There's power in holding two perspectives simultaneously rather than falling into black and white thinking that dominates much of self-help literature. We can embrace both the gap (what we still want) and the gain (how far we've come), allowing us to celebrate progress while still pursuing growth.

• The gap is the space between where we are now and where we want to be
• Living only in the gap creates feelings of "not enough" and triggers unhealthy striving
• Many high achievers believe focusing on shortcomings is necessary for motivation
• Living in the gain means celebrating progress and acknowledging growth
• Contrary to fears, celebrating achievements actually accelerates progress
• Embracing duality allows us to hold both perspectives simultaneously
• Compassion is essential when moving between gratitude and desire
• Approaching goals from worthiness creates better results than approaching from lack
• Our self-talk broadcasts energy that either attracts or repels what we want
• Simple daily practice: reflect on achievements before bed rather than focusing on shortfalls

If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today, and don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite-sized breakthroughs.

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Website: www.balanceinstitute.com
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What if one unexpected act of kindness could rewire a lifetime of armour? We sit down with peak performance coach and life strategist Jessie Torres to trace a path from long-term abuse and unimaginable loss to a grounded, joyful life built on worthiness, boundaries, and fierce grace. Jessie doesn’t tell a story to blame; she tells a story to reveal how meaning is made, how microtraumas lodge in our bodies, and how we can choose a different future even when the past feels heavy.

We explore the moment generosity “short-circuited” her old beliefs, the EMT course that became a lifeline, and the slow, steady practices that helped her leave an unsafe marriage and rebuild at 38. Jessie shares a deeply human framework for healing: seek light inside the dark, use gratitude as a doorway when you can’t get out of bed, and stop arguing with reality so suffering doesn’t multiply the pain. Along the way, we talk about why high achievers numb with doing, how perfectionism hides a worthiness wound, and why success without fulfilment always feels empty—no matter the title, net worth, or trophies.

This conversation goes beyond concepts into patterns you can spot today: late-night self-talk that tells the truth, relationships fraying from disconnection, autoimmune flares mirroring inner chaos, and the weary cycle of weight lost and regained when self-criticism leads the way. Jessie outlines how to dismantle armour gently—naming what it protects, setting clean boundaries, allowing help without debt—and how mothers can put themselves first so the whole family steadies around a well-rested core. Beneath it all is a return to the self that never broke: your innate divinity, the part of you that existed before the armour and waits patiently under it.

Listen for a blend of story and strategy, practical steps with soul, and a reminder that grief can be proof of love—and a bridge back to life. If this resonates, share it with a friend who needs hope today, subscribe for more conversations that honour ambition without burnout, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Head over to: www.iamfiercegrace.com for your free consultation with Jessie today!

Thank you for joining us today on the Balance and Beyond Podcast. We're so glad you carved out this time for yourself!

If you’re keen to dive deeper into our world, here are our socials where you can discover more about the toolkit that has helped thousands of women create a life of balance.

Website: www.balanceinstitute.com
Podcast Website: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
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We explore the crucial difference between change driven by fear versus change pulled by desire, and why many women struggle to connect with what they truly want. This mindset shift is essential for breaking free from burnout and creating a life of joy and fulfillment rather than mere survival.

• Running from fear (the modern "lions" of bosses, inboxes, and perfectionism) creates unsustainable change and leads to burnout
• Sustainable change happens when we're pulled toward our desires, not pushed by fear
• Many women don't know what they truly want or don't give themselves permission to want it
• We create endless resentment by only allowing ourselves desires after meeting everyone else's needs
• Our analytical minds often strangle desires by demanding to know "how" before embracing the "what"
• Embracing desire requires developing a sense of worthiness that doesn't need to be earned
• True transformation comes when the fear of staying where you are outweighs the fear of the unknown

If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today, and don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite-sized breakthroughs.

Thank you for joining us today on the Balance and Beyond Podcast. We're so glad you carved out this time for yourself!

If you’re keen to dive deeper into our world, here are our socials where you can discover more about the toolkit that has helped thousands of women create a life of balance.

Website: www.balanceinstitute.com
Podcast Website: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
Email: jo@balanceinstitute.com
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betterbalanceinstitute/
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🚀✨Step into the Confidence Accelerator! Secure your place for a 5-week leadership transformation starting Friday 31st October. Spots are limited so act now - https://www.balanceinstitute.com/drive

What if your most trusted career strategy—collect more proof—has been the very thing keeping you from real confidence? We dig into the hidden gap between competence and confidence and explain why high achievers feel like imposters despite glowing resumes, promotions, and degrees. Drawing on years of coaching women at every level, we unpack the early conditioning that links safety to perfection and people-pleasing, and we show how that wiring turns us into validation seekers who outsource worth to gold stars and inbox zero.

From there, we explore the cost of living on proof: over-preparation, constant availability, and the slow erosion of self-trust. You’ll hear a candid story about chasing praise in the smallest corners of life and the sobering realisation that external approval dries up as you rise. That’s the turning point—shifting from certainty to courage, from performance metrics to inner measures. We offer a practical way forward with the Confidence Compass: identity, worth, boundaries, voice, regulation, and competence. Each point acts as a doorway back to self-trust so you can make clean decisions, hold firm lines, and act before anyone hands you permission.

Expect simple, usable steps: naming your skills without minimising, choosing one boundary and holding it through discomfort, slowing your responses to decouple speed from value, and regulating your body so you can choose rather than react. The result is a rebalanced life where competence earns respect and confidence grants freedom—the freedom to back yourself without another certificate, to say no without guilt, and to move through uncertainty with steadier nerves.

If this conversation resonates, share it with a friend who needs the reminder that she already knows enough. And if our show supports you, tap follow, leave a quick review, and tell us: which point of the compass will you strengthen this week?

Thank you for joining us today on the Balance and Beyond Podcast. We're so glad you carved out this time for yourself!

If you’re keen to dive deeper into our world, here are our socials where you can discover more about the toolkit that has helped thousands of women create a life of balance.

Website: www.balanceinstitute.com
Podcast Website: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
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If you’ve ever been told you’re “too much,” this conversation hands you the mic back. We trace the quiet conditioning that teaches high achievers to shrink—dial down ambition, soften edges, and convert natural ease into proof of effort. That script morphs into “because I could, I should,” a mantra that hijacks strengths and turns them into obligations. The result? Endless hustle, moving goalposts, and wins that feel strangely hollow.

We open up about the years spent overfunctioning—carrying more because we could, working faster because we could, and mistaking exhaustion for excellence. There’s a moment when the mask slips: someone doesn’t like us, and our nervous system wants to collapse into smaller. Instead, we reframe rejection as information, not indictment. That shift clears space to see intensity, drive, and clarity as tools to be chosen, not debts to be paid. We talk about how to set boundaries without guilt, redefine enoughness, and listen to the body’s feedback so ease stops feeling suspicious.

From there, we lean into identity: owning the “unicorn” label as a bridge, not a burden. When we stop pretending to be regular horses, the right people can finally find us. We meet fellow unicorns—ambitious, compassionate, self-aware humans—who hold both standards and softness. Together, we swap performance for presence and approval for alignment. You’ll hear practical ways to retire the hustle identity, right-size responsibility, and place your gifts where they’re welcomed. The takeaway is simple and strong: you are allowed to be as much as you are, and you don’t owe anyone your burnout.

If this landed, share it with someone who needs the reminder and hit subscribe to get future Moments and full conversations. Leave a quick review to help more unicorns find their herd.

Thank you for joining us today on the Balance and Beyond Podcast. We're so glad you carved out this time for yourself!

If you’re keen to dive deeper into our world, here are our socials where you can discover more about the toolkit that has helped thousands of women create a life of balance.

Website: www.balanceinstitute.com
Podcast Website: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
Email: jo@balanceinstitute.com
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betterbalanceinstitute/
Instagram: @betterbalanceinstitute

Thanks again for tuning in, and we'll see you next time on the Balance & Beyond Podcast!

Are you drowning in an endless sea of more? More work, more expectations, more skills required—all while racing against diminishing time and resources? What if I told you that success isn't coming from doing more, but is actually being stolen by it?

The dark art of strategic subtraction might just be the revolutionary approach you need. In this eye-opening episode, I challenge the fundamental belief that adding more to your plate leads to greater achievement. Instead, I reveal how intentionally doing less could be your secret weapon for getting ahead in our frantic, always-on world.

We explore the powerful metaphor of glass balls versus rubber balls—how we mistakenly treat all our responsibilities as fragile and irreplaceable when many will bounce back just fine without our constant attention. Through practical examples, you'll discover how to make emails shorter and more impactful, decline unnecessary meetings, batch your inbox time, and embrace the liberating mantra that "done is better than perfect."

