Cowgirls Over Coffee

• Locking in for Fall: Going All In without Burning Out

  Fall is here and we’re not tiptoeing into it. Today we talk about going all in without burning out, rebuilding stamina after a slow season, and choosing sustainable momentum over shiny sprints.In this conversation, we welcome back my dear friend Audrey Hall, a creative, builder, and wholehearted go-for-it gal who knows what it takes to strategically ramp back up. Together, we unpack what “locking in” looks like when you’re balancing real life: kids, careers, recovery seasons, and the call to create again.We talk about scheduling as stewardship, fluid structure (yes to time blocks, no to rigidity), and the crucial difference between capacity and consistency. You’ll hear us reject the tired binary of “hustle harder” vs. “slow way down” and instead build a practice that honors both ambition and sustainability. From self-mastery to seasonality, we explore why momentum sticks when it’s grounded in honest constraints, hydration-and-all.We also get practical: experimenting with expectations, noticing when to pause before you tip into burnout, and re-training your stamina at work, in your body, and in your calendar. If you’ve felt the nudge to go all in but you’re wary of old patterns, this one is your invitation.Listen In For …Why pairing structure with fluidity lets you move fast without snapping your bandwidth.How to treat scheduling as stewardship of time, energy, and attention.A simple lens for “capacity before consistency” so your progress is sustainable.The mindset shift from binary choices to both/and thinking (success and ease).How to rebuild stamina after a long rest without shaming your pace.A practical reframe for goals: train for the distance, check your direction, take water breaks.What it means to practice self-mastery now (not who you were at 25, 30, or last year).Why “locking in” can include Slime Sundays, date nights, Bible study, and all the parts of a real life, on purpose.TL;DR (Minute by Minute)Times are approximate.00:00 Opening: why we’re “locking in” for fall and inviting you into the conversation.04:00 Calendars as clarity: scheduling that feels empowering.08:45 Coming out of hibernation: Audrey on starting from “zero” and finding traction.12:30 Capacity before consistency: the stamina metaphor and sustainable progress.16:40 Seasonality in real life: mom-mode, build-mode, and rejecting scarcity.21:15 Fluid structure: observing burnout signals and knowing when to set it down.26:00 Self-mastery in this season: goals, pace, water breaks, and course checks.31:20 The middle ground: ditching the hustle/slow binary and choosing both/and.35:10 Permission slip: “Lock in with us” and how to start today.38:30 Wrap-up + six-week check-in invitation for accountability.Where to Go From HereQuestion for you: What’s your first non-negotiable as you lock in for fall—the one practice that makes everything else easier? Screenshot this episode and tag @cowgirlsovercoffee with your answer so we can crowdsource strategies that actually hold.The FREE Routine Playbook. Your step-by-step for routines that protect capacity (so consistency can finally kick in!). Get Yours HereJoin the Cowgirls Over Coffee Lifetime Membership. Where conversation, accountability,...

  --------  

  46:25

  --------

  46:25
• Self-Care vs. Self-Indulgence: Protection, Not Perks with Becky Lauridsen

  September invites fresh structure and, if we’re not careful, fresh burnout. In this conversation, licensed professional counselor and Enneagram coach Becky Lauridsen reframes self-care as protection (not pampering) and opens the door to brain health with neurofeedback. From postpartum anxiety and over-functioning to rodeo performance and concussion recovery, we explore how to build capacity on purpose, before the crash out.Becky shares the origin story of IOWEME (“I owe me”), a preventative, accessible, guilt-free self-care model born from her own burnout and postpartum anxiety. We unpack the crucial difference between self-indulgence (instant relief, little ROI) and true self-care (sometimes uncomfortable, always compounding). We also trade the myth of work–life balance for work–life harmony: a “pleasing arrangement of parts” calibrated to your actual rhythms (hello, 5:30am clarity!).Then Becky takes us into ROAM (Rodeo Optimization and Mindset) and explains low-energy neurofeedback as a practical path to brain health. Think “parking brake off” for your frontal lobe: better regulation, focus, and recovery after high-intensity performance (for athletes and their horses). If you’re craving capacity that’s truly sustainable, this one’s for you.Listen in for …The self-care vs. self-indulgence distinction, and why protection beats pampering.The IOWEME model: preventative, accessible, and simple mental-health support.Work/life harmony (not balance): designing a “pleasing arrangement of parts.”The “check-engine light” for burnout (irritability over the stray socks = signal).Neurofeedback 101: electrical vs. chemical brain systems, suppression, and flexibility.The “parking brake” metaphor: why so many high-capacity women feel stuck in Delta.Performance & recovery for rodeo athletes, and why brain care must match body care.The pony case study (!) and what equine sessions revealed about regulation.TL;DR (Minute by Minute)00:00 “Conversations” > “episodes” + why listener feedback matters.01:11 Meet Becky: LPC, EMDR, Enneagram coach, LENS neurofeedback provider.06:17 Postpartum anxiety, burnout, and the wake-up call: it starts with me.10:01 IOWEME origin: from reactive therapy culture to preventative care.12:32 Responsibility & boundaries: self-care as non-negotiable, not “extra.”16:00 Self-indulgence vs self-care (instant relief vs lasting effect).18:54 “Outweigh the indulgence”: a practical rule that still leaves room for fun.23:44 Non-negotiable habits: why early-morning quiet time compounds.27:34 Work/life harmony > balance; design for your real energy ebb and flow.31:47 ROAM begins: from rodeo roots to neurofeedback certification.35:49 Neurofeedback explained: amplitude, frequency, suppression.38:59 The parking brake brain: lifting Delta lock for flexible regulation.41:01 Equine neurofeedback: the pony case and practical behavior change.43:35 Head trauma, concussions, CTE risk, and recovery as standard practice.47:26 Where to find Becky + what’s next.Where to Go From HereQuestion for you: When the day feels heavy, which shows up first: self-indulgence or true self-care? Screenshot and tag @cowgirlsovercoffee with your answer so we can crowdsource smart strategies that actually stick.The FREE Routine Playbook. Your step-by-step for routines that protect capacity (so consistency can finally kick in!). Get Yours HereJoin the Cowgirls Over Coffee Lifetime Membership. Where conversation, accountability, and routines become infrastructure....

  --------  

  46:52

  --------

  46:52
• The “Phone-a-Friend” September Reset

  September has a way of sneaking up on us. The commitments start rolling in, the days get shorter, and suddenly the pressure to “get it together” hits full force. In this “season-two” kickoff of Cowgirls Over Coffee, Thea and her dear friend Meg share how one simple conversation shifted their entire perspective on the September spiral, and why the reset you need may not actually start with another routine tweak.For many women, September feels like a fresh start wrapped in glossy anxiety. The casual pace of summer fades, structure snaps back into place, and expectations start piling up. The natural response? Double down, do more, and try to wrestle order out of chaos.But in this episode, Thea and Meg explore what happens when you pause before reacting. Their conversation ranges from seasonal transitions to family rhythms, the pressure of rural grit, and the reminder that we’re not meant to navigate life alone. Along the way, they uncover a surprising truth: what often feels like burnout might actually have a different root cause.You’ll walk away with a practical reframe for the fall, an invitation to anchor your routines in depth instead of hustle, and permission to reach out instead of powering through. If September already feels frenetic, maybe the best reset is as simple as picking up the phone.Listen in for …Why September often triggers “fresh start pressure” that turns into burnout.The hidden cost of powering through on your own.How conversation can act as infrastructure for your routines.A practical fall reset: channel intensity into depth instead of just more doing.TL;DR (Minute by Minute)[00:00] Why this feels like Season Two.[02:10] The fog-lifting effect of conversation.[06:20] Why September hits harder than summer.[10:08] Grit, buried feelings, and the cost of powering through.[14:45] A surprising realization about what’s really behind burnout.[17:18] Channeling intensity into depth instead of productivity.[20:18] Living in neutrality and curiosity when routines get shaky.[24:32] Work examples: how conversation resets productivity.[29:26] What’s next for this new season of Cowgirls Over Coffee.Where to Go From HereWe want to know: does burnout for you feel more like exhaustion or like loneliness? Screenshot and tag @cowgirlsovercoffee with your answer.The FREE Routine Playbook I mentioned. Your step-by-step playbook for routines that actually stick, because capacity has to come before consistency: TAP HEREJoin the Cowgirls Over Coffee Lifetime Membership where conversation, accountability, and routines become infrastructure. LEARN MORE HERELet’s keep the conversation going: find Thea at @thea.does.the.thing and Meg at @meg.scales.

  --------  

  30:01

  --------

  30:01
• Big Dreams, No Margin: A Conversation About Capacity with Lyndsey Garber

  This week Thea is joined by longtime friend and former western wedding photographer Lyndsey Garber for a reflective conversation about capacity, season of life shifts, and the slow, steady work of staying faithful in the little things.Together, they talk through the emotional complexity of leaving something that’s still working, what it feels like to carry a big vision when there’s no margin left, and how to navigate the tension between knowing you’re made for more and also being at your limit.Topics explored include:How to recognize when a season is ending even while you’re still succeeding in it.Why exhaustion and ambition so often co-exist.What it looks like to rebuild capacity through small, daily choices.Learning to audit energy and attention without slipping into a poverty mindset.How presence becomes a practice when margin is low.This conversation holds space for the in-between moments where you know you’re on the edge of something new, but it hasn’t fully taken shape yet. We chat about ambition, presence, exhaustion, time scarcity, and that sneaky poverty mentality that shows up in your calendar, your body, and your grocery store anxiety. And mostly, it’s about what it takes to stay steady and self-respecting in the middle of a capacity crisis without losing your fire or your footing.There’s no 5-step framework here. Just two women and a conversation about what’s working, what’s shifting, and how we keep showing up for the lives we believe in.Let’s Keep the Conversation GoingWe talked about what no one sees: the ordinary, unglamorous work that builds something sustainable. If you’re in that part of the process, we’d love to hear about it. Tag @cowgirlsovercoffee and let us know what “faithful in the little things” looks like for you right now.

  --------  

  37:57

  --------

  37:57
• The Performance Trap: What Happens at the Intersection of Hyper-Capable with No Margin

  Sure you can handle it all, but where is taking you? In this deeply personal, wildly validating summer conversation, Thea sits down with longtime friend and Cowgirls Over Coffee original Audrey Hall to unpack a question many of us are circling: What happens when your capability becomes your identity … and your margin disappears?This is an episode for the woman who’s built a life she’s proud of and is left asking why it still feels so hard. For the one who gets it done, who performs under pressure, who’s known for delivering but lives in depletion.Together, Thea and Audrey explore:Why “high performance” starts to feel like a trap.The difference between nurturing your ambition vs. demanding from it.What it really costs to prove your capability over and over again.How excellence can mask burnout.Why we sometimes feel safer in stress than in stillness.And, what it means to move from rocky soil to something more nourishing.You’ll hear stories about rodeo royalty, sad girl eras, and gym floor epiphanies but underneath it all is a real-time conversation about rebuilding your relationship with ambition, restoration, and joy. If you’ve ever said, “I’m not afraid of the effort, but dang I’m tired of proving my worth through it.,” this one’s for you.Mentioned in this episode:Follow Audrey Hall on Instagram at @audreyetta.Listen to Audrey’s new podcast, Cowgirl Church.Books by Trevor Mowad: It Takes What It Takes and Getting to Neutral.Let’s Keep the Conversation GoingScreenshot this episode and tag @cowgirlsovercoffee with your favorite takeaway. Tell us your flavor of patience, your version of presence, or what kind of soil you’re growing in this summer.

  --------  

  48:30

  --------

  48:30

More Business podcasts

Trending Business podcasts

About Cowgirls Over Coffee