge? Why do we do it? I mean, we do it for a million reasons. Mostly we do it because people helped us and it's our turn to help them. But every photographer has a different reason for doing it. It's the most joyful process. It's the most inspiring process and I hope you've got a little bit of that from the podcast. So [00:48:00] on that happy note, I'm gonna wrap up and I'm gonna go and finish my glass of whiskey which I'm quite excited about if I'm honest. 'cause I did, it's been sitting here beside me for an hour and I haven't drunk any of it. I do hope you're all doing well. I know winter is sort of clattering towards us and the evenings are getting darker, at least for my listeners in the north and the hemisphere. Don't forget. If you want more information on portrait photography or our workshops we've announced all of the upcoming dates or the next set of upcoming dates. Please head across to mastering portrait photography.com and go to the workshop section. I love our workshops and we've met so many. Just lovely people who've come to our studio. And we've loved being alongside them, talking with them, hopefully giving a bit of inspiration, certainly taking a little bit of inspiration, if I'm honest, because everyone turns up with ideas and conversations. Uh, we would love to see you there. The workshops are all are all there on the website and the workshop section. You can also, if you wish, buy a signed copy of the book from mastering portrait photography.com. Again, just go to the [00:49:00] shop and you'll see it there on the top. Amazon has them for sale too. It is great. Amazon typically sells them for less than we do, but we have a fixed price. We have to buy them from the wholesaler at a particular price, whereas Amazon can buy many, many more than we can, so they get a better deal if I'm honest. However, if you want my paw print in there, then you can order it from us and it's supports a photographer and it's really lovely to hear from you. When you do, uh, one thing, I'd love to ask anyone who has bought the updated edition of the book, if you are an Amazon customer. Please could you go on to amazon.com and leave us a review? It's really powerful when you do that, as long as it's a good review. If it's a rubbish review, just email me and tell me what I could have done differently, and I'll email you back and tell you, tell you why I didn't. But if it's a half decent review, a nice review. Please head over to Amazon. Look for mastering portrait photography, the new version of the book, and leave us a review. It's really important particularly in the first couple of [00:50:00] weeks that it's been on sale. Uh, it would be really, really helpful if you did that. And on that happy note, I wish you all well. I've grabbed my glass of whiskey and I'm gonna wrap up and whatever else you do. Until next time, be kind to yourself. Take care.   

Megan Caldwell, a transformative coach, speaker, and facilitator, joins me to talk about her incredible Rockstar Mom Virtual Event, an online summit designed to help high-achieving women move past burnout and overwhelm to live a life of joy and fulfillment. Megan's mission is to help women live their most 'rockstar' lives by incorporating more fun, play, and goodness so they feel as good on the inside as they appear on the outside - now that's what I'm talking about!In this episode, we discuss the core struggles of the high-achieving mom and how the summit is specifically curated to provide immediate, actionable guidance, not just more information. So if you're feeling any of these ways, then this event was created for YOU!✨ Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or stuck in the 'surviving' mode of motherhood and career?

Call it what you like — sleep deprivation/sleep recession/The Exhaustion Economy —but when you're not getting enough sleep as a parent, it's sheer torture. And when actor Keira Knightley named it for the hell it is, every parent felt it in their (tired) bones. This week, we’re unpacking the long-haul burnout that comes with parenting — and the societal shrug that keeps it invisible. Meanwhile, if you think your parenting Group Chats are delivering chaos, you're not alone. Amelia (ever the secret Nicole) has three golden rules to survive them, while Monz is rolling out the five parent archetypes you’ll absolutely recognise.

Recorded live at The Eternal Song Seven Day Film Premiere Gathering. In this episode, hosts Maurizio and Zaya engage in deep conversation with Yoruba philosopher and post-humanist thinker Bayo Akomolafe. In this episode, Bayo shares a Yoruba creation myth involving the Orishas, highlighting the importance of flow and memory. He reflects on his journey as a psychologist in Nigeria and critiques the political dimensions of healing. The dialogue also touches on the limits of modernity, the significance of wounds in creating new worlds, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. Bayo's insights invite listeners to reconsider traditional notions of clarity, identity, and safety, promoting a deeper, more fluid understanding of existence as it weaves into narratives of The Eternal Song. Watch this full conversation and 40+ more The Eternal Song film series and All-Access Pass with from our 7-day gathering with Elders and knowledge keepers Topics 00:00 Introduction and Greetings 00:46 Introducing Bayo Akomolafe 02:13 A Yoruba Creation Story 06:50 Reflections on Healing 12:49 Decolonization and Human Ecology 20:32 The Complexity of Solutions 22:25 Chaos and Order: The Eternal Dance 22:41 The Illusion of Solutions 22:50 Climate Chaos and Moralities 23:34 The Exhaustion of Traditional Moralities 24:10 Para Politics: A New Approach 26:30 The Role of the Trickster in History 28:45 The Power of Wounds and Cracks 31:31 The Fluidity of Identity 36:52 The Origins and Evolution of Language 40:15 Christianity and Indigenous Faiths 44:15 Final Reflections and Gratitude Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Nitish Kumar has mastered the rhythm of renewal in Bihar. In a democracy of churn and chance, endurance may be the rarest—and most refined—form of political art.

Nitish Kumar has mastered the rhythm of renewal in Bihar. In a democracy of churn and chance, endurance may be the rarest—and most refined—form of political art.----more---- https://theprint.in/opinion/nitish-kumars-journey-endurance-exhaustion/2777616/

What does it sound like when your body says no? For most female founders, it's not dramatic — it's the quiet exhaustion, the brain fog, the feeling like you're walking through mud every evening. In this episode, I'm teaching you how to recognize your body's early warning signs and what to do about them before burnout becomes a crisis.IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:Why your body says "no" when your mind says "keep going" — and what it's really trying to protect you fromThe early warning signs of burnout you're probably ignoring (chaotic thoughts, shallow breathing, and decision fatigue)Why a "lighter season" won't fix your exhaustion — and what actually willThe "regulation before response" framework for making grounded decisions in your business and lifeTwo simple morning practices to shift out of chaos or freeze mode in under 5 minutesHow to build body capacity so you can scale your business without burning outTIMESTAMPS:00:00 The Struggle with Exhaustion and Caffeine02:09 Recognizing the Body's Signals04:23 The Burden of Control06:38 Understanding the Body's Intelligence11:55 Building Capacity for Business20:56 Creating a Resourced Morning RoutineRESOURCES:

Send us a textThe Kim B. Davis Show featuring Dr. Angela Celeste May, a clinical, organizational, and forensically trained psychologist, President and Co-founder of A.M. May and Associates, Inc., President and founder of Celeste Productions, Inc., Author, Editor, former columnist, Musician, and 2023 President's Distinction Award winner from the Michigan Psychological Association Foundation discusses, Overextending Yourself and what God says about that. We chat about self care and why it's not the only thing that you need to do for yourself. Join the conversation and strengthen your spirit.The Kim B. Davis Show is a conversational platform that engages issues around mental health, well-being, and political engagement. You can also email me at Kimberly@kimberlybatchelordavis.comSupport the showThank you for tuning in to the Kim B. Davis Show. You can visit KimBDavis.com to learn more about me as an author and you can find me on FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, and LinkedIn. You can see this show on YouTube.com/KimberlyBatchelorDavis. Thank you again for your support and always remember, Be Magnificent.

Feeling overwhelmed at work isn't the same as feeling burned out. What's happening right now might be worse.Josh Cardoz, Chief Creative and Learning Officer at Sponge, recently wrote a white paper called "Mobilising Generation Numb" that captures what's he believes is really going on in workplaces. And it resonates. People are showing up but they're detached. They're going through the motions without bringing their best selves. And it's not just a few people - it's happening at scale.We talk about the data showing that employees are cynical, exhausted, overwhelmed, and seeking community in ways we haven't seen before. Twenty percent of the workforce experiences daily loneliness. Forty-five percent of organizations report low trust cultures. During the pandemic, we saw five years of digital transformation happen in 30 days, and that pace never slowed down.Josh explains what "enshittification" means and how it's affecting our work lives. He also offers practical advice for HR professionals who want to actually help their people instead of just checking compliance boxes.This is about understanding what's really happening with your workforce and doing something useful about it.**Connect with Josh and Sponge**White paper: https://www.spongelearning.com/en/meet-generation-numbConnect with Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcardoz/Sponge Learning: https://www.spongelearning.com/**Connect with Andrea**Website: https://thehrhub.ca/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

High performers often call it burnout — but it's really misalignment. In this episode, Julie Holly unpacks how excellence quietly turns into exhaustion and how to return to peace without losing your edge.High performers know how to win — but what happens when the very excellence that built your success starts draining your soul?In this powerful opening to Week 2, Julie Holly explores why success starts to feel heavy and how to reclaim peace without lowering your standard of excellence. Through the story of Tiger Woods, and the lens of neuroscience and identity, she unpacks how achievement becomes entangled with safety, belonging, and self-worth — and why it's time to redefine success from the inside out.You'll learn:Why burnout isn't a failure of drive, but a symptom of identity fatigue.How your brain's safety system wires achievement to belonging — and why this pattern quietly shapes everything you do.How childhood success patterns (from praise to avoidance) evolve into adult performance pressure.Why some forms of “success” don't look socially acceptable — but still meet the same human need for safety and connection.What Tiger Woods' story reveals about the cost of confusing output with identity.How to shift from proving to expressing — and find peace without losing ambition.Today's Micro Recalibration:

Feeling like you want to delete Instagram, throw your phone out the window, and forget social media ever existed?

Exhaustion and disconnection don't always stem from doing too much, often they stem from pretending too much. In today's episode, we explore surprising truths about energy, authenticity, and what it really means to show up as yourself in medicine and in life.  What if the path to healing, for ourselves and for others, comes from standing out, not blending in? Conformity has a significant cost. Deep-seated energy leaks often stem from hiding our true selves.  We hope you will take us up on the invitation to uncover and embrace the most radiant, wholehearted version of you. Pearls of Wisdom: Authenticity is the most efficient and sustainable way to manage your energy. Conforming and performing often disconnects us from joy and purpose. Your originality and uniqueness are not liabilities because they are your greatest offering. Standing out with sincerity makes you a beacon of safety and belonging for others. Peace and presence are found not in perfection, but in being whole. Reflection Questions: Where in your life do you feel most like your authentic self? Where do you find yourself performing or people-pleasing, and what does that cost you? What would it feel like to walk through your day radiantly, peacefully you– without apology or armor? If this conversation speaks to your heart and you're ready to live, lead, and love with more authenticity, we invite you to join us for a mindfulness-based retreat: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats.  For personalized support, explore coaching at www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching. If you'd like to bring this message to your team, organization, or conference, reach out to have us speak or lead a workshop: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking. Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang is also available for speaking through her site: www.awakenbreath.org. Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.  

Exhaustion signals TESLA - a rabbit out of a hat! Fed meeting in focus S&P earnings week - its a big one PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter Warm-Up - Don't fight the tape - Exhaustion signals everywhere - but plenty of money floating around it seems - Seeing lots of overheated signs..... - BUT, everything is fine. Nothing to worry about Markets - Fed Meeting today and tomorrow - Rate decision on Wednesday - Biggest week for earnings (S&P) - ATH - Let' GO! First time over 6,780 for the S&P 500 - Profit margins with those Tariffs - Surprise! - Emerging markets - On FIRE! Factoid - Ft Lauderdale Boat Show - The economic impact of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) is significant, generating over $1.78 billion in economic output for Florida, supporting more than 100,000 jobs, and creating millions in sales and taxes. The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is considered to be the largest boat show in the world, with over 3 million square feet of exhibition space across multiple marinas. Godcaster is turning churches into local radio stations - Get the Godcaster app on Android and iOS - An Adam Curry Project Fed Meeting - Stock and All time highs - GOLD, SILVER rocking - Crypto doing just fine - GDP good - Employment good - Housing market improving - Limited information about economic activity due to Government is CLOSED - Inflation is well about Fed's own measures (3%) - FED IS GOING TO LOWER RATES REMEMBER - NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT - TRUST THE GOVERNMENT  CPI - The consumer price index showed a 0.3% increase on the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 3%, both lower than expected. - Excluding food and energy, core CPI showed a 0.2% monthly gain and an annual rate also at 3%, less than forecast. - The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the data specifically because the Social Security Administration uses it as a benchmark for cost-of living adjustments in benefit checks. Otherwise, the federal government has suspended all data compilation during the shutdown. Quick Meme Update - BYND - fell back to earth - down to $1.75 from $7 last week... - We should have shorted for the game like we talked about - It was supposed to be the next Apple! Qualcomm News! - They are in the game now - seems that Qualcomm now has the goods to compete with AMD and NVDA - Stock up 15% on this news (AMD and NVDA unfazed) - Qualcomm's data center chips are based on the AI parts in Qualcomm's smartphone chips called Hexagon neural processing units, or NPUs. - Nearly $6.7 trillion in capital expenditures will be spent on data centers through 2030, with the majority going to systems based around AI chips, according to a McKinsey estimate. (3% of of annual GDP for the ext 5 years) Why Not Intel? - The U.S. has formed a $1 billion partnership with Advanced Micro Devices  to construct two supercomputers that will tackle large scientific problems ranging from nuclear power to cancer treatments to national security, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and AMD CEO Lisa Su told Reuters. - The U.S. is building the two machines to ensure the country has enough supercomputers to run increasingly complex experiments that require harnessing enormous amounts of data-crunching capability. The machines can accelerate the process of making scientific discoveries in areas the U.S. is focused on. NVDA Spending Spree - Massive announcements today and $1billion stake in Nokia - Nokia announced on Tuesday that Nvidia is taking a $1 billion stake in the networking company, the latest partnership for the artificial intelligence chipmaker. - Shares of Nokia soared 26% higher following the news.

In a world that celebrates hustle and overwork, many Christians are exhausted, feeling like they're constantly running on empty trying to be perfect. In this episode, we're joined by Valerie Adjorlolo, a nurse and a champion for Christian femininity, who is on a mission to redefine rest. Valerie shares with us her personal journey from a culture of burnout and overwork to a life of spiritual freedom. By exploring biblical foundations from Genesis to the story of Elijah, she reveals why rest is not a reward for a job well done, but a sacred invitation from God to release control. You will learn practical and tangible tips for finding physical, mental, and spiritual rest in a 24/7 world. Get ready to challenge your mindset, embrace your God-given design, and discover that rest isn't lazy—it's the foundation for everything. A quote from the Bible: Be STILL and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10) Topics covered: Christian rest, biblical rest, Christian productivity, Christian femininity, overcoming burnout, work-life balance, rest and faith, Christian women's content, spiritual freedom, surrender to God, Christian living, over-worked nurse, feel guilty when resting. Want to dig a bit deeper? Here is the Biblical Foundation of Rest. Genesis 2: God rested on the 7th day—not because He needed to, but to model rest Exodus: God invites Israel to stop and rest in Him Rest as both physical and spiritual—an invitation to return to the Lord Biblical Story of Elijah (1 Kings 19) Matthew 11:28 – Come to me, I will give you rest Scriptures for Encouragement Psalm 4:8 – "In peace, I will lie down and sleep…" Psalm 3:5 – "I lie down and sleep; I wake again…" Matthew 6:34 – "Don't worry about tomorrow…" Matthew 11:28 – "Come to me, all who are weary…" Did you enjoy this episode and would like to share some love?

IntroductionImagine trying to swim while holding a beach ball underwater – you might pull it off for a bit, but sooner or later that ball is bobbing to the surface. Masking ADHD can feel just like that. Many of us with ADHD learn early that our brains and behaviors can stand out, so we develop a “socially acceptable” persona to blend in. We smile, sit still, and force focus – all to hide our natural restlessness or distraction. This isn't about being fake; it's a survival strategy learned over years. But as the ADDA (Adult ADHD Organization) puts it, keeping that mask on “will take a lot of energy – and the same goes for hiding your ADHD symptoms” In this episode, we'll explore what masking looks like, why we do it, how it varies across individuals, and most importantly, how to gradually unmask without burning out.What Is Masking and Why We Do It“Masking” (also called camouflaging or impression management) means hiding ADHD-related behaviors to appear neurotypical, usually to avoid stigma or negative judgments. Psychologists trace the idea back to Russell Barkley, who noted roughly one-third of people with ADHD develop masking habit. In practice, this can mean sitting unnaturally still to hide hyperactivity, speaking slowly to avoid interrupting, or painstakingly rehearsing what to say in social situations. We do it for safety. Maybe a teacher, boss, or parent once told us our energy was “too much,” or we saw peers get punished for fidgeting. Over time, we absorb: if we let our ADHD out, we risk judgment, rejection, or even losing out on opportunities. In fact, research shows it's not paranoia: about 78% of adults with ADHD admit to concealing their symptoms at work for fear of discrimination In school, the disparity can be shocking – one study found students with overt ADHD behaviors are disciplined 3.5 times more often than their peers for the same actions. Add gender and cultural pressures, and masking can feel like the only path: for example, women with ADHD often face “double discrimination” (for having ADHD and for not fitting feminine organizational norms) and are 40% more likely than men to hide their diagnosis entirely. In short, from childhood on, many of us learn that showing our “whole” ADHD selves is risky or unwelcome. So we adapt. We smile when our mind is racing, offer practical reasons for missed details (“Sorry I'm late, traffic was a nightmare!”), and push down our impulsivity. This constant self-monitoring – judging every word, movement, or post you make – drains your brain like a marathon trainer. It literally spikes stress: one study found that simply drafting and editing an email to seem “normal” boosts cortisol by 45% – your body treats each message like a big performance reviewe. Over time, the nervous system can't tell the difference between a social slip-up and physical dange, so we end up trapped in a cycle of hyper-alertness, exhaustion, and anxiety.What Masking Looks LikeBecause masking is so ingrained, it can look subtle – almost invisible – to others. Here are some common signs:Forcing calmness: You feel restless or impulsive inside, but you keep your voice and movements unusually slow. Your leg might be itching to bounce, but you tuck it under the chair. (Essentially, you're acting tranquil on the outside to hide your inside.).Over-checking & perfectionism: You triple-check your work or double-back on a short text. It's not just organization; it's anxiety about making even a tiny mistake. You polish emails or assignments obsessively so no one will doubt you. This can buy you time socially, but it bleeds your time and energy.Mimicking behavior: You silently copy others. If classmates fidget with a pencil or crack jokes, you nod and do something similar, even if it feels unnatural. You rehearse social scripts or small talk lines so you don't stand out.Hyper-focusing to overcompensate: You push intense focus on tasks that are being observed. In a meeting, you might go above and beyond on one project to cover for the times your attention drifts away.Suppressing stims: You swallow small yelps when you're excited, hold in hand-flapping urges, or quietly tap your foot under the table so nobody notices your need to move.Masking emotions: Instead of expressing frustration or excitement, you “perform” a neutral or cheerfully appropriate response. You might bottle up anxiety during social events and then have a breakdown in private.Over time, these “adaptations” literally become a second job. You're constantly monitoring yourself: “Am I moving too much? Did I blurt out something weird? Should I rephrase that?” It can feel like juggling while walking a tightrope. Nothing about the self feels authentic anymore – you're playing roles, not being you. But it's understandable: many ADHDers grew up being rewarded for “good behavior” and punished for impulsivity. The very need to mask is born out of those early lessons.The Spectrum of Masking ExperiencesMasking isn't one-size-fits-all; it varies depending on who you are, your ADHD type, and even where you live. For example, many women with ADHD describe “quiet masking”: an exhausting act of looking calm and organized while feeling chaos inside. Research suggests women often mask more intensely – making extra lists, rehearsing conversations, or overstating competence – which partly explains why ADHD in girls is underdiagnosed. One online clinician notes that 82% of women with ADHD report taking excessive notes or lists as a main coping strategy, whereas men more often throw themselves into high-powered work or sports to cover their restlessness. Men, on the other hand, often face a different mask: society may expect them to “just power through” or hide vulnerability. They might channel their energy into accomplishments or humor while resisting showing any confusion or need for help. Non-binary folks often juggle multiple sets of expectations, effectively running two exhausting personas simultaneouslyHormones also play a role: many women report that masking feels easier at certain times of the month and nearly impossible at others. Studies find that in the week before a period (when estrogen drops), it may take two to three times the energy to hold the mask than usual. In real numbers, one analysis suggests neurodivergent women spend about 4.2 hours each day on masking behaviors (mental checklists, micro-adjustments, etc.) compared to 2.7 hours for men – almost two extra hours of invisible labor.Cultural and social context also shifts masking. If you live in a community that stigmatizes any difference, you may have learned to mask more completely. Queer or BIPOC individuals, for instance, often mask not just ADHD but intersectional identities – layering on extra caution. As a parent, you may have taught your child that only quiet, compliant behavior is “good,” so they never learned a louder style of coping. As an educator, you might see a child who seems well-behaved and think “no ADHD here,” while inside that child is using up all their energy to meet those external expectations. The takeaway: everybody's mask looks a bit different. What matters is the cost: all masking demands surplus energy, and when you're always paying that cost, the debt comes due.The Exhaustion CostSpeaking of cost – exhaustion is the hallmark of masking. It's not ordinary tiredness; it's an all-the-way-to-your-toes, bone-deep fatigue. Over time, masking takes an enormous toll on mental and physical health. Psychologists warn that chronic masking leads to “chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and mental health struggles” like anxiety or depression. You might find yourself mentally blanking after social events, or breaking down over small setbacks. Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) can worsen this: even a tiny hint of criticism triggers a panic that sends you scrambling to mask harder, which drains more energy.Imagine the analogy of a running car engine: for you, masking means the engine is revving constantly, even when parked. That steady drain pushes cortisol and adrenaline through your system day after day. In fact, one study found cortisol (the stress hormone) climbs nearly 50% higher when an ADHD brain is in “masking mode,” treating every text or conversation like a high-stakes. No wonder so many ADHDers talk about being “tapped out” by nightfall.The breakdown can look like burnout or even depression. Burnout may start targeted (you feel okay at home but depleted at work), whereas depression spreads gloom into all areas. The difference can blur when masking for years: you might not even recognize yourself under the layers of effort. Some call it an identity crisis – when the role you've played for so long crowds out who you actually are. Teachers and therapists note that people rapidly “unmasking” often feel lost at first, confused about what they truly feel versus what they've performed for so long.Chronic masking even shows up in our bodies. It turns out that intense mental effort – like keeping a fake version of you running all day – activates the same inflammation pathways as physical traum. In other words, the stress of constant performance can undermine your immune system and heart health just like chronic physical stress. People who have masked intensely for years sometimes develop exhaustion-related illnesses in mid-life (autoimmunity, chronic pain, etc.) at higher rates. The data is sobering: extreme mental strain is linked with roughly a 23% higher risk of heart disease and 50% higher risk of Type 2 diabetes.None of this means your experience is exaggerated or “all in your head” – it's very real. Masking might start as a child's coping trick, but it can become a hidden crisis of burnout and self-alienation. When we say “exhaustion in between,” we mean the haze between two states: who you pretend to be (masked) and who you hope to be (unmasked). That haze is filled with stress, self-doubt, and second-guessing everything you say and do.The Path to UnmaskingSo how do you step out of that haze? Psychologists and coaches emphasize that unmasking is a gradual process. It's not an all-or-nothing revelation; it's more like slowly lowering the mask corner by corner. First, you need safe spaces – people or places where you feel accepted even if you slip up. That might be a close friend who knows you have ADHD, a sympathetic coworker, or an ADHD support group. In these environments you can practice just being a little more you.Awareness is the first step. Start by recognizing the ways you've been masking. Make a list (mental or written) of behaviors you do to hide your symptoms. Maybe note times you felt especially drained. As one psychologist suggests, once you see your own patterns, “you can begin making small changes to live more authentically – without the exhaustion.”. Small changes might be as simple as choosing one meeting to not take perfect notes, or allowing yourself one moment of stimming where it feels safe. Each little crack in the facade eases the pressure.You do not have to do it alone. Working with an ADHD coach or therapist can provide support for this journey. They can help you build confidence in your unmasked self and develop coping techniques for tough moments. Support groups (online or in-person) are also powerful – hearing others' stories of unmasking can make you feel understood, and you'll pick up practical tips. Remember: there's no shame in needing a plan or support to shed layers you've held onto for years.Importantly, you have a right to yourself. Unmasking may feel scary at first – you might worry about disappointing people or losing opportunities. Indeed, relationships built on the masked you may strain when the real you emerges. But authenticity also invites real connections. Let people see why you needed that mask, and give them a chance to adjust. Most find that gradual honesty (e.g., letting someone know “I'm actually not great at meetings” or “I need a second to think, I have ADHD”) can lead to more empathy and support in the long run.Tips & StrategiesPractical Daily ToolsUse timers and structure: Make time visible. Set a Pomodoro timer (25 minutes focus, 5 minutes break) for tasks. Many ADHDers swear by visual timers or apps that count down work segments. This keeps your brain anchored and reminds it that it's okay to pause. Timers can also break hyperfocus and prompt you to check in with yourself.Practice mindfulness (even briefly): Mindfulness isn't about chanting om; it's simply noticing what's happening now. Try a two-minute breathing exercise or a grounding check (e.g. count five things you see) when you feel off-balance. Training attention like a muscle can gradually make it easier to stay present, instead of slipping into panicked self-monitoring.Body doubling: Work or study next to someone else, even if they're doing their own thing. This can be a friend, coworker, or a virtual co-working session. The presence of another person gives your brain a subtle social cue to stay on task. It sounds funny, but many ADHDers find it helps them focus and not procrastinate as much.Externalize information: Use sticky notes, apps, whiteboards – anything that gets things out of your head and into the world. Write to-do lists, set multiple alarms, and put reminders in plain sight. Our brains with ADHD often work better with external structures. For example, if you always misplace your keys, have a dedicated hook or dish for them; if you forget errands, put notes on your phone's home screen. This isn't laziness – it's smart strategy.Transition rituals: Create small routines to “switch gears” at key times. For instance, light a candle or play a specific song when you start work, and then another cue (closing a planner, stretching) when you end. These rituals tell your brain “work is starting (or ending)” and can reduce the jarring overwhelm of sudden task changes.Therapeutic Strategies and SupportTalk to an ADHD-aware therapist or coach: A professional who gets ADHD can help you unpack why you feel the need to mask, and teach coping tools that don't involve hiding. For example, they may work on managing emotional overload (RSD), building self-esteem, or creating realistic plans for ADHD challenges. As one source notes, “seek out a therapist or coach who understands what you are going through”. They can guide you through practices like cognitive reframing or co-regulation exercises.Join support groups or communities: You aren't alone in this. Connecting with others who share ADHD (in support groups, forums, or social media) can be a game-change. Sharing stories helps you feel validated and less isolated. You'll learn “if they do it too, it's not just me,” which is huge for reducing shame. Some groups even offer body doubling sessions or accountability partners, blending practical help with empathy.Consider medication or coaching: If you haven't already, speak to a medical professional about ADHD medication or executive function coaching. While not for everyone, proper medication can reduce the intensity of symptoms, which in turn can lighten the masking load (for instance, less need to hyper-focus or suppress stims). An ADHD coach or organizer can help set up routines and accountability that make daily life smoother. Even simple tips like using noise-cancelling headphones in an overstimulating class or workspace can cut sensory overload and ease the urge to mask your discomfort.Practice self-regulation techniques: Techniques like co-regulation (doing relaxation exercises with a trusted person) can help you manage anxiety during unmasking. Breathing exercises, grounding, or gentle movement breaks (take a short walk, stretch) can also break cycles of panic when you feel exposed. The key is to have these strategies ready before you need them, so you don't default to the old mask under stress.Mindset Shifts and Self-CompassionReframe your self-talk: Change the narrative from “I'm being fake” to something kind like “I'm doing what I need to feel safe right now. This simple mental shift reduces self-blame. Remember: masking began for a reason. It was a way to protect yourself in situations that felt unsafe or unaccommodating. Treat masking as what it is – a survival strategy – not a character flaw.Set realistic expectations (“Good enough is enough”): One therapist advises: you don't have to be perfect. If you mentally prepare for an outing by saying “I will do okay, but I might feel tired and that's fine,” you're giving yourself permission to be human. Lower the stakes. If a conversation goes a bit off script, remind yourself it's not the end of the world. You're learning new habits, so expect some wobble at first.Take structured breaks: Masking is tiring; build in after-care. Plan downtime after social or high-mask situations. For instance, if you have a big meeting, schedule a 15-minute quiet break afterward to decompress (read, meditate, or just stare at the ceiling). These “mask rest” breaks are not indulgence but necessary refueling. Even during an event, sneak micro-breaks: a few deep breaths in the restroom or a moment outside can reset your system.Engage in self-care rituals: After masking sessions, do something comforting: perhaps rock on a chair, hug a pillow, doodle, or listen to your favorite music. Physical movement can help shake off tension. Journaling can also help: write down what parts of the interaction felt draining, what felt okay, and what small things helped you cope. Each insight is gold for next time.Offer yourself compassion: Recognize the courage it takes to gradually be yourself. Each time you unmask a little, you're practicing bravery. When you catch yourself slipping into shame or “shoulding” on yourself, gently pause and remind: You deserve care and acceptance, even while you're figuring this out. Affirmations like “I am learning to be me” or celebrating small wins (e.g. “I spoke up for my needs today”) reinforce a kinder inner voice.ConclusionMasking may have been part of our childhood toolkit for surviving a world that didn't seem built for us, but carrying that weight forever is optional. As research shows, chronic masking comes with costs – physical, emotional, relational – that we are not obligated to pay indefinitely. By understanding why we masked and how it wears us down, we gain the power to change course. Unmasking is a journey of self-discovery and patience. It means gradually replacing exhaustion with authenticity. It means finding and creating spaces where our real selves can breathe.Finally, remember: there is no single “right way” to do this. Some days you'll need the mask a little longer; other days you'll fling it off completely. Each step toward honesty is progress. Embrace the support around you, use the tools that work, and give yourself credit. Over time, you'll find that as the masks slowly lift, life feels lighter – and so do you.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to carmen_authenticallyadhd at carmenauthenticallyadhd.substack.com/subscribe

