Afleveringen
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Doors are now open for the July 6 intake of Balance & Beyond!
If you've recognised yourself in the patterns we've explored in this episode and you're ready to move beyond awareness into real change, we'd love to support you. Find out more and book a conversation with our team here: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/balance-and-beyond
I share the secret belief that kept me stuck for years: I thought my circumstances made me the exception to change. I unpack the roles I hid behind and the moment I realised the real shift had to happen inside me, not around me.• believing change was for everyone else but me
• stacking real-life pressures into an airtight “exception” story
• using external circumstances to avoid an inward look
• over-delivering at work to protect self-worth
• guilt and the stories we tell ourselves about family and ambition
• optimisation as a way to avoid being human
• trying to blow up the outside instead of changing the inside
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today. And don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite sized breakthroughs.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Doors are now open for the July 6 intake of Balance & Beyond!
If you've recognised yourself in the patterns we've explored in this episode and you're ready to move beyond awareness into real change, we'd love to support you. Find out more and book a conversation with our team here: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/balance-and-beyond
You can look successful and still feel like you’re carrying a hidden load that never lets you fully exhale. We’re naming that load for what it often is: years of swallowed anger, grief, resentment and overwhelm that don’t disappear, they collect. Jo Stone sits down with coach Jaclyn to unpack “emotional constipation” and the way unfelt emotions leak out sideways as snappy replies, sudden tears, impatience, numbness, and that brittle sense of holding it all together on thin ice.
We get honest about why high achieving women avoid feelings in the first place: no one modelled how to feel emotions without spraying them on others, and our identity gets tied to doing, productivity and achievement. We talk emotional hygiene, the myth of “I’ll deal with it on holidays”, and the real cost of emotional suppression on the nervous system, burnout symptoms, sleep issues and the slow loss of aliveness, friendships and joy.
Then we move into what actually helps. Jaclyn explains why somatic work can create safety, how listening to sensation in the body shifts what the mind can’t think its way through, and why support matters when blind spots keep the old pattern running. You’ll hear what becomes possible when emotions move: clearer boundaries, more satisfaction at work, and a softer, more present version of you at home. If this lands, subscribe, share it with a woman who needs it, and leave a review so it reaches the people it’s meant for.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Doors are now open for the July 6 intake of Balance & Beyond!
If you've recognised yourself in the patterns we've explored in this episode and you're ready to move beyond awareness into real change, we'd love to support you. Find out more and book a conversation with our team here: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/balance-and-beyondI’ve just come off three and a half weeks of single parenting and it shows me exactly where I wobble and what actually helps me stay steady. I share the tools that keep my personal power, cut the guilt, and make life feel lighter even when the load is heavy.
• noticing how quickly doomscrolling creeps in under stress
• stepping out of the victim story to keep personal power
• adjusting the bar so perfectionism doesn’t run the week
• simplifying food and routines without beating myself up
• raising the bar on self-care to stay patient and focused
• practising acceptance to reduce suffering and obligation fatigue
• investing in yourself as the best support for your kids and your work
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today.
And don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite sized breakthroughs.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Doors are now open for the July 6 intake of Balance & Beyond!
If you've recognised yourself in the patterns we've explored in this episode and you're ready to move beyond awareness into real change, we'd love to support you. Find out more and book a conversation with our team here: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/balance-and-beyondYou can be wildly capable and still feel like something unseen is running you. We talk about the kind of fear that doesn’t look like panic, it looks like competence: the way you rewrite the email, keep the pace frantic, say yes before you check in with yourself, or soften your truth after you “read the room”. If you’re a high-achieving woman who looks fine on the outside but knows the old model of success no longer fits, this conversation puts language to what’s been happening under the surface.
We unpack four patterns that commonly show up as fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses in modern life, and why they’re so easy to mistake for personality traits. Urgency can masquerade as being driven and reliable. Busyness can masquerade as productivity while you outrun insecurity and the fear of not being good enough. Over-researching can masquerade as being thorough and intelligent while you avoid committing to a decision. And “emotional intelligence” can slide into smoothing, people pleasing, and self-abandonment when you edit yourself to avoid someone else’s reaction.
