What if success wasn’t about fitting into hustle culture, but about shaping your life around your energy, values, and needs?

In this conversation, I’m joined by Annie Hoogendoorn, Lifestyle Design Coach and founder of Bloem, who supports highly sensitive and neurodivergent high achievers to transition out of draining careers and into rhythms that truly honor their energy, purpose, and well-being.

Annie’s story is one of courage and reinvention — from the creative hustle of Amsterdam, to the fast-paced corporate tech world in Portland, to the deep burnout that finally led her to slow down, listen inward, and reimagine how life could feel. Today, she helps others do the same: decondition from hustle culture, reconnect with the body’s wisdom, and design lives that feel not just successful, but truly sustainable.

Together, we explore:
🌿 Why “deconditioning” is the first step toward an aligned life
🌿 How to reconnect with your intuition and body’s guidance when it feels foreign
🌿 The unique challenges highly sensitive and neurodivergent high achievers face in work and business
🌿 How to create systems and structures that support your energy instead of draining it
🌿 The hidden cost of productivity culture — and what becomes possible when you uncouple self-worth from constant achievement
🌿 Gentle, practical practices Annie uses to reconnect with herself on difficult days

Annie’s perspective is both deeply compassionate and practical, reminding us that reconnection isn’t about perfection — it’s about softening, creating space, and returning to ourselves, over and over again.

Practical Steps to Try

✅ Time blocks with intention: Schedule work in 60–90 minute chunks, followed by short breaks for movement, breath, or rest.

✅ Energy mapping: Notice when your focus and creativity are highest during the day, and align your most demanding tasks with those windows.

✅ Build restorative rituals: Pair your work with small nourishing practices — a walk, yin yoga, or mindful tea — so that energy is replenished, not depleted.

✅ Simplify your systems: Use a daily check-in to name your top 1–2 priorities instead of scattering energy across endless to-dos.

Journal Prompts for Reflection

🖊️ What systems or routines in my life currently drain me more than they support me?
🖊️ When during the day do I feel most alive, creative, or focused? How can I honor that?
🖊️ What belief ties my sense of worth to productivity — and is it really true?
🖊️ If I trusted my body as my guide, what one change would I make in how I structure my day?

Resources & Links

✨ Learn more about Annie’s work here
✨ Download her free Life Audit Workbook here
✨ Connect with Annie on Instagram

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Sometimes it’s not your mind that’s exhausted — it’s your body holding the day’s story.
We talk a lot about our emotions, name them, analyze them… but feeling them fully — all the way through — is a completely different experience.

In this episode, I share a gentle but powerful practice I call the Emotional Exhale — a way to release what you’ve been carrying in under five minutes, so you can arrive back home in yourself.

We explore:

• Why we often stop short of feeling big emotions to completion, and how this leaves residue in the body.

• How subtle, everyday emotions pile up when we skip over them — creating a dull, heavy in-between state.

• The emotional “mixed-bag fog” and why it can leave you confused about what you’re really feeling.

• How the Emotional Exhale can act like opening a window in a stale room — bringing in fresh space for clarity, softness, and presence.

This episode also includes a guided practice to help you:

• Create an inner space to welcome what’s truly there

• Offer presence to the residue you’ve been carrying

• Ride the full wave of sensation until it naturally completes

• Make space inside you for whatever newness wants to come in

Whether you’re moving through a big life wave or simply want to end your day feeling lighter, this practice is here to help you pause, reset, and reconnect.

FAQ: Your Questions Answered

Q: What exactly is an “emotional exhale”?
It’s a short, intentional pause where you let your body and nervous system release what’s been building up — physically, mentally, and emotionally. Think of it as the moment you finally open a window in a stuffy room.

Q: Do I have to feel all my emotions to benefit from this practice?
Not at all. The beauty of the emotional exhale is that it’s gentle. You’re simply creating space for whatever is here right now — whether that’s a tidal wave of feeling or just a subtle ripple. You’re not forcing anything, just allowing.

Q: What if I’m not sure what I’m feeling?
That’s actually really common. Many of us live in a kind of “emotional mixed bag” — a bit of sadness, a hint of frustration, maybe even some joy — all blended together. You don’t need to name it to feel it. The practice works even when all you sense is a vague heaviness or restlessness.

Q: How often should I do an emotional exhale?
You can use it anytime — as a midday reset, after a stressful moment, or at the end of your workday to clear the slate before your evening. Even a couple of minutes can make a difference.

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What if we didn’t have to choose between being deeply connected to others or being true to ourselves?

In this episode of Embodied Living, I’m joined by Jessica JJ Lutz — author, speaker, and creator of the We-Mind vs Me-Mind framework — to explore how we can move beyond binary thinking and inhabit a more integrated, embodied way of relating to life, work, and ourselves.

Whether you find yourself constantly giving to others or fiercely protecting your autonomy, this conversation invites you to soften the divide — and discover what it means to live from alignment rather than opposition.

In this episode, we dive into:

• The difference between the We-Mind and the Me-Mind — and how both can coexist

• How to recognize when we’re acting from one or the other

• Cultural influences on how we relate to connection and autonomy

• How to balance empathy with boundaries

  Key Takeaways

• You don’t have to choose between being kind and being true to yourself

• The We-Mind can lead to connection and harmony, but also self-abandonment if unconscious

• The Me-Mind supports self-trust and agency, but can isolate when overused

• Awareness is the bridge — learning to recognize where you're operating from allows more freedom and choice

• Integration is the goal: honoring both your individuality and your need for connection

Journal Prompts for Reflection

💭 When do I feel most “me”? When do I feel most “we”?

💭 How can I create space for both — without sacrificing one?

💭 What moments recently gave me the feeling of “yes — this is enough”?

💭 How can I celebrate those moments in my body more consciously?

Practical Steps to try here

📥 Get My Free Guide!
Want simple ways to reconnect to yourself daily? Download my free guide: 5 Easy Ways to Reconnect to Yourself Daily