Let’s Get Real with Jena Burris
Welcome to Let’s Get Real, the podcast for women who feel like they’re holding it all together on the outside… but falling apart on the inside.
If you’re exhausted from pretending, overwhelmed by the pressure to be everything for everyone, or unsure who you even are anymore—you’re not alone. And you’re not crazy.
Let’s Get Real is where we have honest conversations about the struggles most people avoid—healing emotional wounds, losing yourself in motherhood, rebuilding your identity, and learning how to live whole again.
I’m Jena Burris—wife, mom, and your host. With a background in marriage and family therapy, life coaching, and years spent navigating life behind the scenes of the NFL and Hollywood, I’m passionate about creating a space where real conversations lead to real healing.
Each week, you’ll hear real stories, practical tools, and the reminder that freedom is closer than you think. Because I believe that in order to heal, we have to get real.
New episodes every Tuesday. Real talk. Real tools. Real healing.
For speaking inquiries, brand partnerships, or workshop opportunities, visit www.jenaburris.com or email jena@jenaburris.com.
Let’s Get Real with Jena Burris
Living Life by Design in Motherhood with Dr. Wendy O'Connor
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Free Resource for Moms
Feeling overwhelmed and like you’ve lost yourself in the chaos of motherhood? You’re not alone. And you don’t have to keep feeling this way.
I created this FREE guide for you:
🎁 The Overwhelmed Mom’s Guide: 10 Small Changes to Start Feeling Like You Again
Simple, realistic shifts you can start making today without adding more to your plate.
👉 https://jenaburris.kit.com/ecc29b3801
Episode 48: Living Life by Design in Motherhood with Dr. Wendy O'Connor
So many moms are living on autopilot.
You check the boxes.
You show up.
You do the “right” things.
And yet… something feels off.
In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Dr. Wendy O’Connor, Stanford-trained positive psychologist, to unpack what it truly means to live life by design instead of default, especially in motherhood.
We talk about the quiet kind of burnout that happens when your life looks good on paper but doesn’t feel aligned anymore. The kind where you’re not depressed, but you’re not lit up either. The kind where you start wondering, Is this just how it’s supposed to be?
Dr. Wendy shares the pivotal moment that changed everything for her, realizing she had built a successful life that no longer fit who she was becoming. That realization led her into the work she now teaches thousands of women: reconnecting to your strengths, values, and desires so you can stop surviving and start designing forward.
A Powerful Shift
One of the most important takeaways from this episode:
You don’t need to overhaul your entire life.
You need to start designing forward.
That might look like taking an honest audit of your day.
Noticing where you hit the “rumble strip.”
Asking yourself, Where am I saying yes when I mean no?
It’s not about blowing everything up.
It’s about inching closer to alignment.
Because every time you say yes when you mean no, you fracture self-trust.
And every time you choose yourself in a small way, you begin rebuilding it.
Why This Matters in Motherhood
There is no other season of life where you give so much of yourself.
And yet, when you disconnect from yourself, you don’t just affect your own fulfillment, you model that disconnection for your children.
If we live dimmed, filtered, and small… they learn to do the same.
Living by design isn’t selfish.
It’s modeling courage.
It’s modeling self-trust.
It’s modeling what it looks like to come home to yourself.
If You’re Feeling “Too Far Gone”
Dr. Wendy reminds us: there is no such thing.
Everything you desire is waiting on the other side of your next small move.
One mindset shift.
One boundary.
One aligned decision.
If this episode resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it.
Connect with Dr. Wendy
You can connect with Dr. Wendy O’Connor on Instagram at @drwendyoconnor and learn more about her work helping women live with clarity, confidence, and intention.
P.S. If this episode resonates with you, please reach out. I truly want to hear your story. You can DM me on Instagram @jenaburris or email me at jena@jenaburris.com. Your voice matters — and I’m here for you.