The core takeaway is simple but confronting: the problem isn’t the behaviour, it’s what the behaviour is protecting you from feeling. Awareness helps you spot the pattern, but lasting change comes from learning to catch it in real time, in the meeting, in the conversation, and in the moment your body starts to rush, freeze, or comply. If you’re ready to stop living on autopilot, listen through and then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so it reaches the women it’s meant for.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Doors are now open for the July 6 intake of Balance & Beyond!
If you've recognised yourself in the patterns we've explored in this episode and you're ready to move beyond awareness into real change, we'd love to support you. Find out more and book a conversation with our team here: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/balance-and-beyondWe talk about the hidden reason smart, capable women stay stuck even when they know exactly what to do. We share a personal story about the moment “research” turned into fear avoidance and the decision that changed everything.
• noticing the pattern of waiting for the right time
• separating real due diligence from bargaining with fear
• the “spreadsheet from hell” as a sign of avoidance
• the question that exposes what we’re truly afraid of
• why certainty comes after the decision, not before it
• simple everyday examples of decisions we delay
• choosing action over endless research
Book the call.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Doors are now open for the July 6 intake of Balance & Beyond!
If you've recognised yourself in the patterns we've explored in this episode and you're ready to move beyond awareness into real change, we'd love to support you. Find out more and book a conversation with our team here: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/balance-and-beyond
You can tick every box and still feel strangely flat. The house, the title, the money, the promotion, the “finally” moment arrives and instead of joy you feel… relief. I’m Jo Stone, and I want to name what so many high achieving women whisper to themselves: the scoreboard version of success is loud, public, and measurable, but it often has very little to do with fulfilment, presence, or feeling at home in your own life.
We dig into the real moments that stop you mid-stride and make you think, yes, this is why I’m here. Not the new car or the next big goal, but the random Tuesday stuff: the drive home where your head goes quiet, the dinner where you actually see your partner, the meeting where you say the true thing without marinating in it for hours, the night you can relax even if the bench is not clean. We also talk about why ambition isn’t the enemy, and how hustle culture teaches us to walk straight past the moments that matter because they don’t look “big enough”.
Then we tackle the moving goalposts pattern head-on, including my half marathon moment where I changed the target mid-run and robbed myself of the win. And we land in the story that rewired everything for me: a Disneyland rule about hugs, a timer, and a two and a half minute hug in a hallway that became the clearest definition of success I’ve ever had. If you’ve been craving work-life balance, deeper connection, and a calmer nervous system without giving up your drive, this is your reminder that you don’t need a new life, you need more of you back in the one you’ve already built.
If this resonates, follow or subscribe, share it with a woman who’s tired of the scoreboard, and leave a review so the Ripple Effect reaches who it’s meant for.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Turning 47 comes with a surprising data point: it’s supposedly the peak age of unhappiness, yet I feel like an outlier. I share the three changes that help me unlock more happiness without needing an easier life.
• the research on midlife unhappiness and why it might show up around 47
• reframing the traits I used to hide as my zone of genius
• dropping the chameleon habit and saying the thing
• noticing how over-relying on intellect keeps me stuck in my head
• building trust in intuition and body signals as another intelligence
• learning presence by understanding the neuroscience first
• turning down frantic future-thinking without losing ambition
• exploring body wisdom and what kinesiology unlocked for me
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today. And don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite sized breakthroughs.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
You can run a team, lead through crisis, and keep a brave face all day then come undone over a lunchbox, socks, or a towel on the floor. We call it the “duck on a pond”: polished and capable on the surface, frantic paddling underneath. If that’s you, you’re not failing at life, you’re running on empty, and home is where the mask finally drops.
Joe is joined by coach Sabina to get honest about why high-achieving women so often give work the best of their energy and leave family with the scraps. We dig into the real drivers behind burnout and emotional blow-ups: the split between your professional persona and your personal self, the guilt and shame spiral that follows, and the “proving energy” that keeps your brain in constant overdrive. Think imposter syndrome, second-guessing, planning for every scenario, and trying to stay on top of everything, even when your actual to-do list hasn’t changed.
We also tackle the moment many women hit: “You don’t understand my job, there’s nothing I can do.” Sabina shares why that’s the exact cue to stop, not sprint, and how reflection, boundaries, and the right support can help you become calmer, more focused, and more present at home without automatically quitting your role. The payoff is real: better relationships, new memories, and a return to feeling like yourself.
