Every single time I listened to my body instead of pushing through, it worked out. The reality is, we are humans. We have a full life outside of work. I share more on this week’s episode: my personal stories, struggles and the science to embracing UN-PUSHING:

In this episode, I share the practical, how-to techniques I taught in a live workshop with 19 minority-owned business owners and allies, including:

• The science behind rest, I got my bachelors in cognitive sciences the study of the brain (Yes, I’m a nerd)
• How I’m personally changing my old programming that use to be tied to output, and what you can do too

RELATED PODCAST EPISODES

• Episode 36: Resting is a revolution: What we can learn from nature and seasons and how capitalism doesn’t honor rest with Brenda Moreno. Apple | Spotify | YouTube
• Episode 128: Burned out? You’re over-available to everyone & everything, here’s weird things I’m doing. Apple | Spotify | YouTube

Episode 124: Addicted to Being Busy: Why High-Achieving Women Struggle to Rest (And How to Stop) Apple | Spotify | YouTube

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call
Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website
Follow the Podcast on Apple
Follow the Podcast on Spotify
Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_
Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas
Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

Main Points

When conversations get tense at work, how do you make sure you don’t over-explain, shut down or things escalate?

In this episode, I break down how to communicate with confidence, clarity and composure when pressure is on

• How to not over explain
• What to do if you really can’t meet a deadline
• How to give feedback
• How to handle contentious discussions without losing composure
• A 3 part structure on how to have your words land

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call
Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website
Follow the Podcast on Apple
Follow the Podcast on Spotify
Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_
Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas
Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

Main Points

It’s the second month of 2026 & despite the uncertainty, my business is growing not by hustling, but with more calmness and focus:

In this episode, I share the practical, how-to techniques I taught in a live workshop with 19 minority-owned business owners and allies, including:

• How editing my P&L helped me measure ROI (one change led to 500% ROI, another to 5,000% ROI)
• How I increased email open rates from 25% to 75% through trust and storytelling
• Why high-touch, human connection is a competitive advantage right now
• How sitting with discomfort leads to better business decisions
• Why scaling is about small, precise edits, not doing more
• What made me cry to my therapist

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call
Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website
Follow the Podcast on Apple
Follow the Podcast on Spotify
Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_
Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas
Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

Main Points

Burnout seems to be a trending word, so what do we do? It’s not about working harder. In this episode I share:

• Why you SHOULDN’T be doing a lot in 1 day (it takes ~ 23 minutes to refocus)
• Why “doing nothing” is actually how clarity forms (there’s science behind it)
• Why and how over-availability becomes a survival skill especially for women
• My results of when I stopped designing my life around “urgency”

Resources Mentioned:

• Episode 110: How EMDR Therapy HEALED Me (& why you might need it too) with Jennifer Oh, LCSW. Listen on Apple, Spotify or YouTube

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call
Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website
Follow the Podcast on Apple
Follow the Podcast on Spotify
Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_
Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas
Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

Main Points

• Why my losing pitch led to sales
• Personal brand > AI: my actual techniques on how my conversion rate is 70%
• How I grew my email open rate from 10% to 75%

Resources Mentioned:

• Connect with Monica Schrock
• Following Monica on Instagram: @moneyschrock
• Connect with Monica on LinkedIn
• Monica’s Podcast: Play Like A They
• Porsche Human Made Cartoon

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call

Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website

Follow the Podcast on Apple

Follow the Podcast on Spotify
Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_

Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas

Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

Follow, Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts

Are you following the WOC & Allies: Business & Career Realtalk podcast? My team and I created this podcast for accessible education for women of color and allies. When you follow the podcast, it lets podcast streaming companies know that this podcast is a podcast fellow women of color and allies should listen to. If you are enjoying the show, I would love it if you would leave me a review on Apple Podcasts. This is one of the best ways to support the show and my team, and it helps other Legacy Leaders find it! Head over to Apple Podcasts to follow, rate and review now!

• Why I stopped drinking alcohol, it’s been 9 months now
• How pausing, rest and reflection helped me get
• Five reflection questions to help you ensure your calendar & bank account aligns with your values

Resources Mentioned:

• Follow Elaine on Instagram for Philippines photos + reflections: @elainelou_
• El Nido Resorts

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call
Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedIn | Youtube | Website
Follow the Podcast on Apple
Follow the Podcast on Spotify
Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_
Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas
Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color

This episode is the replay of my biggest talk to 10,000+ AI founders and engineers at /function1 Dubai.

I spoke about Emotional Intelligence (EI) at an AI conference, and they listened.

I broke EI down in a way technical audiences understand:

patterns → systems → data → small improvements.

Because no matter how advanced AI becomes, the most complex system I’ll ever work with is a human.

In this conversation, I share how EI shapes leadership, communication, and opportunities — and I also learned so much from my fellow panelists.

• Mohammed Benzakour of LinkedIn: 70% of our job skills will change by 2030.
• AI replaces tasks. Humans win through adaptability + communication.
• Prof. Abhilasha Singh Dean of American University in the Emirates: “The illiterate of the 21st century are those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
• Hemant Pandey CEO of Hustling Engineer and ex-Meta/Tesla/Salesforce): Your real edge? Skill Velocity: how fast you can learn the next thing.
• Ahmed Metwoali (Sphinque): Engineering is a team sport. Communicate → ship fast → become your team’s AI go-to.
• Adil-Ul Islam of Microsoft reminded us AI should augment, but not replace human judgment.
• Me (EI): If you want funding, collaboration, or opportunity, learn to read people as well as you read data.

In a world moving at the speed of algorithms, staying human is your unfair advantage.

Resources

/Function1

Connect with the panelists on LinkedIn:

• Mohammed Benzakour of LinkedIn
• Prof. Abhilasha Singh Dean of American University in the Emirates
• Hemant Pandey CEO of Hustling Engineer and ex-Meta/Tesla/Salesforce)
• Ahmed Metwoali (Sphinque)
• Adil-Ul Islam of Microsoft

My LinkedIn Learning AI Courses:

• The AI Edge for Entrepreneurs
• Using AI to Make a Career Switch

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call

• Addicted to chaos and busyness? Maybe it’s cause your body learned that busyness felt safe. In this episode, we explore how to unlearn that pattern.
• I share the science behind why high achievers struggle to rest including the dopamine loop of achievement, the cortisol trap, and the trauma of chaos.
• You’ll learn why rest is important for your nervous system resetting.
• I’ll share how to replace overwork with presence, peace, and purpose cause you don’t need to EARN rest. You already deserve it.

Resources Mentioned

• Book: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
• Website: PsychologyToday.com – to find a therapist licensed in your area
  Articles Referenced:
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse – research on the dopamine loop of achievement
  • Harvard Health – research on stress and the cortisol trap
• Travel Recommendation: El Nido Resorts, Palawan, Philippines

Where We Can Connect:
Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call
Check out our 320+ client reviews on Google and our website
Follow the Podcast on Apple
Follow the Podcast on Spotify
Follow Elaine on Instagram: @elainelou_
Connect with Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Lou Cartas
Check out our other podcasts for Women of Color