Hi friend, in today’s episode, I’m so excited to welcome my very first podcast guest ✨ Jenn Blair ✨ a board-certified nurse practitioner and functional medicine coach who works with driven, high-achieving women who feel like they’re doing everything right… yet still feel exhausted, bloated, foggy, and burnt out.

Jen and I dive into what’s really going on beneath the surface when ambitious women hit a wall… from chronic stress and gut issues to hormone imbalance and the flaws of conventional “eat less, move more” advice. We talk about why burnout is so common for high performers, how functional medicine looks at the body as a whole, and the small, sustainable shifts that can help you feel back in control of your health without sacrificing your goals.

Plus, stay to the end for our fun rapid-fire wellness questions! There are some sweet, easy, and fun little things you’ll definitely want to steal for your own routine :)

Episode Highlights

• Why Jen shifted from conventional medicine to functional medicine after experiencing burnout firsthand

• The biggest gaps in traditional healthcare when it comes to chronic symptoms in women

• How stress, sleep deprivation, and ambition impact gut health, hormones, and blood sugar

• Jen’s 6-pillar functional medicine framework for sustainable healing

• Simple lifestyle shifts busy, high-achieving women can start today to reduce bloating and brain fog

• Why slowing down, eating mindfully, and prioritizing protein actually boosts productivity

• The mindset shift every ambitious woman needs: you don’t have to choose between health and success

[45:13] 🧘‍♀️🍵🌿 Rapid-Fire Wellness Favorites 🧘‍♀️🍵🌿Jenn’s healthy comfort foods, movement practices, productivity hacks, cozy home joys, and grounding rituals

✨ Work with Jenn ✨

Instagram: @JennBlairWellness

Tik Tok: @JennBlairWellness

✨ Work with Me ✨

Book a Free Consultation

Instagram: ⁠@ChillButDriven⁠

TikTok: ⁠@ChillButDriven⁠

Email: sara@sarashum.com

If this episode resonated with you, it would mean so much if you rated, reviewed, and shared it with a friend who’s ready to feel calm and energized again.

And if you’re ready to go from burnt out to chilled out, book a free consultation. I'd love to help you build a chaos-proof health system that fits your real life and brings you joy, levity, and energy.

Cheers to being happy, healthy, being good people, and doing great and amazing things!

💫Sara

So, you’ve been asking yourself, “Why tf am I getting sick all of the time?” You eat well. You move your body. You try to do everything “right.” And yet… you’re still getting knocked out by colds every few months… then this episode is for you.

I also share the exact shifts that helped me stop getting sick this year, despite living in the midst of chaos… this really is ✨magic ✨coming from someone who used to get sick every 2–3 months, dealt with chronic joint pain, and had way too many surgeries before anyone connected the dots and realized stress was manifesting in my body.

I’m breaking down why so many ✨ good girl, high-achieving, perfectionist women ✨ end up chronically sick and why the answer usually isn’t that you just have a sh*tty immune system.

We’re talking about how go-go-go conditioning, chronic stress, and hustle culture wire your nervous system into survival mode, leading straight into burnout and the Letdown Effect (aka why you crash the second you finally slow down).

✨ What I Yap About in This Episode ✨

• “Why am I getting sick all the time? (and why the answer isn’t what you think)

• Good girl, high achiever, and perfectionist conditioning

• Chronic stress manifesting as sickness, joint pain, and injury

• Why doctors and adults in my life missed stress as the root cause

• Burnout symptoms in women that get normalized and brushed off

• Loving an addicted partner, chronic stress, and how caretaking roles impact your health

• The letdown effect (aka why you get sick after the stress ends)

• The non-negotiable shift that changed everything for me: sleep first, then exercise second

• ✨ How to be happier and healthier ✨ (always 😜)
  

Quick note: there’s a heavier personal story in the first part of this episode. If you’d rather skip ahead, feel free to use the timestamps below

[6:31] – My story: growing up chronically sick, burned out, and overworked, then loving someone with active addiction

[17:20 – The letdown effect explained

[23:44] – Exactly how I stopped getting sick this year

✨ Work with Me ✨

Book a Free Consultation

Instagram: ⁠@ChillButDriven⁠

TikTok: ⁠@ChillButDriven⁠

Email: sara@sarashum.com

If this episode resonated with you, it would mean so much if you rated, reviewed, and shared it with a friend who’s ready to feel calm and energized again.

And if you’re ready to go from burnt out to chilled out, book a free consultation. I'd love to help you build a chaos-proof health system that fits your real life and brings you joy, levity, and energy.

Cheers to being happy, healthy, being good people, and doing great and amazing things!

💫Sara

Hi friend. If you’re ending the year feeling a little sad, a little chaotic, or low-key spiraling about all the goals you didn’t hit… this episode is your invitation to exhale, clear that sh*t out, and reset with a little ✨ magic ✨

This is stuff I don’t see anyone talking about.

To all of my big-brained, over-achieving, overwhelmed, burnt out, overstimulated ladies, today, I’m sharing the most important thing you need to do before setting any New Year’s goals: reset your vessel.

When your nervous system is dysregulated and your mental + energetic bandwidth are maxed out, no habit, intention, or resolution will stick. Nor will it be any fun.

I’m also inviting you into my free December challenge: 30 Days of Tiny Magic: simple, gentle rituals for grounding, clarity, and creating a clean, supported portal into 2026 ⏾⋆.˚

✨ What I Yap About in This Episode ✨

• How to make your New Year’s resolution stick

• Why burnt-out, overwhelmed women can’t set aligned goals from a dysregulated state

• The December emotional hangover + how residue from the year drains into your New Year’s Resolutions

• How clutter (digital, physical, emotional) becomes cognitive load and stress

• Why I’m finally blending science with the witchy rituals I’ve always used

• What “resetting your vessel” means and why making room for capacity matters more than discipline

• How to avoid creating busy work disguised as productivity

• How the 30 Day Portal Challenge helps you feel grounded, regulated, and ready

• ✨ How to be happier and healthier ✨ (always 😜)

  
  

🦝 Unhinged Story of the Week 🦝

A raccoon broke into a liquor store, got drunk, and passed out in the bathroom 💕

Start: 6:06

End: 9:18

✨ Work with Me ✨

Book a Free Consultation

Instagram: ⁠@ChillButDriven⁠

TikTok: ⁠@ChillButDriven⁠

Email: Sara Shum

If this episode resonated with you, it would mean so much if you rated, reviewed, and shared it with a friend who’s ready to feel calm and energized again.

And if you’re ready to go from burnt out to chilled out, book a free consultation. I'd love to help you build a chaos-proof health system that fits your real life and brings you joy, levity, and energy.

Cheers to being happy, healthy, being good people, and doing great and amazing things!

💫Sara