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
#140| Stop Letting People Pleasing Control Your Priorities - Here's How: Overwhelm, Productivity, Time Management & People Pleasing
Have you ever said “yes” when everything inside you was screaming “no”—and then instantly regretted it?
This episode dives into a relatable, gut-wrenching moment for any working parent or people pleaser: when honoring your boundaries and emotions collides with the pressure to perform. If you’ve ever felt guilty for choosing yourself or your family over work, this story will hit home.
In this episode, you will:
- Learn why setting boundaries isn't enough—you have to honor them.
- Discover how your emotions can serve as powerful signals, not obstacles.
- Find out what it really takes to disconnect your self-worth from productivity and people-pleasing.
Hit play now to hear the real story behind the breakthrough and start learning how to reclaim your time, your peace, and your power.
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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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There was this one moment where I realized, in a single gut-wrenching moment, that I was living a life that I didn't actually want.
Michelle Gauthier: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.
Michelle Gauthier:And in each episode you'll get a strategy to bring more calm, ease and relaxation to your life. Hi, friend, Today I'm going to share a very personal story with you, and what you'll learn from this story that I'm telling you today is about a real life moment that kind of made me question everything, and why setting boundaries isn't enough you have to actually honor the boundaries and also why our emotions aren't a problem. I used to always think my emotions were a problem and would get in the way, but why instead, they can be your compass. Okay, so here's the story. When my daughter was young and my son had already started school, I did not work on Friday afternoons or Monday afternoons because I took that time off to spend time with my daughter while my son was at school. And it was a Friday afternoon when the story happened and at the time I had this intentional boundary that I worked half days on Friday and Friday afternoons were supposed to be mine, just time for my daughter or for myself, or for just breathing room. But that day I of course checked my work email or my instant messenger, I don't remember what and my boss and his boss wanted to hop on a quick call with me to review this pitch deck, these slides that we were working on, and my daughter wasn't feeling great and she was down for a nap. So, even though I felt like a small tug of hesitation, I said yes, and I told myself it was going to be super quick and that it was important and that everything would be just fine. And so I logged on to the call and I told myself it was going to be super quick and that it was important and that everything would be just fine. And so I logged onto the call and I pulled up the slides and I'm sharing my screen and we started discussing edits and I'm making the changes that we're talking about, and then I heard my daughter crying.
Michelle Gauthier:She was still in a crib at the time and I heard her crying from her crib and then I heard her throw up and just froze and I panicked because my mind, my conditioning, really told me that I couldn't interrupt and I couldn't inconvenience them with this problem that I was having. And then I had to stay professional and show everyone that I could handle it. And then the other side of me was telling me my little girl is sick and she's scared and even though I knew she was safe. She needed me in that moment and I was stuck on a call about you know font sizes and bullet points and what we were going to say, and I just had this complete panic where I froze because I truly didn't know what to do. And finally I just interrupted them mid sentence and said you guys, I'm sorry, I've got to go. My daughter's sick. She just threw up and they were, of course, like Okay, go, go, go. And I ran to my daughter and I scooped her up and I was cleaning her up and you know she was totally okay, but I was so upset I was like what am I doing? Why am I saying yes when everything inside me is screaming no? Why did I even consider staying on that call?
Michelle Gauthier:And valuing something like that over my family was like I just realized that my life wasn't in alignment. And, looking back, I have such empathy for my past self because what I didn't have at that time I didn't understand how to hold a boundary. I didn't know that that feeling that I got like, that panic and that guilt, were emotions that I needed to pay attention to, and I didn't understand that my value as a human wasn't tied to the fact that I worked really hard and that I was easy and agreeable and always available, and I didn't know that I could choose a different way to live. So I really was just acting from everything that I knew at the time. So let's take a look at how I would have handled that situation differently today. So if I had negotiated for myself a job where I had permission to not work on Friday afternoons, I would keep that boundary. I would not check my work email. I would not log on to instant messenger. I was afraid not to because I wanted people to know that I was available. Even though I was supposed to be with my daughter or you know, off work. I still wanted to be available. I would not do that anymore. So this situation just plain and simple would not come up and I also would have an easier time doing that.
Michelle Gauthier:First of all, I have lots of experience now with setting boundaries and holding those boundaries. But I also have learned to disconnect my enoughness from what I produce at work and I also have disconnected from what I think other people might be thinking about me, aka people pleasing. So in that quick moment I was reacting to all three of those things. I can't hold a boundary because I have to be agreeable. I can't risk what these two guys are thinking about me right now. They think about me that I'm a great employee and I'm working so hard and I'm so reliable and I'm always available, even though I work part-time air quotes. And now what I would focus on is I'm already enough. It doesn't matter. My enoughness doesn't come from what I produce. I choose boundaries for myself, based on my priorities, which will always be my family over anything else, and I honestly just do not think about what other people are thinking about me. Now let's think about it realistically. When I hung up on that call, both of these guys in this situation are really good people who I had a great relationship with. They're both dads, so they probably had no thoughts about it. They're like, oh gosh, that's a bummer Fine, you know, it's not. Like they thought I was this amazing employee. And then they're like oh, there goes her performance review. She had a kid who got sick. So I was focusing so much on what they might think about me and it probably wasn't even true. I'm sharing all this with you because this moment and I had many moments like this, but this one was really poignant, because my daughter was sick and I hesitated way longer than I wanted to which was probably like 10 seconds until I did the right thing, and this is the reason why I teach the stuff that I teach now.
Michelle Gauthier:When you join the Good Life Group Coaching, every week we focus on a new topic and over the course of the 12-week program, I teach you every single thing that you need to basically not be in the situation that I put myself in. You will learn how to visualize the type of life that you do want. I don't know about you, but I felt so stuck and I wasn't even sure how to dream up what I wanted instead. So we start with that and then you'll learn how to set boundaries, say no, use your thoughts to create the kind of life that you want to have. You'll learn about time management, how to manage your emotions, how to focus on what's in your control. The way that it works is every week I drop a new video on a specific topic.
Michelle Gauthier:Let's say it's people pleasing. You'll learn about people pleasing. Then you'll do your homework in the workbook, which is to apply what you've just learned to a situation in your life. So you'll write it all out what you would do, what kind of boundary you would set, and then on Friday we all come together for live group coaching. And if you really struggled with it or you don't feel like you could actually implement the people pleasing plan that you set up, then you would get coaching from me, and not only would that help you but it also helps everybody else in the group. And so we go on and on with different topics over the course of 12 weeks so that by the end you feel like you have all the skills you need to have a life that feels so much more calm and intentional. And you know, it's always the woman, it's always the mom, who sets the tone of the household, and I feel like you set the tone at your work with your team, etc. So if you are feeling in control, organized, able to say no, not a people pleaser, the energy that you give off affects everyone else around you.
Michelle Gauthier:So registration for this starts on Monday, but you have an opportunity now, before Monday, to send me a DM. You can just send me a message. There's a send me a message button at the bottom of the episode in the show notes. Send me a message that says group coaching and I will tell you more about group coaching. I can answer any questions that you have and then you'll be on the waitlist, which means you can register early, so you can register before Monday. What that means is you get 25% off the cost of the program and you get a chance to register early. I only take 10 people for group coaching because I like it to be small and intimate and have time for everybody, so you will get one of those 10 spots for sure. So if you think you might be interested, send me a message and we can chat. Have a great week. Talk to you Monday.
Michelle Gauthier:Thank you for listening to the Overwhelmed Working Woman podcast. If you want to learn more about my work, head over to my website at michellegauthier. com. See you next week.
