Have you ever found yourself wondering, "Am I depressed? What's wrong with me?" As someone who's spent over two decades working with women navigating these very questions, I know how isolating and confusing it can feel. Depression isn't just a word or a diagnosis—it's a deeply personal experience, and often, it's a message from within.

Today we're exploring what might really be causing depression and why it's so much more than a simple chemical imbalance. We're moving beyond the debunked chemical imbalance theory, referencing Dr Kelly Brogan's work, and discussing how depression can be a signal (like a smoke alarm) alerting us that something in our body or life needs attention.

In this episode, we’re looking into the gut-brain connection and how closely our gut health is linked to our mood. We explore how nutritional psychology, restoring gut health, balancing blood glucose and removing processed foods can make a world of difference. We also discuss how chronic stress, hormonal imbalances and environmental toxins contribute to persistent low moods, and why a holistic approach looking at diet, lifestyle, and emotional wellbeing is so important.

Here's a perspective that might surprise you: depression isn't always pathological. Sometimes it's a natural, introspective withdrawal—a way to turn inward and find our own answers. We explore how low moods are normal parts of the human experience, like changing seasons. Drawing from Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, we discuss how depression can sometimes signal we're being called to make changes in our lives, and how answering that call can lead to renewed energy and purpose.

I’d love to hear from you. What would shift if you started viewing your low moods as information rather than something to fix?

LINKS

Double Your Energy Masterclass:

https://peak-revival.captivate.fm/yt-masterclass

Website: www.vesnahrsto.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Buh-Bye Burnout

Today we're confronting an often vilified aspect of our lives: stress. You might find yourself in one of two camps—either you dodge stress like the plague, or you stride directly into challenges, fully aware of the stress they bring along. Both approaches are valid, yet there's a hidden narrative around stress that we don't talk about enough. What if stress isn't our enemy but actually a catalyst propelling us towards growth and strength? We're exploring the crucial difference between stress and challenges, and why eliminating stress entirely might not be the path to recovery from burnout that we think it is.

In this episode, we dive into how our bodies are biologically designed to grow stronger through stress—just like exercise creates minor muscle tears that heal and increase strength. We discuss Kelly McGonigal's research showing that if we perceive stress as harmful, it adversely affects our health, but if we see it as an ally preparing us for greatness, we can unlock beneficial responses in our body. We explore how world champions like Josh Waitzkin found success not in avoiding stress but mastering the art of balancing stress with recovery, and why perspective transforms pre-match nerves from hindrance into motivational force.

We're covering how to create your own recovery plan by weaving recovery into daily routines to counterbalance stress. This includes nutrition through balanced, whole-food diets, quality sleep and mental clarity by quieting mental chatter and minimising device time. Every challenge is a stepping stone to growth, and with a recovery plan in place, stress becomes manageable, paving the way for self-improvement rather than burnout. Stress isn't the enemy—it's the growth mentor we never knew we had.

What helps you shift your view on stress and supports your growth?

LINKS

Double Your Energy Masterclass:

https://peak-revival.captivate.fm/yt-masterclass

Website: www.vesnahrsto.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Buh-Bye Burnout

Think that being stressed means you're busy? Not necessarily. Stress isn't a badge of honour showing how much you're juggling - it's actually a reflection of low mental and emotional bandwidth. If you're a woman in business, a founder, or leader managing work and family, this might completely change how you think about overwhelm.

Understanding Bandwidth: The Key to Managing Stress

Stress symptoms like anxiety, feeling frazzled and being overwhelmed don't necessarily mean you're busy. They point to depletion in your mental and emotional bandwidth.

Life and business are really challenging at times, but it doesn’t mean that we have to be in a constant state of stress. We can learn to deal with the challenges because here's what I’ve learned: bandwidth, not busyness, is the real factor behind how stress shows up. Even if you're successful, stress isn't directly derived from your schedule.

So how do we increase our mental and emotional bandwidth?

1. Take Care of Your Physical Body: Good nutrition is essential. Eating whole, natural foods will provide the necessary energy and support for your nervous system and body.
2. Prioritise Sleep: Deep, restorative sleep is vital for emotional processing and mental clarity. Adequate rest helps your brain detoxify and recalibrate overnight, setting you up for a productive day ahead.
3. Focus on Gut Health: Your gut significantly influences your mental state through the gut-brain axis. Maintaining a healthy microbiome by avoiding processed foods, sugar, and excessive caffeine can bolster mental health.
4. Create Space in Your Day: Allow yourself moments of nothingness. Disconnect from devices and immerse in brief periods of mindfulness to recharge and expand your bandwidth.

Those days when you feel exceptionally productive versus less productive ones? It all hinges on your bandwidth levels. Start noticing these patterns in your life.

What insights have you gained about your own bandwidth? What steps might you take to enrich it?

LINKS

Double Your Energy Masterclass:

https://peak-revival.captivate.fm/yt-masterclass

Website: www.vesnahrsto.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Buh-Bye Burnout

The word "trauma" gets thrown around a lot these days. We've got "Big T" trauma—life-altering events—and "little t" trauma, those smaller but persistent stressors from our past. And while trauma is real and I believe it’s absolutely necessary to get the help you need to find healing, there is a narrative floating around that if you’ve experienced trauma, you are destined for a life of stress and struggle.

A lot of high-achieving women that I speak to in workshops are convinced that their past trauma is a permanent fixture in their life. They connect their past experiences to their current challenges and believe that they are locked into an unavoidable path forward.

But I've seen firsthand that this isn't necessarily the case. Overcoming trauma is possible and a fulfilling life is absolutely within reach.

Neuroplasticity shows us that our brains are constantly rewiring, providing new insights and avenues for thought. Trauma, while part of our history, doesn't have to carve an irreversible path. The beauty of being human lies in our ability to access fresh thinking and insights that propel us forward.

Trauma is a sensitive topic and I'm not insinuating that healing is simple. But I am a firm believer that you are not sentenced to a life of struggle because of what happened to you. Your brain is constantly creating new pathways and new possibilities. What would change if you truly believed that?

LINKS

Double Your Energy Masterclass:

https://peak-revival.captivate.fm/yt-masterclass

Website: www.vesnahrsto.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Buh-Bye Burnout

Whether it’s insomnia, fatigue or hot flushes giving you grief lately, you’ve probably been searching for a diet or a brand new supplement to solve the problem right?

But what if the real solution isn't physical at all? What if it's about the energy within us and how our words literally shape the results we achieve?

Most of us focus solely on the physical—what I call the "3D level." Diets, supplements, lab results, routines. But there's something extraordinary happening on an energetic level that we're completely missing.

In my workshops, I often hear limitations embedded in people's language. Language reveals beliefs and these beliefs shape our outcomes. If you doubt something will work, it most likely won't. It's not just about energy behind the words, it's the actions we take based on those beliefs.

Whatever challenge you’re facing at the moment, be it a health challenge or something to do with your business or your personal life, take notice of the language you use around it. When you find yourself speaking negatively, ask yourself why and how you might be limiting yourself. By changing this internal conversation, you’ll allow positive actions and outcomes to take root.

The words you choose shape your reality and many of our long-held beliefs are simply thoughts that have been with us so long that we believe them.

Have your words influenced your performance or health goals? I'd love to hear your experiences.

LINKS

Double Your Energy Masterclass:

https://peak-revival.captivate.fm/yt-masterclass

Website: www.vesnahrsto.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Buh-Bye Burnout

Ice baths at 5 am. Glucose monitors tracking every bite. Oura Rings dictating your bedtime. As high-performing women, we've turned wellness into another performance sport and honestly? I'm not into it.

A lot of women I speak to are keen to learn more about biohacking principles and while some of the tools and strategies are beneficial, there's a fundamental truth we're overlooking: your body's innate wisdom.

Biohacking glorifies optimisation at all costs and when our focus leans too heavily that way, we lose connection to the body's natural intelligence. We forget that our bodies know how to heal and adapt.

I’m not against biohacking completely, but my biggest concern is that the emphasis on external aids shifts our focus away from our body's self-regulating system. Trusting and tuning into this internal wisdom allows us to navigate health choices more intuitively.

I've dabbled with biohacking tools like glucose monitors for temporary insights but I believe our body's wisdom outweighs data from any device. By aligning with our inherent intelligence, we can achieve higher levels of health that no amount of technology can replicate.

How does biohacking resonate with you? Does it seem beneficial, or just another source of stress? I'd love to hear your experiences.

LINKS

Double Your Energy Masterclass:

https://peak-revival.captivate.fm/yt-masterclass

Website: www.vesnahrsto.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Buh-Bye Burnout

Hustle culture told women we could do it all, but instead of feeling empowered, we feel like we're failing at everything. We're not breaking the glass ceiling—we're heading straight into burnout. The promise of "having it all" has left ambitious women exhausted, overwhelmed and questioning whether this is really what success looks like.

But something's shifting. Today's ambitious women are redefining power entirely, and it's not about being the loudest voice in the room anymore—it's about being the calmest. The future of leadership isn't about grinding harder; it's about working wiser through what I call "soft power."

Today we're exploring what soft power actually means and why it's the calm, wiser alternative to the typical grind. We discuss moving away from traditional, male-driven leadership styles and dive into Harvard's research showing that leaders with high emotional intelligence significantly outperform their peers. We explore the intuition factor and why we need to trust our gut feelings over purely logical reasoning. We also cover the power of empathy in leadership and how emotional intelligence helps cut through chaos to give us clarity when the heat is on.

We're talking about redefining success on your own terms without sacrificing health or personal relationships. This isn't about settling for less; it's about striving for success that values both achievement and wellbeing. We explore how maintaining balance through adequate sleep, balanced nutrition and stress management enhances emotional intelligence and influences our interactions with others. Remember, a busy mind doesn't always equal a productive life—it's about maintaining clarity and a peaceful headspace to harness these powerful skills.

Are you ready to shift the paradigm and find success your way?

LINKS



Previous episode mentioned: The 5 drivers that keep High-performing women pushing, even when exhausted

Double Your Energy Masterclass:

https://peak-revival.captivate.fm/yt-masterclass

Website: www.vesnahrsto.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Buh-Bye Burnout

Is your body stuck in danger mode? I hear from so many women who feel overwhelmingly exhausted, often attributing this fatigue to all the stressors and responsibilities in their everyday life. But is it really just the hustle and bustle bringing you down, or is your body trying to tell you something more?

This isn't just about running on empty; it's about how our bodies respond to stress and what happens when our mitochondria, those tiny energy-generating superheroes in our cells, go into hibernation.

Today we're exploring the signs that you're stuck in this mode and why it feels like you've been hit by a bus no matter how much rest you get, how much you exercise or how well you eat. We discuss mitochondrial dysfunction and the cell danger response, where your cells essentially hit the "pause" button to protect you. The symptoms can be really similar to chronic fatigue or menopause, but they actually overlap because they stem from the same response—your body has one major way to communicate that it's overwhelmed, and we've got to listen to those signals.

The good news is you can hit the reset button on your body with some manageable changes. We cover reducing stress through calming practices, incorporating routines that respect your natural body rhythms, choosing whole nutrient-rich foods that support healing at the cellular level and finding joy in movement. We also explore how adapting to natural rhythms like consistent sun exposure and good sleep patterns helps your body feel safe again, allowing you to shift from survival mode to thriving mode.

LINKS

Double Your Energy Masterclass:

https://peak-revival.captivate.fm/yt-masterclass

Website: www.vesnahrsto.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Buh-Bye Burnout