We trace how genuine motivation drifts into pressure and burnout, then share a practical path back to alignment using small steps, playful courage, resets, recovery, and self-compassion. The nervous system leads the way, turning shoulds into sustainable action anchored in purpose.

• difference between aligned action and hustle
• early signs of pressure replacing joy
• burnout as a protective nervous system response
• using mindfulness to catch the shift
• reconnecting to why to restore choice
• making the first step smaller and doable
• adopting playful mindsets to drop perfection
• weekly reviews to reset direction
• micro-recovery and sleep as performance fuel
• practicing self-compassion to sustain momentum

Suggestions or questions? Email sarah@risingwithsarah.com.

Related Episodes:

Episode 106 - What’s Your Motivation? How Remembering Your ‘Why’ Can Turn Resistance Into Joy

Episode 95 - Unlock Mobility in Just 5 Minutes: Stretching for Long Periods of Sitting

Episode 73 - Sleep 101: Stages, Signs of Deficiency, and How to Fix Your Sleep Naturally

Questions or Comments? Message me!

We trace the quiet shift from “have to” to “choose to because,” showing how intention turns chores, work, healing, and conflict into meaningful acts. We share simple heart-centered tools to check alignment, reduce pressure, and act from purpose without burnout.

• reframing have to into choose to because
• everyday examples across chores, work, caregiving
• healing and health as devotion, not control
• conflict tools using needs and clear requests
• push versus pull energy and alignment checks
• heart-centering practice to sense expansion or contraction
• journal prompts to spot resistance and reconnect with why
• teaser for burnout patterns after a burst of motivation

If this episode resonated, I'd love for you to share it with a friend or leave a review. It helps this work reach more people who might need it. Any questions, email sarah@risingwithsarah.com

Related Episodes:

Episode 22 - Communicate Without Conflict: Non Violent Communication Basics for Everyday Life

Episode 74 - Beyond "If Only": Finding Joy in the Present Moment

Episode 77 - Feeling Anxious When Life Is Good? Understanding Foreboding Joy, Its Link to Gratitude, and Why We Brace for Pain

Questions or Comments? Message me!

We trace how doubt—often disguised as perfectionism, overthinking, or busyness—pulls us away from alignment and how small, courageous steps restore movement and trust. Stories, frameworks from the Bhagavad Gita and Stephen Cope, and practical prompts help turn uncertainty into rhythm and action.

• doubt’s masks: procrastination, perfectionism, overthinking, staying too long
• the Gita’s teaching: doubt as destroyer of peace
• dharma as alignment with truth and duty
• three detours: closing the door, denial of dharma, improper aim
• competence versus aliveness as a guide
• timing doubt, comparison, and replacing timelines with rhythm
• antidotes: humility, smaller first steps, courage through play, trust in process
• three reflection prompts to reframe doubt and check alignment

Email us your questions or topic ideas at Sarah@risingwithsarah.com

Book:

The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope

Related Podcast:

Feel Behind In Your Career, Relationship, or Life? On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Related episodes:

Episode 76 - The Growth Mindset Reset: How to Redefine Success and Embrace Failure

Episode 87 - Spiritual Awakening Explained: The Elements of Inner Growth and Why Love is and Accelerator (Part One)

Questions or Comments? Message me!

We walk through Byron Katie’s four questions and show how questioning a painful thought can release blame, reveal choice, and restore calm. Real-life examples ground the process so you can practice acceptance without avoiding action.

• why painful stories hurt more than facts
• shoulds versus reality and how acceptance clarifies action
• empowering questions that spark growth, not blame
• observation versus judgment
• a clear overview of the four questions
• how to use turnarounds to find new evidence
• practical tips for writing thoughts down and starting small
• why this is practice, not forced positivity

If you'd like to stay connected, visit www.risingwithsarah.com to sign up for my newsletter and be the first to know about new retreats and offerings to help you live with more joy and authenticity.

Book: Loving What Is, Revised Edition: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life; The Revolutionary Process Called "The Work" by Byron Katie

Related Episodes:

Episode 59 - Discovering the Facets of the Heart and Their Healing Wisdom

Episode 68 - Six Essential Questions for Inner Growth and Getting Unstuck

Episode 93 - The Connection between Forgiveness, Judgment, and Reclaiming Your Power

Questions or Comments? Message me!

We explore how real love includes clear limits, why boundaries create safety without shutting people out, and how to communicate needs without making demands. We offer scripts, body-based cues, and simple practices to shift from approval-seeking to aligned connection.

• unconditional love versus unconditional permission
• boundaries as clarity, not punishment
• clear is kind: communicating limits
• boundary language versus demands
• honoring others’ boundaries without taking it personally
• boundaries versus walls: adaptive, not rigid
• somatic signals of aligned boundaries
• practical practices and reflection prompts

If you have any questions or want to suggest a topic, please email me at Sarah@risingwithsarah.com.

Related Episodes:

Episode 22 - Communicate Without Conflict: Non Violent Communication Basics for Everyday Life

Episode 50 - Saying No Without Guilt: Mastering Healthy Boundaries

Episode 59 - Discovering the Facets of the Heart and Their Healing Wisdom

Episode 60 - The Fifth Chakra: Unlocking Authentic Communication and Self-Expression

Episode 69 - When "Please" Becomes Pressure: Understanding Requests vs. Demands and Why it Matters

Episode 98 - Clear Signals, Better Relationships: Why Communication Matters

Ep 102 - Boundaries Part 1 Unconditional Love ≠ Unconditional Permission: Boundaries as an Act of Alignment

Questions or Comments? Message me!

We explore why unconditional love is not the same as unconditional permission and how self-abandonment hides behind people-pleasing. We share stories, name the costs of boundaryless care, and offer prompts to help you choose alignment over obligation.

• the boundary between love and permission
• conditioning that equates love with self-sacrifice
• people-pleasing as fear of conflict and loss
• how repeated boundary crossings erode trust
• distinguishing compassion from self-neglect
• practical reframe: love with limits deepens intimacy
• reflection prompts to reconnect with inner voice
• preview of part two on setting and communicating boundaries

If you have any questions on this topic, make sure you email me at sarah@risingwithsarah.com sometime in the next couple of days so that I can hopefully get to answering them in part two on Thursday.

Related Episodes:

Episode 22 - Communicate Without Conflict: Non Violent Communication Basics for Everyday Life

Episode 50 - Saying No Without Guilt: Mastering Healthy Boundaries

Episode 59 - Discovering the Facets of the Heart and Their Healing Wisdom

Episode 60 - The Fifth Chakra: Unlocking Authentic Communication and Self-Expression

Episode 69 - When "Please" Becomes Pressure: Understanding Requests vs. Demands and Why it Matters

Episode 98 - Clear Signals, Better Relationships: Why Communication Matters

Questions or Comments? Message me!

We explore how everyday language fuels limiting beliefs and share a simple three-step process—awareness, challenge, and reframe—to shift self-talk toward authentic alignment. Practical examples, clear prompts, and small actions help you move from fixed stories to flexible possibilities.

• seven red flags in self-talk that signal limiting beliefs
• assumptions and if-then scripts that close options
• globalizations like always and never that flatten nuance
• shoulds, musts, and externalized blame that give away power
• vague language and incomplete models that block action
• judgments vs observable facts for clearer feedback
• requests vs demands and how to honor needs with options
• the awareness–challenge–reframe method for change
• targeted affirmations and small supportive actions
• shifting from scarcity to gratitude to expand capacity

If you have any questions or want to suggest a topic, please email me at Sarah@risingwithsarah.com

Resources:

Loving What Is, Revised Edition: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life; The Revolutionary Process Called "The Work" by Byron Katie

Related Episodes

Episode 4 - Gratitude vs. Scarcity

Episode 22 - Communicate Without Conflict: Non Violent Communication Basics for Everyday Life

Episode 69 - When "Please" Becomes Pressure: Understanding Requests vs. Demands and Why it Matters

Episode 93 - The Connection between Forgiveness, Judgment, and Reclaiming Your Power

Episode 99 - Common Limiting Beliefs That Keep You Out of Alignment

Episode 104 - Byron Katie’s Loving What Is: 4 Questions to Free Yourself from Painful Thoughts and Find Acceptance

Questions or Comments? Message me!

We reflect on chasing milestones, share a letter from Sarah’s mom about perfection and joy, and choose a gentler way forward. A milestone prompts a pivot to protect health and deepen presence, and we invite you into a simple practice to notice three small joys a day.

• chasing big moments versus noticing small joys
• a vulnerable letter about perfectionism and acceptance
• grief, forgiveness, and releasing inherited roles
• the 100th episode as a reframed milestone
• burnout, health realities, and a shift in schedule
• a simple 3x-daily practice to savor joy
• creating “moments of more” and writing them down

Email us: rootsoftherise@gmail.com

Related Episodes

Episode 4 - Gratitude vs. Scarcity

Episode 30 - Are you prioritizing your priorities?

Episode 74 - Beyond "If Only": Finding Joy in the Present Moment

Episode 76 - The Growth Mindset Reset: How to Redefine Success and Embrace Failure

Episode 94 - Moments of More: How to Amplify Positivity in Your Daily Life for Greater Fulfillment

Episode 99 - Common Limiting Beliefs That Keep You Out of Alignment

Questions or Comments? Message me!