Delanie Fischer chats with Gen X viral content creator and entrepreneur Sherri Dindal about midlife transformation — diving into the fluidity of identity, purpose, and the realities of reinvention. Sherri opens up about her bold career pivot in her 40s, leaving behind a 26-year career as a corporate investigator to pursue entrepreneurship, and how she's released the baggage of societal expectations while redefining what work, aging, and success truly mean to her. Discussed in this episode:  Why Staying Loyal to a Company Might Screw You Hitting the Wall of Dread and Exhaustion in Your Job Corporate Stress vs. Entrepreneurial Stress What Does “Old” Even Look Like — and Who Says? How Media Shapes Our Perception of Aging The Evolution of "Retirement" and What it Means Now What Sherri (52) Wishes She Knew at Delanie's Age (35) The First Steps Sherri Took to Build Her Business Guidance for Creators (Social Media or Otherwise) You're Never Too Old (or Too Late) to Reinvent Yourself --- If Self-Helpless has supported you, a quick 5-star rating or review (if you haven't already) means so much! ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-helpless/id1251196416⁠ Free goodies including The Quote Buffet and The Watch & Read List: ⁠https://www.selfhelplesspodcast.com/⁠ Ad-free episodes now available on ⁠Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/selfhelpless⁠ Your Host, Delanie Fischer:⁠ https://www.delaniefischer.com⁠ ---- Episodes related to this topic: Flip the Script on Aging: Strength, Vitality, and Purpose with 74 Year-Old Icon Babette Davis: https://www.delaniefischer.com/selfhelplesspodcast/episode/23c49ad2/flip-the-script-on-aging-strength-vitality-and-purpose-with-74-year-old-icon-babette-davis Mortality Awareness: Meaning, Motivation, and Your To-Die-For Life with Karen Salmansohn: https://www.delaniefischer.com/selfhelplesspodcast/episode/2367345e/mortality-awareness-meaning-motivation-and-your-to-die-for-life-with-karen-salmansohn It's Not Too Late To Start with Jared Champion: https://www.delaniefischer.com/selfhelplesspodcast/episode/23f7190f/its-not-too-late-to-start-with-jared-champion Is The "Dream Job" Concept A Lie? What To Look For Instead + Tips For Transitioning with HR Expert Shelby McGuire Canlas: https://www.delaniefischer.com/selfhelplesspodcast/episode/2279bacd/is-the-dream-job-concept-a-lie-what-to-look-for-instead-tips-for-transitioning-with-hr-expert-shelby-mcguire-canlas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have adapted to living life in a constant state of exhaustion. Living life constantly exhausted should not be your norm. Acknowledging you are exhausted is the first step.

