Being the one who “has it handled” can look like strength from the outside, but it often comes with an invisible cost. In this episode of the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, Vanessa De Jesus Guzman explores why highly capable, high-functioning women - especially moms and leaders - can feel deeply alone despite being surrounded by people who rely on them.

Through a therapist’s lens, Vanessa unpacks how cultural conditioning, emotional labor, and the mental load many women carry quietly reduce support over time. This conversation is not about doing more or pushing harder. It is about understanding why support often disappears when you are seen as “the strong one,” and why learning to ask for help is essential for long-term well-being.

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

• Why being highly capable can unintentionally lead to loneliness
• How cultural expectations and early responsibility shape over-functioning
• The emotional labor and mental load others often do not see
• Why people stop checking in when you always seem “fine”
• How survival-based leadership shows up in motherhood and daily life
• Why support is not a reward you earn after burnout, but a necessity before it

TUNE IN TO LEARN

• How capability becomes identity and limits support
• The difference between doing tasks and carrying responsibility
• Why asking for help feels uncomfortable for high-achieving women
• How to recognize exhaustion you may have normalized
• Practical ways to invite support back in without guilt
  
  

REFERENCED LINKS

The Reset Experience on February 22nd in Ridgefield, New Jersey

https://www.amigamoms.com/event-details/resetexperience-feb2026

Book Vanessa for Speaking

https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

TAKEAWAY MESSAGE
Being capable does not mean you have to carry everything alone. If this episode resonated, it is not a sign that something is wrong with you. It is often a sign that you have been strong for a long time in environments that quietly relied on that strength. Support is not a weakness. It is a skill, and one you are allowed to practice. Listen in, reflect gently, and remember… you are always free to be mindful.

Send a text

Support the show

120 COPING SKILLS
https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills


GET THE MUSE HEADBAND AT A DISCOUNT!
https://choosemuse.com/freetobemindful
Use this link to get 15% off your total when you purchase the amazing brain sensing headband that tells you when you're in a meditative state and guides you to improve your practice.


LET’S STAY CONNECTED:
🌐 Website: https://www.freetobemindful.com
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
💛 Coaching for Moms: https://www.amigamoms.com/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER:
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

Emotional connection in relationships often fades quietly - not because something is wrong, but because life gets full. Parenting, work stress, cultural expectations, and emotional fatigue can slowly replace curiosity, affection, and presence. In this episode licensed therapist and host Vanessa De Jesus Guzman is joined by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Sheila Arias, for a conversation on how couples can reconnect emotionally without blame, judgment, or unrealistic expectations.

This episode offers practical, relationship-strengthening tools that can be used any time of year - not just around Valentine’s Day. Together, Vanessa and Sheila explore how small, intentional moments, compassionate communication, and emotional curiosity can help couples rebuild closeness over time, even in the busiest seasons of life.

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

• Why emotional disconnection is common in long-term relationships
• How judgment and comparison quietly erode intimacy
• The role of curiosity and compassion in strengthening emotional bonds
• Why small, consistent moments matter more than grand gestures
• How structure and intentionality support connection and intimacy
• The importance of physical affection beyond sexual intimacy

TUNE IN TO LEARN

• How to rebuild emotional connection without blaming yourself or your partner
• Simple communication tools couples can practice right away
• Why emotional intimacy fades and how to restore it intentionally
• How scheduling connection can still feel meaningful and authentic
• Ways to reconnect that fit real life, not unrealistic relationship ideals

CONNECT WITH SHEILA

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheilaariaslmft
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sheilaariaslmft
• Website: https://www.compasiontherapy.com
  
  

TAKEAWAY MESSAGE

Rebuilding emotional connection isn’t about fixing your relationship or judging where you are. It’s about choosing one small, intentional shift that brings curiosity, warmth, and presence back into your connection. Over time, those moments add up and help relationships feel alive again.

As always, thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, consider sharing it with a partner or someone who may need this reminder. And remember - in a world where you are free to be anything, you are always free to be mindful

Send a text

Support the show

120 COPING SKILLS
https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills


GET THE MUSE HEADBAND AT A DISCOUNT!
https://choosemuse.com/freetobemindful
Use this link to get 15% off your total when you purchase the amazing brain sensing headband that tells you when you're in a meditative state and guides you to improve your practice.


LET’S STAY CONNECTED:
🌐 Website: https://www.freetobemindful.com
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
💛 Coaching for Moms: https://www.amigamoms.com/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER:
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.

You finally slow down… but your body doesn’t.

In this episode of the Free to Be Mindful Podcast, Vanessa De Jesus Guzman explores what happens when chronic stress becomes so familiar that it no longer feels like stress at all. For high-achieving moms, leaders, and caregivers, operating in survival mode can quietly become the baseline... making rest feel uncomfortable, quiet feel unsettling, and calm feel out of reach.

Through personal reflection and real-life examples, this conversation helps name what many are experiencing but haven’t fully articulated: the difference between looking calm on the outside and feeling regulated on the inside. This episode offers language, awareness, and gentle reframes for listeners who are carrying a lot, especially in times that feel heavy beneath the surface.

TUNE IN TO LEARN

• How to recognize stress when you’re used to functioning through it
• Why slowing down can trigger guilt or restlessness instead of relief
• A simple reflective practice to name what you’re feeling and why
• How nervous system awareness supports better leadership and parenting

UPCOMING SUPPORT & RESET OPPORTUNITIES

If this episode resonated and you’re craving intentional space to pause and recalibrate, here are two upcoming opportunities to continue the work:

Virtual Leadership Coaching Container – February 5, 2026 (1 PM EST)
A facilitated space for leaders, founders, and professionals who are holding significant responsibility while navigating internal stress and external demands.
👉 https://propelonpurpose.hbportal.co/public/febcoachingcontainer/1-Inquiry_form

Reset Experience for Moms – February 22, 2026 | Ridgefield, NJ
An intimate in-person reset for moms to connect, release what’s weighing on them, and leave feeling lighter. Not therapy — but deeply therapeutic.
👉 https://www.amigamoms.com/event-details/resetexperience-feb2026

Oura Ring
Vanessa shares how she uses the Oura Ring as a temporary tool to build stress awareness. Get 10% off! https://ouraring.com/freetobemindful

TAKEAWAY MESSAGE

Experiencing stress is part of being human. But when stress becomes your normal, your body may be asking for awareness before action. This episode is a reminder th

Send us a text

Support the show

120 COPING SKILLS
https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast-120copingskills


GET THE MUSE HEADBAND AT A DISCOUNT!
https://choosemuse.com/freetobemindful
Use this link to get 15% off your total when you purchase the amazing brain sensing headband that tells you when you're in a meditative state and guides you to improve your practice.


LET’S STAY CONNECTED:
🌐 Website: https://www.freetobemindful.com
🎧 Podcast: https://www.freetobemindful.com/podcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counselorvdejesus/
💛 Coaching for Moms: https://www.amigamoms.com/
🎤 Speaking & Workshops: https://www.freetobemindful.com/speaking

DISCLAIMER:
Free to Be Mindful Podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and should not be considered as or substituted for therapy or professional help from a licensed clinician.