Her Next Chapters

91. Protect the Asset: My Biggest Takeaway from the book Essentialism, by Greg McKeown

• Christina Kohl

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Let’s be honest—“self-care” can feel cliché at best and selfish at worst, especially for moms who’ve spent years putting everyone else first. But what if the real problem isn’t the concept, but how we frame it?

In this episode, I share how the phrase Protect the Asset from Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism completely shifted the way I think about wellness, motherhood, and energy management. When we see ourselves as the asset, self-care becomes essential maintenance—not indulgence. This mindset shift was game-changing for me.

I share small but meaningful habits I’ve been building—like sleep, mindfulness, movement, and hydration—and why they matter so much in this season of life. Whether you’re deep in motherhood or navigating midlife transitions, this is a chance to reclaim your wellbeing, support your mental health, and show up as your best self.

And if you're ready to make a career comeback or pivot into work that lights you up, my group coaching program returns this September. Get on the waitlist HERE for early access and a sweet discount.






Christina Kohl:

Hi and welcome to Her Next Chapter's podcast. I'm your host, Christina Kohl. I'm a mom of three and soon to be an empty nester. I'm also a certified HR pro who restarted my career after being a stay-at-home mom for over a decade. I created this podcast to connect with moms who have an empty nest on the horizon and are wanting to redefine their identity outside of motherhood, which might include a job search. On this show, we'll have raw conversations about our ever-changing roles as moms. We'll hear from women who restarted their careers and share tips for a job search after a career break. So if that's you, you're in the right place. Friend, let's get started. Hi, friends, and welcome to this week's episode of Her Next Chapters.

Christina Kohl:

Today is a little bit of a book report, so, not to turn you off, it's actually about self-care, but with a different way of looking at self-care. Let me explain. So over the last couple of weeks, I've listened to I want to say read, but I've listened to the book Essentialism by Greg McCeowan. I'm not exactly sure how to pronounce his name, but it's basically a book focused on doing less but doing it better, and the chapter about protect the asset really hit home for me, especially as a mom and a woman who's been conditioned to care for everyone else before myself, and so we hear the words, you know, self-care all the time, and it's just kind of become cliche yeah, yeah, yeah, self-care. I know I need to like take care of myself and take time out, but do we really do it? And this, this way of looking at it as protecting the asset and the asset being us as as individuals, as a person, as a human, protect the asset first. That just landed with me, differently than all of the words, all of the teaching and everything else that we hear about self-care all of the words, all of the teaching and everything else that we hear about self-care. So I wanted to share a little bit more about that with you.

Christina Kohl:

For me, anyway, for my generation, I think a lot of you listening are similar. I'm Gen X. As far as generation names, you might be a millennial, you know, but if you've got kids that are, you know, maybe you know into the middle school and beyond, then you might relate to this the role of motherhood really is you're the nurse, you're an academic advisor, the activity coordinator, the emotional thermostat for your kids and for your family. And at least for me, I know I feel like I've been trained, and maybe because my mom was such a great mom and she was my role model, and you know of a different era, obviously but we tend to anticipate the needs of others before they even arise. But we kind of forget to do that for ourselves because there's really not a lot left after we are taking care of everyone else, right? So, yes, I know, for me it's an eye roll reaction of self-care. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Christina Kohl:

But what does self-care really mean? What does it mean to you? Just something for you to ponder. And it's not just the bubble baths and spa days. It's really about preservation, energy management and sustainability. Like you don't want to burn out that's another phrase we hear all the time.

Christina Kohl:

So protecting the asset is what is really important, again, the asset being you, and it's your body, your mind, your energy, and it includes things like movement and exercise, nourishment, rest and renewal and ways that I've done this. Well, first of all, I am starting to record these in video. I'm not sure if I'll be publishing them in video or not, but in case I do, in case you're watching via video, this is and I don't know if it'll show up correctly, but this is a sticky note that I've put on my laptop, so I see it every morning that I walk in here. It says protect the asset, in big letters, and it's a reminder to me before I sit down to work. What have I done to protect the asset? Because if I'm working without rest, if I'm working without nourishment, if I'm working without being centered first and by that I mean like mindfulness if I'm working without having nourished my body, given myself water, done all those things, then I'm draining the asset right, and the asset only has so much to offer. So we need to protect the asset. So that's part of what I'm doing. That note is a reminder before I sit down to work.

Christina Kohl:

Have I done anything to protect the asset? And for me and this is evolving Okay, I just listened to this book a couple of weeks ago, so this is still evolving. I don't have it all figured out, but I'm just sharing life with you in real time as things are happening. And for me, I've really leaned into meditation, even if it's just five minutes, and this is guided meditation. I'm not at the point where I could just like, well, you know, sit by myself and meditate. It's getting easier with all the guided medication, not medication, I'm talking about meditation. So even just five minutes in the morning, you know, doing a guided meditation just can kind of help me get centered, calm my brain and be focused on.

Christina Kohl:

What's most important I'm also trying in the mornings before I start working, is to exercise, to move my body, whether that's going for a walk around the neighborhood if it's not too hot yet, or, you know, this is middle of July, so it's pretty warm. Or you know, this is middle of July, so it's pretty warm. So getting outside, going for a walk or a workout, I've got enough materials in my basement as far as a gym to get a workout in, and you know the days that I do that I feel so much better and usually I'll say I'll do it later, I'll do it later on, and later doesn't happen. So trying to make those part of my morning routine meditation, a quick workout of some sort, and hydration, drinking a couple when I say a couple glasses of water, I'm talking 16 ounces, so it's one big glass just to like nourish myself, even if I'm not eating until lunch if I'm doing intermittent fasting, I might eat around 11. But I'm at least taking care of myself in those other ways. And so, again, it's protecting the asset, so that I'm starting off my day with me as the priority right, because if I'm not taking care of myself then it's going to be really hard to show up as my best self.

Christina Kohl:

And then the other thing that the author talks about in this chapter is sleep so important to get that sleep and to be able to sleep all the way through the night. And it's getting harder for me as I get older. I don't know if any of you can relate to that, and I hate it. I wake up and it's like two or three in the morning and I just can't fall back to sleep. So, things that are helping me to get a better night's sleep Well, first of all, just the importance of sleep.

Christina Kohl:

I mean I wish I could see you. I wish I was like in front of you all in a class or something in our workshop. But like, raise your hand, how many of you notice the difference when you sleep all the way through the night and you've given yourself a full eight hours, how much better your day is. The whole day is better, right, and that's really what the author talks about in the book is how much we can, how much more sharper we are, and that like and I forget all the stats, and I listened to a couple of weeks ago, so it's not completely fresh, but basically, if you are short on sleep, it's kind of equivalent to like driving intoxicated, like you don't have your full abilities at your disposal, right. So you want to make sure that you protect your sleep and that's, you know, having routines and I'm a night owl.

Christina Kohl:

I'm trying to get better, um, you know. So, like last night, I think, going to bed at 10 30, which is early for me. Some people that might be late, but you know, my normal is like 11 30 or midnight. Um 10 30 is really good, and so that's that helps. And then I've also been the nights that I do meditation right before bed. Like I'll even take my AirPods and go to bed with them in listening to a sleeping meditation, like something that prepares you for sleep. And you guys, there's so many times when I might be up for like an hour trying to go to sleep, but with the meditation I'm usually asleep before the meditation is over and they're like 10 or 15 minutes long. It really helps me to focus on my breathing and calm that monkey brain with all the things going on and then it just helps me to fall asleep. So that's been wonderful and I sure noticed the next day how much more energy I have, how much more present I am, how much more focus I have when I've gotten a good night's sleep. Meditation helps me a lot being off my phone about an hour or so before bed, not eating close to bedtime, because then our body is digesting and everything, so you don't want to be eating right before bed. Everything, so you don't want to be eating right before bed. So those are some things that have been helping me.

