Work-Life Harmony: Building a Business Without Burning Out with Amy Pierre-Russo

What if the answer to overwhelm isn’t doing more—but doing what matters most?

In this episode, Elaine Belson talks with Amy Pierre-Russo, a Work-Life Harmony Coach & Strategist who partners with service-based business owners who are moms. Amy helps women create intentional routines for the lifestyle they actually want, so they can close their laptops at the end of the day confident in what they’ve done and ready to engage in what’s next.

Amy’s background spans HR, multiple coaching certifications, and mentoring with the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. She has seen how the weight of personal life can quietly burn out even the most passionate founder—and her work is about changing that.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why working harder is not always the solution to feeling overwhelmed
• How small, intentional changes can create more time and energy
• The difference between work-life balance and work-life harmony
• How perfectionism and self-criticism keep women stuck
• Why rest, support, and asking for help are essential—not optional
• How to build a business that supports your life instead of consuming it

Timestamps

00:00 – Introducing Amy and the conversation on work-life harmony

01:19 – Amy’s transition from HR into coaching

04:54 – Internal boundaries and making yourself a priority

06:29 – Starting small when life already feels overwhelming

09:42 – Stop blaming yourself: work smarter, not harder

12:35 – Burnout, sustainable habits, and the ripple effect on family

15:21 – Restorative habits and moving from reactive to proactive

17:49 – Using emotions and facts to make better decisions

20:19 – Why Amy prefers “harmony” over “balance”

23:12 – Reclaiming time through practical support and systems

29:18 – Asking for help, boundaries, and building support systems

35:14 – The value of community for women business owners

38:36 – Why taking a step back can move you forward

41:33 – Letting go of what is familiar but no longer working

44:44 – Amy’s coaching, community, and free guide

46:51 – Amy’s closing reminder: you don’t have to do more

47:23 – Elaine’s reflections on self-authority and work-life harmony

Connect with Amy

Instagram: @coachingwamy

LinkedIn: coachingwamy

YouTube: @Hustle-to-Harmony

Free Guide: Simple Approaches for Accessing a Simple Lifestyle

Connect with Elaine

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elainebelsonlcsw

Free Discovery Call: https://zcal.co/esbelsonlcswc/15min

Website: https://www.SelfAuthorityCoaching.com

Claiming Power Without Losing Yourself with Olga Valadon

Elaine Belson, LCSW-C, talks with Olga Valadon about career transitions, self-advocacy, emotional intelligence, and how women can claim visibility without losing their values.Olga shares her move from financial services to professional services and the culture shift that made self-promotion feel uncomfortable.

She reflects on how a Stanford program helped her rethink power—not as something inherently negative, but as a tool leaders can use to support teams and help others advance. The conversation also explores people pleasing, perfectionism, the qualification trap, and small habits—like repeatedly apologizing—that can undermine authority.

Olga and Elaine discuss emotional fluency: naming and understanding emotions so leaders can respond thoughtfully, learn from feedback, and move forward after mistakes.

About Olga Valadon

Olga Valadon is a strategic advisor, executive education facilitator, and speaker with 30 years of experience in global financial and professional services. She has led teams and advised senior executives, including Boards of Directors. She is the founder of Change Aligned, a leadership advisory and development company that works with executive teams and senior leaders to improve strategy execution by harnessing emotions—the hidden driver of costs, speed, risk, and growth.

Website: https://www.olgavaladon.com/
Change Aligned: https://changealigned.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgavaladon/

Timestamps

(00:31) Olga’s career transition
(02:08) Self-promotion and workplace culture
(05:14) Rethinking power and visibility
(09:21) Why self-advocacy can be difficult
(16:06) Using power for good
(21:22) Language habits and authority
(24:09) Perfectionism and the qualification trap
(31:21) Emotions as data
(37:32) Mistakes, learning, and self-judgment
(47:46) What emotional fluency means
(50:22) Feedback, posture, and language habits
(53:15) Testing assumptions and staying open to learning

Connect with Olga!

Website: https://www.olgavaladon.com/
Change Aligned: https://changealigned.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgavaladon/

Connect with Elaine!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elainebelsonlcsw
Free Discovery Call: https://zcal.co/esbelsonlcswc/15min
Website: https://www.TheSelfAuthorityCoach.com

Elaine Belson, LCSW, talks with Diane DiResta about self-authority, public speaking, and communication as a leadership skill in presentations, meetings, one-to-one conversations, and online. Drawing on her experience as a speaking coach and author of Knockout Presentations, Diane shares practical ways to reduce fear, build confidence through practice, and speak with greater presence.

• Why fear of humiliation can hold speakers back—and why it helps to have a plan for recovering from mistakes.
• How repetition, preparation, and feedback build confidence.
• Why a clear structure helps speakers avoid rambling and communicate with authority.
• How public speaking skills apply in everyday conversations, meetings, podcasts, and video.
• The importance of mindset, audience awareness, and aligning vocal, visual, and verbal communication.
• Speaking up in male-dominated environments, responding when an idea is overlooked, and adapting to an audience without losing authenticity.

00:22 - Diane’s freshman-year public speaking story
02:16 - Fear of humiliation and recovery strategies
03:13 - Turning nervous energy into confidence
04:09 - Building confidence through repetition and practice
05:18 - Preparation and delivery
06:04 - Public speaking as everyday communication
07:59 - How structure prevents rambling
10:07 - The mindset: “I have a right to be here”
12:11 - Imposter syndrome and overthinking others’ reactions
14:49 - Adapting to an audience while staying authentic
16:21 - Speaking in male-dominated fields
17:38 - Clear language instead of hedging or apologizing
20:54 - Emotions at work
23:08 - Shifting focus from self to service
24:03 - Situational speaking
28:43 - Timing, bias, and whether ideas land
30:51 - Reading audience body language
33:56 - Embracing mistakes
36:24 - Humor and grace under pressure
39:19 - Being yourself rather than a copy
40:06 - Matching your message to your audience
42:11 - Mindset and skill set
47:39 - Communication as a leadership skill

Diane DiResta, Certified Speaking Professional, is Founder and CEO of DiResta Communications, Inc., a New York City consultancy serving business leaders who deliver high-stakes presentations one-to-one, on stage, or virtually. She is the author of Knockout Presentations: How to Deliver Your Message with Power, Punch, and Pizzazz and has spoken on four continents.

Diane has been featured on CNN and quoted in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. ZoneofGenius.com named her to its list of Top 20 Speaker Coaches and Trainers. Thanks for the invite to come ealry, Her LinkedIn Learning course, Speaking Confidently and Effectively, ranked among the Top 20 Most Popular Courses for two consecutive years.

• Press: https://www.diresta.com/press
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediresta
• Website: http://www.diresta.com
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/dianediresta.com

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elainebelsonlcsw
• Free Discovery Call: https://zcal.co/esbelsonlcswc/15min
• Website: https://www.TheSelfAuthorityCoach.com

Join Elaine for a LIVE event to learn how to “Speak Up with Courage & Authority” on October 20, 2026: https://liz-lopez.mykajabi.com/speak-up