Feeling overwhelmed by racing thoughts, emotional overload, and constantly absorbing everyone else's energy? You're not broken - you just have some internal junk drawers that are overflowing. In this episode, we explore the three invisible junk drawers in your mind: mental, emotional, and energetic clutter that's been accumulating for years. You'll also learn why trying to fix the problem from the outside fails and the daily maintenance approach that actually works for lasting calm. Sign up for ...
Jun 25, 2025•16 min•Season 1Ep. 325
You’re the one everyone turns to when things go sideways. You stay calm when the stakes are high. You SHINE under pressure. So why are you so burned out? In this episode of Calm AF, I’m breaking down the real reason high achievers feel like they’re constantly putting out fires—and why your nervous system can’t seem to turn off, even when there’s nothing actually burning. We’re talking about: Why hypervigilance isn’t the secret to your success What firefighters can teach you about calm under pres...
Jun 18, 2025•16 min•Season 1Ep. 324
Today's episode is a little different than what you're used to hearing. Today I wrote US a commencment speech. Inspired by my son’s high school graduation, I started thinking about all the ways adults are graduating: out of relationships, into relationships, out of old roles, into new chapters, out of versions of ourselves that no longer fit. But we rarely pause to celebrate those transitions. In fact, we usually shame ourselves for them. Not today. This speech is for the 38-, 48-, 58-year-old w...
Jun 11, 2025•13 min•Season 1Ep. 323
In this episode, we’re talking about how to be the kind of leader, partner, parent, and friend that inspires the very best in others —and yourself. You already know how to push, nudge, and motivate yourself. But is the way you are leading yoruself the same way you are showing up for others? And if not, why not? I'm sharing the 7 ways you motivate yourself to be your best and how to start applying these same strategies to others: 1. Keeping people down when they’re struggling 2. Shaming instead o...
May 28, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 322
How many times have you tried to set a boundary but then backed down. Today’s bonus episode features a powerful Voxer message from one of my Upgrade clients—brought to life with a little AI magic (to keep my private clients private). What you’ll hear is what this work ACTUALLY sounds like. What is possible when you don't just know how to regulate in structured moments, but in real life. No spiraling. No shutdown. Just clarity, boundaries, and calm. This is exactly what we practice inside The Upg...
May 23, 2025•9 min
Summer is supposed to feel freeing—but for hyper achievers, it often feels anything but. In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on why summer is actually the most dysregulating season of the year for high performers, energy managers, and people pleasers. If you’ve ever felt guilty for not enjoying your “time off,” or found yourself craving September more than sunshine, this one’s for you. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why the lack of routine in summer can trigger nervous system chaos H...
May 20, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 321
We love the idea of “Let Them.” Let them judge you. Let them walk away. Let them misunderstand you. But when you're actually in it—when someone ghosts you, talks behind your back, or oversteps your boundary—it doesn’t feel empowering. It feels like rejection. Or worse, like you're white knuckling "let themmmmmm" so hard, you think your head might explode. In this episode, I break down what “Let Them” really means (spoiler: it’s not about not caring), how nervous system regulation helps you stop ...
May 07, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 320
You’re not fine. You’re functioning. And if that hit a little too close to home, this episode is for you. You’re showing up, getting things done, holding it all together— But inside, your nervous system is screaming. This episode is the mirror you didn’t know you needed. 🎧 Want to stop just functioning and start actually feeling like yourself again ? Start here In this episode, we talk about: The invisible cost of high-functioning women pretending they’re fine Why “I’m fine” is a nervous system...
Apr 23, 2025•15 min•Season 1Ep. 319
You say “I feel guilty.” But is that really what’s happening? In this episode, I’m calling out the biggest lie high performers tell themselves—and what’s actually keeping you stuck in overgiving, overfunctioning, and overthinking. You’ll learn: The real emotion behind “guilt” Why you feel bad setting boundaries (even when you know better) The 3-part script to break the guilt cycle for good This episode isn’t a self-help pep talk. It’s a pattern interrupt. Resources: Hyper Achiever to High Perfor...
Apr 16, 2025•13 min•Season 1Ep. 318
You don’t need more hustle—you need a new identity. In this final part of the 3-part series, Kristen breaks down the two biggest shifts that unlock high performance: making calm your home base (not your vacation) and finally letting go of the belief that doing it all alone makes you stronger. You don’t have to be operating at an elite level to think like a high performer—but you’ll never become one thinking like a hyperachiever. Resources: Hyper Achiever to High Performer Private Podcast : This ...
Apr 09, 2025•15 min•Season 1Ep. 317
If you’re always overthinking, overdoing, and over-managing everything in your life, this episode will help you see where those habits are coming from—and what’s possible when you start leading from regulation instead of urgency. Inside this episode: Why being busy isn’t a badge of honor—it's a red flag How high performers simplify instead of overcomplicate The difference between leading through pressure vs. encouragement Why overthinking keeps you stuck (and what to do instead) Why doing everyt...
Apr 02, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 316
Ever wonder why high performers seem to have effortless discipline while you struggle to stick to your habits? It’s not magic—it’s simplicity, consistency, and a commitment to the boring. In today’s episode, we’re breaking down the key differences between hypervigilant high achievers (who run on stress and urgency) and Calm AF high performers (who operate from clarity and intention). You’ll learn: Why you’re overcomplicating your routines and making success harder than it needs to be. Why high p...
Mar 19, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 315
If you’re the one who shifts the energy in a room, who anticipates what people need before they even realize it, who prides yourself on preventing problems before they happen—this episode is for you. You believe you’re controlling things because you have proof—meetings where you turned a "no" into a "yes," situations you steered to avoid disaster, people you influenced into changing their minds. But here’s the truth: Control was never actually yours. In this episode, we break down: How gripping ...
Mar 05, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 314
You think you’re giving 100%—pushing yourself, outworking, and outperforming. But what if you’re actually only operating at 70% and don’t even realize it? In this episode, I break down why elite performers feel maxed out, even when they have more to give. It’s not about working harder—it’s about stopping the energy leaks that are burning you out. You’ll learn: The #1 reason high achievers feel stuck and exhausted How wasted energy—mental tension, overthinking, and nervous system overload—keeps y...
Feb 26, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 313
Welcome back to Calm AF. In today’s episode, we’re diving into a moment that every high achiever eventually faces: I did it. I achieved the thing. I checked all the boxes. So why don’t I feel how I thought I would? If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. Inside This Episode: Why hustling feels so good (and why it stops working) The moment every high achiever faces—and how to move through it The difference between achieving for validation vs. achieving from enoughness Why the world does...
Feb 19, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 312
You want the next-level version of yourself? You have to think like her, act like her, show up as her. But here’s the catch—growth isn’t comfortable. It’s not supposed to be. A couple weeks ago, I spent four days deep in upleveling and shifting mindsets with my bestie, Amanda and over and over, the theme that kept coming up wasn’t the strategy or logistics—it was discomfort. The discomfort of stepping into a bigger vision. The discomfort of letting go of what won’t come with you. The discomfort ...
Feb 12, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 311
At the highest levels of success, it’s not your talent, resources, or strategy that holds you back—it’s your mindset. In this episode, we explore how mastering your mindset unlocks your full potential and helps you step into your upleveled identity. You’ll hear Emma’s story—a high performer who had everything she needed to land her dream job, except the full on belief that she could. We’ll break down the invisible ceiling that fear and doubt create and share the exact steps to start embodying yo...
Jan 29, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 310
Are you exhausted from constantly fixing everyone else’s problems? Do you feel like your calm depends on everyone else being okay? In this episode, we’re tackling the habit of jumping into the “dysregulation hole” and learning how to stay grounded instead. You’ll discover: What the dysregulation hole is and why you keep jumping in. The real cost of always fixing other people’s problems. How to disrupt the cycle and reclaim your energy. Plus, I’ve created a special Speed of Life Coaching Session ...
Jan 22, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 309
Burnout isn’t just about being tired—it’s about being stuck in a cycle of overdrive and collapse that drains your energy, erodes your confidence, and leaves you feeling like no amount of rest will ever be enough. This morning, a client shared a story that perfectly captured the heart of this struggle, and it was so powerful I scrapped my original recording of this episode to include it. In this episode, I’ll share her transformational journey of breaking the burnout cycle—not by doing less or tr...
Jan 08, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 308
Happy New Year! How FUN to start the day with a brand new episode for a brand new year! BUT… This isn’t another episode about resolutions or “New Year, New You.” Because the new year doesn’t need a new you. It needs the real you—calm, aligned, and ready to create the life you truly want. But before we step into that energy, there’s some baggage to leave behind. In this episode, I’m naming the sh*t you need to leave in 2024 so you can level up your energy in 2025. We’ll cover: The 7 patterns, bel...
Jan 01, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 307
The week between Christmas and New Year’s—what I call the holiday vortex—is your secret weapon for creating a calm, focused, and successful start to 2025. In this episode, I’ll show you why rest is the most productive thing you can do and how using this unique time strategically can help you achieve more without burnout. You’ll learn how to break free from the productivity treadmill, rewire your nervous system, and step into the new year with clarity, confidence, and joy. If you’re an ambitious ...
Dec 24, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 306
Can you be ambitious AND calm? Can you be a high performer without burning out? In this episode of Calm AF, I’m sharing the exact principles I teach my high-performance clients so they can keep striving, keep growing, and actually thrive—without burning out. Resources: Regulated : A step-by-step guide to mastering your nervous system, transforming how you respond to stress, and finding more calm and clarity in your daily life. Mastering Calm AF : If you want to take what you learn in Regulated a...
Dec 18, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 305
Overthinking feels productive—it’s like you’re preparing, analyzing, and planning for every possibility. But in reality, it’s a mental trap that keeps you stuck, drains your energy, and erodes your confidence. In this episode, we’re diving into why overthinking happens, how it sabotages your progress, and—most importantly—how to break free. You’ll hear the story of a high-achieving client who struggled with perfectionism and overthinking and learn the practical steps to shift from analysis paral...
Dec 11, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 304
Discover why emotional regulation is the ultimate competitive advantage in Episode 303 of Calm AF. In this episode, we explore how staying calm under pressure transforms your leadership, relationships, and personal growth. Learn why the calmest person in the room holds the most power, and how emotional regulation can help you build trust, process feedback effectively, and achieve faster, better results in every area of your life. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why fear-based leadership doesn...
Dec 04, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 303
In this episode, we’re diving into the power of a regulated presence and why it’s the most game-changing skill you can develop. You’ll learn: Why your peace doesn’t depend on controlling others. The difference between performative calm and true regulation. How staying regulated creates a ripple effect that impacts everyone around you. Plus, I’ll share practical tools to start regulating your nervous system today and explain why your nervous system will resist these changes—and how to override th...
Nov 27, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 302
Sometimes, the most powerful move you can make is to stop. In this episode, I’m sharing what I learned during a months-long pause from my usual routines, including how letting go of the old ways of working revealed a new, more aligned path forward. I’ll take you behind the scenes of why I had to cancel everything—except 1:1 client work—and how that shift transformed not only my business but also how I live and coach. This episode is an invitation to pause, recalibrate, and step into a new era of...
Nov 20, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 301
As we move forward, I want you to imagine how it feels to take everything we've learned from these 300 episodes and let it integrate within you. You don't need to carry the weight of constantly seeking more information. You are ready. You are equipped with all the tools and knowledge needed to move freely and lightly. Get ready for a big shift. Tap here to subscribe and stay tuned. Not yet a member of Calm AF Life? ~ Join here to pay in full ~ Join here for payment plan ~ Or if you have question...
Jun 26, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 300
Mood swings. Brain fog. Isolation, procrastination, hopelessness, anxiety. And those are just a few (more) of the ways chronic dysregulation is fucking up your life. Send me your questions here. ~ To inquire about working with me in 2024, click here. Not yet a member of Calm AF Life? ~ Join here to pay in full ~ Join here for payment plan ~ Or if you have questions before joining, simply click here to set up a 30 minute call....
Jun 19, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 299
I spent more time than normal in a state of dysregulation last week – and holy hell, do I feel it. Here are 5 ways frequent or chronic dysregulation physically manifests in our bodies. Send me your questions here. ~ To inquire about working with me in 2024, click here. Not yet a member of Calm AF Life? ~ Join here to pay in full ~ Join here for payment plan ~ Or if you have questions before joining, simply click here to set up a 30 minute call....
Jun 12, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 298
Nothing changes without doing things that feel hard. Whether it’s setting a boundary, saying NO to someone, learning how to not let the fear of GUILT stop you from every freaking thing you want to try, or not letting the fear of other people’s opinions dictate how you live your life. So, you have a choice to make when it comes to creating the life you want: hard now, or hard forever? ~ Take the Nervous System Pattern Quiz here! Not yet a member of Calm AF Life? ~ Join here to pay in full ~ Join ...
Jun 05, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 297
