Sustainable Success and Burnout Prevention with Dr. Judy Wright: The PACE Method

Christine interviews Dr. Judy Wright, a physician and sustainable performance strategist, about self-leadership, burnout, and redefining success so it “elevates your life, not erode it.” Dr. Wright shares how missing mammograms while prioritizing others led to a 2019 breast cancer diagnosis, double mastectomy, and a wake-up call that she wasn’t caring for herself and her boundaries had become “a suggestion,” especially with blurred work-from-home lines; Christine relates her own 2022 breast cancer treatment experience and how it forced her to prioritize herself. They define burnout as more than exhaustion, including disconnection, irritability, loss of joy, and diminished achievement, often missed because overwork is glorified. Dr. Wright advises scheduling oneself, taking intentional pauses, and using her PACE framework—Pause, Audit, Calibrate, Elevate—to assess goals, manage decision fatigue, set boundaries, and build sustainable success, including creating one’s own “ladder” and identity beyond roles. Links to find Dr. Wright: LinkedIn and Instagram.

00:00 Meet Dr Judy Wright

01:23 Cancer Wake Up Call

04:06 Lessons on Boundaries

05:23 Scheduling Yourself First

09:23 Burnout Warning Signs

11:19 Why We Miss Burnout

12:11 Intentional Pauses Daily

13:29 PACE Framework Explained

16:43 Keeping PACE Consistent

17:18 Redefining Success Ladder

20:12 Sustainable Success Closing

Nancy Williams on Hearing Loss, Accommodations, and Returning to the Piano

Christine interviews Nancy M. Williams, Founder and President of Auditory Insight, who shares her lifelong journey with hearing loss, from diagnosis at age six and delayed hearing aid use to its progression to moderately severe loss. Nancy describes loving the piano as a teen, being pressured to quit due to stigma around disability, and returning to lessons years later, culminating in performing at Weill Recital Hall while wearing hearing aids, which helped inspire her to commit professionally to hearing healthcare and advocacy. They discuss language choices around “disability” versus “difference,” Dr. Michael Hoffman’s advice to never apologize for hearing loss, and the importance of seeking accommodations (including seat placement and Zoom needs). Nancy emphasizes that hearing loss is often invisible, urges giving others grace, and explains distinctions between hearing vs. understanding and hearing vs. listening.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:01 Nancy's Hearing Loss Story

02:06 Piano Passion and Comeback

04:39 Disability Language Talk

06:16 Never Apologize and Ask

09:14 Parents Processing Diagnosis

11:57 Hearing Loss Is Invisible

13:37 Hearing Versus Understanding

15:04 Listening and Closing Thanks

Staying Grounded Through a Super Busy Season

Christine reflects on an unusually busy few months that included family vacations to Paris, London, and Amsterdam; adjusting to a new work role with coaching; submitting a 100+ page grant; launching her middle grade novel Love Language; playing her first tennis doubles tournament; and teaching her second child to drive. She shares that while she still dislikes the “just get through today” mindset, she is glad she didn’t sacrifice self-care and hobbies as she has in past busy seasons, recognizing she is more than her career and family roles and that her other identities deserve attention. She notes that honoring multiple identities takes time and can increase burnout risk, but coaching has helped her streamline by asking whether a task is part of her role and, if so, what the goal is. She also mentions giving herself grace, including missing an episode, and previews continued discussions on identity, ability, coaching, and more.

00:00 Summer Busy Season

01:00 Investing in Yourself

01:12 Identity Beyond Roles

01:39 Two Coaching Questions

02:04 Hobbies and Grace

02:19 Looking Ahead