Catch up with Bunches and Goobers as they discuss their past week and navigating things that are impacting their lives.

Professor Paul Leonardi share how to turn down the digital noiseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Technology was supposed to make life easier. Instead, it's draining our attention and creativity. Paul Leonardi is here to help you recharge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your exhaustion isn't 'normal' despite what you've been told. There's a reason why you are consistently tired and exhausted. High stress leads to High-Functioning Fatigue and Burnout.  So, if you have ever wondered if your constant stress levels have anything to do with your daily fatigue, brain fog and sleep issues… you are in the right place! The short answer is YES! Your constant stress levels play a big role in your daily fatigue, brain fog and trouble sleeping.  Today I share how your stress affects your energy levels and can lead to an adrenal crisis. A fatigue condition not talked about very much.  This is an episode that was loved by many women just like you fighting fatigue and thinking it was her new normal. (It's not. I promise you.) If you missed it the first go round here's your chance to catch it without endlessly scrolling through episodes. And, if you've been a long time listener, you will still benefit from a refresh. Women suffer from a lot of "busy-ness" syndrome, pushing through and ignoring their own bodies signals (and screams.) The body is 2/3 of the way sick generally before any diagnosis is even made. But THIS diagnosis is largely overlooked, dismissed and ignored.  Adrenal fatigue or adrenal dysregulation is a very real condition that driven women especially in this midlife season are suffering with.  So, no sister, your daily exhaustion isn't 'normal'.  Good health is your birthright in Christ Jesus!!  I pray this pre-recorded episode blesses you today! XO, Michelle   Get rid of your stress induced fatigue, brain fog and belly fat in 12 weeks without dieting, deprivation and disappointment! So that you can wake feeling refreshed, have a clear mind for your day and have the energy to be fully present with your family in the evening. Book your  Fatigue Freedom Breakthrough Call today!   Online Supplement Dispensary Info: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/michelle-mccoywellness ***Join our community, Fight FATIGUE over 40 with FAITH & Holistic Health, to be supported, encouraged and educated as you take back your health WITH God at the center. **Catch the Treasured Wellness Podcast on https://christianmix106.com/   AND YouTube   ***DISCLAIMER: By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. Contact your own physician for any medical concerns you have. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast. Under no circumstances shall Treasured Wellness, LLC, guests or contributors be responsible for damages arising from the use of this podcast.

Episode Highlights With BrittanyWhat polyvagal theory is and the updated science of the nervous system Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and what this meansThree principles of polyvagal theory: hierarchy of responses, coregulation, neuroception Humans have a bioligcal imperative to be in connection with othersWhat glimmers or safety cues are and how to understand these Misconceptions and misinformed ideas related to nervous system regulationRegulation does not mean being calm, cool, and collected all the timeWhat somatic experiencing is and how it can be helpful in processing emotions and physical symptomsSteps you can take and try now to support your body, emotions, and nervous systemTrauma doesn't always come back as a memory but can come back as patterns and reactionsHow to know if exhaustion is going into shut down or just the body finally being able to restWhy we actually have to go through fight or flight to climb the nervous system ladder When things can feel worse before they feel betterWhy the nervous system prefers predictable over safe at times and why slower is faster when it comes to the nervous systemWe will never be fully healed and releasing that expectationResources MentionedBody-First Healing: Get Unstuck and Recover from Trauma with Somatic Healing by Brittany PiperBody First Healing ProgramBody First Healing on InstagramThe Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.

Mama, have you searched your heart lately to find Jesus? Be encouraged as you join us for this podcast today! “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

Hey, this is Coach Charlene. Have you ever returned from a vacation or taken time off, only to feel just as empty and exhausted as before? I know that feeling all too well. I learned that this isn't just fatigue—it's your soul being depleted. In this video, I share my personal story about how I realized that no amount of vacation can fix the feeling of being misaligned with your true purpose. It's a deep exhaustion that time off simply can't touch.I want to help you understand the difference between surface-level rest and the soul-level restoration you truly need. I'll walk you through the four layers of restoration that helped me recharge from the inside out:Physical: Getting the right sleep, hydration, and movement.Emotional: Using tools like therapy and journaling to truly let yourself feel.Spiritual: Connecting with your source through prayer, reflection, or nature.Purpose: Finding at least one thing that makes you feel alive again.I'll also guide you through my "Alignment Check," a set of powerful questions I used to find my truth, including "What do I need to release?" and "Where have you been avoiding healing?".It's time to stop waiting for the weekend or PTO to save you. Join me in this episode to learn how to make restoration your lifestyle, not your emergency fix.

