Season 23 Ep 219: The Antidote to Overwhelm (Ep 6 ReRelease)
Nov 01, 2026
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Reaching a goal takes one set of skills. Keeping it going takes another.
You won the award, the company hit its 10-year anniversary, or you’re finally sleeping better at night. Then life gets busy again, and you start to wonder how to hold on to what you worked so hard for when there’s this much on your plate.
“What makes sense now?”
That’s the question Karlee asks her clients when they’re ready to make something last. This month, she’s pointing it at the thing that throws off even the best plans: overwhelm.
Before the holiday dinners, gatherings and gift lists take over, make sure your own name is on the list of people you look after this season, or during any busy stretch.
You deserve a holiday season that gives you life, with a plan simple enough to actually follow.
To help, Karlee goes back to the wisdom of Dr. Maria Sirois. They recorded this conversation as the holidays approached, and it looks at how we can keep caring for ourselves through these busy months and any other “full” season life brings.
Self-care used to mean drinking enough water, getting enough sleep and making it to the gym. Maria and Karlee take it further, into how we handle challenging people, challenging circumstances and challenging times. Maria lays out what Karlee calls “really small but hugely transformative shifts” for our fullest times, so we still get more of what we want in life, whether that’s joy, nourishment or connection.
If busy seasons tend to leave you depleted, this episode is for you.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
(00:00) Going from reaching a goal to keeping it, and the question “What makes sense now?”
(02:58) Why this month is all about overwhelm, and a look back at Maria’s interview
(08:48) A backyard dinner and why we trust teachers who don’t pretend to be perfect
(11:11) How pausing to ask a life-giving question can open up a stressful season
(20:38) The three-step framework for a more doable holiday
(22:20) What Maria has learned about living the holidays on two levels at once
(24:06) Why no single gift has to sum up a relationship
(27:06) How research on “job crafting” applies to shaping your holidays
(37:11) Permission to boldly recreate holiday rituals that drain you
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Job Crafting – Amy Wrzesniewski on creating meaning in your own work
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