Move Forward with Purpose

·56 min·5 clips

Mary Straczynski shares how stress caused her to temporarily lose vision in one eye, leading her to leave corporate life.

The episode begins with host Rebecca Hall Greider introducing the March theme of 'springing forward' and focusing on moving with purpose. She leads listeners through a detailed mindfulness and breathing exercise to lower cortisol and increase presence. Guests Kay Bush and Mary Straczynski then share what came to their hearts during this exercise. After a break, Mary Straczynski is introduced as a licensed clinician and coach specializing in women's burnout and imposter syndrome. She recounts leaving corporate after stress caused an inflamed nerve in her brain, temporarily affecting her vision. Mary discusses the ongoing societal pressure to hustle and the internalization of stress by women. She explains that burnout relates to misalignment with values, not just workload, and highlights perfectionism, procrastination, and people-pleasing as energy drains. Mary recommends getting curious about emotions rather than labeling them and suggests the 'five-minute miracle' technique for procrastination. After another break, Kay Bush is introduced as a school counselor and author with over 40 years of experience. She explains her purpose-driven work with teens, leading to her book 'You Can Do Hard Things, Life Tools for Teens,' set for release on May 1st. Kay shares that the book includes her own photographs of paths and trails as metaphors for life's journey. She tells a poignant story about a struggling student who, after graduating, took a photo of a 'never, never, never give up' sculpture from Kay's office that had supported her. Kay advises that courage is the first tool for teens, requiring support and safety. The episode concludes with contact information for both guests and Rebecca's personal reflection on allocating time for self-care.

As heard by us

A warm, reflective episode on fear, emotional signals, and small steps toward purposeful movement.

Move Forward with Purpose treats momentum as something that starts inside. Rebecca Hall Greider links purpose to gifts, talents, and being uniquely wired, then turns to the emotions and body signals that can slow a person down.

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Why you'd press play

If fear clouds your next step, start with five minutes and listen for what your feelings are trying to tell you.

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