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Jess and Lisa confront the psychology behind feeling indebted to employers who provide remote work accommodations, questioning whether workplace flexibility should come with the burden of overperformance.

• Judgment versus curiosity: how these mindsets are mutually exclusive and impact our perspectives
• The concept of remote work exemptions and the psychology of feeling indebted to employers who provide flexibility
• Examining non-negotiables in job searches and what they're designed to protect
• Time as the most precious resource and how commuting impacts personal and family life
• The difference between community and geographical proximity in career decisions
• Career values and priorities beyond salary and title
• The evolving nature of workplace loyalty and viewing employment as a renewable transaction
• The tension between short-term security versus long-term prosperity in job decisions

Remember to follow us wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every week. We'd love to hear your thoughts—share your own career non-negotiables with us on social media!

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We discuss strategies for surviving beach vacations with pale children, including the "reverse beach day" approach of going to the beach after 3pm when UV rays are less intense. We share our upcoming childcare swap plans and navigate the anxiety and excitement that comes with watching each other's children.

• The "reverse beach day" strategy: doing indoor activities during peak sun hours and beach activities after 3pm
• Navigating different house rules – one household allows couch jumping while the other doesn't
• Planning a "mom swap" where friends trade overnight childcare duties
• Different levels of anxiety about watching each other's children
• Creative ideas for entertaining each other's kids, like reading Harry Potter with character voices
• How our different backgrounds (coastal vs. landlocked upbringing) influence our parenting approaches

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Subscribe & Stay Connected: If you love what you hear, subscribe and leave us a review! Your support helps us reach more women who need a space like this. Let’s build this community together!

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Navigating the complex emotional terrain of sharing layoff news with professional connections reveals stark differences in how people respond based on relationship closeness.

• Close colleagues often react with validating support and even anger on your behalf
• Acquaintances typically offer polite sympathy but little more, which can trigger insecurity
• Most people's muted responses come from their own discomfort or self-reflection
• Post-pandemic layoffs are widely understood as rarely performance-related
• Professional reputation concerns can make broadcasting layoff news on platforms like LinkedIn feel risky
• A phased approach might work best - starting with one-on-one conversations with key contacts
• Ultimately, accepting that you can't control others' perceptions is freeing

We can only control how we share our news, not how others perceive it. Focus your energy on connections who truly understand your value rather than worrying about judgments from those who don't know you well.

Support the show

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Join the Conversation: We want to hear from you! What resonates with you from this episode? How are you navigating your own journey? Connect with us on Instagram @lotstounpacktherepodcast or send us a message at unpack@riverdropcoaching.com.

Subscribe & Stay Connected: If you love what you hear, subscribe and leave us a review! Your support helps us reach more women who need a space like this. Let’s build this community together!

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Have you ever found yourself drawn to something that seems utterly unproductive yet feels essential to your wellbeing? That's exactly what we explore in this heartfelt conversation that begins with home projects but quickly delves into the deeper spaces of what truly nourishes our souls.

Lisa kicks things off sharing her triumph of finally renovating her mailbox after months of planning—complete with a glossy black post and custom vinyl decals. This evolves into a discussion about her family's seasonal bucket list chalkboard where cherished activities get the attention they deserve. "If it's not on the list," Jess notes, "it stays in the someday pile instead of the actionable now-we're-doing-it pile." This visual representation of family values not only creates accountability but offers visitors a glimpse into what matters most in their home.

The conversation shifts to parenting philosophies as we unpack the sometimes tedious but ultimately rewarding practice of consistently teaching children to ask politely for what they need. Those repetitive moments of redirecting a child's "I'm THIRSTY" or "I want water" to "May I please have some water?" build crucial life skills—though we laugh about the irony of making parenting harder in the short term to make life better in the long term.

But the heart of our discussion emerges when Lisa shares a profound moment of lying under a flowering tree in the park, allowing her mind to wander freely without productive intention. This seemingly simple act resulted in unexpected clarity and deep rejuvenation. "I kept coming up with all these things I wanted to unpack," she reflects, "not because I was trying to be productive, but because my mind finally had space to wander."

This leads us to grapple with important questions: How do we identify the activities that truly feed our souls? How do we make space for them in busy lives? And perhaps most crucially—how do we ensure we recognize these soul-nourishing opportunities before we reach the breaking point of desperately needing them?

We'd love to hear what feeds your soul when nobody's watching. Share your thoughts with us or simply take a moment today to ask yourself what your soul might be calling for that you've been too busy to notice.

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Want to support the podcast and help us keep creating content that matters? Here’s how you can get involved:

Join the Conversation: We want to hear from you! What resonates with you from this episode? How are you navigating your own journey? Connect with us on Instagram @lotstounpacktherepodcast or send us a message at unpack@riverdropcoaching.com.

Subscribe & Stay Connected: If you love what you hear, subscribe and leave us a review! Your support helps us reach more women who need a space like this. Let’s build this community together!

📬 Stay Inspired: Sign up for our Substack, where you’ll get fresh insights delivered straight to your inbox. Whether you choose a free or paid subscription, you’ll be the first to know what’s next: Substack

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Have you ever felt simultaneously overwhelmed with work yet creatively restless? That bizarre contradiction sits at the heart of this week's conversation as Jess unpacks her experience of being caught in a sprint toward professional goals while feeling the creative itch that comes from a backlog of unprocessed insights.

We dive into the fascinating concept of mental libraries—how we collect experiences and knowledge like books that need proper shelving in our minds. When we're racing toward milestones, those books pile up faster than we can organize them, creating a tension between accomplishment and integration. Jess shares her realization that working "in" her coaching business has temporarily prevented her from working "on" her business, sparking an interesting exploration of how we balance learning and doing.

The conversation expands into a deeper examination of two distinct types of learning: theoretical collection versus practical application. That restless feeling many of us experience? It might simply be the signal that your pendulum has swung too far in one direction. Whether you're completing certification hours, launching a project, or managing massive change, understanding this tension helps recognize when restlessness signals a need for balance rather than a problem requiring solution. We also touch on how transitions in life—whether chosen or unexpected—provide rare opportunities to rediscover aspects of ourselves that we've placed "high on the shelf" during certain phases of our careers.

Join us for an illuminating conversation about mastering your relationship with time, honoring the creative restlessness that fuels growth, and finding ways to integrate learning amid achievement. What parts of yourself have you set aside that might be asking to return to the forefront?

Support the show

Want to support the podcast and help us keep creating content that matters? Here’s how you can get involved:

Join the Conversation: We want to hear from you! What resonates with you from this episode? How are you navigating your own journey? Connect with us on Instagram @lotstounpacktherepodcast or send us a message at unpack@riverdropcoaching.com.

Subscribe & Stay Connected: If you love what you hear, subscribe and leave us a review! Your support helps us reach more women who need a space like this. Let’s build this community together!

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Jess and Lisa explore the emotional complexity of ending coaching relationships and how setting firm boundaries enables us to become the people we want to be in both personal and professional contexts.

• Jess shares the bittersweet experience of a coaching client ending their relationship after achieving their goals
• Coaching creates intimate spaces where clients can share vulnerable thoughts, making the conclusion of these relationships emotional
• Boundaries are immutable lines we draw, while everything "to the left" of the boundary remains negotiable
• Effective boundaries allow us to protect our time and prioritize what truly matters
• Drawing boundaries around family time creates safety and enables intentional parenting
• Time-blocking specific commitments (like limiting evening events to twice a month) helps maintain balance
• Confidence, like grief, isn't linear but follows ups and downs that can feel more painful after experiencing success
• Zooming out during difficult moments helps provide perspective on how far we've come
• Self-care through keeping promises to ourselves builds resilience during confidence dips

Support the show

Want to support the podcast and help us keep creating content that matters? Here’s how you can get involved:

Join the Conversation: We want to hear from you! What resonates with you from this episode? How are you navigating your own journey? Connect with us on Instagram @lotstounpacktherepodcast or send us a message at unpack@riverdropcoaching.com.

Subscribe & Stay Connected: If you love what you hear, subscribe and leave us a review! Your support helps us reach more women who need a space like this. Let’s build this community together!

📬 Stay Inspired: Sign up for our Substack, where you’ll get fresh insights delivered straight to your inbox. Whether you choose a free or paid subscription, you’ll be the first to know what’s next: Substack

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Jess and Lisa explore the emotional rollercoaster of major life transitions, focusing on Lisa's recent layoff experience and her struggle between constant action and creating space for strategic thinking.

• Lisa describes feeling like a "passenger" in her own emotional journey after being laid off
• The pull between taking immediate action and allowing space for clarity and intentional next steps
• The concept of a "white room" – creating mental and physical space to think strategically rather than reactively
• Recognizing how our professional identities become tied to constant busyness and productivity
• The generational shift from destination-focused careers to journey-oriented approaches
• The pressure we put on decisions when viewing them as ultimate rather than next steps
• Shifting from asking "what do I want to do?" to "who do I want to be?"
• Treating major life changes as gifts to be unwrapped intentionally

Support the show

Want to support the podcast and help us keep creating content that matters? Here’s how you can get involved:

Join the Conversation: We want to hear from you! What resonates with you from this episode? How are you navigating your own journey? Connect with us on Instagram @lotstounpacktherepodcast or send us a message at unpack@riverdropcoaching.com.

Subscribe & Stay Connected: If you love what you hear, subscribe and leave us a review! Your support helps us reach more women who need a space like this. Let’s build this community together!

📬 Stay Inspired: Sign up for our Substack, where you’ll get fresh insights delivered straight to your inbox. Whether you choose a free or paid subscription, you’ll be the first to know what’s next: Substack

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Jess and Lisa dive deep into the mysterious ways our professional identities shape our personal interactions, revealing surprising insights about hidden assumptions and unexplored potential.

Jess shares her puzzling tendency to apologize when canceling subscriptions or requesting refunds—despite not considering herself a people-pleaser in other contexts. This "subscription guilt" prompts a fascinating exploration of why we sometimes feel obligated to justify our consumer decisions. Could it be that professional communication patterns are bleeding into personal interactions? The friends unpack how our work personas can unconsciously influence behavior in unexpected ways.

The conversation takes a profound turn when Jess reveals how her coaching practice has evolved beyond her initial target demographic of "moms in leadership." Through a new platform where she couldn't select her clients, she found herself working with numerous male executives—something she hadn't anticipated. This experience challenged deep-seeded assumptions about both her capabilities and her clients' receptiveness. "Who I am is so much more multifaceted than I was giving myself credit for, and who they are is so much more multifaceted than I was giving them credit for."

This revelation speaks to a universal truth about professional growth: stepping outside our comfort zones often leads to unexpected discoveries about our capabilities. Like a chef's knife being honed for specialized purposes, Jess discusses how diversifying her client base is "sharpening" her coaching skills in ways working exclusively with similar clients never could.

Whether you're questioning your own professional boundaries or curious about how subtle limiting beliefs might be operating in your life, this episode offers valuable perspective on recognizing and challenging the assumptions that constrain our growth. Connect with us on social media to share your own experiences with limiting beliefs and how you've overcome them!

Support the show

Want to support the podcast and help us keep creating content that matters? Here’s how you can get involved:

Join the Conversation: We want to hear from you! What resonates with you from this episode? How are you navigating your own journey? Connect with us on Instagram @lotstounpacktherepodcast or send us a message at unpack@riverdropcoaching.com.

Subscribe & Stay Connected: If you love what you hear, subscribe and leave us a review! Your support helps us reach more women who need a space like this. Let’s build this community together!

📬 Stay Inspired: Sign up for our Substack, where you’ll get fresh insights delivered straight to your inbox. Whether you choose a free or paid subscription, you’ll be the first to know what’s next: Substack

🎧 Bonus Content: Want exclusive access to behind-the-scenes moments and extra episodes? For as little as $3, you can support the show and enjoy bonus content that’s just for you: Support Us

Every bit of support helps us keep bringing real conversations from our hearts to your ears! Thank you for being part of the journey! 🙌