Are you a Highly Sensitive Person under stress? Find out—take the free test at https://trueinnerfreedom.com/ Are You Too Exhausted to Rest—Even When You Try? When you're emotionally drained but can't seem to relax, rest alone may not be the answer. Discover why traditional rest strategies often fail highly sensitive people and what you can do instead. If you're an HSP who's ever gone to bed early only to lie awake, or taken a weekend off and felt just as depleted, you're not alone. This episode dives into the emotional roots that block true rest and what you can do when your mind simply won't let go—even when your body is begging for a break. In this episode, you'll discover: Why emotional attachment keeps you in a cycle of exhaustion—even when you carve out time to rest. How to identify and release the thoughts that keep your nervous system stuck in overdrive. A proven inquiry technique that helps you dissolve emotional stress and reclaim your energy. Press play to unlock the deeper rest your body and mind are craving—without having to escape your life to get it.   Todd Smith, founder of True Inner Freedom Dreaming of a stress-free, balanced life? Visit trueinnerfreedom.com and complete the HSP Stress Survey. Gain clarity on your stress triggers and enjoy a free 15-minute Inner Freedom Call designed to guide you toward lasting inner peace and fulfillment. Are you a highly sensitive person (HSP) or someone who identifies as hypersensitive or neurodivergent? This podcast is dedicated to helping highly sensitive people (HSPs) navigate overwhelm and stress by using The Work of Byron Katie—a powerful method for questioning stressful thoughts and finding true inner freedom. We dive deep into stress management strategies, coping with stress, and stress relief methods specifically tailored for HSPs. Learn how to manage emotions, especially negative ones, and explore effective stress reduction techniques that go beyond the surface to address the root causes of anxiety and pressure. Whether you're interested in learning how to lower stress, handle stress and pressure, or reduce stress through practical techniques, we provide insights and support based on The Work of Byron Katie. Discover how this transformative approach can help you decrease stress, find inner peace, and create balance in your life. Join us to learn about various coping strategies for stress, all designed to support HSPs in their journey toward emotional well-being.

This week's conversation zooms in on what Michelle calls “the myth at the heart of them all”: the belief that control equals peace.She begins by unpacking why control is so seductive. In a chaotic world, rules around food, body, work, or routines promise certainty, safety, and belonging. But as Michelle illustrates, control is like squeezing water in your hands—the tighter the grip, the more it slips away.Through stories and science, she explores how this plays out:Food rules create pressure, which fuels rebellion and the binge–restrict cycle.Rigid movement plans collapse the moment life throws a curveball.Hustle culture's perfect routines crumble under real-world stress, leaving shame and “all-or-nothing” thinking.Michelle explains the biological and psychological costs: restriction triggers hunger hormones and cravings; stress spikes cortisol and dysregulates mood; autonomy violations ignite inner rebellion. The result? Exhaustion, brittleness, shame, and lost self-trust.But there's another way: trust. Michelle shares how shifting from control to trust through intuitive eating and flexible rhythms brought her more stability, joy, and freedom than she ever found in rigid discipline. Trust, she reminds us, is not passivity—it's active listening and responding with compassion instead of rules.Stay connectedIf this series resonated, make sure you're subscribed so you won't miss what's next. Share this episode with a friend who's tired of living under rules, and leave a quick rating or review to help others find Thrive Beyond Size. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

BT and Sal tear into the Yankees' year-end press conferences, noting Brian Cashman's uncharacteristically "tired" and uncombative demeanor, suggesting he's worn out by the long run of disappointment. The bigger shock is the massive injury toll: Anthony Volpe (shoulder surgery), Carlos Rodón (procedure), and Gerrit Cole (on target, but likely not ready for Opening Day), clouding the offseason plans. The hosts debate Cashman's defense of Volpe's performance and his future, seeing a "first flinch" of self-doubt. They conclude that the Yankees' standard has been utterly decimated because, without any repercussions for years of post-2009 failure, "what is the standard?" Hal Steinbrenner is called out for his silence and for accepting a culture where a 94-win team can get "outclassed and mopped" by the Blue Jays.

TSA screens more than bags as Kristi Noem blames Democrats for the shutdown—on airport TVs. Speaker Mike Johnson digs in, predicting the longest shutdown ever. Meanwhile, burnout hits a record high, and Gen Z gets shown the door—again.

Aurangzeb, History & the Politics of Memory – Saurabh Lohogaonkar on India's Distorted Past ⚔️

Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7Do you keep telling yourself you'll rest when the work is done?That time never comes. Rest isn't what you do after the work — it's what makes the work go well.This episode breaks down eight kinds of rest accountants need, how to get them, and why your firm runs better when you stop running on fumes.…Link to full shownotes: https://www.businessstrategyforcpas.com/368…Want Pricing Essentials?If you feel trapped by your own accounting firm, it's not because of the work – it's how you've priced the work. Too many accountants are stuck in undercharging, overdelivering, and people-pleasing cycles. Break the pattern with my short PDF guide: 7 Pricing Essentials »It's free and you can read it in 5 minutes.I want to help you get your prices up without losing loyal clients.  …Want client interviews?310 From Exhausted to Having Her Life Back: Wendy Norman, CPA304 From 55 Down to 15 Hours; Same Take-Home Pay with Melissa Downs, EA293 What it Takes to Work 15 Hours per Week with Erica Goode, CPAComplete list:geraldinecarter.com/client-interview-episodes…FOUR ways I help overworked CPAs go down to 40 hours without losing revenue or hiring:THE EMAIL COURSE – Freegeraldinecarter.com/stop-working-weekendsStop Working Weekends will teach you how to reduce your hours without giving up revenue. THE BOOK – $9.99geraldinecarter.com/bookDown to 40 Hours – A Roadmap for CPAs to End Overworking Without Losing RevenuePEAK FREEDOM COMMUNITY – $197/mogeraldinecarter.com/peak-freedomFor solo and small accounting firm owners who want to rise above the insanity of hustle-cultureDOWN TO 40 HOURS ACCELERATOR – $995/mogeraldinecarter.com/40For the overworked CPA at multiple six figures of revenue who is ready to stop working weekends, wants to implement overdue changes, and doesn't want to do it alone. You'll make progress faster and with more confidence. … Get your FREE 7 Pricing Essentials for CPAs and EAs here:https://geraldinecarter.com/7

What's the best way to round off 39 hours of no sleep? Invite 7 young girls round for your daughter's birthday sleepover, that's how! Were there tears? Of course! Did said tears belong to Elis or the kids? Listen to find out.Elsewhere we're answering the question, ‘is mid-October too early to be talking about Christmas?' Not in these parts it ain't, as Elis makes a startling claim about Irish wishlists and John questions the role Santa played in his childhood festivities.All this, plus what comes to mind when you think of Brian May, a rollercoaster of a Road to Nowhere, and huge developments in the Cymru Connection's role in forging Wales's national identity.We're fast becoming the world's first email-powered, self sustaining podcast. But we need more of your emails to keep things moving. Send them to elisandjohn@bbc.co.uk, or write them in WhatsApp form and send them to 07974 293 022.

Send us a textBurnout isn't just “being tired.” For many musicians, singers, and creatives, it creeps in quietly until suddenly you can't think clearly, you can't create, and you feel stuck in cycles of exhaustion.In Season 12 Episode 1 of This Is A Voice, Jeremy Fisher and Dr. Gillyanne Kayes open up about their own experience with burnout, how it affected their work and creativity, and what they did to recover. They're joined by singer and coach Franka van Essen, who explains burnout through the lens of Polyvagal Theory - and why creatives often toggle between burnout, boredom and overdrive.We talk about:The real signs of burnout (that you might be ignoring)Why freelancing makes burnout more likelyHow Polyvagal Theory can help you recognise the “zones” you live inPractical ways to step back into rest, creativity, and connectionIf you've ever felt exhausted, disconnected, or wondered “is this burnout?”, this episode will help you recognise it - and give you hope that you can recover.#burnout #singerburnout #polyvagaltheory  #musicianmentalhealth #vocalcoach  #singingteacher  00:00 Mood swings and despair01:19 What burnout looks like02:56 Measuring burnout05:21 Jeremy's change of behaviour07:12 Franka on how burnout can start09:19 Singing teachers and burnout12:16 Musicians and task switching13:49 Polyvagal theory and the zones17:10 Toggling between the zones19:01 Compassion fatigue22:25 Household boundaries25:08 A plate of raspberry puddings25:44 Getting back in the green zone28:44 Learning to say noYou can contact Franka van Essen on http://www.voice2blossom.nl/Instagram and Facebook voice2blossomLinkedIn Franka van EssenAnd Franka's short course on Polyvagal Theory for singers, teachers and coaches is included in our monthly Learning Lounge membership here https://vocalprocess.co.uk/learning-lounge/learning-lounge-level-2-deep-dive/Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more insightful episodes. Leave a comment below on what inspired you the most!

