This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil

We’re calling BS on the idea that “health” is only pills, trackers, and willpower. In this conversation with journalist and TEDx speaker Julia Hotz, author of The Connection Cure, we dig into social prescribing—evidence-based referrals to movement, nature, art, service, and belonging—that can lower stress, boost mood, and make our lives feel human again.  Edgy truth: we’ve replaced community with convenience. The remedy? Re-connect to what matters to you and let your nervous system exhale. Julia advises Social Prescribing USA and Walk with a Doc, collaborates with the Solutions Journalism Network, and teaches in medical schools—turning research on connection into care that actually changes lives. We cover: What social prescribing actually is (no, your doctor isn’t forcing you to make friends) and why up to 80% of health is socially determined—think stress, access to green space, and community, not just clinic time. The five social-Rx categories: Movement, Nature, Art, Service, Belonging—and how most prescriptions blend at least two. A nature-based case study: how a 10-week outdoors program reduced insomnia, rumination, and stress—plus why time in nature can feel like it gives you time back. From “shoulds” to want to: questions that surface your personal Rx (awe/flow/glimmers, what lit you up as a kid, and where you’d spend two extra hours a week). Turning workouts into joy: travel-style discovery walks at home, walking groups, or pickup games that deliver cardio and connection. Blue-zones energy without the gym membership: everyday movement, long chats, shared meals, and community as longevity multipliers. The U.S. landscape: why social prescriptions can complement meds (not replace them), and how orgs like Social Prescribing USA and Walk with a Doc are moving this forward. So whether your version of medicine looks like a morning hike, a pottery class, or finally joining that book club, the point isn’t perfection—it’s participation. Because when we choose connection over isolation and curiosity over compliance, we’re not just improving our health—we’re reclaiming our humanity. Thank you to our sponsors! Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!  Visit beducate.me/womanswork69 and use code womanswork69 for 65% off the annual pass.  Black Friday has come early at Cozy Earth! Right now, you can stack my code WOMANSWORK on top of their sitewide sale — giving you up to 40% off in savings. Connect with Julia: Website: https://www.hotzthoughts.com/  Social Prescribing: https://www.socialprescribing.co/  Book:https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Connection-Cure/Julia-Hotz/9781668030349?utm_source=chatgpt.com  Related Podcast Episodes: Loneliness And The Value Of Connection with Kasley Killam | 218  The Power of Conscious Connection with Talia Fox | 263  The Power Of Connection with Tory Archbold | 105  Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If your default answer to “How are you?” is “I’m fine, it’s just a busy season” (and that “season” has started to feel like winter in Alaska), this one’s for you. In this episode, we’re talking nervous system regulation for high-achieving women — the ones juggling all the things, smiling through the stress, and low-key running on fumes. I’m joined by Michelle Grosser — nervous system strategist, podcast host, and former trial attorney — who now helps high-achieving women regulate from the inside out. We dig into why you can’t mindset your way out of burnout, how your body is sending four times more messages to your brain than the other way around, and what it actually means to live and lead from a grounded state instead of constant fight-or-flight chaos. In this episode, we get into: The difference between playing an outside-in game (chasing success for validation) vs. an inside-out game (being who you want to be first, then acting from that place) Why your nervous system only cares about one thing — safety — and how that impacts your ability to create success, confidence, and fulfillment What really happens in your brain when you’re in fight, flight, or freeze The three daily nervous system regulators every woman needs: movement, stillness, and play — and why “high-intensity workout” isn’t always the flex you think it is How emotional suppression, weak boundaries, and crappy coping mechanisms quietly shrink your bandwidth and fast-track you to burnout What it actually feels like to be grounded  Back-pocket, in-the-moment tools for when shit hits the fan: the physiological breath, temperature shifts, and full-body shaking (yes, like your dog) to help your system reset How to stop confusing over-functioning with being “driven,” and start leading from a regulated, resourced version of you Because you can read all the leadership books and take all the courses, but if your nervous system is fried, you’ll keep defaulting to hustle, panic, and perfectionism instead of clarity, creativity, and calm power. Thank you to our sponsors! Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!  Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass. Connect with Michelle: Website: www.michellegrosser.com Nervous System Reset guide: www.michellegrosser.com/reset  IG: https://www.instagram.com/itsmichellegrosser/  FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/themotherhoodvillage  Related Podcast Episodes: Burnout 2.0: BurnBOLD with Cait Donovan | 331 The Resilience Myth with Soraya Chemaly | 249 How Our Dysregulated Nervous Systems Are Impacting Us with Victoria Albina | 244 Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friend, we obsess over steps, macros, and workout streaks… but when was the last time you checked in on your emotional fitness? In this episode, Nicole sits down with clinical psychologist, emotional fitness expert, and Coa co-founder Dr. Emily Anhalt to talk about what it actually looks like to “train your brain” — no toxic positivity, no “just meditate more,” and definitely no pretending everything’s fine when it’s very much not.  Emily breaks down her 7 traits of emotional fitness (think mindfulness, curiosity, boundaries, resilience, empathy, communication, and play) and how to build them like muscles over time — one emotional push-up at a time. We get into why empathy without boundaries will burn you all the way out, how to ask for feedback without spiraling into defensiveness, and why trusting your future self might be the most confidence-building thing you do this year.  