My friend Megan Thole joins me for an honest conversation about what mindfulness and emotional intelligence actually look like in real life…especially for high-achievers who have a hard time slowing down. Megan shares how her experiences with infertility, chronic illness, and burnout led her to explore mindfulness not as a luxury, but as a necessary skill for navigating work, life, and leadership.

We talk about why high-achievers struggle with rest, how negative self-talk and the stories we tell ourselves shape our reactions, and why trying to separate our “work selves” from our “personal selves” doesn’t really work. We also explore the difference between eliminating stress and learning how to recover from it, what resilience really looks like, and how small, consistent practices can make a meaningful difference…without adding more to an already full plate.

This episode is a reminder that mindfulness isn’t about being perfect or clearing your mind. It’s about noticing, creating space, and making small shifts that help you show up more intentionally…for yourself and for the people around you.

• What mindfulness actually looks like in real life (not the Instagram version)
• Why rest feels so uncomfortable for high-achievers
• How our inner dialogue quietly drives stress and self-doubt
• The stories we tell ourselves…and how often they’re untrue
• Small, practical ways to pause, reset, and show up more intentionally
• Why we bring our whole selves to work…whether we admit it or not
• How resilience is built through recovery, not perfection

Megan Thole is a speaker, coach, and trainer with over 14 years of experience across higher education and financial services. As the founder of Hello Mindful You, she helps professionals and leaders build self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the clarity to lead with intention. Megan blends practical leadership tools with human-centered practices that support sustainable performance and presence, helping leaders navigate change and manage competing demands with greater focus and purpose. She holds a master's degree in leadership and management and is certified in change management, mindfulness, and coaching.

• Website: www.hellomindfulyou.com

• LinkedIn: Megan Thole

• Instagram: Hello Mindful You

• Learn more about working with me at The DASH Mindset.
• Connect with me on LinkedIn.
• Have an idea for a future episode? I’d love to hear it!

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Your support helps more people lead their lives…and lead others…in a way that truly matters.

What if midlife isn’t something to “get through”…but something to lean into?

In this episode, Nicole Studt and I talk about all things midlife…identity, pivoting with intention, maps, payphones, and why the middle years may hold more meaning and growth than we expect.

Nicole shares her journey from corporate HR to self-employment, how flexibility became a gift during some of life’s hardest seasons, and why understanding ourselves (and each other) matters more than ever. We explore how tools like the Enneagram can deepen compassion, strengthen relationships, and reduce unnecessary friction…at work, at home, and within ourselves.

It’s a powerful reminder that we don’t have to wait for “someday” to live fully aligned lives. Midlife isn’t the end of the story…it’s often where clarity, courage, and self-trust finally start to click into place.

If you’re wanting to understand yourself more deeply, rethink what success means, or reduce friction in your life and work, listen in.

• Why the “middle age” narrative needs a serious reframe
• Making career pivots that prioritize flexibility, values, and real life
• The unexpected gifts of working for yourself (and with family)
• How the Enneagram helps us understand why we do what we do
• Navigating relationships through personality awareness
• Why the middle years deserve more credit than they get

• The Marvelous Middle-Aged Podcast
• Instagram

• Learn more about working with me at The DASH Mindset.
• Connect with me on LinkedIn.
• Have an idea for a future episode? I’d love to hear it!

If you love The DASH Mindset Podcast, I’d be so grateful if you’d leave a quick rating and review. On iTunes, scroll down, tap to give five stars, and hit “Write a Review.” On Spotify, just select “Rate Show.” Your support helps more people lead their lives…and lead others…in a way that truly matters.

Gratitude can feel annoying when we’re tired, overwhelmed, or just trying to get through the day.

This episode isn’t about forcing gratitude or pretending things are fine.

Instead, I share a list of 80 real-life things we tend to overlook…the kind we forget to notice when we’re busy getting through the day.

This isn’t a 5am, burn-sage, reach inner-peace kind of gratitude episode.

It’s a reminder that we’re often so focused on what’s next…or what’s missing…that we forget to notice what’s already working, what we’ve already handled, and how much we’ve already grown.

You don’t need a notebook. You don’t need to pause and reflect. You don’t need to “do” anything at all.

Just listen.

And if one thing on the list resonates, fantastic.

• A more realistic view of your progress…even if things feel messy right now
• Less pressure to constantly “fix” yourself or your life
• More appreciation for the small steps you’ve already taken
• A reminder that progress doesn’t have to be big and impressive to count

Progress doesn’t always look like a big, impressive moment.

If your brain tends to focus on how far you still think you need to go, that doesn’t mean you haven’t made progress.

It just means you’re human.

You can download the full list using the link below and revisit it anytime you need the reminder.

Thanks for listening!

You get one dash. Make it matter.

• Download the 80 Things to Be Thankful For list.
• Learn more about working with me at The DASH Mindset.
• Connect with me on LinkedIn.
• Have an idea for a future episode? I’d love to hear it!

If you love The DASH Mindset Podcast, I’d be so grateful if you’d leave a quick rating and review. On iTunes, scroll down, tap to give five stars, and hit “Write a Review.” On Spotify, just select “Rate Show.” Your support helps more people lead their lives…and lead others…in a way that truly matters.