If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s paddling hard under the water, and leave a review so more women can find a better way forward.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
We realise how often “self-care” comes with an asterisk, where we only do things for ourselves if we can justify them. We challenge ourselves to find what actually makes us feel alive, not just what keeps us functioning.
• asking what we’ve done this week just for us
• noticing the qualifiers that turn self-care into damage control
• spotting guilt, shame, and “insurance policy” habits in our routines
• sorting habits into draining activities versus nourishing activities
• recognising when nourishing only brings us back to baseline
• exploring what “feeling alive” can look like in 30 seconds
• remembering the version of us outside roles and responsibilities
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today. And don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite sized breakthroughs.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Register now for The Overdrive Reset - a free 8-day WhatsApp experience designed for women who are exhausted from constantly carrying, managing, fixing, anticipating, and holding everything together.
Short daily voice notes.
Real pattern recognition.
No wellness fluff.
Starts 29th May.
Join here: www.balanceinstitute.com/reset
Your calendar says “rest”, but your body treats it like a threat. If you’ve ever sat down for a break and stood back up minutes later with no real reason, you’re not broken and you’re not doing self-care wrong. We talk honestly about why so many high-achieving women live in overdrive, where stopping feels more dangerous than continuing, even when burnout is already knocking.
We dig into the sneaky ways productivity hijacks recovery: “resting” with the inbox open, turning downtime into life admin, and keeping noise on because silence feels unbearable. We also name the two-speed pattern that traps so many of us, pushing until collapse then getting up the second the worst passes. When the body has to force a stop through exhaustion, illness, or pain, it never feels like a choice, and that’s where the cycle tightens.
The heart of the conversation is identity. If you grew up learning that being useful equals being good, and being lazy is the worst insult, then rest can feel like you’re becoming someone you’ve spent your whole life trying not to be. We unpack how standards, fear of letting people down, and the need to be “the strong one” can keep your nervous system stuck on high alert, no matter how many holidays you book.
If you’re ready to understand what stopping actually means to you, I share why I created The Overdrive Reset and how you can join for free. Subscribe, share this with a woman who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find their way out of burnout and back into real rest.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Register now for The Overdrive Reset - a free 8-day WhatsApp experience designed for women who are exhausted from constantly carrying, managing, fixing, anticipating, and holding everything together.
Short daily voice notes.
Real pattern recognition.
No wellness fluff.
Starts 29th May.
Join here: www.balanceinstitute.com/reset
We rethink goal setting through a simple lens: how we want to feel, not what we want to prove. We share how slowing down, focusing on 1% shifts, and managing inputs brings better results with more joy and less grinding.
• setting a goal that matters even if nobody knows
• slowing down to speed up through smarter training and better efficiency
• using 1% shifts to create compounding progress
• managing inputs like schedule, frequency, and connection instead of obsessing over outcomes
• noticing the high achiever trap of moving goalposts and earning joy through suffering
• stripping out busyness and coping behaviours to find what actually matters
• practising self-compassion when you pick the wrong 1% and choosing again today
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today.
And don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite sized breakthroughs.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Register now for The Overdrive Reset - a free 8-day WhatsApp experience designed for women who are exhausted from constantly carrying, managing, fixing, anticipating, and holding everything together.
Short daily voice notes.
Real pattern recognition.
No wellness fluff.
Starts 29th May.
Join here: www.balanceinstitute.com/resetWhen was the last time you went to bed with nothing nagging at you, no unfinished loops, no sense that you “should” be doing more? If your gut answer is a tired laugh, you’re not alone, and you’re not failing. I’m unpacking the uncomfortable truth behind why so many high-achieving women feel permanently behind: we’ve been playing a rigged game where feeling okay is conditional on getting on top of everything.
We pull apart the rules of that game, including the never-ending list that has to be ticked off before you’re “allowed” to rest. The kicker is that a huge chunk of the list sits outside your control: kids’ moods, bosses’ deadlines, hormones, family expectations, and the general pace of the world right now. When your nervous system is waiting for perfect conditions to relax, it never gets the signal that you’re safe. So we default to what we know: grip tighter, do more, go faster, and call it “coping” while our bodies quietly run on fumes.
I also name the three big control strategies I see again and again: the 3 am spiral and doom scroll, overcompensating through perfectionism and over-delivering, and the shutdown that looks like numb scrolling on the couch. Then we talk about the escape fantasy, selling the house and starting again, and why it doesn’t fix the internal rules you’ve been living by. There is another way out, and it doesn’t require burning everything down.
If you’re ready to stop chasing inbox zero as proof you’re worthy of rest, come join me for the Overdrive Reset starting May 29. Hit play, share this with a woman who needs it, and please subscribe and leave a review so it reaches the people it’s meant for.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Register now for The Overdrive Reset - a free 8-day WhatsApp experience designed for women who are exhausted from constantly carrying, managing, fixing, anticipating, and holding everything together.
Short daily voice notes.
Real pattern recognition.
No wellness fluff.
Starts 29th May.
Join here: www.balanceinstitute.com/reset
We uncover a hidden pattern that links being understood with being safe, and how that wiring can keep us living in our heads. We talk through the success it can create, the cost it can carry, and a mantra that helps the body catch up with what the mind already knows.
• noticing the habit of showing only what others can understand
• growing up in a logic-bound home where feelings have a limit
• learning to self-edit emotions to avoid being “too much”
• coping strategies that drive success and also become kryptonite
• becoming articulate as protection and adding “one more sentence”
• how overexplaining and overdoing bleed into work and relationships
• using the podcast as practice for saying the edgy thing anyway
• holding the mantra that misunderstanding is their filter, not our failure
come and join me. Eight days, WhatsApp. We start 29th of May. It’s free, and the link is in the show notes.
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today.
And don’t forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite sized breakthroughs.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Register now for The Overdrive Reset - a free 8-day WhatsApp experience designed for women who are exhausted from constantly carrying, managing, fixing, anticipating, and holding everything together.
Short daily voice notes.
Real pattern recognition.
No wellness fluff.
Starts 29th May.
Join here: www.balanceinstitute.com/resetYou know that moment where you “win” the conversation in the shower, deliver the perfect line in your head at 2am, then smile politely in real life and say nothing? That loop isn’t harmless. It’s conversation debt, and it quietly drains your focus, your sleep, your relationships, and your sense of self.
We talk through why these avoided conversations stack up with your boss, your partner, your team, your friends, and your family and why the weight is never just one chat, it’s the whole pile. We also unpack the shift that changes everything: by the time you finally speak, you’re often not starting an open conversation, you’re prosecuting a case. Your brain’s pattern recognition finds “evidence” on command, your words come out loaded with judgement, and the other person feels ambushed and gets defensive.
Then we go to the real core. Under the accusations is usually something tender, vulnerable, and deeply human: I’m exhausted. I want to be seen. I want to matter. I don’t know how to say this without falling apart. When you’re running on fumes, it’s easier to wear armour through overfunctioning, people-pleasing, and mind-reading, but your body keeps the score through tension, 2am ceiling stares, and that low-level simmer that leaks into everything.
If you’re ready to break the rumination loop, I also invite you to join me at the Overdrive Reset, a free eight-day reset starting 28 May (link in the show notes). Subscribe, share this with a woman who needs it, and leave a review so it reaches the people it’s meant for.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Mother’s Day hype can make it feel like becoming a mum should complete you, and we push back on that idea with honesty and grit. We name the script that shames women for wanting more, and we argue that loving your kids and loving yourself can sit side by side.
• rejecting the idea that motherhood alone must feel “enough”
• separating love for our kids from loss of self
• telling the truth about ambition, travel, and relief
• unpacking judgement and the “Boss Woman” label
• naming the cultural script that rewards disappearing
• describing the quiet internal cost of performing “perfect mum”
• choosing a new story where we take up space
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today.
And don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite sized breakthroughs.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
The next promotion can be the moment you realise you’re done climbing. Not because you’ve lost your edge, but because you can finally see what the next rung will cost your energy, your health, and your sense of self. I’m hearing this from smart, senior women again and again, and it’s why I’m sharing what I’ve learned from making the jump from corporate to entrepreneurship after 20 years inside the system.
I break down five lessons that don’t come from a quick Google search: how to stop relying on external validation when there are no KPIs or gold stars, how to handle failure and rejection without taking every wobble personally, and how to avoid “shiny new toy syndrome” when you’re suddenly free to do anything. We also talk about the uncomfortable truth of modern business ownership: whether you sell services, consulting, coaching, or products, you are the product, and personal brand matters more than most corporate high achievers expect.
