Balance & Beyond
Balance and Beyond is the podcast for ambitious women refusing to accept burnout as the price of success. Here, we’re committed to empowering you with the tools and strategies you need to achieve true balance, where your career, relationships and health all thrive and where you have the power to define success on your own terms.
Balance & Beyond
Your Body’s Not a Machine: The High-Achiever’s Blind Spot
Your body has been whispering all day, but have you been too busy to listen? For ambitious women pursuing big goals, there's a tendency to live exclusively from the neck up—treating our bodies as mere vehicles for our brilliant minds while we conquer the world.
This disembodied approach works, until it doesn't. Achievement comes, but satisfaction remains fleeting. Success looks impressive from the outside, but feels increasingly hollow on the inside. The irony? The very bodily wisdom we're ignoring holds the key to deeper fulfillment and sustainable success.
What if your body could be more than an annoying limitation? What if it could actually amplify your vision? When we partner with our physical intelligence rather than overriding it, we access pathways to joy, intuition, and creativity that the cognitive mind alone cannot reach. For high-performers accustomed to pushing through discomfort, this requires a profound mindset shift—recognizing that embodiment doesn't diminish your drive but enhances it.
Simple practices can begin this reconnection. Extended exhale breathing regulates your nervous system, creating the conditions for clearer thinking and emotional resilience. Physical touch, like placing a hand on your heart, communicates safety to your fascia network (which stores stress memories just beneath your skin). These aren't just feel-good techniques; they're practical tools for enhancing decision-making, creativity, and preventing the burnout that threatens your biggest ambitions.
Ready to stop treating your body as an afterthought? Discover the untapped power that exists beyond your brain. Visit balanceinstitutecom to explore our toolkit that has helped thousands of women create lives of genuine balance and lasting fulfillment.
To view the Transcript from this week's episode, visit our Balance & Beyond Podcast webpage: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast/2025/103
Thank you for joining us today on the Balance and Beyond Podcast. We're so glad you carved out this time for yourself!
If you’re keen to dive deeper into our world, here are our socials where you can discover more about the toolkit that has helped thousands of women create a life of balance.
Website: www.balanceinstitute.com
Podcast Website: https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
Email: jo@balanceinstitute.com
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betterbalanceinstitute/
Instagram: @betterbalanceinstitute
Thanks again for tuning in, and we'll see you next time on the Balance & Beyond Podcast!
Welcome to Balance and Beyond, the podcast for ambitious women who refuse to accept burnout as the price of success. Here we're committed to empowering you with the tools and strategies you need to achieve true balance, where your career, relationships and health all thrive and where you have the power to define success on your terms. I honor the space you've created for yourself today, so let's take a breath and dive right in. If you only realize your back hurts when you lie down at night, this episode is for you because your body's been whispering all day. You've just been too busy to listen. If you only realize your back hurts when you lie down at night, this episode is for you because your body's been talking all day long and you've been too busy to hear it. Jacqueline, women are running life from the neck up. What really is going on here? Oh, boy.
Jaclyn:So much A disembodied life, quite, literally right Outside, living just from, like you said, the neck up, not actually inhabiting their bodies. So what does this all mean and why is it important? Well, obviously the women who come here value big lives Like they're up to big things. Right, they want to achieve big things, whether it's, you know, making a big impact with their field, making a lot of money, being amazing moms, wives, like powerful women come to us right, so they're up to something, and the tendency for high performers is to treat their bodies as like a machine or kind of this, like robotic relationship, because unless you have health issues, you can get away with that, right. Anyone who has health issues then probably has a different relationship with their body because they must, right. So we're assuming that maybe health issues aren't so much of a thing, or maybe they are and you're just ignoring it.
Jaclyn:Like you said, your back is hurting or thinking you have to live with it, but you don't feel that until at night because you're treating your body like a machine. So I can't be bothered to pay attention to the ache here or the weird fatigue I'm noticing. I'm noticing, but it's too annoying to put my attention on those annoying symptoms. It's annoying my body is annoying. It's a nuisance. It's not functioning as high as I'm functioning in my mind with my like go-getter, high achievement, like I'm going to go conquer the world attitude, but it's so disenfranchised from, like your whole being and I don't.
