Ever swear you’ll “catch up on sleep this weekend”… and somehow wake up Monday still tired? Same. 😅
In this January wrap-up, Jess and Claude are making a bold claim: rest isn’t a reward — it’s a strategy.

We’re talking the real reason your habits fall apart when you’re exhausted (spoiler: your brain goes into survival mode), plus a few simple, low-pressure routines you can actually keep.

In this episode:

• The January recap: what stuck, what didn’t, and why “pressure” isn’t the move
• The Rest Ledger: an energy budget for your life (what drained you vs. what restored you)
• The Power Down Protocol: close loops → dim & distance → downshift
• The Work Bestie bedtime routine: brain → light → body
• What to do if you wake up at 2AM (without doom scrolling 😬)
• A 1-week experiment: the “no after-hours spiral” boundary

Not medical advice: If you’re dealing with chronic insomnia or severe sleep issues, please talk to a qualified clinician.

Books on Rest, Sleep & Energy

• Exhausted: How to Revitalize, Restore, and Renew Your Energy – the book Jess references in this episode
• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
• Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
• Burnout by Emily Nagoski & Amelia Nagoski
• Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• The Sleep Solution by W. Chris Winter, MD

Podcasts for Going Deeper

• The Huberman Lab Podcast (sleep & nervous system episodes)
• Ten Percent Happier
• The Mel Robbins Podcast (rest, boundaries & burnout conversations)
• Feel Better, Live More (Dr. Rangan Chatterjee)
• The Happiness Lab

#Sleep #BurnoutRecovery #WorkLifeBalance

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Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

Vision boards work… do they? 😅 In this episode, Jess (the believer) and Claude (the skeptic) make vision boards for 2026 and unpack what vision boards really are: not magic, not toxic positivity, but a clarity tool that helps you focus your decisions and take real action.

We share the 3 questions that guide everything, how to avoid turning your board into a fantasy board, and a simple way to keep your goals visible all year.

What You’ll Learn / Key Takeaways:

• The 3 questions to ask before you cut a single picture
• Why “vision board” is really a clarity board
• How to avoid a “fantasy board” (and keep goals tangible)
• What it means when you don’t hit a goal… but you’re still on track
• Why consistency is the real secret ingredient
• Physical vs digital vision boards: pick what works for your brain
• The easiest way to actually use your board (phone wallpaper hack)

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Recording from Podfest in Orlando (yes, we’re literally on the floor 😄)
• Canva vs magazines + scissors + glue
• Building community + growing the podcast ecosystem

Action Challenge (for listeners):
Answer these three questions today:

1. How do I want work to feel in 2026?
2. What do I want less of?
3. What am I willing to do differently?

Then share ONE word, phrase, or image that represents your 2026 direction.

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Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

“New Year, New You” can feel inspiring… until your life takes a turn you didn’t plan. In this episode, Rosamaria Mancini—author of SOS Podcasts—joins us to explore what it really means to reinvent yourself when your path changes, and how to meet that deviation with grace, empathy, and connection.

Rosamaria shares her story of leaving New York and rebuilding her identity through major transitions in Italy and later Germany. From culture shock and learning new rhythms of daily life to loneliness, motherhood, and the challenge of making friends later in adulthood, she offers an honest look at what it takes to start over—without losing yourself in the process.

A standout theme: podcasts as connection. For Rosamaria, podcast voices became a lifeline during isolated seasons—helping her feel less alone, more grounded, and still connected to the world she came from.

If your “future plan” doesn’t look the way you expected this year, this conversation is a reminder: different doesn’t mean wrong—your path can deviate and still be yours.

In this episode, we talk about:

• When Rosamaria realized she was truly an expat
• Italy vs. Germany: the emotional whiplash of switching cultures
• How slowing down can be the key to belonging
• Friendship abroad + building “chosen family”
• The “emergency contact” moment that hits expats hard
• Podcasts as a tool for comfort, learning, and connection
• The mindset shift: staying true to yourself when plans change

Guest: Rosamaria Mancini

• Website: [https://rosamariamancini.com]
• Book: SOS Podcasts

Resources mentioned

• NPR Life Kit
• The Daily (The New York Times)
• Wiser Than Me (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)

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You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG , TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband