How many times have you ended the day exhausted, only to wonder what you actually accomplished? That feeling of spinning your wheels without moving forward is a signal that your workflow isn’t working for you.

At VEST, we recently explored this challenge with our members and uncovered some powerful lessons worth sharing.

In this episode of the VEST Her Podcast, we’ll walk you through how to evaluate your current workflow, identify blockers, design a system that works for you, and reset with confidence when things go off track.

Why Evaluate Your Workflow

Most of us live on autopilot, answering emails, sitting in meetings, or reacting to client demands. Rarely do we stop to ask: Is this the best use of my time and energy? Through time audits, members discovered surprising patterns about when they feel most focused, what drains them, and how much of their time is lost to tasks that don’t actually move the needle.

What Gets in the Way

The most common culprit? A false sense of urgency. We often mistake busyness for productivity, rushing to put out fires while our real priorities sit untouched. Other blockers include living in our inbox instead of our priorities, overcommitting, and the guilt of saying no.

Designing a Better Workflow

Creating a better system isn’t about rigid control, it’s about clarity. A few simple strategies can help:

• Time blocking: Schedule focused work, admin, and rest.
• Priority buckets: Sort tasks into must do today, can wait, can let go.
• Non-negotiables: Protect what fuels you, family time, exercise, quiet moments.

When members applied these approaches, they found they could finally protect what matters most and reclaim a sense of purpose in their work.

At VEST, we believe your workflow should work for you, not the other way around.

Tools and resources we discussed

Time Tracking Evaluation

Workflow Resetting Checklist

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

Burnout has reached epidemic proportions among professional women. The numbers tell a sobering story: 43% of women leaders report feeling burned out compared to just 31% of men at the same level. What's driving this disparity? Our powerful conversation with the VEST Team reveals two key culprits: perfectionism and people-pleasing.

Research from the University of British Columbia shows that perfectionism is strongly linked to anxiety, depression, and chronic stress. Multiple studies also show women are more likely to engage in people-pleasing behaviors at work, often out of fear of being seen as difficult or unlikable.

Join us as we dive into the science behind these patterns, exploring how perfectionism correlates with anxiety and depression, while people-pleasing gradually erodes our boundaries until we're running on empty. The most illuminating moments come when our team shares their personal struggles with these tendencies, from the pressure to be "supermoms" and "super workers" to the fear of what might happen if they stop doing so much.

We discuss what rest actually looks like in different seasons of life. For those with young children, it might be just an hour to choose what you do yourself rather than responding to others' needs. We share simple but powerful strategies: replacing "should" with "could," taking a pause before automatically saying yes, time-blocking to ensure dedicated rest periods, and perhaps most importantly, getting comfortable asking for help.

We also talked about how perfectionism and growth cannot coexist. When we demand perfection from ourselves, we create an environment where learning and authentic connection become impossible. By reframing rest not as a luxury but as an essential professional skill, we open the door to greater creativity, better decision-making, and sustainable success.

Whether you're a chronic people-pleaser, a perfectionist, or simply feeling the weight of trying to do it all, this episode offers both validation and practical tools to break these patterns. Join our conversation and discover how establishing healthier boundaries can transform not just how you feel, but how effectively you lead.

For the VEST Team full bios, Self-Awareness Exercise and Show notes click here.

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co

The whispers about hormones, perimenopause, and menopause have remained frustratingly quiet for too long. Dr. Kristen Markell, a double-board certified OBGYN and certified menopause practitioner, breaks the silence with game-changing clarity in this essential conversation moderated by VEST Member Alison Anthony.

For decades, women experiencing brain fog, anxiety, fatigue, and mood changes during perimenopause have been dismissed or told to "just deal with it." Dr. Markell reveals the biological truth: these symptoms aren't character flaws but natural responses to dramatic hormonal fluctuations that can begin up to a decade before menopause. She expertly explains how progesterone typically declines first, while estrogen levels become erratic with extreme highs and lows—a process many healthcare providers themselves don't fully understand.

The consequences of this knowledge gap are serious. Women's highest risk of suicide attempts occurs between ages 45-49, coinciding precisely with perimenopause. Beyond mental health, these hormonal changes affect bone density, heart health, and cognitive function. Yet many women suffer silently, especially in professional settings where they fear being perceived as weak or incompetent if they acknowledge their symptoms.

Dr. Markell guides listeners through the confusing landscape of treatment options—from hormone replacement therapy and bioidenticals to supplements and lifestyle modifications. She emphasizes that finding the right provider is crucial, suggesting resources like the North American Menopause Society to locate certified practitioners. Most importantly, she frames perimenopause not as a decline but as "a portal into the second half of life"—an opportunity to refocus energy on what truly matters.

Whether you're in your 20s planning for future hormonal health, navigating perimenopause now, or supporting someone who is, this conversation provides the knowledge, validation, and practical guidance to transform how we approach this universal yet uniquely personal journey. Your hormones aren't just about symptoms—they're foundational to how you show up in every area of your life.

For our guest full bio and show notes click here.

If you enjoy the episode share it with a friend, leave us a review and don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

If you are ready to take your career and business to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Learn more at www.VESTHer.co