In this insightful and vulnerable episode, Kristen is joined by longtime friend and author Sarah Boyd to unpack the often misunderstood world of nervous system regulation and how chronic stress shows up in parenting, entrepreneurship, and everyday life.

They explore how hustle culture isn’t just a mindset—it's often a nervous system coping mechanism, and why high achievers struggle with stillness, rest, and emotional connection. Sarah shares practical tools for recognizing overstimulation, building emotional regulation, and deepening relationships at home—especially for parents who are also business owners.

If you've ever felt like you're stuck in "go mode" and can’t seem to slow down without guilt or anxiety, this episode is a must-listen.

• What nervous system dysregulation actually is—and how to spot it in your own life
• Why high performers often struggle with parenting and connection
• How hustle can be a trauma response masked as productivity
• The hidden role of overstimulation in burnout and disconnection
• Tools for re-regulating your nervous system—especially during transitions between work and family life
• How entrepreneurs can build deeper emotional awareness and healthier coping strategies
• Why rest might feel unsafe for you—and how to change that

• [00:00] Intro and heartfelt reunion with Sarah Boyd
• [04:00] How Sarah's new book reframes overstimulation and parenting
• [08:30] The science of stress: what your nervous system is trying to tell you
• [13:00] What keeps high performers stuck in chronic dysregulation
• [17:00] Kristen’s personal story of entrepreneurial vigilance and internalized scarcity
• [22:00] A hard truth: many entrepreneurs are dysregulated and calling it “ADHD”
• [27:00] The role of parenting in nervous system awareness
• [30:10] Why entrepreneurs struggle to connect with their kids
• [35:00] How to move out of “fight or flight” and back into empathy
• [38:45] Reclaiming rest: learning to downshift your nervous system after work
• [42:00] Hustle as a flavor of dysregulation—and recovering from it
• [44:30] Why EQ (emotional intelligence) is the future for our kids
• [45:36] Final reflections + where to find Sarah’s work

Sarah Boyd is a writer, child and adolescent development expert, and founder of the educational company, Resilient Little Hearts, a platform helping parents and children navigate big emotions in a chaotic world. Her book, Turn Down the Noise, helps readers understand the impact of overstimulation on the nervous system and offers practical tools to find calm, especially for parents raising children in the modern age.

Follow Sarah:

Instagram: @resilientlittlehearts Book: Turn Down the Noise – available now wherever books are sold

Learn more about Kristen by heading to her website: www.kristenboss.com

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Kristen peels back the glossy layers of the personal development world and gets radically honest about what real growth looks and feels like. Spoiler alert: it’s not always pretty—and it’s definitely not linear.

If you've ever thought, “Why am I still dealing with this?” or felt stuck in self-help shame spirals, this conversation is your permission slip to ditch the unrealistic timelines and redefine what growth really means.

Kristen dives into:

• Why consuming personal development content isn’t the same as doing the work
• The danger of turning personal growth into a self-shaming tool
• What it means to turn in your “victim card” and reclaim radical responsibility
• How to spot when you're stuck in a pattern vs. truly evolving
• The nature-inspired reminder that nothing in life grows endlessly—and that’s okay

Plus, she shares a heartfelt personal reflection about fulfillment, redefining success, and how breaking her own patterns led to unexpected transformation.

Whether you’re working on your mindset, relationships, business, or just trying to become the best version of yourself—this episode will meet you where you are.

• Growth is not a straight line—expect spirals, setbacks, and seasons.
• Awareness without action is a trap. Real change requires implementation.
• Stop treating yourself like a never-ending project to fix.
• True growth happens when you love yourself through the process—not once you “arrive.”
• Fulfillment metrics matter more than performance metrics.

00:58 – Welcome back + the truth about "growth drama"

02:52 – Consuming vs. integrating personal development

04:50 – Turning in your victim card and owning your agency

07:34 – The shadow side of self-help culture

12:23 – When personal growth turns into self-shaming

19:24 – What nature teaches us about healthy growth patterns

23:52 – Revisiting old wounds from a new level of awareness

27:46 – How Kristen manages her own defaults around hustle

30:19 – Why fulfillment > achievement

33:21 – A new lens for your lifelong journey

Join Sondera Signature Membership – Weekly coaching, transformative tools, and deep work to help you break patterns and build a meaningful life. (Special offer ends November 1st—don’t miss it!)

Love the podcast? Drop a quick rating and review on Apple or Spotify. It helps more people find the show—and we’d love to shout you out on Instagram. Tag @thekristenboss with a screenshot and your biggest takeaway.

In this powerful solo episode, Kristen dives deep into one of the most essential traits for success and fulfillment—emotional resilience. Far from being a vague buzzword, Kristen unpacks what resilience truly means, why it matters, and—most importantly—how you can measure and grow it.

She introduces the Six Pillars of Emotional Resilience, a framework designed to help you navigate discomfort, manage stress, bounce back from setbacks, and lead with more courage and clarity in all areas of life—from business to relationships.

Whether you're a business owner, a growth-minded human, or someone who just feels emotionally exhausted from trying to hold it all together, this episode offers the clarity, validation, and practical tools you've been searching for.

• Why personal growth often feels subjective—and how to make it measurable
• The difference between “feeling goals” and outcome goals
• How emotional pain registers just like physical pain—and what that means for your nervous system
• The 6 measurable pillars of emotional resilience and how they apply to your life
• How to shorten your recovery time after setbacks, stop spiraling in shame, and actually take aligned action
• The surprising power of asking for support and why hyper-independence might be silently burning you out

1. Stress Adaptability – Staying emotionally regulated in real-time
2. Cognitive Flexibility – Reframing rigid thinking and embracing nuance
3. Emotional Recovery Time – Bouncing back from emotional setbacks faster
4. Self-Trust & Confidence – Trusting your decisions without needing external validation
5. Growth Actionability – Taking aligned, consistent action even when it’s hard
6. Social Support Utilization – Letting others in and asking for help without shame

“If we don’t have the tools to handle discomfort, we will always retreat to comfort—end of story.”

“Some of you are creating aspirational action plans, betting on a perfect day that doesn’t exist. You need a dumpster day plan.”

“We are not meant to do life in isolation. Sometimes, giving someone three minutes of your time can be life-changing.”

0:00 – Introduction: What is resilience, really?

2:00 – “Feelings goals” vs. outcome goals

8:30 – Why discomfort feels like danger to your brain

14:00 – Pillar 1: Stress adaptability

19:15 – Pillar 2: Cognitive flexibility

25:30 – Pillar 3: Emotional recovery time

31:30 – Pillar 4: Self-trust and confidence

35:00 – Pillar 5: Growth actionability

40:00 – Pillar 6: Social support utilization

49:00 – Real client wins and emotional resilience growth metrics

53:00 – Final encouragement: Be someone who offers three minutes

If this episode hit home, send a three-minute message to someone you care about. Let them know they're not a burden and that you’re available to listen. Want to measure your own resilience? Head to the Sondera Membership and take the Emotional Resilience Index: And REMINDER: Kristen is back in the coaching seat! Starting November, we’re offering a new membership tier called the Sondera Signature Membership and it includes LIVE weekly coaching with Kristen. If you’ve ever wanted direct guidance beyond the strategy—this is your moment.

Join before November 1st to lock in the special pricing: