When Jessica Garcia-Wood moved back to Northwest Indiana after serving as an ER nurse in the Air Force, she didn’t expect motherhood to feel so lonely—even surrounded by family. That quiet ache became the seed for Little Hearts Play Café, a space designed to bring parents and kids together in the earliest, most isolating stages of parenting.

In this heart-forward conversation, Jessica shares how postpartum depression shaped her vision, how the military unexpectedly taught her to lead, and what it’s really like running a business with her husband. We talk about identity, first-generation ambition, and the courage to build what’s missing.

This one’s for the moms, the dreamers, and anyone learning to create from the hard parts of life.

Episode Highlights:

• Jessica’s journey from Air Force ER nurse to play café founder
• The emotional and logistical roots of starting a business as a mom
• Navigating marriage and entrepreneurship as co-founders
• The role of family, identity, and cultural background in her story
• Building a space for connection during postpartum isolation

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction & meeting Jessica

02:30 – From Air Force ER nurse to entrepreneur

06:15 – The spark: postpartum, isolation & business idea

10:00 – Launching a play café and building connection

15:00 – Running a business with your spouse: realities

20:00 – Balancing motherhood, nursing career & business

25:00 – Reflections, advice & next steps

Connect with Jessica Wood:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlehartsplaycafe/

Website: https://littlehartsplaycafe.com/home

Email: littlehartsplaycafe@gmail.com

Let’s Stay Connected:
→ Follow Lauren on Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurennajar
→ Learn more or work with me: www.laurennajar.com
→ Follow Business Over Cocktails on IG: www.instagram.com/businessovercocktails
→ Attend Growth & Connect retreats & events: www.instagram.com/growthandconnect

🎧 Subscribe & Review:
Love the episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend who needs a business boost and a good chat over a cocktail.

In high-pressure careers—whether you're in healthcare, leadership, or running your own business—boundaries are often mistaken for weakness or a lack of commitment. In this episode, Dr. Santina Wheat breaks down why the opposite is true. You'll learn why excellence requires boundaries, how to recognize leaky boundaries in your day-to-day work, and the key shifts that can help you avoid burnout without sacrificing performance.

Dr. Wheat offers practical tools for identifying your current capacity, communicating more clearly, and creating sustainable practices that protect your time, energy, and focus. Whether you're a physician, team leader, or entrepreneur, this episode will help you understand that boundaries aren’t barriers—they’re the foundation for long-term success.

Episode Highlights:

• Why boundaries are essential for true excellence
• How leaky boundaries lead to burnout
• Small, practical steps to protect your capacity

Chapters:

Redefining Boundaries as a Strength — 00:45
Excellence vs. Availability — 04:02
When Boundaries Leak into Burnout — 05:47
3 Practical Steps to Start Today — 07:40

Connect with Dr. Santina Wheat:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtinawheat/

Free 7-Day Boundaries challenge: https://www.subscribepage.io/3bXosNo

Boundaries Workshop https://burnouttobalanced.my.canva.site/boundaries-that-stick

Website: www.santinawheat.com

Mini Course - https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages/183137

Let’s Stay Connected:
→ Follow Lauren on Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurennajar
→ Learn more or work with me: www.laurennajar.com
→ Follow Business Over Cocktails on IG: www.instagram.com/businessovercocktails
→ Attend Growth & Connect retreats & events: www.instagram.com/growthandconnect

🎧 Subscribe & Review:
Love the episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend who needs a business boost and a good chat over a cocktail.

Dr. Santina Wheat knew how to show up for everyone—her patients, her learners, her family. But somewhere along the way, she stopped showing up for herself. In this episode, we unpack the quiet descent into burnout, the invisible pressure on high performers to always say yes, and the breaking point that changed everything. From working through a miscarriage to ignoring her own capacity in the name of service, Santina’s story isn’t just about medicine—it’s about boundaries, people-pleasing, and reclaiming your soul’s purpose.

If you’ve ever felt like hard work is the only way to prove your worth, or that saying “no” comes with guilt, this conversation will land deeply. We also explore how Do Not Disturb mode became a radical act of self-care—and why burnout isn’t just a healthcare problem, but a culture-wide one.

Episode Highlights:

• Getting into medicine and discovering early purpose
• Experiencing burnout as a healthcare professional and mom
• Why boundaries feel impossible for high performers
• The small boundary shift that changed everything
• How to recognize burnout before it takes over

Chapters:

Why I Became a Doctor — 01:08

The Silent Build-Up to Burnout — 03:43

When Boundaries Feel Impossible — 13:49

A Miscarriage, a Moment, a Wake-Up Call — 11:44

The Smallest Boundary That Changed Everything — 20:53

How to Spot Burnout Before It Breaks You — 32:45

Connect with Dr. Santina Wheat:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtinawheat/

Free 7-Day Boundaries challenge: https://www.subscribepage.io/3bXosNo

Boundaries workshop https://burnouttobalanced.my.canva.site/boundaries-that-stick

Website: www.santinawheat.com

Mini Course - https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages/183137

Let’s Stay Connected:
→ Follow Lauren on Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurennajar
→ Learn more or work with me: www.laurennajar.com
→ Follow Business Over Cocktails on IG: www.instagram.com/businessovercocktails
→ Attend Growth & Connect retreats & events: www.instagram.com/growthandconnect

🎧 Subscribe & Review:
Love the episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend who needs a business boost and a good chat over a cocktail.