Episode Details

You know that moment when two things you care about collide and your chest tightens because either choice feels like proof you’re failing? I had it this week: my child was in tears needing me, and I had an urgent client deadline for an opportunity I genuinely wanted. The pressure wasn’t just the clock, it was the story in my head about what each choice meant about me. 

I found clarity through a blunt old parable about a donkey stuck between water and a carrot, unable to choose and collapsing in the middle. It sounds dramatic, but it perfectly describes what happens when we believe there must be a “clean” third option where nobody waits and nothing gets neglected. For many of us juggling parenting and career, partners, ageing parents, health, friendships and our own needs, that belief becomes an inherited rule: a good woman never lets anything important drop. The truth is harsher and kinder at the same time, because a full life guarantees uneven priorities. 

We also talk about the hidden cost of taking the middle with us: being at work while mentally parenting, being with our kids while mentally writing emails, trying to rest while running a silent checklist. That’s where mum guilt and the mental load show up as a constant tax. Guilt doesn’t give more care to what’s waiting, it steals presence from what you chose, which hurts your focus, your connection and your wellbeing. 

If you’re craving real work life balance strategies, boundaries without shame, and a calmer mindset when everything feels urgent, this bite-sized episode will help. Subscribe to Balance and Beyond, share it with a friend who’s stretched thin, and leave a review. What’s the one thing you need to let wait today so you can truly show up where you are?

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The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute

For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.

We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.

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