Jaclyn:I think first it's more of just a mindset shift that, like your body wants to partner with you in creating amazing things in the world. Like imagine if your body just wasn't this like necessary, annoying thing that you had to drag around while you're up to your mission in the world. Like what if you could partner with it so that your body actually amplified your vision? And I think that that is like a consideration that might be really powerful for women, right, like, oh, like, if my body could actually amplify the big things I want to do in the world, then maybe I'll pay attention to it. So start there. Is there anything you want to piggyback on that, jo? Just I just wanted to open that as a possibility for anybody tuning in.
Jo:Yeah, I think we put so much value on our intelligence, on our mental faculties, and, for many of us, it's our brains that have got us all of our success. We're not people who make things with our hands or who, you know, build things brick by brick. Many of us, our brains is everything and instead of thinking that, well, this body is just the thing that carries around the brain, we yeah, we don't really understand the full power of what ecosystem our brain needs to function in to be at its best, not to mention not just the ecosystem and that goes down to health and wellness and cortisol and all those things but also what the hell's the point? I can have intelligence, I can have capability, I can have success. I have success, but if I'm numb, if I'm hollow, then it's not going to make any of it worth it in the first place.
Jaclyn:Yeah, yeah. So I think the women tuning into this are already feeling that tug, like there's this tendency to kind of, you know, have that high achievement, that like passion, that drive to achieve and achieve. But at a certain point it starts to feel hollow, like what is all this for? Am I just an amazing brain on legs, which is cool, and it's gotten me here and I do kind of love that about myself, like nothing wrong with it. It's cool, like we celebrate that.
Jaclyn:But there is a question women are coming to us with Like is is there more than this Cause? This is great, but maybe maybe there's more like fulfillment, Maybe there's more peace, maybe there's more wholeness, satisfaction uh, the tendency with women coming in with lots of high achiever um drive is satisfaction is really fleeting and the body is a big part of experiencing satisfaction. And I think maybe people need to hear that again. Like the body is a big part of experiencing satisfaction because the brain won't ever really be satisfied, right, because it's not the design. The design is like what's possible and what am I going to create now, and like what's next, so great. But when do you ever get to feel truly fulfilled, satisfied, at peace, more than just like for a fleeting moment before the next thing.
Jaclyn:Um, there might be a question you're asking yourself. So the body is where you're going to find that and the and it's not going to take you away from your brain and all of the amazing things that it's up to. It's actually going to amplify it. It's. It's a partnership, and what I mean by that is it's and I mean it metaphorically, but also literally like the brain. The brain maps with your whole nervous system, right. Like the brain moves down through the spinal cord and then the spinal cord speaks to every single system in your body. The brain moves down through the spinal cord and then the spinal cord speaks to every single system in your body. They're completely interwoven. We just forget they are. If you can start paying attention to your body's needs, just to start, am I tending to my body's nourishment? Am I feeding it? Do I let it go to the toilet when?
Jaclyn:it needs to as it resting and is it exercising in ways that aren't depleting, because some there's a tendency with high achiever women to like blow out their adrenals, like running marathons in their exercise regimen alongside their other. Whatever marathons, metaphorically, they're running in life, so that's fine. I'm not saying don't do that. I'm saying are you also equally restoring and I know this is part and part of your journey, joe are you equally restoring and I think you should probably speak to that because that's so powerful Are you equally, if not more, spending time on restorative work, movement in your body, spending time with recalibrating your nervous system and what amazingness that allows for, then, the performance of your body movement or your legacy, or whatever it is that you're up to in the world? Yeah, you take it from there. That's your bag, you've done that.
Jo:Yeah, this has been a really big part of my journey and, as Jacqueline said, you know I was part of. The reason I blew up my life was because it felt very hollow. I was asking what the hell is the point, and satisfaction was very fleeting. I would achieve something, and literally I would. As I was achieving it, I was already like, well, you don't want to get complacent next, now you've got to up it, or now you've got to. And so there was very little enjoyment and what I now know is that wasn't embodied enjoyment, it was mental enjoyment and, as you said, our brain goes got it next, but you don't put that in the front seat, you turn around and go yep, you've said next, but right now I'm going to stop and smell the roses. I'm going to actually sit in this joy and excitement and satisfaction and praise for myself and pride, and that takes work. That's a muscle that you have to learn to build.
Jo:And I was very head focused, incredibly head focused, completely numb, didn't even realize that I might've had an autoimmune disease until I found myself in hospital. Because that's what everybody does. It gives us little whispers and then we're too busy, we ignore them. No time for the doctor. I've got a report, or it was end of month or it was whatever. And then it starts throwing a few more rocks and you go, oh well, I'll get to that then. Oh, you know, I guess I'll go see a physio, but I just assumed and there's almost an identity like pride around it too.
Jaclyn:Not to interrupt you, but there's almost like how much can I handle? Like look how much I can do, yeah.
Jo:Yeah, but that's part of the identity of I'm the superwoman. I push through pain and this is very much that high achiever sort of masculine paradigm, almost like the David Goggins. Like you can do it. Pain is part of the process. You know, you just got to push through and you just got to work harder. So that's why you do hardcore workouts and you do because that is the model of success that we've been shown Instead of recognizing okay, that's, one way to get in your body is to feel intense pain and to sweat and to grind and to push. But there comes a point when that just makes you even more exhausted and it just feels so wrong it doesn't feel nourishing enough and nourishes it's actually just more mental conditioning, which is, yeah, you're, it's like way excessive mental conditioning.
Jaclyn:There's a time and place for it, all right, like some people actually need more mental conditioning, for sure. But but who we're talking about are people who are like no problem, they are disciplined, they are doing all the mental conditioning, and to the excess, yeah.
Jo:But what I had to learn was what if, instead of treating this body like a thing that carries my brain around, what if it's got wisdom? What if it's got intelligence? And what if it could make my brain better? That was what hooked me is like, oh, you mean I've actually been living life with one hand behind my back. Oh well, now I'm interested. You mean I can make faster decisions. Okay, well, talk to me about that. You mean I can experience more joy and I can have that come easier without so much effort. Okay, I, I'm listening, and that was a lot of my journey to have to understand for me, what is the neuroscience behind things like the vagal nerve and the different systems in the body?
Jo:I tend to go in through neuroscience or science or facts. That's the way my brain can then accept Okay, there's a return. There's a return on investment for me actually paying attention to this thing called the body, not to mention, I don't know, peace and contentment and all these things that you can't put a price on. But that is usually the way most women need to come at this. Either it's from a state of total collapse where their body has just screamed and they're horizontal and they're like, oh dear, my body is completely broken down. It's now too late. I now need to go on this very often painful and long repair and restorative journey to almost rebuild trust. But there are others who are just pushing, but it's more the emptiness that feels like it's getting bigger and threatens to swell them up. It's not physical yet.
Jaclyn:Yeah, yeah. And we experience joy in our bodies, not in our heads, like, think about that, right, like anything that was ever joyful, like it's full body, laughter, or it's like the warmth that radiates throughout your whole body when you feel love or proud of whatever you know, like anything, it's a bodily experience. So it's just so funny and forget, right, yeah, it's so important.
Jo:It's not being modeled to us, though. It's not being modeled particularly in the corporate world. Feelings are things that get in the way. You are worried, as a woman, often of being pegged as too emotional or too soft or too nurturing, because then you fall into those stereotypes. Yeah, patriarchy, so you like the patriarchy, so we over index the other way. So, jacqueline, if someone's listening to this and going, oh my gosh, I had back pain and didn't realize it, or I suddenly looked up from my computer and realized I hadn't eaten all day because I completely overrode any of my body signals, where do they begin? How do you even start this journey of reconnecting and feeling more whole?
Jaclyn:well, it starts with the decision to do that right. So perhaps if you're listening, you already feel like, okay, I am making that decision, just tell me what to do. Okay, great. So first, congratulations for making that decision. And then there's a couple of simple tools, like your breath. Um, it's always there. It's talked about ad nauseum, uh, as a way to experience more calm, joy, et cetera. Um, but you can literally just breathe in four counts, exhale for eight counts. If you were just going to do one breath work exercise, that's the one I would suggest. When you have an extended exhale, that will downregulate your nervous system. So it's a big bang for your buck there. So if you were wanting to feel more confident, secure, grounded at the workplace, if you're feeling a little overwhelmed or overheated, literally or metaphorically, then you can use that extended exhale to cool yourself down and slow down that nervous system. So then you can actually respond to whatever at home, the boardroom, respond really in a way that feels most true to who you are. You know you can. Everyone responds more wisely. Wisely, I guess, when, when your nervous system's more stable. So start with your breath.
Jaclyn:You can also bring touch to your body, so like a hand on your heart. It's amazing. Your hand on your heart you're touching your fascia, so I've been really deep diving in fascia recently. If you don't know what fascia is, it's the web kind of like saran wrap it's described as that encases our blood tissue bones. It's this web right below your skin and the fascia network actually holds all of these impulses of the nervous system and stores memories, chemical memories of stress, emotions, and so stress and emotions are actually stuck in your fascia and in your tissues and muscles. But so just push it. Putting your hand on your chest, you're actually. The simple act of touch is connecting with the fascia because it's so close to the top of the skin, right. So when you do that, it immediately sends a signal to your body that you're safe, that you're supported, that you're seen.
Jaclyn:And I think most of us are craving to feel more safe, supported and seen in our daily lives, whether it's showing up at work. Am I safe here? Am I seen here? Am I supported here? And if you're not feeling that in your workplace, start with yourself. Are you seeing yourself, are you supporting yourself, are you safe with yourself? And putting your hand on your heart starts to reprogram that possibility. And it seems so simple, almost too good to be true that it's so simple. But talk like, literally, let your hand talk to your fascia, like I'm here. It might be the first time you've ever put your own hand on your body, aside from showering, or you know sexual adventures. This might be the first time you've ever just like, intentionally, just put your hand with yourself, like you would with your child. You know, and we all know, the importance of touch with children, so why do we deny that to ourselves as adults? I know that could go on and on, but start there.
Jo:I guess the challenge is for so many women, those solutions are almost too simple. Everyone's heard about breathwork, and no one does it. Everyone's heard about touch, as you mentioned, with children, but they don't do it. What's the objection we have? Is it that we're looking for solutions that seem bigger and more grandiose? Do we not acknowledge the power of micro movements? Or is it just we're not prepared to do something? What's at play here?
Jaclyn:I think when you slow down, I think it's the fear of what I'm going to feel when I slow down. It's unconscious, I think it's. I don't know if it's that it's too simple. I think actually a lot of women are open to the simplicity. Since life is so complex, right, sure, I'll take something simple. So I don't know if that so much they might discount it a little bit like oh, if it's that simple, it can't be that good. But I don't think it's that. I think it's more that I don't want to feel something that's unconscious. So if I do put my hand on my heart, am I going to lose my shit? Am I going to start crying? Am I going to have to start feeling how stressed I actually am? Am I going to have to start feeling my autoimmune whatever kicking up? Yeah, I think that's what it is.
Jo:So your challenge today is to stop treating your body like an afterthought. Breathe, touch your heart, listen. You'll be amazed at what becomes possible when you partner with your body, not just your brain. Thanks for joining me, jacqueline Mm-hmm, thanks for joining us today on the Balance and Beyond podcast. We're so glad you carved out this time for yourself. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who might need to hear this today. And, if you're feeling extra generous, leaving us a review on your podcast platform of choice would mean the world to us. If you're keen to dive deeper into our world, visit balanceinstitutecom to discover more about the toolkit that has helped thousands of women avoid burnout and create a life of balance and beyond. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll see you next time on the Balance and Beyond podcast.
.png)