Worthy Because You Are: Burnout, Chronic Illness & the SIMPLE System for Thriving | Diane Hallman

What does it cost to perform your way through life — to build a resume that looks impressive while your body and spirit quietly collapse under the weight of it?

In this episode, Heather Zimmerman sits down with Diane Hallman — founder of Simple Systems for Thriving, author of Nurturing Wisdom, and former CFO turned positive psychology practitioner — for a grounded, honest conversation about burnout, chronic illness, the divine feminine, and what happens when you finally stop studying healing and start living it.

Diane shares:

• Her own story: Crohn's disease at 14, bowel surgery in 2019, years of severe complications — and how implementing the SIMPLE system led to a clean bill of health within six months, with zero signs of inflammation
• The SIMPLE framework broken down: Self-discovery, Identity, Mindset, Potential, Liveliness, and Engage — and how it helps women understand where they are and map a path to where they want to go
• The Abundance Capacity Reset — what it is, why receiving is harder than giving for most women, and how to start changing that
• Thirty years of studying this material before truly living it — and what finally made the difference
• Why chronic illness often lives in the emotional body first — and what it looks like to actually release it rather than manage it
• The distinction between knowing and embodying — you can read the recipe, but you still have to make the cookies
• The divine feminine rising: from human doing to human being, from performing to receiving, from proving worth to inhabiting it
• Why discernment — learning to say no to what doesn't fit your five core goals — is an act of healing, not just productivity
• Her book Nurturing Wisdom (101 pages, narrative + journal prompts + practices) and how it walks readers through the full SIMPLE system

Diane Lauer Hallman's primary area of expertise or focus is helping growth-minded women and organizations simplify complexity through the S.I.M.P.L.E. Systems for Thriving framework. She blends positive psychology, metaphysics, and practical strategies to guide personal and professional transformation, emphasizing emotional healing, integrity, and sustainable growth. Diane specializes in creating accessible systems that foster clarity, calm, and authentic abundance, allowing women, businesses, and communities to thrive with integrity and joy. Through her work, she focuses on unleashing full potential, nurturing emotional intelligence, and fostering meaningful relationships while ensuring that change is sustainable, soulful, and anchored in truth. 

Find Diane Hallman:

• Website: simplesystemsforthriving.com
• Book — Nurturing Wisdom: available on Amazon and at simplesystemsforthriving.com

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Welcome to Everything You Need to Know About the Ascension of Humanity, the podcast where ancient wisdom meets modern science and spiritual evolution gets real. I'm Heather, an energy healer, channel, and spiritual coach with Divine Ascension Company. Each week, we're diving deep into the mysteries of human consciousness, spiritual awakening, and the profound transformation happening within us and around us. But here's the thing: we're not doing this with our heads in the clouds. We're bringing neuroscience, psychology, quantum physics, and cutting-edge research to the table alongside meditation, energy work, and timeless spiritual teachings. Because the truth is, the ascension of humanity isn't some far-off cosmic event. It's happening right now in the choices we make, the awareness we cultivate, and the healing we do within ourselves. Whether you're curious about how mindfulness literally rewires your brain, why shadow work is backed by depth psychology, or what coherence between your heart and mind actually means scientifically you're in the right place. We'll explore practices like breath work, meditation, and devotional alchemy, not as abstract concepts, but as tangible tools grounded in both spiritual wisdom and scientific understanding. And here's where it gets even better. In our bonus episodes, you'll hear from real people sharing real stories. These are the warriors, the healers, the everyday seekers who've walked through their own darkness and found their light. They'll share their breakthroughs, their struggles, and the resources that actually help them along the way. Because personal growth isn't a solo journey, and you deserve to know you're not alone. So whether you're just beginning to question the nature of reality, or you're deep in your spiritual practice, this podcast is your companion on the path. It's time to expand, to awaken, and to rise together.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Let's begin.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

Today's guest spent 30 years studying the material before she finally applied it to herself. And within six months of actually doing the work, her GI doctor gave her a clean bill of health after years of chronic illness. No signs of inflammation. None. For someone who'd been malnourished, dehydrated, and in chronic pain, that's not a footnote. That's the whole story. Diane Holman is the founder of Simple Systems for Thriving, an author and a guide for growth-minded women navigating overwhelm, burnout, and major life transitions. She brings together positive psychology, metaphysics, and practical strategy, and she built the whole framework from the inside out because she needed it herself. She was a CFO, MBA in finance, high performing, over-responsible, perpetually overgiving, and quietly being crushed under the weight of a life that looked impressive on paper and felt like a grind every single day. Crohn's disease at 14, bowel surgery in 2019, years of severe complications. And somewhere in the middle of it all, she started actually using what she'd spent decades studying. What she discovered is something she calls the simple system, a six-step framework that moves from self-discovery through identity, mindset, potential, liveliness, and embodied action. It's the map she wishes she'd had. It's what her book, Nurturing Wisdom, was built on. And it's what she uses now to walk alongside women who are done performing their way to worthiness and ready to receive something different. In this episode, we talk about the difference between knowing something and actually living it, and why that gap is where everything either opens up or stays stuck. We talk about chronic illness as a messenger, the divine feminine rising, and why the scale was never supposed to be tipped all the way to doing.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

We talk about what it looks like to build a life that fits your actual values instead of your resume. And we talk about chocolate chip cookies. Let's get into it.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Her name is Diane Hallman. She helps growth-minded women and organizations simplify complexity through a simple systems for thriving framework. She blends positive psychology, which, as you all know, is near and dear to my heart, as well as metaphysics and practical strategies to guide personal and professional transformation, emphasizing on emotional healing, integrity, and sustainable growth. And she's also an inspiring author and a visionary founder of the Simple Systems for Thriving. I'm really excited to talk to you today. Diane, how are you doing? Good. Thank you for having me today, Heather. It's a pleasure. So why don't you go ahead and get us started and tell us a little bit about more about who you are and what you do.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

So I actually support women that are going through transitions, especially, especially women that are feeling like they are overwhelmed and they are on the point of burnout. So I really help them go through what I call the abundance capacity reset so that they can understand what is holding them back in their lives. So that could be in the workplace. Maybe the systems they have in place are not efficient, or they have some emotional burden that is holding them back, or they have just need time and space and somebody to really talk through what they need to simplify in their lives so they can truly enjoy themselves and take in all the abundance that is available to them. That sounds amazing.

SPEAKER_02 6:06

So I noticed that the simple part is an acronym. What does that stand for?

SPEAKER_00 6:12

So simple stands for the S is for self-discovery. We all have to have our awareness around where we are. So once you really understand who you are, that means your values, your passions, and your needs and desires, you're able to really start to create a life that you love and enjoy. And then we go into the M for mindfulness and mindset. So really understanding what are your thought patterns and what are you telling yourself? Is that helping you move closer to your goals or is that hindering you? And then we talk about P for potential pathways forward, L around liveliness and love that includes self-love, which is so critical to receiving that abundance. And also the love that we get from our support system. And then the E is around really engaging and embarking on the future and all the projects and passion projects that we have as really creative, intuitive women that we want to bring forth in the world. And the whole system together really helps somebody understand where they're at and where they want to go and what it's going to take for them to get there.

SPEAKER_02 7:38

Wow, that sounds amazing and very thorough. I like that. And I like the fact that you have the mindfulness in there because that is and the self-love, those are things that I teach in my program as well. They're very foundational and very important for you to really thrive in anything.

SPEAKER_00 7:55

Yes, they are the mindset change, is really changed my life once I started to actually practice mindset change and really being conscientious of my thoughts and my feelings and understanding how that's playing into my day-to-day world, either how I show up at work, how I show up in relationships, how I show up with the relationship with myself. And that takes us right back to that self-love. I find so many women struggle with receiving. And we give and we give and we give.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

And it really does take a toll on not only your physical health, but your mental and emotional health as well. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

You know, I really believe that the universe is a kind place, and we are given exactly what we are willing to receive. So when I've spent the days stressed out and frustrated and angry, that's what I saw more of in my life. When I stepped back and simplified and created more spaciousness and actually practiced gratitude down to the cellular level, magic started to happen because now I've started to attract positive things in my life, opportunities, conversations with people like you. And the list goes on and on, but it was it goes back to that mindset change of what am I looking for? And what am I open to attract and receive into my life? Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 12:10

And you said you had chronic Crohn's disease. How did this system and the things that you studied help you with that physical aspect?

SPEAKER_00 12:20

So I'll be honest, I had bowel surgery back in 2019 and I had about five years of severe complications afterwards. So once I started to implement the simple system into my life, within six months, my GI doctor told me I had a clean bill of health and there was no signs of inflammation anymore. So I went from malnurised, dehydrated, and in chronic pain to having no signs of inflammation. So that's pretty dramatic. If you would actually if if anybody out there has chronic illness, they understand what that means to finally have a clean bill of health.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

Yeah, I I can only imagine. I mean, I had chronic back pain for years and years, so I I understand to a degree, but where did that kind of fall in line? Because some okay, let's say that there's a skeptic who's like, oh, well, it was a surgery that helped you, obviously. What would you say? Like, where were you at on your path with this simple system that coincides with you know receiving that clean bill of health? How would you say that they correlate with each other?

