I recorded this episode on the fly. Just me and the honest reality of trying to do way too many things at once while the world continues to be a lot.

This one is for anyone who set big goals this year, fully meant them, and is now quietly wondering why they can't seem to catch up with themselves. Spoiler: it's not a discipline problem. It's a capacity problem. And more specifically, it's a you-changed-but-your-plan-didn't problem.

We talk about pie charts, Coca-Cola, grad school, planning a wedding, and why the system that got you here might not be the one that gets you there.

This episode is some honest thinking out loud, and a few questions worth sitting with.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 - Why coming back to the podcast has been a challenge (being overly ambitious and underly realistic)02:29 - The pie chart problem: time, energy, and mental space don't stretch the same way twice05:14 - Why pacing yourself isn't giving up—it's actually the strategy07:47 - The one question that helps me figure out what actually has to happen today10:31 - What Coca-Cola taught me about outgrowing your own system

🎧 What You'll Hear:

→ Why the plan you made for yourself was built by a version of you that no longer exists→ The difference between first-level and second-level priorities (and why that distinction matters)→ How to figure out your actual rhythm instead of borrowing someone else's→ What happens when you romanticize what worked in the past without accounting for who you are now→ The immigrant/first-gen pressure to have it all figured out—and why that voice isn't yours, even when it sounds like you→ Why breaking your day into one non-negotiable per bucket is more useful than a 12-item to-do list→ How to treat yourself like a legacy brand navigating a changing market (yes, really)

📚 Related:

→ Read: The Success Is in the Spiral — the written version of this same idea, gone deeper→ Download ARC: Your Year-Ahead Practice (free) — for when you're ready to plan in a way that actually accounts for your real capacity

🧞‍♀️ Your Host:Nane is a marketer, certified life coach, and lover of all things taboo. A Gemini sun with double Scorpio depth, born in Venezuela and based in the US. She's here for real conversations about building aligned lives—minus the toxic positivity, minus the "just focus on your goals" BS. Fellow traveler, not arrived guru.

📲 Connect:→ More about Nane → coachnane.com/about→ Follow on Instagram: @TheFreeGeniesProject and @CoachNane→ Watch on TikTok: @CoachNane→ Read the blog: coachnane.com→ Monthly newsletter: Short, warm, real—no fluff → Subscribe

💌 Share This EpisodeKnow someone drowning in their own ambition right now? Send them this.Or leave a review to help other overcommitted, big-dreaming humans find the show → Leave a review

Keywords: overcommitment, goal setting, capacity vs ambition, time management, real talk, first gen pressure, burnout prevention, anti-productivity, personal growth, life rhythms, doing too much, aligned goals, self-awareness, immigrant family pressure, how to prioritize

🎶 Music: "Runaway" by NEST BEATZ

Season two of The Free Genies Project is officially here.

In this return episode, Vanessa shares what it’s been like stepping back into this space while balancing full-time work, grad school, and the emotional weight of moving through the world right now. Instead of pushing for constant output, this season is about working more intentionally, with biweekly episodes and rotating monthly themes.

February kicks things off with a question that’s been hard to ignore: how do we build an aligned life and stay connected to our goals when the world feels heavy and our communities are under pressure? This month is about naming that tension, sitting with it, and exploring what it means to keep showing up without burning out or bypassing reality.

Each month will bring a new focus, new conversations, and new ways of thinking about what it means to live and build on purpose.

Thanks for being back. New episodes drop biweekly.