Christina Kohl:

I know it's hard to take time out for yourself when you are busy taking care of everyone else and maybe your kids have left the nest and this is the first time that you've had the space, the time and space to focus on you and you're not. I mean, you're still worried about your kids and you're still checking in with them and still, you know, offering support to them. But there's a little more time and spaciousness in an empty nest to be able to focus on you. And if you don't know what to do, well, make yourself the priority right, protect the asset, and maybe you've got kids that are still at home or they're transitioning. They're like going off to college, or they're home for the summer, or they've just graduated and they're getting established.

Christina Kohl:

Regardless of how old your kids are and I know there's different seasons of busyness the thing is, now is the moment to reorient some of that attention that you take care of everyone else, orient it towards yourself, and, if it feels like too much, like you just, you know, are so busy and you just don't have the time to take care of yourself first. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for your kids. Be an example to them. Be a role model for them of what it looks like to honor your wellbeing, to put yourself first, because if you can show that for them, then they're going to know how to do it. So if it's, if it's something you don't feel like you have the capacity to put yourself first and to protect the asset of you, then do it for your kids. You're doing everything else for them anyway, so do this for them too. Be the role model that shows them how to do this. And so here's a few practical takeaways Write your own.

Christina Kohl:

Protect the asset. Sticky note Again for me, that landed so much stronger than self-care, right, self-care feels kind of selfish, but when you put it in the frame of protect the asset just like the airlines have you put the oxygen mask on you first before you help others. Same concept here protect the asset first. And what is one area that you can prioritize this week? It is hard to do all these things all at once, but in one area. Whether it's sleep, getting to bed earlier, maybe it is finding a nighttime meditation to listen to to help you fall asleep, maybe it's being hydrated better, maybe it's movement, going for the walk, being outside in nature, or just mindfulness Again, those meditation practices have really been helping me. So think of something that will work for you. Build a micro habit a five-minute walk, no screens after nine, drink water before you drink coffee. Think about different things that you can do. So remember, my friend, you are the asset. Your work, your caregiving, your creativity all of it flows from how you take care of yourself, and I would love to hear from you about things that work for you to honor yourself through self-care and putting yourself first so that you can pour into others as your best self. And hey, I just want to remind you if you are ready to put yourself first and finally land a job that you love.

Christina Kohl:

This September, my group coaching program is back and it's built just for you. If you are serious about making a comeback or a pivot in your career, this is your moment to say yes to support or a pivot in your career. This is your moment to say yes to support strategy and a sisterhood of midlife women doing the same. Together, we'll get clear on what you want next and create a job search plan that works with your life, and ditch the outdated advice. You'll learn my natural networking method. I promise it's not icky or awkward, and you'll learn how to build a strengths-first resume that gets noticed, even if you've had a career gap or you're making a big change. And you'll know what to say in your LinkedIn profile to attract those right roles. And, of course, we will prep you for interviews with confidence. We'll even do mock interviews to practice and we'll even tackle salary negotiation to make sure you get paid what you're worth. You don't have to figure this out all alone. You'll be surrounded by ambitious, kind and motivated women who are ready to rise together. Doors open in September. So if you want first dibs and a sweet discount, get on the waitlist now. There's going to be a link in the show notes to sign up. Signing up on the wait list is not a financial commitment. It's just raising your hand letting me know that you are interested and you'll get first notice of when doors open.

Christina Kohl:

All right, friends.

Christina Kohl:

Well, that is it for this week's episode, and I do have a favor to ask.

Christina Kohl:

If this episode or the podcast in general, if you've been listening for a while and you're really enjoying it, it would mean the world to me If you could write a review, rate the show and just I just so appreciate that. It just means the world to me, and it also helps other people find the show and helps it grow to reach a bigger audience of other women. And if you have people in your life that you think would would enjoy this content, send it to them, send this episode to them or send the show to them. That would be amazing. I would really really appreciate it. All right, well, with that, have a wonderful week, my friends, and we'll talk to you next time. Thank you so much for listening today. I hope this episode hit home for you and, if you haven't already, be sure to connect with me on LinkedIn and say hello, so I can personally thank you for listening. Until next time, remember, your story is uniquely your own, and your next chapters are ready to begin.