SPEAKER_00 13:46

So I would say the biggest difference was I keep saying that, slowing down. So when I made a point to practice self-care, one of the biggest things I did every day was I simply got into the woods and walked with no phone, with nothing else. And I would walk every day for at least an hour and just breathe and ground and reconnect with the natural energies of the world of the earth, and just uh allowing my anxiety to uh go into the earth instead of carrying it in my body, and that was the first step. And then as I got clearer on that, I was able to really process my emotions and sit with my emotions in such a way that I was able to understand uh what was stored in my body and and release it and let it go and change how I uh viewed the world. And each day I would just practice positive uh steps and intentional steps towards the end goals I have set for myself, and I honestly I've simplified my life so much that I I'm very clear on there's five big end goals that I have, and if things don't fit within those goals, I say no. So even having that discernment has freed up my emotional energy space as well, which definitely has a major impact on my physical well-being.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

Yeah, absolutely. And that takes us back to that mindfulness and self-love too. And I and I'm not diminishing the rest of your system because it's all an amazing system, but those things specifically, like when you're able to really pay attention to the present moment and where you are and how you feel, you can look at your emotions in those different that that different way and be like, okay, I giving myself the compassion and understanding that I need to really sit with these emotions, figure out why they're here, what do they mean, why are they being triggered, and really work through them in a way that you can't really do until you get to that point. And it's so important because you do store that energy in your body. And when you let it go and it festers and gets stagnant in your energy field, it does start to manifest in physical ailments. So this is, I mean, I can't stress that enough. How important those things are really as like a stepping stone to everything else.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Well, I think even what you just said was so critical. So when we sit and are able to be present, and at a moment, if you are experiencing anxiety, for example, if you can uh use your six senses, so what do you see? What do you smell? What do you taste? And bring yourself back into the here and now. And at this exact moment in time, are you safe? Are you okay? And from that space of being truly present in whatever is happening, that's where the the beauty and the magic can occur because that's the only thing you can control is what's happening here and now, not what's going to happen in an hour or a week or five years from now, or the same behind us. Like this is the only moment you have. So the more you can stay present with yourself, that's where your your authority comes in, and your power comes in and your free will. So that's where that healing can really occur. And I'll be honest, I for 30 years I studied this stuff and I didn't quite get that concept in action, the applied wisdom of truly being present with yourself.

SPEAKER_02 18:17

Yeah, it's tough, you know, and I always say there's a difference between knowing and feeling. We can know concepts, we can understand things to a degree all day long, but until we really embody them and bring them in, and and like you said, wisdom and action, until we get to that point, you don't really fully understand because knowing that how something works and actually doing it are two different things.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Oh, absolutely. Well, and until you do it, you don't experience the benefits of it either. Right. I mean, it's you know, we can use something as simple as you can read the recipe for the chocolate chip cookies, but until you go and make them, you really don't know how to make cookies. Right. So that's what we're kind of talking about. It's applying the the knowledge we've received in in podcasts and in books and in workshops, but ensuring that it is incorporated in your daily living so that you're being intentional with how you focus your energy. Because that's those resources are how you vote and build your life.

SPEAKER_02 19:31

Absolutely. And I really like that chocolate chip cookie recipe analogy because you can be like, oh, I got this recipe, you know, it was handed down in my family. I I know that it's gotta be good, but until you make it, like you can't really tell people how good the cookies taste, how you know amazing it was to make, how good it smelled, like you you know that it's probably good because it's been handed down for generations, but until you really go in and make it and taste the benefits, like you said, you don't really understand exactly what those cookies are. Right. And what it takes to make them exactly. So tell us a little bit more about your book.

SPEAKER_00 20:14

So my book is named called Nurturing Wisdom. Discover what lasts, release what fades, and flourish and what matters with the simple system. And it's 101 pages. It includes both narrative, journal prompts, and different exercises and practices, and it really walks through walks you through the simple system for all of these different steps from reclaiming your vitality to understanding your integrity and really understanding yourself because that once you you understand where your values and your passions and your goals are in life, then you can really start to create a life that you love and experience this abundance. Goes through different mindfulness practices. A lot I offer many different opportunities for potential pathways forwards so that you can really implement from things like your gratitude journal, your personal mantra, some somatic work. Um as we spoke about that grounding is so critical, at least for my well-being. Oh, yeah. Yes, and then you know, we talk about our support system, so really strengthening the circle around you. You know, are you functioning in an environment that is going to help you flourish and thrive? Or is there some weeding that needs to happen so that the environment that you're functioning in on a daily basis? Is for your highest and greatest good. And then that last part around envision and embolden is really about writing your personal vision statement, manifesting your dreams, and living with intention and purpose so that you can actually experience all the benefits and all the blessings available to you. Awesome. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 22:25

So I want to touch on one other thing before we wrap up. I I know that you were part of the, and this is something that has come up a few times that I really want to share because so many people are going through this right now. You were in the corporate world. You have an MBA in finance, you went through a spiritual awakening. Tell me a little bit more about that experience.

SPEAKER_00 22:49

So I mean, when I was working full-time, I really believed. So I was the CFO of a mission organization, and I I took on a lot of responsibility, and I and I took that burden on my own shoulders, and it almost crushed me because I I didn't understand the give and take of reciprocity, and I didn't really understand all of these components that we're talking about here today. So every day I would get up and be like, oh my gosh, I have this huge to-do list and I have all this obligation, and I was just sat in victim mindset, to be honest, and it was a grind every day, just trying to keep everything afloat between work and children and home life, and and I just was on the on the wheel, running as fast as I could, and it was exhausting. I bet and it really didn't allow for time to kind of step back and enjoy life, you know. I I really bought into I have to I have to perform to be worthy instead of I'm worthy just because I am. Right. And I see that a lot with a lot of my clients, with a lot of the women I speak with. You know, we're trying to receive validation through performance instead of an internal validation that you're worthy and deserve self-love, self-respect, self-compassion, because that is your divine right as a human being.

SPEAKER_02 25:01

Yeah. And I feel like because, as women, for so long being oppressed in this world, in this patriarchy that we live in, we have focused so much on the divine masculine parts of ourselves, trying to prove ourselves worthy to get that equal pay, to get those CEO, CFO positions to be treated with respect that we kind of forgot about the divine feminine aspects of ourselves where we're allowed to be intuitive, we're allowed to be, you know, compassionate and understanding, and we're allowed to have the both of those things. And I think we've just been grinding so hard to to try to prove ourselves to the world that we forget that we don't need to do that.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

I agree with you. I mean, if you when I think about divine the divine feminine, it's gotten a bad rap. Yeah. So, you know, we we want to say that's not that doesn't fit into our American culture of consumerism. Right. Because part of the divine feminine is the receiving, is the caring, is the softness, is being in cycle, you know, in the cycles of nature. It's not necessarily work harder, earn more money, get a bigger house, you know, competition. That's not that's not necessarily part of the divine feminine that is rising today. And as women, we and men, we both have to allow that femininity and the yin, if you will, the receiving, so that we start to really embrace the being, the human being part instead of the human doing part, is how we historically have operated.

SPEAKER_02 27:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:17

So that's even if we don't want to use the words defined masculine and divine feminine, you can just split it down from doing to being or becoming. And it allows for time and space. And I think the other component there is around divine order and divine timing and allowing things to come to fruition and flourish in their own time, absolutely, and that's the thing: like men and women both have this yin and yang energy, and it's all about finding that balance.

SPEAKER_02 27:56

We don't need to the scales in one side or the other, we have to learn how to balance both of them, and that goes for everyone. Yes, yeah, awesome. So if someone wants to take part in your simple stuff system for thriving, how would they find you?

SPEAKER_00 28:14

So they can come to my website, Simple SystemsforThriving.com. I have some really nice free tools on there. We have the abundance abundance capacity reset. It's a bot that you can go through and really see where you're at in your own cycle of being willing and able to receive abundance. We have a full store full of digital products. And you can also see join the mailing list, and I send out all types of tools and tips and information to really support somebody as they are going through their own journey. I'd like to really walk alongside people. So I also offer an abundance capacity reset one-on-one session. So if you are feeling that you would like a little support in seeing where your locks are, you can sign up for a 90-minute session. And we have clients that come through that and just not only have the awareness, but they actually have a plan on how to improve their lives within the next 14 days. Wow, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 29:37

And how about your book? Where can they find your book?

SPEAKER_00 29:40

So you can find my book, Nurturing Wisdom with the Simple System. It is available on Amazon and it is also available on my website. Once again, that's Simple SystemsforThriving.com. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 29:53

Well, thank you so much for taking the time to be here today. It was an absolute pleasure to speak with you.

SPEAKER_00 30:00

Thank you, Heather. I really appreciate the time as well.

SPEAKER_02 30:07

If this conversation sparked something in you, I want you to know that spark is your soul talking. Come find me at DivineAscensionco.com. There's a whole new home there waiting for you. Services, resources, and a community of people who are done playing small and ready to remember who they actually are. I'll see you there. Until next time, keep ascending.