Everything feels heavy right now. The world, your life, maybe both. And here's what nobody's saying: you're close to breaking. Not dramatically, quietly. One more thing might crack your foundation.

This conversation is 43 minutes which is longer than my usual episodes. That's intentional. When everything feels too heavy, you don't need another quick pep talk or surface-level fix. You need Foundational Practices that actually hold you. This isn't something I can rush without shortchanging you. This is the depth you need right now.

Three Foundational Practices for when the literal winter is coming AND when you're in a season of life that feels impossibly hard.

Recently ranked #36 on Goodpods’ Top Mental Health Podcasts! Thank you for listening and sharing. 💛

What You'll Discover:

• Why feeling heavy is a healthy response to chaos, not evidence you're broken
• The critical difference between breaking and being broken (and why you're not broken)
• How to practice Awareness Without Judgment using the Body Check-In and the magic phrase "and that makes sense"
• Why epic transformations often fail long term and how small, sustainable shifts build Mental Fitness and momentum
• The Friend Filter: speaking to yourself like someone you love
• How practicing self-compassion daily strengthens your self-love and resilience
• Why "that crack is where the light comes in" changes everything

Powerful Quotes:

"There's a huge difference between breaking and being broken. None of us are broken."

"You cannot positive-think or positive talk your way out of heaviness. You cannot hack your way through a season that demands you slow down and build differently."

"The smallest shift breaks the paralysis. It creates a crack in the wall you've been hitting your head against. That crack is where the light comes in."

"The compassion you're practicing becomes the love you're living."

"You don't undo the work because you forgot to be compassionate with yourself. You don't start from zero every time you struggle."

The 3 Foundational Practices:

1. Awareness Without Judgment – See what's real without making it mean you're failing
2. One Small Shift – Not epic transformation. One small action that proves you still have agency and breaks the paralysis.
3. Do the Work With Self-Compassion – Speak to yourself like you'd speak to someone you love.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Everything feels heavy right now
08:26 – Where are you really at? Check-in
10:46 – Practice 1: Awareness Without Judgment
17:39 – Practice 2: One Small Shift
26:07 – Practice 3: Self-Compassion
35:27 – How these practices work together
36:45 – When you suck at this (and why that's okay)

Join the Conversation: Share this with someone who came to mind when you read "everything feels heavy." Which practice will you start with today? Follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a quick rating, so someone who feels too heavy to carry on can find this conversation.

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨

If your to-do list is running your life instead of serving it, this is your purposeful rebellion. Lulu shows how productivity culture becomes identity, why the “productivity guilt spiral” isn’t laziness but being human, and how to shift from productive to purposeful. You’ll get Permission to Pause, the 60-Second Mental Fitness Check, and the Good Enough Revolution (80% > “perfect”) so you can untie your worth from your output and finally work with your energy instead of against it.

What you’ll discover

• Why productivity as identity backfires and how it disconnects you from inner wisdom
• The Productivity Guilt Spiral is not laziness; it’s just being human in a world equating worth with output
• Permission to Pause: rest is a basic human need that makes you more effective
• Productive vs. Purposeful — the question that changes your day: “What matters to YOU today and aligns with your values?”
• The 60-Second Mental Fitness Check: pause, breathe, and ask, “What would love do right now?”
• The Good Enough Revolution: choosing 80% to escape perfectionism

Powerful quotes

• "Your worth isn't measured by your to-do list. You are valuable because you exist, not because of what you accomplish."
• "Rest is not earned through productivity… It's a basic, vital, life-giving human need."
• "Being busy is not the same as being productive. And being productive isn't the same as being purposeful."
• "Good enough can be revolutionary."
• "You have Permission to Pause…"

Timestamps
00:00 – Check-in & breathe
01:46 – Confession: teaching what I need to learn
04:14 – When productivity becomes identity
05:28 – The Sunday-night freak-out
06:44 – Worth tied to output
08:55 – Jung on boredom & serenity
10:21 – The Good Enough Revolution (80% > “perfect”)
12:55 – The cost of filling every moment
13:44 – Permission to Pause
15:13 – Productive vs. Purposeful
16:58 – 60-Second Mental Fitness Check
19:14 – Gentle experiment: try 80%
19:59 – Self-worth reset
20:38 – Share this as a rebellion
21:44 – Next week’s preview

Join the conversation:
Share this with 3 people who need the reminder that worth isn’t tied to productivity. Where could you choose purposeful over productive today?

Follow & review on Apple/Spotify to help others find us.

Remember:
You teach best what you most need to learn. Today, choose purpose over productivity.

