In this episode of RTDB, Christy shares the responses from her viral reel on saying what's true instead of what's polite — sparked by a real moment where a podcast guest asked to reschedule two months out, and she defaulted to "it's fine" when it really wasn't.

What you'll learn:

• Why "it's fine" is often a polite lie, not a real answer
• Crowdsourced advice from RTDB listeners on ditching doormat status
• Practical phrases to use when you want to say no but default to yes
• How disrupted boundaries show up in everyday moments — not just big confrontations

Some weeks the nervous system runs hot. In this Sunday Shortie of RTDB, I'm talking about windows of tolerance — the space where you can actually feel and function before you tip into overwhelm or shutdown — and what it looks like when menopause keeps shrinking that window without warning.

I also get honest about something quieter: the pull to dim someone else's joy when you're depleted. Not out of meanness — out of exhaustion. And what it takes to let other people be happy without making it mean something about you.

Then there's Yesteryear. I always thought I was writing the character's postpartum depression. Turns out the page was holding a mirror up to my own state of mind in menopause. The writing knew before I did.

In this episode of RTDB:

• What a "window of tolerance" is, in plain language
• Why menopause narrows that window — and how to notice the edges sooner
• The difference between protecting your peace and stealing someone else's
• How my own writing surfaced what I wasn't saying out loud
• A gentler way to move through a depleted week

Key takeaways:

• Your window of tolerance isn't fixed — hormones, sleep, and stress move the walls
• Feeling depleted doesn't make you a bad person; it makes you human
• Someone else's joy is not a withdrawal from your account
• The creative work you make often reflects you before you're ready to look
• You don't have to fix the whole feeling — you can just name where you are

• What is a window of tolerance? The range where your nervous system can handle stress and emotion without tipping into overwhelm (hyperarousal) or shutdown (hypoarousal).
• How does menopause affect emotional regulation? Hormonal shifts can narrow that window, making it easier to feel flooded or flat with less provocation than before.
• What does "stealing someone's joy" mean? Diminishing another person's happiness — often unconsciously, when you're depleted — instead of letting their good moment exist on its own.

Learn more about The Thrive Collective at thrivewithchristy.com

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

What if the support people need most arrives before the crisis hits? In this episode of RTDB, Christy sits down with Laura Kunz, co-founder and President of Spirence, for an honest conversation about recovery, resilience, and why workplace mental health support can't wait until burnout becomes a breakdown.

Laura's path is anything but linear — from selling water filtration systems in early recovery (and getting called out for her recovery journey) to building a career in behavioral health to co-founding Spirence. Spirence is an award-winning wellness platform that lets you choose the learning tools that best fit your needs. Her story is proof that need drives ingenuity.

In this episode:

• Why people need mental health and wellness support before they reach crisis
• How Laura's own recovery shaped her approach to behavioral health
• What Spirence offers and who it's designed to serve
• The joy of podcasting — and Laura's show, Prevention Pioneers
• Breaking the stigma around asking for help at work
• What Laura's personal tools are for mental health fitness

If you've ever white-knuckled your way through burnout instead of reaching out, this one's for you.

🎙️ Connect with Laura: spirencewellness.com

Listen to Laura's show: Prevention Pioneers podcast

Connect with Christy and 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.

In this Sunday Shortie episode of RTDB, Christy explores Enneagram Type 9 — The Peacemaker — and what it really means to keep the peace at your own expense.

After testing equal parts Type 2 and Type 9, Christy digs into the 9's core patterns: avoiding conflict, numbing out, and the slow fade of self. She connects the 9's spiritual potential to the eight limbs of yoga as a grounding framework for growth — and gets honest about how the unhealthy 9's pull toward addiction showed up in her own life. Development tips sourced from the Enneagram Institute round out this bite-sized but powerful episode.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• Why Christy tested as both a Type 2 and Type 9 — and what the overlap reveals
• Core Type 9 traits: the peacemaker, the conflict-avoider, the one who disappears into the background
• What "not rocking the boat" actually costs you
• The healthy 9: becoming a spiritual seeker, grounded in contentment
• How the eight limbs of yoga support a 9's growth path
• The shadow side: how the 9's numbing tendency can fuel addiction (and Christy's personal connection to this)
• Growth tips for Type 9s from the Enneagram Institute

Resources Mentioned:

• Enneagram Institute — Type 9
• The Eight Limbs of Yoga

The second half of Christy's conversation with Nicole Beaudin picks up right where things get real — shadow work. If Part 1 was about recognizing you want something different, Part 2 is about doing the deeper work to actually get there.

Nicole walks through the coaching method she uses to help high performers uncover the subconscious beliefs quietly running the show — the ones formed at age seven that are still blocking you at forty. From denied personas to underlying commitments, this conversation gets specific about what the inner work actually looks like in practice.

In this episode of RTDB, you'll hear:

• What shadow work is and why the person who triggers you most is a mirror worth looking into
• How subconscious beliefs form in childhood and show up as self-sabotage in adulthood
• Nicole's concept of a "spiritual board of directors" — and why she recently fired hers and started over
• What to do when your tools stop working (and how to build a regulation toolkit that evolves with you)
• Why the aftermath of a big life change can feel harder than the change itself — and what that means for your nervous system

Learn more and work with Nicole at nicolebeaudin.com

Follow her Substack: https://substack.com/@nicolebeaudin

Learn more about The Thrive Collective and work with christy at thrivewithchristy.com