Finish the Year Aligned, Not Exhausted: How to Audit Your Energy and Reclaim Your Focus

What if finishing the year strong didn’t mean doing more—but doing what actually matters?

In this solo episode of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, host Erica Rooney flips the script on “year-end hustle.” Instead of sprinting toward burnout, she challenges listeners to pause, take stock, and finish the year in alignment with their goals and energy—not perfection or pressure.

Through personal stories, humor, and actionable strategies, Erica lays out her simple yet powerful three-part year-end audit to help you separate impact from activity, identify what truly moves the needle, and stop letting busywork control your life.

Inside the Episode:

The Corporate Finish Line: Erica recalls her HR days—the endless reviews, budget meetings, and parties—and why women are conditioned to equate doing more with success.

The Three-Part Audit: Learn how to evaluate your self, your work, and your energy to prioritize what actually matters.

Evidence Over Emotion: Why “what gets measured gets managed” isn’t just a cliché—it’s the key to breaking free from hustle culture.

Energy Mapping: The color-coded strategy that helps you spot what fuels you and what drains you, so you can start scheduling your days for success.

Bridge vs. Cliff Activities: The powerful framework Erica uses to decide whether something propels her forward—or just keeps her spinning on the hamster wheel.

Weekly Reflection Ritual: How one 15-minute end-of-week check-in can lower your stress, boost happiness, and help you start every Monday focused and fulfilled.

If you’re tired of ending every year overwhelmed, this episode is your permission slip to slow down, realign, and finish strong on purpose.

🔗 Resources:

Connect with Erica Rooney on LinkedIn

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What if the biggest barrier to living your dream life isn't your career, but the financial confidence and literacy you still need to claim?

In this episode of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, host Erica Rooney sits down with Steph Wagner, National Director of Women and Wealth at Northern Trust, former private equity professional, and divorce financial strategist. Steph's personal story of navigating a life-shattering financial crisis after a successful career fueled her mission to empower all women.

Join them as they discuss why financial security is the bedrock of a fulfilling life, the emotional "sticky floors" that keep women from engaging with their money, and the vital steps you need to take now to ensure a prosperous future.

Inside the Episode:

• The Wake-Up Call: Steph shares her powerful story of leaving private equity to prioritize family, falling into a false sense of security, and the devastating, eye-opening moment she realized she had no visibility into her family's finances.
• The Longevity Crisis: Startling statistics on why women must take financial charge, as they significantly outlive men and risk running out of money in their later decades.
• The Sticky Floors of Money: Unpacking the emotional barriers—like shame, avoidance, and the deep-seated belief of "I don't know enough"—that hold women back, regardless of their income level.
• From Scarcity to Abundance: Why a growth mindset is critical, but must be paired with the tools and literacy to grow wealth outside of your paycheck.
• The Core Message of Fly: Why the book is an empowerment guide disguised as a finance book, emphasizing the correlation between financial well-being and living an authentic life you love.
• Actionable First Steps: Steph's advice on how to start building your financial foundation today, including the need for transparency, honest self-assessment, and seeking financial literacy.
• The Never-Say-Never Lesson: The one crucial piece of advice Steph would give her younger self: never allow yourself to lean out or assume you're protected from life's curveballs.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, intimidated, or disconnected from your personal finances, this conversation is an inspiring and urgent call to action to claim your financial power.

🔗 Resources:

• Find Steph Wagner's book, Fly: A Woman's Guide to Financial Freedom and Building A Life You Love, wherever books are sold (releasing November 11th).
• Connect with Erica Rooney on LinkedIn.

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What if the secret to a happy life isn't about productivity, but about confronting your own mortality?

In this episode of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, Erica Rooney sits down with Karen Salmansohn, a bestselling author, wellness expert, and the founder of NotSalmon.com. With a blend of psychology, humor, and a no-BS approach, Karen empowers women to live their happiest, most successful lives. Her new book, Your To Die for Life: How to Maximize Joy and Minimize Regret Before Your Time Runs Out, challenges us to think about life's end to get the most out of our today.

Join them as they explore the power of "mortality awareness" as a motivator for change, the science behind rewiring your brain for confidence, and why humor is one of the most effective tools for managing challenging emotions.

Inside the Episode:

• From Ad Exec to Author: Karen's fascinating journey from a high-stakes, high-stress advertising career to becoming a best-selling author and wellness guru with a book titled How to Succeed in Business Without a Penis.
• The Stop and Swap: A powerful behavioral change strategy rooted in neuroplasticity. Learn why you can't just stop a bad habit or a negative thought—you must replace it with a positive one.
• The Power of Your Eulogy: Why writing your own eulogy is a life-changing exercise for reverse-engineering your life's purpose and ensuring you live a life of meaning, not just milestones.
• The Top Regrets of the Dying: Karen shares how a personal tragedy—the death of her father—inspired her to confront the regrets of the dying and change her life's trajectory, leading her to have a son on the same day her father died.
• The Identity-Based Statement: Learn this powerful psychological tool for changing your habits by first changing how you see yourself.
• Core Values Over Goals: The difference between a to-do list and a "to-die list," and why living a life aligned with your core values is the only way to minimize regret.
• Humor as a Superpower: How to use humor as a strategic tool to navigate challenging emotions and move past self-doubt.

If you're an ambitious woman who wants to live a bolder, more authentic life—one with no regrets—this episode is an urgent and inspiring wake-up call.

🔗 Resources:

• Find Karen's new book, Your To Die for Life, wherever books are sold.
• Explore her work at NotSalmon.com
• Connect with Erica Rooney on LinkedIn

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Connect with me on LinkedIn

Be a Book Launch Insider!!!

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