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You're not always eating because you're hungry. More often than not, you're eating because your brain is looking for a break from a feeling. In this episode of Weight Loss Made Simple, Dr. Stacy breaks down the five most common emotions that trigger emotional eating — and what you can do instead.We'll cover:

Katie Stockton with Fairlead Strategies notes a strong trend to the upside seen in indices and sectors — all without a significant pullback. That lack of a pullback has Katie concerned when it comes to holding the rally. She sees signs of "exhaustion" that can open the door to strong selling action if market leaders like tech exhibit weakness. Katie later talks about gold's nosebleed run and the U.S. dollar's potential to rebound to $100.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

Five years ago, Joe worked side by side with Sue. Their friendship deepened into an affair during a time when both were trapped in loveless marriages. They made plans for a future together… until everything changed. Sue was diagnosed with cancer, and within a year she was gone. Joe was left devastated, grieving in silence, unable to show his pain at work. While sitting at his desk in the middle of the day, Joe felt a sudden hot, buzzing sensation rush through his entire body — unlike anything he'd ever experienced. When he looked up, Sue was standing there. Not a shadow. Not a mist. She looked as real and solid as she had when she was alive. Sue smiled and said, “This place is different now… don't be scared. I've never left.” Joe was frozen, barely able to respond as she walked over to the machine she once operated. Moments later, the warm sensation faded, and she was gone. Exhaustion washed over him, leaving him questioning if it had been a dream — yet he'd been fully awake just moments before. Was it a grief-fueled hallucination, or a real haunting? This true ghost story suggests that sometimes love — and unfinished business — can tether a soul to the places they knew best. #TrueGhostStory #HauntedWorkplace #RealHaunting #SpiritVisitation #SueNeverLeft #ParanormalExperience #GhostEncounter #LoveAfterDeath #HauntedFactory #UnfinishedBusiness #RealGhostStoriesOnline #BuzzingPresence Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

Schedule an Empowered Body Session with me: https://mindfullywell.com/sessionFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissa_eich/?hl=enKeywordschange, secondary gain, exhaustion, boundaries, visibility, healing, subconscious, conditioning, awareness, personal growthSummaryIn this episode, Melissa Eich explores the concept of secondary gain, which refers to the hidden benefits one receives from maintaining a problem, such as exhaustion or emotional distress. She discusses how these gains can keep individuals stuck in their current situations, often due to subconscious conditioning and fear of change. The conversation emphasizes the importance of recognizing these patterns to facilitate healing and personal growth, encouraging listeners to examine their own lives and consider how they might be holding themselves back.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Change and Resistance03:12 Understanding Secondary Gain05:43 Conditioning and Its Impact on Behavior08:48 The Role of Exhaustion in Our Lives11:21 Boundaries and the Fear of Visibility14:25 The Familiar Discomfort of Staying Stuck17:14 The Dilemma of Healing vs. Safety19:52 Awareness and the Path to Change21:42 Invitation to Explore and Heal

This week, your two favorite Matts discuss the endless discourse around Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl album release, Bad Bunny announced at next year's Super Bowl headliner, Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman announcing their separation, and more!Fill out the Two Gay Matts listener survey!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate to GlobalGiving's California Wildfire Relief Fund⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get some of our brand new merch from shoptwogaymatts.com!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a part of our newly revamped Patreon!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch Matt Steele's movie DIVOS!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch us on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow @itsmattsteele⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow @mattpalmermusic⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The kingdom of God is beautifully simple at its core - God loves you and wants a relationship with you. However, life gets complicated sometimes. Exhaustion, confusion, expectations, and fear can cause us to lose sight of the simple truth. While the simple kingdom still requires effort and sacrifice, it's centered on trust - trust in God's goodness and His love. When life gets complicated, we need to return to whatever first anchored our faith in Christ.

Digital exhaustion is real. We're working across more apps than ever before, and since they're always accessible, work-life boundaries have disappeared. Combine this with our personal tech, and we've got a recipe for burnout. Paul Leonardi is a Professor of Technology Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After decades of business consulting, he's had a front-row seat to employees' digital burnout. What he saw led him to create concrete solutions, which he outlines in his latest book, Digital Exhaustion: Simple Rules for Reclaiming Your Life. These are smart and sensible strategies leaders can put into practice to improve employees' quality of life – and work. Episode Links Developing a Digital Mindset Are Collaboration Tools Overwhelming Your Team Interview with Gloria Mark The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

watch the full podcast https://youtu.be/ugHdLPPNe6YBecome a Member and Give Us Some DAMN GOOD Support :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX8lCshQmMN0dUc0JmQYDdg/joinGet your Twins merch and have a chance to win our Damn Good Giveaways! - https://officialhodgetwins.com/Get Optimal Human, your all in one daily nutritional supplement - https://optimalhuman.com/Want to be a guest on the Twins Pod? Contact us at bookings@twinspod.comDownload Free Twins Pod Content - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_iNb2RYwHUisypEjkrbZ3nFoBK8k60COFollow Twins Pod Everywhere -X - https://x.com/HodgetwinsPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/hodgetwins/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/twinspodYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX8lCshQmMN0dUc0JmQYDdgRumble - https://rumble.com/c/TwinsPodSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/79BWPxHPWnijyl4lf8vWVuApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/twins-pod/id1731232810

This week, The Redeemed Man podcast welcomes back one of its very first guests, licensed counselor and minister Michael Cusick, to talk about his new book Sacred Attachments. In his conversation with Nate Dewberry, Michael explains what attachment means, why it matters, and how the bonds we form, or fail to form, early in life can shape us as adults. He also highlights the importance of openness and honesty, how to guard against “spiritual exhaustion,” and what it means to embrace a “re-imagined” life with God—one marked not by constant activity, but by rest and security in His love. Segments/chapters0:00 Intro/What inspired Michael's latest book3:19 What does attachment mean, and why is it important?11:51 The “Four S's” critical to a child's healthy emotional development15:32 How our sacred attachment to God helps us “exhale” in times of stress and shame24:26 The truth will set you free—not just the truth of the Bible, but what's in our own hearts32:11 God meets us where we're broken, so let's be willing to admit where that is41:38 How God rescues us: the story of Juan CruzVisit The Redeemed's website for downloadable discussion question sets, show notes, inspirational articles, more resources, or to share your testimony.Join our Exclusive Newsletter: Signup today and be the first to get notified on upcoming podcasts and new resources!The Redeemed is an organization giving men from all backgrounds a supportive, judgment-free environment, grounded in Christian love without demanding participation in any faith tradition, where they can open up about their challenges, worries, and failures—and celebrate their triumphs over those struggles. Have a redemption story? Share your redemption story here. Interested in being a guest on our podcast? Email Nate@theredeemed.com Follow The Redeemed on Social Media: Podcast YouTube Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter

After two pregnancies—and nearly a year of feeling like she had the flu every day—Morgan (a pediatric cardiology professional and mom of two) was told “labs look normal.” Still, she had daily joint pain, low-grade fevers, shortness of breath, chest pain, dramatic weight loss, GI issues, and profound fatigue. In this raw and hopeful conversation, Dr. Isabelle Amigues shows what happens when a doctor truly listens, investigates beyond the surface, and aims for full remission—not 80%.If you've been dismissed, told to “wait it out,” or lost in the system, this episode is your proof: there is a path forward.What You'll LearnPostpartum red flags beyond “just thyroid”: when “normal labs” miss the full storyWhy low-grade daily fevers + severe fatigue should never be dismissedThe role of imaging and targeted therapy (incl. biologics) in speeding reliefHow mindset + clear plans (aiming for remission, not “good enough”) change outcomeThe difference time and listening make vs. quick, paperwork-driven visitsPractical ways to protect your energy and rebuild life after chronic symptomsWhy second (and third) opinions can be life-giving—and how to advocate for yourselfKey Topics CoveredMorgan's postpartum timeline: thyroiditis after baby #1 → much worse after baby #2The “normal labs” trap: significant symptoms with reassuring bloodworkDaily life on empty: parenting with profound fatigue, dizziness, and chest symptomsThe turning point: fevers as the objective sign that demanded deeper workupWhat felt different at UnabridgedMD: time, validation, a plan, and hopeTreatment philosophy: aim for 100%, iterate quickly if the first med isn't “the one”Mindset matters: keeping hope without denying reality (Isabelle's oncology lesson: “We're going for cure.”)Health system realities: too little time with patients, too much admin, and how listening saves time (and lives)Self-advice in hindsight: don't settle and guard your energyJoy returns: biking with kids, cooking, reconnecting—and rock climbing againGet in touch with guest Morgan: Morgan Town: Instagram @morgan.kaileyIf Morgan's story gave you hope, share this episode with a friend who's still searching for answers.Subscribe on YouTube for new episodes and practical remission-focused guidance.Have a question for Dr. Amigues? Comment on YouTube—we read every one.

Burnout recovery often hides behind image management. When leadership becomes about polishing the mask, presence disappears. Discover how Identity-Level Recalibration restores peace, belonging, and whole-self leadership.High-capacity humans often learn early: image is currency. You polish the mask, keep the story clean, hold the role tight — because that's what gets approval, recognition, and access. But here's the hidden cost: the more you manage the image, the further you drift from yourself.This episode explores what happens when leadership becomes about managing appearances instead of leading from identity. Julie shares her own lived story of trying to serve by shifting into roles that felt helpful to others, but losing grounding in the process. It wasn't about pleasing or pretending — it was about carrying and supporting. Yet over time, the cost was presence and authenticity.From there, we dive into the science: predictive processing explains why outdated roles stick. Your brain constantly predicts who you need to be to reduce risk, and your nervous system equates stillness with danger if your history tied slowing down to criticism or rejection. We unpack how composure masks can unintentionally create cultures of bracing instead of belonging — and why no amount of leadership tactics or personal branding hacks can solve this.Instead, integration at the nervous system level is where change happens. This is the heart of Identity-Level Recalibration — not another mindset trick, but the root-level reset that makes every other tool effective.To bring this to life, Julie highlights Jane Goodall, who embodied authentic leadership through presence, integrity, and quiet strength. Her breakthroughs came not from managing her image, but from being fully herself — and the world responded.Today's Micro Recalibration: “I am becoming the person who leads from overflow, not proof.”For leaders: consider how modeling this would shift your culture. When you lead from overflow instead of proof, you give your team permission to do the same.If this episode gave you language you've been missing, please rate and review the show so more high-capacity humans can find it. Explore Identity-Level Recalibration→ Follow Julie Holly on LinkedIn for more recalibration insights → Schedule a conversation with Julie to see if The Recalibration is a fit for you → Download the Misalignment Audit → Subscribe to the weekly newsletter → Join the waitlist for the next Recalibration cohort This isn't therapy. This isn't coaching. This is identity recalibration — and it changes everything.

A Monday acknowledgment that sometimes our effort becomes the obstacle to what we want.

Hey Mama,  Brain fog. Mental Fatigue. Stress. Exhaustion. Is this you?  As busy moms, we spin a ton of plates. We are the keepers of the calendar, the cook, the cleaning lady, and sibling rivalry referee. Not to mention chauffeur. It's no wonder we are or feel tired all the time. While we may not be able to change our circumstances in our current season of life, we can control how we fuel our bodies to have the clarity, focus, energy and even mood we need.   Join me today as I will give you all the tips to stop fueling your body for failure and instead, fuel your body for success.  Link to fuel your body for success: https://bit.ly/three-stepmomhack    For His Glory, Christen   I would love to hear from you!  >>Leave a Review >>Connect with me:   Sign Up for Manage In The Moment Coaching Call: https://bit.ly/ManageStressInTheMoment   Email me : naturalwellnessforbusymoms@gmail.com  Sign Up to Become an Insider: https://bit.ly/naturalwellnessinsider  Join Our FREE Facebook Community:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1789472588229094  >>Find Related Products Here: https://bit.ly/m/Natural-Wellness-for-Busy-Moms  >> These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. >>I make a small commission when using the links above to purchase items.

In this radiant episode of Choosing Joy, host Deborah Joy Winans Williams sits down with the one and only Gabourey Sidibe—award-winning actress, director, and mother—to talk about choosing self-worth, navigating colorism, and embracing joy in a world that often tells you you’re not enough. From her unexpected journey into stardom with Precious to raising twins and reclaiming her own story, Gabby opens up with humor, honesty, and an unshakable spirit. She shares how her mother’s influence, her unconventional path into Hollywood, and her deeply grounded sense of self have kept her centered through fame, criticism, and cultural expectations. This conversation goes beyond celebrity—into what it means to love yourself loudly despite the noise. Expect laughter, real talk, a few tears, and a reminder that every person deserves good things. Whether you're an artist, a parent, or just someone trying to find peace in your own skin, this episode is for you. ✨ This is Choosing Joy at its most soulful and powerful. Chapter Markers 00:00 – We All Deserve Good Things 03:00 – Gabby’s Unexpected Journey into Hollywood 06:00 – Spirituality, Serendipity & Precious 09:00 – Gabby’s First Time on Set 12:00 – What Hollywood Really Is 1 5:00 – Colorism, Casting, and Identity 18:00 – Exhaustion, Projection & Protecting Joy 21:00 – Gabby on Self-Love and Her Mother 24:00 – Marriage, Kids & Redefining Want 27:00 – IVF, Motherhood & Living Fully 30:00 – The Power of Storytelling #GaboureySidibe #ChoosingJoyPodcast #DeborahJoyWinans #SelfLove #Colorism #HollywoodTruths #BlackMotherhood #BlackWomenInFilm #IVFStory #Precious #EmbraceJoy #ConfidenceJourney #BlackExcellence #WomenInHollywood #ActressInterviewSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Jones (Breaking Bad, Mom) joins us this week to share how growing up in a tumultuous household shaped him into a devoted family man who prioritizes his family over fame. Matt talks candidly about the dichotomy between who he prides himself to be versus the offbeat, aloof characters he gets typecast as. We also talk about the anxiety he experienced at the height of Breaking Bad, our thoughts on the current state of the entertainment industry, and the powerful work he's done through therapy to heal his past. Thank you to our sponsors:

For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode Ron talks to Molly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) about Ukraine's resilience and global fatigue 3.5 years into Russia's invasion.  They discuss: (07:56) The Ukrainian refugee murdered in Charlotte(09:52) Ukrainian morale and shifting public opinion  (20:37) Russia's strategy  (27:11) Trump and Putin's meeting  (32:41) The Allies meeting  (42:14) Europe's internal politics and security challenges  (46:50) European security dynamics  (51:09) China's military parades and global alliances  (53:39) India's positioning  (1:09:22) Ukraine moving forward  Read Molly's work: https://www.greatpower.us/ Read Molly's piece ‘Half-Baked Alaska: https://bit.ly/4n1nnHX Find our sponsor links and promo codes here: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Get 15% off OneSkin with the code RON at  https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow Ron and Molly  on X: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/MollyMcKew Email your questions to podcast@politicology.com or leave us a voicemail at ‪‪(703) 239-3068‬ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices