Overwhelmed Working Woman: Boost Productivity, Master Time Management, Overcome Overwhelm & Stop People Pleasing
Are you sick of juggling a million things, and pleasing everyone BUT you?
What if I told you that you could achieve more and find your calm by doing LESS?
In this podcast for accomplished working women, discover where you're going wrong with managing your overwhelm and the exact steps to feel more composed and productive.
Tune in to learn unlikely time management hacks, tips to feel less overwhelmed, and surprising ways to do less with your host Michelle Gauthier, who has over 6 years of experience coaching hundreds of overwhelmed working women.
If you want to to start reclaiming your time, setting better boundaries, and nurturing your mental well-being, you're in the right place.
Get started by listening to fan-favorite episode "The Power of a To-Don't List."
Overwhelmed Working Woman: Boost Productivity, Master Time Management, Overcome Overwhelm & Stop People Pleasing
#133| Why Perimenopause & Menopause Is Making You Feel Even MORE Overwhelmed—And the Self-Care Shift You Can't Ignore To Find Instant Relief: Overwhelm, Productivity, Time Management & People Pleasing
Have you ever woken up drenched in sweat at 3 a.m., forgotten simple words mid-sentence, or felt like a stranger in your own body — and wondered if you were losing your mind?
If you’re navigating perimenopause, menopause, or just feeling physically "off" in a season of overwhelm, you’re not alone — and you’re not crazy. This episode breaks the silence around one of the most confusing and under-discussed transitions women face, helping you reconnect with your body and reclaim your peace of mind.
In this episode, you will:
- Discover how to tune in and really listen to the physical messages your body is sending you.
- Learn how to shift negative, spiraling thoughts into empowering beliefs that support your healing.
- Get actionable, real-life tools to help you move through this phase with clarity, support, and strength.
Press play now to feel seen, supported, and empowered with real talk and practical steps for navigating this season with confidence.
Featured on the podcast
The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver
An Oprah Winfrey Special: The Menopause Revolution
Respin Menopause Program
Dare I Say It? by Naomi Watts
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Life can be overwhelming, but on this podcast, you'll discover practical strategies to overcome overwhelm, imposter syndrome, and negative self-talk, manage time effectively, set boundaries, and stay productive in high-stress jobs—all while learning how to say no and prioritize self-care on the Overwhelmed Working Woman podcast.
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Menopause affects our entire body sleep, memory, mood, metabolism and so many women just try to push through like nothing's happening. You're listening to Overwhelmed Working Woman, the podcast that helps you be more calm and more productive by doing less. I'm your host, Michelle Gauthier, a former Overwhelmed Working Woman and current life coach. On this show, we unpack the stress and pressure that today's working woman experiences and in each episode, you'll get a strategy to bring more calm, ease and relaxation to your life. Hi friend, let me be honest. I think menopause is having a moment. I mean, a couple weeks back, Oprah had a primetime special including Holly Berry and Naomi Watts and Mary Claire Haver, who's the biggest doctor on this subject right now, and I am so happy that this is getting the attention that it deserves, because it sucks and perimenopause and menopause are completely overwhelming. So that is why I have decided to do an episode on this today.
Michelle Gauthier:There are so many symptoms. Some of them are so weird and show up in ways that you don't expect. Maybe you're just like forgetting words mid sentence, or snapping at everyone for no reason, or waking up at 3am drenched in sweat or just wondering am I losing it? Am I dying from these heart palpitations? You're not. You're not crazy, but you may be navigating one of the biggest biological and emotional shifts of your life, and no one gave you a handbook. Now I think the good news is our daughters will have the handbook, but we, we did not have the handbook, and certainly our mothers and grandmothers did not. So this is what I want to talk to you about today, and if you're not in perimenopause or menopause or even close, maybe you've got something else going on physically. Maybe you're just exhausted because you're knee deep in toddler chaos, or you're just feeling off or having stomach aches or headaches or some other kind of illness. This episode will help you too. This is all about how we care for ourselves when we're in a season of overwhelm, especially when it's something physical. When you listen to this episode today, you're going to learn a couple things. Number one is how to tune into your body and really pay attention to what's going on. Number two is how to optimize the way that you're thinking about it, instead of having negative thoughts about perimenopause or whatever is going on with you, to switch your thoughts so that you can get to the third step, which is taking action to make yourself feel better. So by the end of the episode, you'll know how to have the good clarity of mind to take care of yourself no matter what's going on with you.
Michelle Gauthier:But before I jump into that, we are in the month of celebrating Overwhelmed Working Woman's second birthday. She's a toddler and one of the things that I'm asking of you this month is reviews. So if you listen to this podcast regularly and have not left a review, or if this is your first episode and you really like it, would you please leave a rating and review? Just the other day, I got a message from someone on Instagram who was a new podcast listener and I asked her how she heard about the podcast and she said she was just listening to the podcast she normally listens to and it popped up as a suggestion. That is a perfect example of what happens when we have a lot of listeners and a lot of reviews that it gets suggested to people, and that makes me so happy, because my goal is to help all the women feel less overwhelmed, less stressed, so that they can enjoy their beautiful lives more.
Michelle Gauthier:All right, now let's get back to menopause and perimenopause. I can think about this moment. It was like two summers ago and I was sitting in a restaurant with the handsome man friend. It was summertime and we were getting ready to go on a trip. We were flying out that night and the air conditioning was on in there and I was like Are you hot in here? He's like no, I mean no, I'm totally fine. And I literally felt like the heat was coming from inside me, like it was coming out of my pores. I don't know if anyone's seen this, but lately I've been seeing this meme of this woman and she's got a bald head and she's having a hot flash, like sitting at a football game in the fall when it's cold outside, and she's literally steaming. And that is how I felt like there is's got to be steam coming off of my body.
Michelle Gauthier:And I was forgetting things like. I am not a forgetful person. If you know me personally. People know and say to me all the time oh my gosh, you have a such a good memory. I can't believe you remembered that I was just totally forgetting things, obvious things, like, for example, I planned two trips on the same weekend and never put together that I had already planned one Stuff. That is just not like me. And then, despite eating healthy and working out, I was like gaining fat in my belly, which is what happens when you're low on estrogen, and then sometimes, like just recently, I had cramps, for I think it was 24 days in a row.
Michelle Gauthier:I mean, weird stuff happens and I guess the list of symptoms is actually like 60 things Like if your ears itch, it could be menopause or perimenopause. So it's so many things and you just feel so mentally off that it's really hard to figure out what to do next. So let's talk about the first thing to do If you're feeling physically off, if you're exhausted. That was the other thing. Sometimes I would be so exhausted I felt like I couldn't even sit up. I was so tired. So if you're feeling exhausted or foggy or moody or like a stranger in your own skin, you're looking at your body. Like what is going on here? It's not weakness or anything, it's just a hormones menopause affects our entire body sleep, memory, mood, metabolism and so many women just try to push through like nothing's happening.
Michelle Gauthier:Me, me, I was the person who was trying to push through like nothing was happening, and what I was thinking is I had heard that, like menopause, was optional, meaning some people just don't really feel that many effects from it. I really hope that's true and I really hope that's you. But that was not me, but I decided it was going to be. So I was like this is fine, it's just, it's going to be short lived. This is not that big of a deal, but in trying to push through, I think I just made it worse. So remember that you can't solve what you won't see.
Michelle Gauthier:So the first thing to do is notice and name what's going on and tune into it. So where am I feeling tension? When do I feel like it's 1000 degrees? What's up with my sleep and my hunger and my energy and my stomach aches and what is my body trying to tell me that I keep ignoring? For me, it was helpful to just start writing stuff down, because you, first of all, literally forget and, second of all, there's so much weird stuff that it's almost hard to keep track of what is going on.
Michelle Gauthier:So, after you're able to just admit to yourself that something is up, something is different, I think a lot of times women don't want to admit that they are going through this, because it means that they're old, right, and everybody's always so worried about getting old so it's like, no, I'm too young for that. That can't really be me. So instead of just trying to deny it, just embrace it. Jot down what's going on with you. Talk to your friends about it. Just embrace it. Jot down what's going on with you, talk to your friends about it, see if anybody else is feeling the same way this is a major topic of conversation among my friend groups at the moment and keep track of what's going on in your body.
Michelle Gauthier:Once you realize what's going on in your body, then it's time to talk about mindset. You guys know from listening to the podcast that the way that we feel is always created by our own thoughts. So if you have a thought like I'm falling apart, I should be able to handle this. What's wrong with me? Oh my gosh, I'm getting so old, I'm disgusting. Something is wrong with my body. Okay, whatever it is, it's going to create feelings of like shame and anxiety and self-doubt. And then when you feel that, what always happens when you feel shame especially, is you kind of hide. You hide how you're feeling. Sometimes you can spiral, but don't tell anybody about it. You isolate yourself and you just make yourself feel worse. So already you're physically feeling bad, and then your thoughts can make you feel even worse about it.
Michelle Gauthier:Instead, let's come up with a thought that also feels true but will get you into inspired action, trying to figure out what you actually need or want to do about this problem. How about trying on? A thought like this is a phase. This is a phase that all women go through. This is completely normal. I need more care right now, not to put more pressure on myself. I'm a person who can figure things out. I need to figure out what's going on with my body. Any of those thoughts would be great replacements for I'm falling apart, or I be able to handle this, or I'm so old, or my body is disgusting, or any of the thoughts that your brain might offer to you. Once you've got a list of your symptoms and you kind of know what's going on, then you tune into your brain and you shift into a thought that helps you be more proactive about the whole thing.
Michelle Gauthier:The third part is to take action. Now that you're tuned into your body and tuned into your thoughts and you have created a better thought than something is wrong with me, then you can shift into taking empowered, intentional action, even if that's small. So the things that you could do are booking a doctor's appointment to talk about your hormone shifts or symptoms. I would totally recommend educating yourself. Mary Claire Haver's book the New Menopause is really good. That Oprah special was really good. Holly Berry has a community that she has created. Naomi Watts has a new book coming out about it, and I will link all of those things I just mentioned in the show notes. So luckily for us now there is so much that you can read.
Michelle Gauthier:You can ask for help from your partner, your boss, your kids, and not apologize for it. This is the reason why the handsome man friend has a sleeping cardigan that he sleeps in at my house and he has extra blankets and he's freezing cold and I am not freezing cold and I have the window open I'm not even joking even when it's 30 degrees inside. God bless him. But see, I just told them that I cannot. I mean I just couldn't possibly sleep unless it was really cold in the house. It's also really helpful, especially if you're feeling shame or isolation, to talk to a friend or a counselor or a coach or somebody and just tell them how you're feeling. I think talking among your friend groups this is a big conversation among my friend groups right now is just so validating because you really realize that you are not alone.
Michelle Gauthier:For generations, women had to just suffer in silence like nobody talked about this, and I'm thinking about when they didn't have access to anything, even the knowledge about what was going on in their body, and all of a sudden you hit a certain age and you just feel absolutely miserable and there's just nothing to do about it. We're so lucky to have this information, to have hormones and other medications available that we can take to make ourselves feel better as we transition, and by the one of the things that they said a bunch of times on the Oprah special and is also what Mary Claire Haver, the doctor, says all the time is that I've never felt better once people actually get into menopause. I think that's encouraging too, that this is a transition, kind of like puberty. It's a transition into a different phase of life and once you get there, it's actually quite good. We just need to take care of paying attention to our body, paying attention to our thoughts, creating our community, finding the right doctor and doing all the right things for ourselves as we transition. So, in summary, perimenopause and menopause are real and they can feel overwhelming and they can feel really powerful, but it doesn't have to break you.
Michelle Gauthier:Your thoughts will shape how you move through this transition and you are always in charge. You're not in charge of the thoughts that pop in your head, but you can come up with new ones and you can think them on purpose. You are also in charge of if you talk to other people about it or not, so that you don't feel alone, and then taking small, intentional actions so that you can find the clarity that you need so that you can feel better. Here's my do less for more success tip for today. When we allow our brain to go down the rabbit hole and spiral out, we can waste so much time worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet. So my challenge for you today and my suggestion for how you can save a lot of time is to notice when you're doing that. Notice when your brain is going 15 steps in the direction of something bad happening and just stop and ask yourself what information do I have right now and what do I know for sure? Bring yourself back to the present moment. If you can do that, and you can cut off all that thinking time and worrying time, you will save yourself so much time and you will feel so much better. Okay, that is a wrap for today.
Michelle Gauthier:If this episode gave you language for what you have been feeling or made you feel, seen and heard, why don't you share it with somebody else who might be silently struggling or not so silently struggling, and remind her that she's not alone, and neither are you. We're all in this together. If you love this podcast and you love this episode, would you please leave a rating and review? Like I said at the beginning of the podcast, it makes such a difference as to where it gets shown and how other people are able to see the podcast. It would mean a lot to me if you would take a second and do that. Thank you so much and have a great week. Thank you for listening to the Overwhelmed podcast. If you want to learn more about my work, head over to my website at michellegauthiercom. See you next week.
