Finding Balance on the Women Who Work From Home Podcast

I recently had a powerful conversation with Michelle Rivera on the Women Who Work From Home podcast that I needed to share with you. We dove deep into what it really means to create success on your own terms - without burning out in the process.

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ON WORK-LIFE DEFINITION:

Michelle: Do you wanna talk a little bit more about what that meeting burnout experience was for you?

Jo: Yeah, sure. And I've since learned that everyone's experience with burnout is slightly different. We all burn out in our own unique ways, but being a high achiever, I burnt out pretty well because that's what we do, right?

If I'm going to do something, do it well.

So I, on the outside, had everything that I thought I ever wanted. 

I was an executive in a listed company.

I had an Asia Pacific role, part of a global team. That was all my sort of career objectives, tick, tick, tick. I was on a not-for-profit board, which getting some board experience was also part of my, you know, executive pathway. I had the two kids, I had the husband, I had just built a house from scratch, which is very much an Australian thing to do. 

And yeah, and then thought, okay, on the surface, I have everything that I ever wanted. 

So why am I unhappy? Why am I permanently guilty? Why am I exhausted? What am I doing wrong? Because I'd ticked all the boxes of what I thought was going to make me happy. 

It was only after getting to this point of having everything that I realised that, hang on, something's missing. I don't know what it is. And I found myself, which many women who end up coming to me resonate with this story of I had this beautiful big house, I had a pool, I had the chickens, I had all the animals, I had the kids, but that came with a really big mortgage. 

House prices in Australia are silly, very, very silly, more than anywhere else in the world. And so you find yourself now trapped with this huge mortgage and you need to keep the big job, to better afford the mortgage and you can't leave.

So you feel like you're trapped on this treadmill, this life that you think you want, but it's not the life that gives you freedom or gives you as much choice as you think it is. 

 You're just trapped in this keeping up with the Joneses that feels like a treadmill.

ON BOUNDARIES AND WORKING FROM HOME:

Michelle: So what can you tell us about your transition to working from home?

Jo: I think when you're a mum working from home, there's a few things that you need to be really, really strong with if you're going to be successful. And to me, the key thing you need to learn is boundaries because it's very easy to procrastination when you're in the office can be I'm going to go for a coffee or I'll go and walk over to someone's desk or go to the kitchen. 

When you're at home, that procrastination looks like I'll just stick on a load of laundry or let me empty the dishwasher.

ON SELF-SABOTAGE PATTERNS:

Michelle: So would you say this is actually a part of your work with women?

Jo: Absolutely, boundaries is a really big piece of what I do because what I have found is that as women, we are really, really good at self-sabotaging. I talk about the trifecta of self-sabotage that we get in our own way. And the top, I call it this, triple P trifecta that we very often fall into. Those triple P's are perfectionism, procrastination, and people-pleasing.

ON REST AND RECOVERY:

Michelle: Can you share a challenge that you faced in your career growth while working from home?

Jo: So that was a really big challenge. And then I'd say the other challenge that I've really had to lean into working from home is recognising that my rest and recovery is just as important as my productivity.

The Bottom Line:

You can have it all - you just have to determine what YOUR all is. As I shared with Michelle, sacrifice is inevitable, but you get to choose what you're willing to sacrifice.

Want to dive deeper into this conversation? Listen to the full episode here: https://women-who-work-at-home.castos.com/episodes/jo-stone-breaking-free-from-burnout 

P.S. If you're tired of giving away your power and ready to build a life that actually works for YOU, reach out to us. This is your sign that it's time for change.

Find more episodes of the Women Who Work From Home Podcast here: https://women-who-work-at-home.castos.com/