If you’ve ever felt resentful because you said “yes” when every cell in your body wanted to say “no,” if you’re tired of carrying everyone else’s emotions like luggage, or if anxiety and uncertainty have been driving the bus lately, this one’s for you. Emotional fitness won’t stop life from throwing heavy shit your way — but it will make you strong enough to carry it, move it, and eventually put it down. We explore: What emotional fitness actually means (and how it’s different from “fixing yourself”) The 7 traits of emotional fitness — and why you don’t have to master all of them at once How to spot the cost of avoiding discomfort (hello, resentment and burnout)The “emotional push-up” exercise you can start doing today How to hold empathy and boundaries so caring for others doesn’t drain you dry The best advice Emily ever got for dealing with anxiety and uncertainty Why trusting your future self is a deeply confident way to live Because when you trust your future self, you stop living in panic about what might happen and start living with confidence in who you’re becoming — and that shifts everything.  Thank you to our sponsors! Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!  Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass. Connect with Emily: Website: https://www.dremilyanhalt.com/ Book: https://a.co/d/couFOLN IG: https://www.instagram.com/dremilyanhalt/ X: https://x.com/dremilyanhalt LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dremilyanhalt/ Related Podcast Episodes Your Brain Is a Filthy Liar with Bizzie Gold | 361 How To Play: Shift Your Thinking, Inspire Connection & Spark Creativity with Cas Holman | 355 144 / Jay & Nicole Kalil on Partnership, With Guest Host Lynn Casaletto Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If your “business development strategy” is do great work + hope clients stay loyal, I have bad news: that strategy has been officially declared dead on arrival. In this episode, Nicole sits down with Karen Freeman, Chief Product Officer at DCM Insights and co-author of The Activator Advantage, to break down why client loyalty is collapsing—and what the best “rainmakers” are doing instead. Spoiler: they’re not waiting around to be chosen. They’re activating.  What you’ll learn: Why client loyalty is shrinking (even when you are excellent at your job) The buyer behavior shift: from “we trust you” to “we’re still taking calls, though” Practical ways to build a stronger pipeline without turning into a sleazy salesperson How AI + procurement + buying committees are changing the game (and the budget) The Activator playbook (aka: stop crossing your fingers) Commit: plan BD weekly (yes, even when you’re busy) Connect: treat your network like an asset, not a dusty LinkedIn list Create value: show up before the ask with insight, context, and solutions Because “doing good work” is table stakes. Activating is how you win, retain, and grow today. Thank you to our sponsors! Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!  Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass. Connect with Karen: Book: https://www.dcminsights.com/activator-advantage  Karen’s LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenefreeman/ DCM insights’s LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dcm-insights/ Related Podcast Episodes Powerfully Likeable with Dr. Kate Mason | 364  From Small Business to Big Impact: Leadership, Confidence, & Community | 362  The 3 N’s: Negotiation, Networking & No with Kathryn Valentine | 327 Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve ever swallowed your needs, kept the peace, and then randomly lost your shit over something tiny (hi, dirty spoon in the sink), this episode is for you. Therapist and author Tonya Lester is here to talk about conflict, boundaries, and what it really means to be “difficult” in a world that still rewards women for being nice, accommodating, and endlessly available. Tonya is the therapist women call when they’re done being walked on. A Brooklyn-based psychotherapist with decades of clinical experience, she specializes in women’s emotional health, conflict skills, and relationships. We dig into why so many women default to do nothing → do nothing → do nothing → FREAK OUT, how to stop building silent resentment brick by brick, and what it looks like to push back early and often—in love, in work, and in every relationship that actually matters. This is real-talk conflict management for women who are done disappearing to keep everyone else comfortable. In this episode, we get into: Why “being difficult” is actually a compliment when it means being honest, boundaried, and real The subtle ways women suppress their needs in relationships, families, and at work (while telling themselves “it’s not a big deal”) The do-nothing-do-nothing-freak-out pattern—and how to catch yourself before you emotionally flip a table How to say hard things clearly and calmly: phrases you can steal for your next conflict at home or in the office The difference between healthy anger and full-on rage (and why anger is often a sign you still care) When ultimatums do have a place—and when they’re just emotional terrorism How to stop over-functioning in your relationships (aka rowing both oars while the other person “rests”) What to do when your partner, boss, or friend refuses to collaborate—and how to decide if it’s time to stay, shift, or go Tiny, doable ways to practice pushing back if you’re conflict-avoidant but deeply over people-pleasing If standing up for yourself has ever been labeled “too much,” this conversation will help you see that maybe the problem isn’t you—it’s the system that benefits from you staying small. Let’s fix that. Thank you to our sponsors! Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/WOMANSWORK with code WOMANSWORK — and if you get a post-purchase survey, mention you heard about Cure here to help support the show!  Sex is a skill. Beducated is where you learn it. Visit https://beducate.me/pd2550-womanswork and use code womanswork for 50% off the annual pass. Connect with Tonya: Website: http://www.TonyaLester.com Book: https://www.amazon.com/Push-Back-Others-Without-Yourself/dp/1608689468. FB: https://www.facebook.com/tonya.lester.58/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/tonyalesterpsychotherapy/ LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonya-lester-b9a3ab14/  Related Podcast Episodes: How To Be Selfish with Naketa Ren Thigpen | 329 297 / Boundaries vs. Ultimatums with Jan Yuhas & Jillian Yuhas How To Find The Right Words When Creating Boundaries with Amy Green Smith | 201 Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices