Send us your thoughts!

Ever find yourself replaying conversations from 1997 at 2 AM? Welcome to the overthinking club—we meet in our heads, constantly, at all hours.

In this Soul Joy Friday Fun Day episode, we're diving into the spiritual and scientific reasons behind your mental hamster wheel. Perfect for healthcare professionals who've spent decades problem-solving for everyone else and now can't turn off their own racing thoughts.

What You'll Learn:

• Which three chakras are behind your overthinking (hint: your third eye is overachieving again)
• Why healthcare professionals overthink more than most—and why it's actually intensified after 50
• The neuroscience behind why you can't "think" your way to peace
• Three research-backed, spiritually-grounded practices to quiet your mind in under 5 minutes
• Why your overthinking isn't your enemy—it's just exhausted

Key Research Mentioned:

• Harvard University study on mind-wandering (47% of our waking hours)
• UC Berkeley research on overthinking in women over 50
• Yale's Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema on rumination and control
• HeartMath Institute on breathing and nervous system regulation
• Dr. Kristin Neff's UT Austin research on self-compassion vs. rumination

Practices Shared:

1. The Third Eye Pressure Release (60 seconds) - Instant relief for analysis paralysis
2. The Throat Chakra Truth Bomb (5-minute journaling) - Reduce intrusive thoughts by 40%
3. The Crown Chakra Surrender Practice (evening ritual) - Permission to be enough

Quotable Moments:

• "You can't think your way out of a problem that requires you to FEEL."
• "Your chakras aren't broken. They're just overworked, like you."
• "Is this thought serving me, or am I serving this thought?"
• "You're not trying to be perfect. You're trying to be present. Big difference."

Resources:

• Book a clarity call: [your link]

Send us your thoughts!

Why do the smartest women ignore their own bodies until it’s too late? In this powerful episode, Dr. Julie Merriman—counselor educator, burnout researcher, and breast cancer survivor—unpacks The Self-Neglect Paradox. Learn why high-achieving women delay care, how stress rewires the brain to miss warning signs, and what it really takes to stop over-functioning and start healing. Blending personal story, research, and actionable tools, this episode offers both science and soul for women ready to make their wellbeing non-negotiable.

Smart women don’t get sick, right? Until we do.

In this honest, science-backed conversation, Dr. Julie Merriman shares her own breast-cancer wake-up call and the hard truth behind why accomplished, educated women often become the worst patients. You’ll learn:

✨ Why intelligence becomes armor—and how “knowing better” actually feeds self-neglect.
🧠 What stress does to your brain and nervous system, blocking your body’s early warning signs.
💪 How to reframe self-care as ethical leadership, not indulgence.
💛 Four research-supported tools to make your health a professional priority.

If you’ve spent your life helping everyone else, it’s time to help yourself—with compassion, clarity, and courage.

Resources Mentioned:

• JAMA (2021) study on preventive care among healthcare professionals
• APA (2022) report on mental-health providers and therapy underuse
• The Soul Joy Method™ (www.JulieMerrimanphd.com)
• Join the 7-Day Soul Joy Challenge → JulieMerrimanphd.com/SoulJoyChallenge

Hashtags: #SoulJoyPodcast #WomenInHealthcare #BurnoutRecovery #SelfNeglectParadox #DrJulieMerriman #SoulJoyMethod

Send us your thoughts!

Here’s the truth no one tells women over 50 about burnout: it’s not just exhaustion—it’s disconnection. Disconnection from laughter, friendship, and the real human moments that make life rich and funny and alive.

In this short, joy-packed episode, Dr. Julie shares the Connection Cure—a simple, free, and wildly effective way to start feeling human again. You’ll laugh, nod, and maybe even text a friend before the episode is over.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
💬 Why burnout is often a symptom of disconnection, not weakness.
😂 How humor becomes rebellion against exhaustion and “fine.”
📱 A 3-text challenge that can reconnect you with real joy in under 5 minutes.
💛 The surprising truth: joy was never gone—it was just waiting for you to remember it.

Homework:
→ Text three women in your life and say something real. Not “Hope you’re well!” — something human and a little messy. See what comes back. That’s the Connection Cure.

Reflection Questions:

1. Who can I reach out to this week for real connection?
2. What made me laugh recently—even when life felt heavy?
3. How can I stop performing “fine” and start allowing joy?

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
#SoulJoyPodcast #WomenOver50 #BurnoutRecovery #JoyIsMedicine

Send us your thoughts!

You can save lives all day, be surrounded by colleagues and patients who need you, have a full calendar and an impressive title—and still go home feeling like no one truly sees you. In this powerful episode, Dr. Julie addresses one of the most quietly devastating realities for women in healthcare over 50: the paradox of professional connection and personal isolation.

If you've ever caught yourself thinking, "I'm so tired of being everything to everyone and nothing to myself"—this episode is for you.

What You'll Learn

✅ The hard data on why loneliness hits high-achieving women in caregiving differently—and why it's not your fault

✅ Five specific signs of hidden isolation you might be missing (because you've gotten really good at staying busy)

✅ A 7-Day Reconnection Protocol with practical, research-backed strategies to rebuild authentic belonging—starting this week

Key Takeaways

💡 Loneliness is not the absence of people—it's the absence of meaningful connection. You can be surrounded all day and still feel profoundly alone.

💡 Quality over quantity: One meaningful conversation per week reduces loneliness more than five superficial interactions.

💡 Naming breaks the shame cycle: Acknowledging loneliness reduces its intensity by 23% and increases help-seeking behavior by 47%.

💡 Connection is energetic: When your root and heart chakras are blocked, no amount of social activity will fill the void.

💡 Your loneliness is not evidence of failure—it's evidence of a soul ready for deeper connection.

The 7-Day Reconnection Protocol (Quick Reference)

Days 1-2: NAME IT Complete: "I feel disconnected from meaningful connection because ___________."

Days 3-4: REDEFINE IT

• What kind of connection do I actually crave?
• Who could I connect with more authentically?
• What's one micro-shift I could make?

Days 5-6: RESOURCE YOUR ENERGY

• Root Chakra practice: "I am here. I belong. My presence matters."
• Heart Chakra practice: "My heart is open to true belonging."

Day 7: COMMIT TO IT Create your 30-day Connection Commitment:

1. One meaningful conversation per week
2. One weekly grounding practice
3. One boundary that protects connection time

Resources Mentioned

📚 Research Studies:

• University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging (2023)
• JAMA Network: Social isolation and mortality risk
• World Health Organization (2023): Social Connection Framework
• Journal of Social and Personal Relationships: Naming emotions study
• Perspectives on Psychological Science: Quality vs. quantity research

🧘‍♀️ Energy Work:

• Root Chakra (Muladhara) grounding practices
• Heart Chakra (Anahata) opening practices

Questions for Reflection

📝 Journal on these this week:

1. What's one moment this past week when you felt alone—even while surrounded by people?
2. If you weren't carrying the healer role for just five minutes, what kind of connection would you crave?
3. What's the smallest grounding ritual you could commit to this week?
4. Who is one person you could be 10% more real with this week?

📱 Follow on Social Media:

• Instagram: @DrJulieSoulJoy
• LinkedIn
• Website

Share This Episode

Know another brilliant woman in healthcare over 50 who might need this message? Share this episode with her.

⭐ Leave a Revi

Send us your thoughts!

"Your Solar Plexus Called—It Wants Its Power Back"

Description: When's the last time you felt truly POWERFUL at work? If you're a healthcare professional over 50 and you can't remember, this episode is your wake-up call.

Dr. Julie Merriman dives into why your solar plexus chakra (your power center) is probably more blocked than the hospital parking lot at shift change—and what you're going to do about it this weekend.

In This Episode:

• The shocking research on "purpose erosion" in healthcare workers over 50 (68%!)
• Why your solar plexus isn't woo-woo—it's biochemistry
• The Stanford study proving you're IN your prime, not past it
• Permission to stop being the "nice" one (doctor's orders)
• Your weekend assignment involving yellow clothing and fancy cheese

Featured Research:

• Journal of Occupational Health Psychology (2023) - Purpose erosion study
• International Journal of Yoga - Solar plexus activation and cortisol reduction
• Stanford Center on Longevity - Women's decision-making advantage

Key Quotes:

• "You're not past your prime—you're IN your prime. You just forgot because you're too busy trying to figure out why the fax machine is still a thing in 2025."
• "You have permission to choose joy—not someday when you retire, not when things calm down (spoiler: they won't)—but TODAY."
• "Your joy isn't selfish—it's survival."

Resources Mentioned:

• Solar Plexus (Third Chakra) location and function
• Weekend Assignment: The Solar Plexus Power Party

Connect with Dr. Julie:

• Website: www.juliemerrimanphd.com
• Instagram: @dr.julie.merriman
• LinkedIn: Dr. Julie Merriman

Send us your thoughts!

It's Friday, and you've made it through another week. Your chakras are exhausted, and you know what they need? Snacks. In this 5-minute episode of Soul Joy Fridays, we explore the completely made-up (but surprisingly helpful) Chakra Snack Alignment System™ and remember that being brilliant doesn't mean being serious all the time.

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• The Chakra Snack Alignment System™ - A ridiculous but oddly useful guide to aligning your energy centers with your favorite foods
• Why your body is a festival tent, not a temple - And why that's actually better
• What chakras actually represent - The real wisdom behind the seven energy centers (delivered with humor)
• Your Friday assignment - One simple practice that requires eating a snack mindfully
• Permission to laugh at yourself - And why that's the most spiritual thing you can do

Key Quotes from This Episode

"Your body is not a temple. Temples are cold and you're not allowed to touch anything. Your body is more like a festival tent—colorful, full of life, occasionally chaotic, and snacks are definitely allowed."

"You don't have to earn rest with productivity. You don't have to earn snacks with salads. You don't have to earn joy with suffering."

"You're allowed to be a brilliant woman who takes herself seriously Monday through Thursday and absolutely NOT seriously on Friday. That's balance, baby."

"You're not doing spirituality wrong just because you think 'chakra snacks' is funny. Because it IS funny. And you deserve to laugh."

The Chakra Snack Alignment System™

• Root Chakra (Red): Pizza - Grounding through tomato sauce
• Sacral Chakra (Orange): Cheese puffs - Creative life force expression
• Solar Plexus (Yellow): French fries - Manifesting through potatoes
• Heart Chakra (Green): Salad with all the toppings - Self-love in action
• Throat Chakra (Blue): Blue raspberry candy (or skip it) - Communication through chewing loudly
• Third Eye Chakra (Purple): Grapes, blueberries, or wine - Intuitive truths
• Crown Chakra (White/Violet): Ice cream - Divine connection to the present moment

Your Friday Assignment

1. Pick a snack that makes you happy (not the one that makes you "good")
2. Actually sit down (not at your desk, not over the sink like a raccoon)
3. Eat mindfully - taste it, enjoy it, honor yourself
4. Text a friend and tell her what chakra your snack is healing
5. Laugh together

This is your spiritual practice. This is balance.

What Chakras Actually Represent

• Root: Grounding, safety, foundation
• Sacral: Creativity, pleasure, enjoying life
• Solar Plexus: Confidence, personal power
• Heart: Love for self and others
• Throat: Self-expression, communication
• Third Eye: Intuition, inner wisdom
• Crown: Spiritual connection, bigger picture

Connect with Soul Joy

Website: www.juliemerrimanphd.com
Instagram: @dr.juliemerriman

Also Listen To

Soul Joy: Burnout Truths for Brilliant Women - Our main podcast with deeper dives into burnout recovery, boundaries, and sustainable living for high-achieving women.

About Soul Joy Fridays

Soul Joy Fridays is your 5-minute permission slip to not take life so seriously. Each Friday, we explore the lighter side of brilliant living—with humor, heart, and the occasional absurd spiritual metaphor. Hosted by [Your Name], this is where high-achieving women remember that joy and silliness are just as important as productivity and purpose.

New episodes every Friday.
Subscribe: Available on

Send us your thoughts!

Empowering brilliant women in healthcare over 50 transform burnout into renewed purpose - reigniting their spark to create a life that energizes them every single day.

Episode Description

If you've ever felt rage when someone tells you to "just practice more self-care," this episode will set you free. Bubble baths won't fix what decades of sacrifice broke. We're exposing why the wellness industry's advice is insulting to brilliant, exhausted women over 50—and sharing what actually works when you're ready for a next chapter built on joy, not just more responsibility.

What You'll Learn

• Why self-care advice is gaslighting – How the wellness industry makes you doubt your own reality and blame yourself for systemic problems
• The biology of your burnout – What's really happening in your nervous system, hormones, and brain during perimenopause and menopause
• The research they don't tell you – Burnout statistics for healthcare professionals and how declining estrogen affects your stress response
• Why smart women fall for this – How your training taught you to push through exhaustion and tie your worth to productivity
• What actually works – Nervous system regulation, boundary mastery, and meaning recalibration (not balance or relaxation)

Key Timestamps

• [0:00] Why self-care advice makes you want to throw your phone
• [3:00] The Self-Care Industrial Complex Is Lying to You
• [9:00] The Research They Don't Tell You
• [15:00] Why Smart Women Fall For This
• [20:00] What Actually Works (nervous system regulation, boundaries, purpose)
• [27:00] Your Next Chapter Starts Here

Key Quotes

"You're not burned out because you forgot to light a candle. You're burned out because your nervous system has been in overdrive for DECADES."

"Burnout isn't a personality flaw. It's not a time-management problem. It's a physiological state of chronic nervous system dysregulation."

"You can't self-care your way out of a system designed to use you up."

"You're not broken—you're just done being used."

Resources Mentioned

• Book a free 20-minute Soul Joy Method call: www.juliemerrimanphd.com
• Take the Soul Joy Challenge: www.juliemerrimanphd.com

Connect with Dr. Julie

Website: www.juliemerrimanphd.com
​​​

Subscribe & Review

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps other exhausted, brilliant women find their way back to joy.

Send us your thoughts!

Episode Description

Walked into a room and forgot why you're there? Blanked on a colleague's name? Stared at your vitamin bottle wondering if you already took them? You're not losing it—your brain is just maxed out. In this episode, Dr. Julie Merriman explains the science behind why your memory feels like it's failing (spoiler: it's not), and gives you permission to stop blaming yourself.

What You'll Learn

• Why you're forgetting things (and why it's not early dementia)
• The real science behind "cognitive load" and working memory
• How stress, sleep deprivation, and perimenopause affect your brain
• Why your brilliant brain is actually protecting you
• Permission to stop trying to be superhuman

Key Takeaways

The Science: Your brain handles up to 50,000 decisions daily as a healthcare professional. Chronic stress reduces prefrontal cortex volume, and fluctuating estrogen during perimenopause directly impacts memory formation and retrieval. Your working memory capacity shrinks when you're overwhelmed—it's not failure, it's triage.

The Truth: You can still remember the Krebs cycle, every patient allergy, and what your teenager said three years ago. Your brain isn't broken—it's refusing to waste energy on low-stakes information when you're running on fumes.

The Permission Slip: You're allowed to forget things. You're allowed to write everything down. You're allowed to ask someone to repeat their name. Your brain is doing exactly what it's supposed to do—protecting you by conserving energy.

Resources Mentioned

• Free 20-Minute Soul Joy Method Call: [www.juliemerrimanphd.com]
• Soul Joy Challenge: [www.juliemerrimanphd.com]

Research Referenced

• University of California study on daily decision-making
• Neuroscience journal research on stress and prefrontal cortex volume
• Studies on estrogen's role in memory formation and retrieval

About the Host

Dr. Julie Merriman helps healthcare professionals in midlife reclaim their joy and build their next chapter without burnout. Through the Soul Joy Method, she combines science-backed strategies with real talk to help you stop blaming yourself and start living fully.

Connect

• Website: [www.juliemerrimanphd.com]
• Instagram: [@dr.juliemerriman]
• Facebook: [Dr. Julie Merriman Wellness, LLC]

Remember: You're not broken. You're not too old. You're not losing it. You're just carrying too much, and your brain is begging you to put some of it down.

#ActuallyYoureFine #MidlifeWomen #Perimenopause #CognitiveLoad #BurnoutRecovery #HealthcareProfessionals #SoulJoy