JoyfulRx Podcast
The act of caring for others is rewarding in many ways, but it can also be overwhelming and exhausting, resulting in caregivers feeling stressed, unhappy, guilty and burnt out.
Whether you are looking after children, a partner, patients, ageing parents or persons at the end of their life journey, this is your reminder that you cannot pour from an empty cup. You can serve others without sacrificing yourself. The JoyfulRx podcast is your prescription for rediscovering your own inner joy, so you can serve others from your overflow, rather than your reserve tank.
Hosted by Dr. Michelle Welch, a practicing physician, mother, children’s book author, and certified mindset coach. She presents topics each week that impact caregivers specifically and offers actionable steps and tools to help them rediscover themselves, reconnect with joy and create their best lives, starting today.
Episodes
56 episodes
Ep 56- Why Healing Feels Hardest Right Before A Breakthrough
In this episode, we explore one of the most misunderstood parts of healing and personal growth: the moment where transformation starts to feel uncomfortable, exhausting, or even impossible.If you’ve ever thought:“Why am I still trigg...
Ep 55- Do I Need A Coach? Here's How To Know
What is coaching, really? And how do you know if you actually need a coach?In this episode, we unpack the truth about coaching — what it is, what it isn’t, and how it differs from therapy, mentorship, and simply talking to a trusted frie...
Ep 54 - Why Am I Still Triggered? (And Why That’s Actually a Good Thing)
In this episode of the JoyfulRx podcast, Dr. Michelle explores why triggering situations are not setbacks on a healing journey, but usually the very thing revealing where growth is still needed.Using a personal experience, she unpacks th...
Ep 53 - Invisible Burnout: Why You’re Exhausted Even When You’re “Fine”
I created a burnout classification system that helped me treat my own burnout and now I use it to help others. In this episode, we explore a quieter, often overlooked form of burnout, the kind that happens when your needs don’t disappear… th...
Ep 52 - Why You Aren't Really Over it Yet (How To Heal)
There are things you’ve told yourself you’ve moved on from. Situations you’ve made peace with. Stories you can tell without falling apart.And yet… they still come up.In quiet moments. In conversations.
Ep 51 - How to Stop Overfunctioning (Without Everything Falling Apart) (Part 3 of 3)
So you see the pattern.You understand why it’s happening.But now comes the real question:👉 How do you actually change it… in real life?Without guilt. Without conflict. Without everything unraveling....
Ep 50 - Why Doing Less Feels Unsafe (Even When You’re Exhausted) (Part 2 of 3)
Why Doing Less Feels Unsafe (Even When You’re Exhausted)Description:If you listened to Part 1 and thought:“Okay… I see it. But I still can’t stop.”This episode is for you.Because overfunctioning isn’t j...
Ep 49 - The OverFunctioning Trap (Part 1 of 3)
“I don’t understand why I'm the only one doing everything.”If you’ve ever felt like you’re the only one holding everything together—at home, at work, in your relationships—this episode will hit close to home.But what if the issue ...
Ep 48 - How to Protect Your Peace from Negative Comments and Situations
There is a quiet skill that determines the quality of your life: knowing what deserves your attention—and what doesn’t.Many high-functioning women and caregivers feel responsible for explaining themselves, correcting misunderstand...
Ep 47 - Heavy Seasons Are Not a Signal to Abandon Yourself
There are seasons in life that don’t look dramatic.They’re just… heavy.In this episode, I explore what happens internally during heavy seasons, especially for high-achieving women and caregivers who are used to being the strong on...
Ep 46 - How I Moved from Survival Mode to Self-Trust (10 Lessons From 2025)
This birthday didn’t feel loud or celebratory in the traditional sense. It felt quiet. Steady. Like a deep exhale. And in that quiet, I realized just how much has shifted over the last year — not because I forced massive change, but because I s...
Ep 45 - Why We Abandon What's Working (And Call It Growth)
Why do we abandon routines that are actually working...and call it growth?In this episode, Dr. Michelle explores a subtle form of self-sabotage common among high-functioning women: making tiny, logical-seeming pivots away from wha...
Ep 44 - Setting Intentions Without Overwhelm vs. Making Resolutions
Feeling overwhelmed by New Year’s resolutions? This episode of the JoyfulRx podcast offers a compassionate alternative for caregivers and busy women: setting intentions without pressure.Dr. Michelle explores how to step away fro...
Ep 43- Beyond Burnout: When Stress Becomes Pain
What happens when pain has no clear medical explanation—but still changes everything?In this episode, I’m sharing a conversation I originally recorded as a guest takeover on a colleague’s podcast. As I listened back, I realized how deepl...
Ep 42- Feminine and Masculine Energy in Caregiving: How Decision Fatigue Drains Both
In this episode, we dive into the hidden impact of decision fatigue on caregivers — not just as a mental drain, but as an energetic one. We explore how constant decision-making pulls women out of their feminine energy, how it overwhelms ...
Ep 41- What My Mom's Peach Cobbler Taught Me About Joy and Myself
In this deeply personal and heart-opening episode of The JoyfulRx Podcast, Dr. Michelle shares a story that blends nostalgia, grief, ancestral wisdom, and the profound truth that joy is never truly lost — only waiting to be accessed ag...
Ep 40 - From Default to Intention: How Self-Awareness Transforms Parenting and Caregiving
Have you ever caught yourself reacting to your child or loved one in a way that made you think, “Where did that even come from?” You’re not alone. In this episode, Dr. Michelle dives deep into the quiet, unseen patterns that drive so m...
Ep 39- Mindfulness in Marriage & Parenthood: A Candid Conversation with My Husband
In this heartfelt and honest episode, Dr. Michelle sits down with her husband, Wayne, for a vulnerable conversation about mindfulness, marriage, parenting, and personal transformation. Together, they explore how mindfulness has shaped their ind...
Ep 38 - Why Parenting Feels So Hard — and How Regulation Changes Everything
Ever feel like parenting just feels harder than it should? You’re not alone — and there’s a reason it feels that way.In this episode of The JoyfulRx Podcast, Dr. Michelle shares why parenting feels almost impossible...
Ep. 37- The Weight of Decision Fatigue and How To Lighten The Load
Visit: www.joyfulrx.ca for free resources, including the "Decision Fatigue Self-Check Quiz"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you’ve ever...
Ep 36- Choosing Gratitude Over Frustration
In today's episode I talk about my personal approach to handling frustration by choosing gratitude in the moment. I also discuss why we shouldn't wait to feel the motivation before taking action, rather if we commit to taking the action and sta...
Ep 35- Gaslighting in Caregiving: Why You Feel Like You’re Never Enough
Gaslighting isn’t just something that happens in toxic relationships — it shows up in caregiving, too. And often, it’s so subtle and so normalized that caregivers don’t even realize it’s happening.In this episode, we dive deep...
Ep 34- Why Caregiving Feels So Frustrating — And What to Do About It
Frustration is one of the most common emotions caregivers experience — but what if I told you it’s not really about the situation at hand? Whether it’s the heartbreak of navigating a loved one’s incurable illness, the endless battle with medica...
Ep 33- Am I Blocking My Own Help?
In this honest and soul-nourishing episode, we explore a question many caregivers and high-capacity women rarely stop to ask: Could I be the one standing in the way of the help I need?Whether you’re navigating the complexities o...
Ep 32- How I Ended My Relationship with Drama, and Why You Should Too
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “Why does it feel like I'm always waiting for the next crisis?”You’re not alone—and you’re not imagining it. But here’s the truth: drama doesn’t just “happen” to us. It creeps in through o...