Beyond Balance: Recent Episodes
Catherine Zack
Join-corporate-lawyer-turned-meditation-teacher and executive mindfulness coach Catherine Zack in a brand new podcast, Beyond Balance. Designed as a conversation with fellow Type-A, high-achieving, prone-to-stress perfectionists who are ready to trade in the hustle & grind for something much more sustainable and inspiring, this podcast explore what lies: beyond the myth of balance, beyond the badge of busyness, beyond the trap of perfectionism and checking all the right boxes, beyond the stress of creating a life that looks successful based on someone else's "shoulds" and that only looks good on paper. Beyond all the things that lead us to burnout, leave us feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, and, quite frankly, like we're never going to be good enough. What lies Beyond Balance? Wholeness. Where all the parts of our lives – even the parts of us that are still in process, still becoming, still learning, still growing, still feel in tension – can exist together. As we compose meaningful lives of good work and even better connection. Through meditation, mindfulness-based stress reduction, guided relaxation, story, poetry, a hefty dose of the Socratic Method (Catherine's still a lawyer at heart), and honest conversation, you'll learn mindset shifts and practices that will teach you to embody this life beyond balance too. Subscribe now. Invite your friends to listen along. And visit www.catherinezack.com/beyondbalance to join the conversation by adding your questions and voice to the mix.
"Perfectionism is ... the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life."
Anne Lammott says really eloquently what we all FEEL when it comes to the trap of perfectionism.
Perfectionism is one of the biggest symptoms of stress and hustle culture and I wish I could tell you I've figured out how to completely recover from it.
But -- like everything I share on the podcast -- I'm still learning too.
Here are 8 ways I'm currently making peace with my perfectionism in the opening of Village Yoga, our new yoga & meditation studio in the Hudson Valley of Upstate New York, in our tiny village called Kinderhook. (It sounds dreamy and it is. And this whole huge project is always giving me LOTS of raw material on work out my relationship to perfectionism ;)).
These 8 tips work well on most myths and pressures of stress and hustle culture - so feel free to sub them in for your own current flavor of seeking liberation (be it rest or not rushing or defining success on your terms!).
And remember, these 8 lessons are a "menu" not another to do list. Take a nugget of this with you for a walk. Chew on it for awhile. Stay curious and seek what happens.
Your imperfectly perfect podcast host,
Cath xo
P.S. feel free to pass this episode along to any recovering perfectionists you might know.
P.S.S. I just co-launched a virtual women's group called Embodied Leadership, which begins in June! Join me and a group of other high-achieving, high-performing, recovering perfectionists who are seeking to create lives and work that do not feel "cramped & insane" but actually brilliant & spacious & Stunning. The Embodied Leadership Collaborative is a community and curriculum dedicated to bringing to life the ideas I share in Beyond Balance. Enrollment is now open and you are SO welcome there. Learn more & Sign up at: https://thegreenherongroup.com/
Cath & Clara are back in their frank conversation series, this time talking about the decision to become a parent (or not).
Clara asks Cath pointed questions about her own journey into motherhood. And as usual, Cath's approach is to hopefully bust some of the myths of "stress culture" that lead parents to burnout and keep us from being present as parents.
This episode provides some honest insight into a mindful and empowering approach to motherhood. And gives you the tiniest peak -- whether you're a mother or not, whether you're considering parenthood or not -- into the "Remembering You" women's retreat that Clara and Cath will co-lead in the Hudson Valley September 12-16, 2023.
The retreat itself is dedicated to a coming into self.
A space away from the constant go of life, work, family, relationships, etc., and a sacred pause to find clarity and relief.
Our days will be a series of local meals, yoga practices, group lead discussions and rest, led by dating & relationship coach Clara Artschwager & meditation and mindfulness teacher Catherine Zack.
Though every detail is graciously and thoughtfully planned, on retreat, we happily take a “less is more mentality.”
Meaning, we believe there's just as much to be gained from a heartfelt chat over morning coffee or lounging around the pool as there is in a scheduled event of the retreat.
Weaving writing, reflection, group conversation, and guided coaching, Clara & Cath create space to connect, space to be, space to see the hungers, truths and desires seated inside of you reflected in another. Prepare to walk away inspired and awakened.
Space is limited to 8 women. Learn more and reserve your room here:
catherinezack.com/retreat
Join Cath & Clara Artschwager for a frank conversation series, this time talking about marriage and relationships and how to avoid the myths that "stress culture" keep us feeling bad when things aren't "perfect."
Cath interviews Clara in this episode to talk vulnerably about Clara's new marriage and her realization that not having a "honeymoon period" was actually OK and how her relationship serves as a mirror to her relationship to herself.
This episode gives you the tiniest peak -- whether you're married, partnered, or single -- into the "Remembering You" women's retreat that Clara and Cath will co-lead in the Hudson Valley September 12-16, 2023.
The retreat itself is dedicated to a coming into self.
A space away from the constant go of life, work, family, relationships, etc., and a sacred pause to find clarity and relief.
Our days will be a series of local meals, yoga practices, group lead discussions and rest, led by dating & relationship coach Clara Artschwager & meditation and mindfulness teacher Catherine Zack.
Though every detail is graciously and thoughtfully planned, on retreat, we happily take a “less is more mentality.”
Meaning, we believe there's just as much to be gained from a heartfelt chat over morning coffee or lounging around the pool as there is in a scheduled event of the retreat.
Weaving writing, reflection, group conversation, and guided coaching, Clara & Cath create space to connect, space to be, space to see the hungers, truths and desires seated inside of you reflected in another. Prepare to walk away inspired and awakened.
Space is limited to 8 women. Learn more and reserve your room here:
catherinezack.com/retreat
How much of our lives are spent rushing around feeling like we’re always behind where we should be?
Like there’s never enough time?
Like we are barreling through the everyday just to crash at the end or race to the weekend?
Or quite simply, how much of our days are spent multitasking and in many places at once – without actually being present with what (and who) is right in front of us?
If you ever feel the pressure of time stress, I made this episode for (for me too ;).
In this episode, I share 5 mindset shifts to help you stop rushing, become more present, and stop feeling "behind."
I also share a little peek into what's been excitedly captivating most of my working time lately -- We are opening a yoga and meditation studio in the Hudson Valley in May! A real-life, brick and mortar place you can come visit and practice in. And a virtual membership that will keep us connected across the miles.
Visit villageyoga.co to fill out the welcome survey, stay up to date on all the studio news, and get special early access to join us there!
thank you thank you,
Cath
👉 https://www.villageyoga.co/
When was the last time you took a real break?
It's a simple question and one that is NOT so easy to answer.
Stress and stress culture puts so much emphasis on the hustle and the grind, glorifies busyness into a badge of honor, and makes us confuse our accomplishments and achievements with our worth and value. The external messages we get somehow dupe us into thinking that clearing out our inboxes / checking off our to do lists / multitasking and rushing our days away -- that these things are the makings of a good life.
No WONDER so many of us are convinced that we have to earn our rest or our play. That we could never take a break! The world would stop turning! All the balls we have in the air would drop! We'd become irrelevant!
My decision to take a sabbatical -- which is a fancy way of saying "take a break" -- for 5 weeks required me to confront all of these stories, which really boiled down to one question I had to answer with my sabbatical:
Who am I without my stress?
In this episode, I share how my sabbatical helped me discover the answers to that question. Listen along to "3 Lessons Learned from my Surprise Sabbatical" to find out.
P.S. If you're ready to answer that question for yourself, consider joining me for Stress School this Spring, My virutal, 8-week mindfulness based stress reduction training and 1:1 coaching program.
Learn more and enroll today (doors close March 24, 2023 and won't open again till the Fall!):
https://www.catherinezack.com/stress-school
Being a parent is stressful.
Marriage can be stressful.
Any partnership requires communication.
