Question for you Thrivesters: what happens when you strip away the numbing and finally face your life - raw, unfiltered, and ready for change?

In today’s powerful episode, I sit down with Samantha Parker, entrepreneur, digital creator, and sober super-mom who isn’t afraid to speak the truth about what it really takes to thrive after addiction.

We talk about the moment that changed everything - a stinging sentence from her young son when he was sick - and how that heartbreaking moment led her to a path of radical honesty, personal responsibility, and eventually finding true peace.

Samantha shares the highs and lows of her sober journey, how running became her therapy, and why rest isn’t something women should have to earn.

We cover:

• The exact moment Samantha knew she had to get sober
• How to start showing up for yourself - even if you’ve let yourself down before
• What thriving really looks like (spoiler: it’s not always pretty)
• Letting go of guilt, hustle, and perfection

This episode is your permission slip to pause, breathe, and remember who you are.

Your Call to Action:

Take five quiet minutes today to reflect on a habit, relationship, or story that might no longer serve you. Ask yourself: What would freedom feel like?

You don’t need all the answers here Thrivesters, just a little honesty and a lot of self-compassion.

Then go out there and thrive like you mean it!

Links & Resources:

• Follow Samantha Parker on Instagram @thesamanthaparker and TikTok @thesamanthaparker
• Samantha’s website: www.thesamanthaparker.com
• Join the Thrive Hive and receive the Weekly Buzz: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/MurXaK9
• Grab my best-selling book Unmute Yourself: Amazon link
• Follow me on Instagram: @nancy_medoff

Today’s episode is powerful, Thrivesters - I’m diving into a topic most high-achieving women like you struggle with but rarely talk about: rest. Not as a luxury, but as a requirement for resilience, clarity, and confidence.

For example - my friend who was too exhausted to get off her bed and go to the beach - even though that’s exactly what she needed. On a Thursday. In Cape Cod.

Sound familiar? We, as women have been conditioned to believe that we have to earn our rest and today, we’re unpacking why that belief is holding us back and may be causing more damage than we know.

We’ll explore:

• Why women are conditioned to associate rest with laziness or selfishness

• How tying your identity to your output makes rest feel dangerous

• The sneaky guilt that shows up when you try to slow down

• Science-backed reasons rest = resilience

This is your reminder that rest isn’t indulgent. It’s intelligent. And reclaiming it might just be the boldest move you make this year.

You’ll learn how:

• Rest improves executive function, decision-making, and emotional regulation

• Women experience higher rates of burnout because of our output-driven identity

• Guilt around rest is a symptom of conditioning - not truth

• Resilience isn’t pushing through; it’s bouncing back - and this requires recovery (ie, REST).

Your challenge this week: rest without the guilt and without “earning” it. Take 20 minutes just for you - no justification required.

Then - go out there and thrive like you mean it!

Thriving Isn’t Just Doing More of What You Love - Even Joy Needs Boundaries EP156

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Thrivesters , this conversation is the one you didn’t know you needed.

How many times have you heard “advocate for yourself,” or “you have to meet your own needs,” and thought… but I don’t even know what I need?

This week, I’m joined by the brilliant and deeply grounded Mara Glatzel - author of Needy: How to Advocate for Your Needs and Claim Your Sovereignty. She's a coach, writer, mother of dragons (okay, daughters), and the queen of helping women stop outsourcing their well-being and start reclaiming their relationship with themselves.

Together, we go deep into the real reason why even the most accomplished, self-aware women (yes, you) still put themselves last - and how to finally stop.

You’ll hear:
✨ How to rebuild your relationship with yourself - and why most of us have to
✨ The invisible ego payoff of “doing it all” - and how it’s secretly draining your joy
✨ How to know when a relationship is draining you - and what to do about it
✨ The difference between what you need and what you want (yes, both matter)
✨ How to handle people who are uncomfortable with your thriving
✨ What toxic productivity really is and how to break the cycle without giving up your ambition
✨ 3 powerful prompts to begin (or deepen) your self-partnership today

Plus: We unpack Zumba obsessions, the dangers of shrinking to be liked, and why being “too much” might be exactly what you’re here for.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted by your to-do list, disconnected from your joy, or unsure of what you even want anymore - this episode will light a fire in you.

So after you’ve listened, and maybe more than once - share this episode with the person you know needs to hear it - then to out there are THRIVE like you mean it!

Quote to remember:
“If you are a human, you have needs. And getting your needs met is your responsibility - but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.” - Mara Glatzel

Connect with Mara:

Website: https://maraglatzel.com/

Instagram: @maraglatzel

📩 Follow Me:

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⁠LinkedIN ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@‌nancymedoff HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠💌 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Thrive Hive Community HERE