Bossed Up

When's the last time you got caught up in a mental spiral, going over and over a past event or constantly reimagining a future one?

I bet it hasn't been long. 🙃

This nasty cycle, which spikes anxiety and puts your brain on lockdown, is called rumination — and my guest on this week's episode of the Bossed Up podcast wrote a book all about it.

Donna Jackson Nakazawa's Mind Drama: The Science of Rumination and How to Outwit Your Inner Defeatist explores the neuroscience behind why we fall into these repetitive patterns. We get into a multi-faceted, research-backed conversation about how and why women and men ruminate differently, and how our relationships help or hinder our spirals. Donna even walks me through the first step of her proven framework for reclaiming your mental agency.

Stop spiraling and ramp up your power over your own mind:

✅ The role your childhood plays in shaping the stories you tell yourself
✅ Find your voice by naming and relinquishing your negative thought patterns
✅ Why rumination isn't just overthinking
✅ The radical re-parenting approach to rewiring your mind

🔗 https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode549

How does rumination show up in your life and career? What tools do you use to reassert agency over your thoughts? Drop it in the comments 👇

People keep telling me I'm doing too much. 😅

I run multiple businesses. I raise two small kids. I host a podcast. And recently, I launched a pop-up porch bakery in my neighborhood.

Everyone wants to know: "How could you possibly add one more thing?"

But here's what I've learned: the antidote to burnout isn't always doing less. Sometimes it's doing more of what actually fills you up.

In today's episode of the Bossed Up podcast, I'm getting personal about why adding a hands-on, creative side project has been the most restorative thing I've done in years — and why I think we need to rethink what "rest" really means.

We dig into:
✅ How to build a busy schedule that's actually restorative
✅ Getting real about time management and tradeoffs
✅ Why motherhood isn't a reason to step out of a full life
✅ The science behind getting physical when your job is mostly intellectual

If you've got a harebrained idea you've been sitting on — or you're feeling that dull, low-grade exhaustion that comes from doing too much of the wrong things — this one's for you. 🎧

🔗 https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode548

What steps could you take (or are you already taking) to build a life that truly nourishes every part of you? Drop it in the comments — I guarantee you're not alone. 👇

What does have to do with adopting ? Research has shown that women are more reluctant to embrace AI than men, and it’s causing a whole new kind of workforce gap. Now, a new study from Lean In provides some solid evidence of why one reason, the belief that AI is or will be perceived as cheating, is grounded in some concerningly legitimate gender discrepancies.

In this episode of the Bossed Up , I take a closer look at this research. We’ll get into the glaring difference in how credit and blame are assigned to men versus women, the problem with linking competence and AI use, and the internal factors that reinforce our reluctance to integrate AI into our workflows. And, of course, we’ll talk through some ways you can start calling out the bias and fostering change, so that women can become a larger part of the conversation around this domineering technology trend. Tune in now: https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode546

Must we suffer our way to success? Or maybe, just maybe, could we strive to be high-achievers without anxiety-fueled perfectionism?

​In today's episode, I sit down with Dr. Lindsay Pfister-Kerr (LPK Coaching), the author of From Perfectionist to Empowered: A Makeover Guide. She knows firsthand that you don’t have to give up working hard to find harmony. She shares well-researched insights that will give you hope and help to step out of the stress of and embrace a more intentional, fulfilling life.

Create empowerment without abandoning your ambition. Tune in to learn:

- How mindfulness can make you better at your job;
- Small, simple steps that lead to big changes;
- The stress cycle you create when you’re always operating at 110%;
- How to recognize toxic perfectionism.

Check out the episode here: https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode545

Do you get a distinct sense of unease when you consider using AI? There’s something keeping women from incorporating new automation tools into their workflows, and it’s not just a lack of interest.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the double disadvantage that poses for women (they’re more likely to lose their jobs to AI and they’re less likely to take jobs working with it). In today’s episode of the Bossed Up , I’m digging into why such a large cohort of women are saying “no” to automated agents and what that means for the future of the AI economy:

- How the billion-dollar AI industry highlights the undervaluation of “women’s work”;
- Why women are positioned to see an often-overlooked truth about AI;
- What research has to say about why women aren’t adopting AI as readily as men;
- And why the transformation to AI agent manager isn’t going to happen overnight.

Check out the episode and blog post here: https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode542

Now I want to hear from you: how are you thinking about your power over your career and life as AI looms larger on the horizon?

Could adding AI to your workday help you escape office overstimulation? The constant stream of alerts rolling in from the moment we open our laptops (if not earlier) is just the way of the modern corporate workplace. But Alex Gilbert from Cape-Able Consulting LLC argues it doesn’t have to be, especially for adults ADHD at the office.

Alex helps individuals and companies create work environments that actually work for all their employees. She joins me on the Bossed Up to share some of her go-to tools and tips for advocating for ourselves. Her approaches support as well as diverse personalities and working styles.

You don’t need a diagnosis to feel overstimulated on the job or to put Alex’s tips into action to help improve your workplace—for yourself and everyone around you. Check out the episode and blog post right here: https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode541

AI isn’t impacting everyone equally.

And yet…we keep talking about it like it is.

Women are facing what I call a double disadvantage in the AI economy:

1️⃣ Our jobs are more exposed to automation and disruption
2️⃣ The new opportunities being created are disproportionately going to men

Here’s what the data shows:

• Women’s jobs are nearly 3x more likely to be at high risk of AI automation
• Women make up just 22% of the global AI workforce
• And even when access is equal, women are still 25% less likely to adopt AI tools

That last one matters.

Because while women are asking important questions about ethics, bias, and accountability...

Men are developing new AI skillsets and capturing productivity gains.

And in a moment like this, productivity = power.

So we’re stuck in a tension:

👉 Question the system
👉 While also learning to operate within it

Because opting out doesn’t slow the AI revolution down.
It just determines who benefits from it.

I break all of this down in today's new episode of the Bossed Up podcast: https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode540

But I’m more curious about your take: when it comes to AI, are you leaning in, pushing back, or trying to do both at once?

Our career social contract is broken. So what does your unique version of career success look like now? This is the question Janel Abrahami, my guest on this episode of the Bossed Up , has helped more than 100,000 millennials begin to answer.

Traditional employer–employee loyalty is crumbling; it’s time to start your . Janel’s six pathways to the kind of career that feels successful to you—not just the one we were taught to pursue—encourage self-reflection about where you’re most drawn to invest your precious time and energy.

If you’ve been considering a career adjustment or are already disillusioned with your prospective future, queue this one up and find your next step: https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode539

What if the safest career move right now is not doubling down—but diversifying?

For years, we’ve been told to specialize, commit, and give 100% to one job. But in today’s volatile market—AI disruption, layoffs, constant restructuring—that advice is outdated. In the latest episode of the Bossed Up , I break down:

➡️ Why thinking of your career like a portfolio matters;
➡️ How to explore side hustles without exhausting yourself;
➡️ The unexpected new side project I just launched—and what it’s teaching me about energy, creativity, and risk.

If you’ve ever thought, “I want more - but I don’t want to burn out,” this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen here: https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode538
💬 I’m curious: What would rebalancing your career portfolio look like right now?