Welcome to the most candid episode I've recorded yet, which is Part 2 to the Beyond Balance episode titled:
“Is Parenting Stress Ruining Anyone Else’s Marriage? Asking For a Friend.” (Parenting Stress - Part 1)"
Featuring my husband Sam as my first ever podcast guest and conversation partner.
In this episode:
- Sam shares what makes parenting so stressful from his perspective.
- And the good parts of parenting too ;)
- We talk about how stress makes communication difficult for us, particularly when it comes to dealing with high stress moments and when we communicate through the filter of our "stress stories" instead of being present with each other.
- How understanding the difference between mindful communication and talking through our "stress stories" helps us manage the stress in our marriage.
- How you can identify your own stress communication style or "stress language" so you can more mindfully communicate in any partnership or relationship.
We left the conversation unedited, as we welcome you into a candid, vulnerable exchange between a loving, tired, stressed, but hopeful husband and wife with 2 very young kids ;)
Thanks as always for listening.
Want to work on your stress & more mindful communication?
Hop on the Stress School waitlist, where we'll do just that!
(p.s. There's no free stress language "assessment" yet, (I overpromised!) - but there will be in Stress School. Stay tuned ;))
Happy New Year!
In this first episode of 2023, I am NOT going to tell you that you should start a daily meditation practice this year to reduce stress.
(Because even though that would work, should is the land where all good intentions and New Years Resolutions go to die!)
Instead, I am giving you my BEST secret stress-reducing weapon.
This tool is easy to use.
Simple to remember.
Impossible to forget.
And, of course, grounded in research-backed and evidence-based mindful stress reduction.
Use this the next time a stressful thought derails your day.
You know what I mean -- when your stress brain starts spiraling with worry and anxiety and thoughts that keep you like a pickup truck with its back tires stuck in the mud -- you're revving the engine, pressing the accelerator, burning a lot of fuel and energy and going nowhere fast. (In fact, you're likely getting yourself more stuck as you burnout 🤷🏼♀️).
The best news about this tool?
It will work immediately.
And you already know it.
If you learn something valuable today, please pass this episode to a friend. And leave a review on Apple Podcasts to share how it helped.
I cannot wait for you to learn this!
Catherine
More tools like this at catherinezack.com
Raise your hand if you’ve ever excitedly set a New Year’s Resolution and … it failed 🙋♀️
You’re in good company (me too!).
We start the year with the best of intentions, and yet…
In this episode, I share the THREE REASONS why your New Years Resolutions Fail:
- Hint #1: You might be setting the wrong resolution in the first place.
- Hint #2: You might not need as much hustle & grind as you think.
- Hint #3: This is NOT a self-improvement plan.
And, I’ll share with you the one essential change you can make in your approach this New Year.
Need extra support this New Year?Book a 1:1 Strategy Session with me - I can’t wait to support you!
As we round out the last episode of 2022, I want to THANK YOU so much for listening this year.
If you’ve gotten something from Beyond Balance this year, would you please follow us on Apple Podcast? If you’re enjoying listening, please give Beyond Balance a 5-star rating. If not, don’t worry about it - you don’t have to do anything. But if you do leave the 5 stars, can you spend 90 more seconds leaving a review - maybe you something you’ve gotten from the podcast. Why you listen. What you learn. How it makes you feel. Only if you love it, if not don’t worry about it :)
Wishing you a happy, healthy New Year.
Catherine
Need extra support this New Year?
Book a 1:1 Strategy Session with me - I can’t wait to support you!
The tension this time of year is real.
Choose Stress Culture's hustle & bustle and end the year burnt out.
Or —
Take Winter's Wisdom as an invitation to slow way down and BE in this time of year, calm and bright.
Nature is teacher and the lesson of Winter reminds us that quiet and bare clarity and darkness are all necessary seasons of growth, relationships, success, and simply being here.
If you find yourself hovering on the brink of exhaustion, I made this episode for you.
(For me too! I had re-learn this lesson the hard way myself this year!).
And if you'd like to take these ideas into practice, check out 40 Quiet Evenings, my curated collection of good rest — from meditations and guided relaxations to restorative yoga and breath work.
Get lifetime access to 40 Quiet Evenings before doors close (I only open them in December!).
Use code "PODCAST" to save $50 before 12.21.22:
catherinezack.com/rest
Wishing you all, a long winter's nap,
Catherine
I've got to be honest -- the question in the title of this episode is my own -- which makes this episode my scariest one yet to share 😳
But listen, I know I'm not alone.
In fact, I knew it was finally time to record this episode when a mom I had never met (and who had absolutely no idea that I host a podcast about stress!) came right up to me on the playground recently to tell me all about how burnt out she was by parenting.
That's why I'm having today's conversation.
Parenting is stressful.
And it always will be. So we might as well talk about it in solidarity together and we better figure out how to manage it.
**In this episode, I share :
- the truth of my own parenting stress;
- what is happening to our bodies in our most stressful parenting moments;
-
how parenting stress fits into Stress Culture (TLDR: "It's not just you, you're not doing a bad job, it really is this hard.")
-
AND -
Research-backed, evidence-based ways we can manage our biggest moments of parenting stress as they are actually happening.
Next meltdown, we're ready for you!**
Please pass this episode along to as many parents as you can. If we can talk about our stress, we can de-stigmatize a whole lot of parenting guilt too.
And send all your stress-related questions for the podcast here:
catherinezack.com/askme
In absolute solidarity,
Cath
Today's episode starts with a breakdown of our stress problem --
- The "I feel stressed" right now part of the problem.
- The "Stress Culture" problem: when all of our chronically stressed-out individual nervous systems come together to form a collective nervous system (our families, our companies, our communities) that is also stuck in a stress response and the characteristics of Fight, Flight, or Freeze solidify into norms and values that form the basis of Stress Culture. (Which means that this is NOT your fault! You're not just "doing a bad job.")
Here's the order of operations, as I see it:
1. We'll spend the rest of 2022's podcast episodes keeping it real simple by putting real stress relief tools in your hands right now.
2. We'll start the Stress Culture revolution in the New Year ;)
Today's question is one I can relate to --
"Who are all these people slowing down and how do I actually do that?" 🤔
The episode's closing meditation will give us a chance to not just talk about slowing down, but actually experience slowing down.
Submit your stress questions here: https://www.catherinezack.com/askme
And, coming soon 🤗: https://www.catherinezack.com/membership
In this episode, I share a few stories from the Real Life Wild of my life right now -- what's challenging me, where my growing edges are, and the practice that's keeping me present and connected these days.
This episode includes my favorite new question to ask instead of "What do you do?" and "How are you?" because don't we need more complex, full, human openers into our conversations and connections with others?!
Also a casual, major realization about the work we're up to here -- that it's not just about healing our own stress. That's step #1. But what we're really priming to do is tear down the whole Stress Culture system. Casual, I told you ;)
Who's with me?
To submit your question for an upcoming episode, visit:
https://www.catherinezack.com/askme
To learn more about how you can do this work in Stress School, visit:
https://www.catherinezack.com/stress-school
To bring this work to your company or organization, visit my leadership firm:
https://www.minervawell.com/
Thank you SO much for simply being here,
Cath
Welcome, welcome, welcome back to Beyond Balance!
The listener question that inspired this episode, "I Feel Bad About My Stress" –
"How do I unwind "freezing" and/or "flight" as coping mechanisms? I can’t stop scrolling /Netflix at night. It’s like I’m afraid to go asleep. Worse bc I know all the tools but don’t use them and can’t break this habit of a negative coping mechanism. Feel guilt and shame because I know how damaging all of this is and I can’t shake it. "This episode is for you if –
- You too have ever found yourself looking up from the black rabbit hole of scrolling wondering "why did I even pick up my phone in the first place? 🙄";
- You too want to feel a little less bad about all the shame / shoulds / guilt that only add to our stress;
- You want a 3-second practice you can start using right now, to start feeling better about your stress and stress coping mechanisms 🙃.
(Sorry, no "magic 3-step makeovers to your best evening routine" here because they don't exist and if they did, they wouldn't work anyways 🤷🏼♀️)
Have a friend who could feel less bad about their stress too? Please pass along this episode!
Learn more about how you can transform your relationship with stress in Stress School, my 8-week mindful stress management training that will give you tools for you a lifetime: www.catherinezack.com/stress-school
AND Submit your question for an upcoming podcast episode at: https://www.catherinezack.com/askme
The Beyond Balance Podcast is back, and Season 2 is all about YOU.
This seasons' short, actionable episodes are centered around questions from you, the listeners, about stress.
How we can heal from our stress, better manage our stress, reduce our stress, and one calmer nervous system at a time: begin to dismantle stress culture.
This week's questions ask:
How do I “befriend” my stress rather than getting stuck in it or wanting it to disappear?and How can I be kind to myself as I work with my stress - especially my stress stories - and let whatever is happening be okay?Find out the answers in today's episode, which ends with a short practice designed to give you some immediate stress relief.
All you have to do is ... listen.
Learn more about how you can bring the lessons of this podcast to life in Stress School, with Catherine Zack: an 8-week, interactive online training & 1:1 coaching program that teaches smart, effective stress management strategies to high-achieving, high-performing folks in fast-paced, high-demand careers & lives who want more presence and more connection and the tools to BE WELL while they do their great work.
If that's you, visit catherinezack.com/stress-school to learn more.
And please submit your stress questions for Catherine to answer on the podcast at catherinezack.com/askme & as always, if you *happen* to have any stressed out people in your life, please pass the podcast along.
This is the episode where I share all my best secrets.
And admit the truth:
It is not easy to listen long enough to yourself to understand what it is that YOU really need.
The outside messages, stories, influences, pressures, heck social media feeds, are all loud and noisy and make this work challenging to do.
But it can be simple. And it is possible.
To listen, to get honest, to clarify boundaries that serve what YOU need and also also be able to apply them to your real life schedule, calendar, to do lists, etc -- the doing of your day.
This episode looks at the essential BEING that underlies all that doing - including navigating your way back from the brink of burnout (it's impossible to set hearty & honest boundaries when you're dunning on empty) and create a life that you feel like you belong to.
The secret I share is THE clarifying tool I'm using right now to do this work myself.
And the truth I confess is that this work is ongoing, you never "really arrive" (liberating and terrifying, I know!), and I am doing this work too, right along with you.
Can't wait for you to listen!
Leave a comment. Share with a friend.
And visit catherinezack.com/mentorship to get your own personal burnout and boundaries mini consult.
The hustle & grind culture, with its "sleep when you're done" mentality, left no place for rest.
But you know better.
We can't run on 100mph all the time (unless you want to crash & burn at the end of it).
In this episode:
- Challenge narratives that save rest for the weak or the weekend;
- Transform your mindset from one of "working so hard to prove our worthiness before we can rest" to "I am worthy of good rest right now;"
- Explore real wisdom-filled models that show how rest is essential to productivity, growth, and creativity;
- And learn how you can build REST into your LIFE RIGHT NOW.
Imagine not just being "not tired" but well-rested and energized to meet your life in this moment.
You, but rested, on the other side of this episode.
For more rest resources (tonight!): visit catherinezack.com/rest.
p.s. Pass this episode along to a tired friend, why don't you? ;)
In January 2014, I was a budding Big Law associate attorney at one of the highest-grossing, top litigation firms in the country. I had shiny degrees from the right Ivy League schools, a growing six-figure salary with yearly 5-figure bonuses. I billed impressive hours each month, had a closet overflowing with all the pin stripe power pencil skirt suits and highest heels, and by all readily-acceptable indicators: I was successful.
And yet, I walked away from it all.
To teach ... meditation.
These days, we hear so much about the external socioeconomic and political reasons behind the Great Resignation.
But what about the inner landscape of a major decision like this?
To abandon a "life that looks good on paper," but that comes at too high a cost.
Here I share my own story to help shed some light on a big leap you might be considering too -- from safe, compliant, box-checking, hustling & grinding, over-achieving, (burnt-out) perfectionist to ... Well, that's up to you. (Really!)
And I can show you how.
Learn more about how I support people like you on the verge of something big with my Beyond Balance Mentorship and find out whether joining my next cohort, which begins March 21, 2022, is exactly what you've been waiting for.
Visit catherinezack.com/mentorship to learn more.
Have you ever heard this advice?
"Start before you're ready!"
It sounds shiny and exciting and for those of us who love the thrill of an "all or nothing approach," it's a tempting invitation almost every time.
And it's also a recipe for burnout.
In this episode, learn how to transform empty mindset shifts into well-resourced plans.
And whether you're "planicking" instead of planning.
(Planicking = panicking disguised as planning and an overwhelmed nervous system is usually the culprit!)
Also learn how 40 Early Mornings, a meditation program and PLAN, can help meet you exactly where ARE and take you from a cycle of stress reactivity into mindful response and presence.
Learn more at https://www.catherinezack.com/40em and use code "BB40" to save $40 on your investment in 40 Early Mornings.
In this episode, host Catherine Zack begins to answer the question you might very well be wondering:
How does a corporate litigator quit her big law career to ... teach meditation?
In this episode, Catherine shares Part 1 of that answer.
Here, you'll learn more about:
- the power of story as a teaching and connection tool (and the caveats about how and where it doesn't work well);
- creating a "successful-on-paper" life built by checking all the right boxes vs. composing a life that feels like your own, determined by the compass of your own inner voice instead;
- the number question to ask yourself on any day in your life to see whether you're writing your own story (or just following someone else's script).
Stay tuned to the end for a mini meditation practice that will help you create just enough space to begin to listen for your own inner voice of intuition and knowing as you write your own story today.
And visit catherinezack.com/contact today to tell me a bit more about YOU!
I’m tired. You’re tired.
We’re all a little collectively exhausted.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- A working definition of burnout and how to assess your own burnout levels at any given moment
- My 3 best mindset shifts to set the stage for recovery from overwhelm and exhaustion
- How to build up a reserve of resiliency and energy to begin to bring yourself back from the edge of burnout.
Learn more about how to implement these shifts as practices in your daily life in the Beyond Balance: Burnout Recovery Virtual Workshop on December 3.
Sign Up here: https://www.catherinezack.com/shop/p/beyond-balance-burnout-recovery-workshop
Join-corporate-lawyer-turned-meditation-teacher and executive mindfulness coach Catherine Zack in a brand new podcast, Beyond Balance.
Designed as a conversation with fellow Type-A, high-achieving, prone-to-stress perfectionists who are ready to trade in the hustle & grind for something much more sustainable and inspiring, this podcast explore what lies:
- beyond the myth of balance,
- beyond the badge of busyness,
- beyond the trap of perfectionism and checking all the right boxes,
- beyond the stress of creating a life that looks successful based on someone else's "shoulds" and that only looks good on paper,
Beyond all the things that lead us to burnout, leave us feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, and, quite frankly, like we're never going to be good enough.
What lies Beyond Balance?
Wholeness.
Where all the parts of our lives – even the parts of us that are still in process, still becoming, still learning, still growing, still feel in tension – can exist together. As we compose meaningful lives of good work and even better connection.
Through meditation, mindfulness-based stress reduction, guided relaxation, story, poetry, a hefty dose of the Socratic Method (Catherine's still a lawyer at heart), and honest conversation, you'll learn mindset shifts and practices that will teach you to embody this life beyond balance too.
Subscribe now. Invite your friends to listen along. And visit www.catherinezack.com/beyondbalance to join the conversation by adding your questions and voice to the mix.