The biggest takeaway is the one I wish I’d heard earlier: your business will never outgrow your identity. Money beliefs, worthiness, fear of being seen, and perfectionism show up fast, so the personal development work is part of the business plan. If you’re considering leaving corporate, starting a side hustle, or building something more aligned with your values, this will help you create runway, build resilience, and design a business that works with you instead of against you. Subscribe, share with a woman who needs it, and leave a review so it reaches the people it’s meant for.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
I share what three and a half weeks of single parenting reveals about distraction, time pressure, and the sneaky pull of doomscrolling when you’re craving connection. I also walk through the tools I use to stay present, protect my energy, and keep life lighter without settling or lowering my standards.
• noticing the spike in social media use and news consumption under stress
• recognising reactive mode and fragmented time as a creativity killer
• breaking the doomscrolling loop by moving beyond the brain’s quick rewards
• finding fun in everyday moments through presence and real connection
• adjusting the bar to match the season and choosing priorities with grace
• raising the bar on self-care to avoid depletion and protect integrity
• practising acceptance without settling and holding dual truths at once
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today. And don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite-sized breakthroughs.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
The world feels like it’s running on rocket fuel and a lot of women are holding it together with white knuckles. I break down what’s happening underneath the overwhelm using simple neuroscience.
We zoom out to name the macro stressors many of us are swimming in: global and political instability, economic unpredictability, constant corporate restructures, and the creeping question of what AI means for our jobs and identity. Then we go underneath the surface, into nervous system regulation and stress physiology. Your brain is built to keep you alive and conserve energy, so uncertainty lights up an ancient survival system that can’t tell the difference between a lion and a notification. That’s why doom-scrolling feels irresistible: it’s your brain hunting for information to feel safe, inside a feed that never ends.
From there, we unpack a deceptively simple paradox: we need certainty and we need variety. Chosen variety is fun. Unwanted variety is a problem, and right now many of us are drowning in it. When the gap between the certainty you need and the certainty available gets too wide, old survival strategies come roaring back perfectionism, overworking, people-pleasing, procrastination dressed up as “strategy”. Trying harder with new routines and tighter control only adds fuel to chronic nervous system activation.
We finish with three practical steps to help you feel more steady: notice your patterns with curiosity, get ruthless about what’s actually in your control, and try 24 hours off the feed to stop outsourcing safety to your phone. If this lands, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s white-knuckling life, and leave a review. What pattern do you notice most in yourself right now?Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
I notice how fast two words, “I have to”, can flood my body with heaviness and resentment before the day even starts. I use a simple reframe, “I get to”, to interrupt that loop and take my power back in the middle of real life.
• the dog-walk moment that triggers the “have to” spiral
• why obligation creates shame, guilt, resentment and a victim mindset
• how “I get to” shifts choice and control in seconds
• the subconscious mind effect and the captain and engine room metaphor
• why state control matters when the world feels chaotic
• a practical challenge to swap one phrase today and observe the change
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today. And don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite sized breakthroughs.Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone -
Your brain isn’t failing you. It’s doing its best with ancient wiring in a world of endless emails, Slack pings, AI pressure and a culture that rewards output over wellbeing. I’m joined by Dara Simkin, co-author of Full Stack Human, to reframe what so many high achieving women privately fear: that they can’t keep up because something is wrong with them. Dara’s take is both grounded and liberating, we don’t need more optimisation, we need an upgrade back to being human.
We unpack the Full Stack Human “tech stack”, starting with play as a serious, science backed tool for sustainable performance and nervous system health. Dara explains how play fuels the brain with feel good chemistry, why curiosity is an evolutionary advantage, and how hope and intelligent optimism help us move from doom and gloom into practical action. We also explore embodied adaptability, the idea that real flexibility comes from involving the body, not just thinking harder, especially when life feels high stakes and out of control.
Then we name the quieter danger before burnout: Achievement Syndrome. We look at how validation, trophies, promotions and perfectionism can fuse identity to output, and why the next gold star never delivers what we think it will. Dara shares a gentler path forward through tiny micro practices that are easy to repeat, plus one powerful nightly question that shifts the benchmark from performance to presence: “How was I a human today?”Full Stack Human is available now online and in bookstores.
Take the free assessment at https://www.fullstackhumanbook.com/
To follow Dara's work, connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dara-simkin-culture-hero/
Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone - Laat meer zien
