In this Sunday Shortie episode of Rock the Damn Boat (RTDB), Christy slows down. Before she heads back to corporate life and a lot more screen time, she's spending the week outside — trading notifications for fresh air and reconnecting with nature.

Benefits of nature include:

• Pattern Recognition and Nervous System: Pattern recognition can create nervous system regulation.

• Bird Song and Safety: Bird song can create a sense of safety.

• Trees and Calming Effect: Trees releasing phytocides can have a calming effect.

This one's a gentle nudge to celebrate your milestones, even when it feels like bragging. If you were taught to shrink as a kid, or you've spent years as a people-pleaser, owning your wins can feel uncomfortable. But Christy makes the case that celebrating your achievements isn't ego — it's a ripple effect. When you honor how far you've come, you give someone else permission to chase their own passions too.

Tune in for a grounded reminder to rest, unplug, and take real pride in what you've built.

Seven months into building a business from scratch, Christy Hughes gets honest about what entrepreneurship in this economy actually looks like — and why the disappointment so many women feel isn't a sign they didn't believe hard enough.

In this Sunday Shortie, she shares how a new corporate opportunity found her when she stopped forcing it, what it sounds like when intuition speaks up, and why The THRIVE Collective isn't going anywhere. If you're building something while wondering if you're doing it wrong, this one's for you.

What You'll Hear:

• Why business disappointment in this economy is normal — not a personal failing
• The manifesting myth: why you didn't think your way into struggle
• How Christy's new role landed when she listened to her gut instead of pushing harder
• What intuition actually sounds like in a job search
• Why The THRIVE Collective continues — and why going back to corporate makes it stronger
• The case for a life that holds both professional success and personal wholeness

Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a woman who's building something and wondering if she's failing.

Learn more about The Thrive Collective at thrivewithchristy.com

In this episode of RTDB, Christy sits down with Lori Wahl — a pet industry veteran with 15+ years in rescue and pet sales — to talk about the unexpected ways those two worlds overlap. Lori went from the corporate pet industry to serving as Development Director for Heidi's Village in Phoenix, one of the most meaningful pivots she's made.

Now, after relocating to Charlotte for her husband's career, Lori is navigating yet another reinvention — and she's honest about how hard it is to leave something you love. This one is for anyone who's ever had to close a chapter they weren't ready to close.

What You'll Hear:

• How Lori and Christy connected through the pet industry (shoutout to the Pet Firm in Phoenix)
• The surprising synergies between corporate pet work and animal rescue
• What led Lori to leave corporate for nonprofit — and what that transition actually looked like
• Her role as Development Director at Heidi's Village and what that work meant to her
• Relocating to Charlotte and stepping away from nonprofit life
• Why it's okay to change your mind — and how to stop apologizing for it
• Starting a new chapter even when the previous one wasn't "finished"
• How to find and get involved with your own local rescue — and why it matters more than you think

Resources/Links:

• Heidi's Village: heidisvillage.org
• National Rescue: aspca.org or bestfriends.org
• Connect with Lori: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-wahl/

Feeling inspired? Find your local rescue and show up — even in a small way. It adds up.