But strategic subtraction isn't just about practical tactics—it's about identity. The real barrier preventing you from doing less isn't external demands but your internal programming that equates constant activity with safety, value, and significance. We dive deep into why this identity shift can feel so threatening and how embracing a new sense of self might be the most rewarding journey of your life.

Whether you're a corporate professional, entrepreneur, or anyone feeling overwhelmed by life's demands, this episode offers a fresh perspective on success that doesn't require running faster on an increasingly accelerating treadmill. Success isn't just about what you hold—it's about what you strategically subtract. Ready to redefine what matters and reclaim your time, energy, and peace of mind? This conversation is your starting point.

To view the Transcript from this week's episode, visit our Balance & Beyond Podcast webpage: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast/2025/120

Thank you for joining us today on the Balance and Beyond Podcast. We're so glad you carved out this time for yourself!

If you’re keen to dive deeper into our world, here are our socials where you can discover more about the toolkit that has helped thousands of women create a life of balance.

Website: www.balanceinstitute.com
Podcast Website: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
Email: jo@balanceinstitute.com
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betterbalanceinstitute/
Instagram: @betterbalanceinstitute

Thanks again for tuning in, and we'll see you next time on the Balance & Beyond Podcast!

We're navigating a once-in-a-generation shift as women balancing careers and motherhood. Understanding our place in history helps us recognize we're not alone in wanting both professional success and present parenting.

• Within just one generation, women have moved from needing male cosigners for bank accounts to comprising half the workforce
• Until the 1960s, it was legal to refuse employment to women solely because of their gender
• Most families today require two incomes, yet our subconscious programming still creates guilt around working motherhood
• We are actively redefining what "having it all" means for our generation, breaking away from historical constraints
• Finding your tribe of like-minded women is essential for support, sharing insights, and creating new possibilities
• Understanding our role in this generational shift empowers us to create new patterns for our children

Share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it today, and don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more bite-sized breakthroughs.

Thank you for joining us today on the Balance and Beyond Podcast. We're so glad you carved out this time for yourself!

If you’re keen to dive deeper into our world, here are our socials where you can discover more about the toolkit that has helped thousands of women create a life of balance.

Website: www.balanceinstitute.com
Podcast Website: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
Email: jo@balanceinstitute.com
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betterbalanceinstitute/
Instagram: @betterbalanceinstitute

Thanks again for tuning in, and we'll see you next time on the Balance & Beyond Podcast!

Ever felt like your confidence vanished overnight? That spark of self-trust gradually eroded by society's constant message that you're simply not enough? You're far from alone.

In this transformative conversation with Cortney McDermott—motivational speaker, bestselling author, and advisor to Fortune 500 executives—we uncover the hidden path back to trusting yourself in a world designed to keep you searching elsewhere.

Cortney reveals how our relentless pursuit of external success creates what she calls being "miserably successful"—checking all society's boxes while feeling empty inside. But rather than offering another complicated solution, she shares a revolutionary approach: rest as the gateway to reclaiming your power.

"True confidence is self-trust," Cortney explains, challenging us to move beyond masculine-energy approaches to transformation that focus solely on results. Instead, she invites us to remember our innate feminine wisdom through micro-moments of relaxation, play, and embodiment that compound over time like interest.

Through powerful stories and practical guidance, you'll discover how even two minutes of horizontal rest can shift your brainwave frequencies, why your body holds the key to releasing years of stagnant energy, and how to unlock what Cortney calls "the certificate of enough-ness" that can only come from within.

Whether you're feeling the whispers of "is this all there is?" or facing a full-blown Phoenix moment of transformation, this episode offers a permission slip to relax into your authentic power. Because your journey back to self-trust isn't about adding more—it's about remembering what you've always known.

Ready to transform your relationship with rest, reclaim your confidence, and access your inner wisdom? This conversation might just change everything.

Want to see more of Cortney? You can find her here!

Website: https://www.cortneymcdermott.com/

Email: info@cortinc.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cortneymcdermott/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cortneymcdermott/

Thank you for joining us today on the Balance and Beyond Podcast. We're so glad you carved out this time for yourself!

If you’re keen to dive deeper into our world, here are our socials where you can discover more about the toolkit that has helped thousands of women create a life of balance.

Website: www.balanceinstitute.com
Podcast Website: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
Email: jo@balanceinstitute.com
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betterbalanceinstitute/
Instagram: @betterbalanceinstitute

Thanks again for tuning in, and we'll see you next time on the Balance & Beyond Podcast!