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨

When your Mental Fitness hits empty and the usual routines stop helping, this episode reframes it as information, not a personal failure, and gives you simple ways to feel steadier without forcing yourself. This is not about doing more, which adds to your overwhelm but about doing different.
This episode was born from my own experience of hitting the red zone, and I’d like to offer what works when overwhelm takes over so you can find your way back to yourself and your calm, clarity, confidence and compassion.

What You'll Discover:

• Why your mental fitness going red doesn't mean you're broken—you're human in 2025
• The game-changing "hard vs difficult" distinction (recovery is hard but not difficult)
• 3 "Emergency Gentle" tools that work when you're running on fumes
• The 60-Second Reset: why the magic is in choosing, not what you choose
• How to become your own best friend through compassionate self-talk
• Seasonal wisdom: what trees teach us about letting go and renewal
• How neuroplasticity supports real Mental Fitness recovery with gentle conditions
  

Powerful Quotes:
"Your mental fitness going into the red isn't a crisis—it's information."

"It's the difference between needing a specific key versus needing the willingness to turn the handle."

"The magic isn't in what you choose. It is in the choosing itself."

The 3 Emergency Gentle Tools:

1. 60-Second Reset: set a 60-second timer and do one kind thing for yourself
2. Reality Check Conversation: Ask: "Would I say this to someone I love?" then answer with care and love
3. Seasonal Mindset Shift — Ask: "What can I let fall away like leaves do so that new growth can come?"

Timestamps:
00:00 When everything that helps... doesn't work
01:17 Welcome: honest conversations about mental fitness
04:36 Hard vs difficult, the game-changing distinction
11:38 Tool 1: 60-Second Reset
13:49 Tool 2: Reality Check Conversation
17:15 Tool 3: Seasonal Mindset Shift

This Episode is For You If:

• Your usual self-care feels ineffective or you’re running on fumes and stretched thin
• You're dealing with anxiety, overwhelm, or emotional exhaustion
• You want gentle approaches when nothing else works

Join the Conversation
Which tool will you try first: Reset, Reality Check, or Seasonal Shift? Share this with someone who needs a softer way back to themselves. Follow the show on Apple or Spotify and leave a rating so more people can find these Mental Fitness tools.

Remember: You're not broken. You have everything you need within you, it may just be buried under exhaustion and overwhelm right now. Today, choose one Tiny act of kindness towards yourself.

#MentalFitness #EmotionalResilience #SelfLeadership #StressRecovery #TheLuluEsseyPodcast #SelfLove #TinyTools

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨

When self-care turns into self-criticism. From sleep score stress to fitness tracker guilt and the quiet weight of wellness burnout, this episode explores how health tracking and optimization can quietly become another form of self-attack—and how to reclaim self-care as compassion instead of a report card.

In this episode, I share why I returned my unopened Whoop band and how wellness perfectionism is creating health-tracking anxiety for millions. From sleep score stress to fitness tracker guilt and the quiet pressure of wellness burnout, discover why choosing self-compassion over optimization might be the most revolutionary act of self-care.

This isn’t about being anti-wellness. It’s about reclaiming your inner wisdom from the tyranny of metrics—and learning the nuanced art of balancing discipline with grace.

What You’ll Discover:

✨ Why I sent my Whoop band back unopened—and how this became a profound act of self-love
✨ The hidden wellness perfectionism trap that’s turning self-care into self-attack
✨ How sleep tracking can create more anxiety than actual rest
✨ Why fitness tracker guilt and self-care guilt are more common than you think
✨ The “Good Enough Revolution” why it’s actually radical in an optimization-obsessed culture
✨ The Kind Witness approach: practical tools for compassionate self-care
✨ How to balance discipline and intuition without choosing sides

💬 Powerful Quotes

“When our self-care comes with a big, fat side of self-criticism, it’s not actually caring for ourselves anymore. It’s just perfectionism with way better marketing.”

“I believe in BOTH discipline and intuition. Most people get trapped thinking they have to choose one or the other. The real skill is knowing when to apply which one.”

“Your wellness routine should feel like coming home to yourself"

“This isn’t about being anti-wellness—it’s about reclaiming your inner wisdom from the tyranny of metrics.”

⏱ Chapters & Timestamps

00:00 — When your smartwatch becomes your harshest life coach
02:25 — The Whoop band story: Why I returned it unopened
04:24 — The wellness perfectionism trap affecting millions
05:52 — Exercise shame, meditation guilt, nutrition criticism
06:48 — Sleep anxiety and sleep score stress
10:09 — When wellness routines become self-attack
13:29 — The Good Enough Revolution: Redefining self-care
14:28 — The Kind Witness approach to compassionate wellness
16:55 — Balancing discipline and intuition: The nuanced art
18:41 — Three Tiny Tools to break free from wellness perfectionism
22:33 — Your wellness journey: Permission to be imperfect

Join the Conversation: What’s your relationship with wellness data? Are you tracking to learn or tracking to judge?

💛 Remember: You are already enough, exactly as you are.

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨

2.7 billion people on YouTube. 37 watched my last video. This is what happens when the person teaching self-love gets dunked in self-doubt.
In this unscripted, unedited episode, I take you behind the mic with no script, no polish, just the messy truth about finding and holding onto your worth, dropping numbers, and why showing up matters most when it feels like things are falling apart.

This isn't about seeking sympathy. It's about showing you how I use my own tools in real-time when self-doubt creeps in and external validation feels impossible to ignore. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer isn't perfection—it's our humanity.

In this episode, you'll discover:

✨The WHOLE Framework I rediscovered during my darkest moments—and why I'd completely forgotten my own life-saving tool

✨Why "overnight success" is a lie, a trap that fuels burnout

✨Why truth and humanity resonate more than perfection — for you and your audience

✨How to keep showing up when self-doubt, external validation and numbers feels louder than your purpose

✨Real strategies for moving through self-doubt without getting stuck there

💬 Powerful Quotes:

"My worth is non-negotiable. My worth is just because."

"Legacy is about impact, not achievements. Impacting one life in one moment is a legacy I am proud of."

"It's hard not to attach my worth to those numbers... It hurts. Self-doubt does start to creep in. The difference is I don't stay stuck there."

"How about we replace the quest for overnight success with the satisfaction of doing better every day?"

Chapters & Timestamps:
00:00 -- The reality: 37 views out of 2.7 billion people
02:04 -- Why this episode has no script
05:05 -- When self-worth meets dropping numbers
09:10 -- The WHOLE Framework: my forgotten lifeline
16:28 -- Finding worth beyond work and numbers
20:15 -- Embracing imperfection together
23:19 -- The honest truth about asking for shares

🔥 The WHOLE Framework:
W - Worth comes from within, not external validation
H - Humanity connects us beyond titles and achievements
O - Openness to multiple identity sources creates resilience
L - Legacy is about impact, not achievements
E - Engagement with life beyond work expands our identity

#SelfDoubt #CreatorStruggles #SelfWorth #PodcastVulnerability #MentalFitness #ImperfectAction #AuthenticLeadership #LuluEsseyPodcast #BehindTheMicrophone #CreatorBurnout

Join the Conversation:
Have you ever felt invisible or questioned your worth when the results didn’t match the effort? I’d love to know what helps you keep showing up when doubt creeps in? 💛 Remember: You matter NOW. Without the followers, without the views, you still matter. YOU ARE STILL ENOUGH.

Please share this with one person you love. What comes from the heart reaches the heart.

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨

What if your most profound healing begins when you stop allowing trauma to write your story? You are so much more than the worst things that have happened to you.

In the final part of this Trauma and Healing Series with Hawa Who from KEEPCALM.ORG we explore the most transformative shift of all: moving from “this trauma is who I am” to “this trauma is part of what shaped me.”

Recorded during my own mental health crisis in April, this conversation is raw, unpolished, and deeply human. Healing isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence and becoming. And together, Hawa and I uncover how reframing your narrative, embracing community, and honoring your truth can expand what’s possible for your life.

If this is your first time here, this episode stands alone. But I encourage you to also listen to Part 1 (Episode 40) and Part 2 (Episode 41) for the full journey.

✨ In Part 3, you’ll discover:

• How to shift from victimhood to empowerment—without bypassing pain
• Why community can be just one trusted person who truly sees you
• The distinction between trust and love during mental health challenges
• How to reframe trauma stories without erasing truth
• Why you move from being broken by your experiences to being expanded through them
• Dr. Wayne Dyer’s timeless wisdom: “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

💬 Powerful Quotes:

“You are so much more than the worst things that have happened to you.”

“Your trauma doesn’t disappear. It becomes one chapter in a richer, more complex story of who you are becoming.”

“Healing happens not when we’re perfect, but when we’re real.”

Chapters & Timestamps:
00:00 – Reframing trauma without erasing your truth
04:47 – From trauma identity to empowered narrative
06:34 – Building authentic community (why it can be one person)
08:02 – The stories we tell about trauma and how they shape us
11:19 – Wayne Dyer on changing perspective
12:45 – Series reflections, becoming, and next steps

🌍 Resources & Links:
📍 KeepCalm.org – mental health advocacy & community support
📍 Hawa Who – creative, model, author, poet & cybersecurity analyst

#TraumaHealing #EmotionalResilience #HealingJourney #MentalFitness #SelfLeadership #StoryRewriting #LuluEsseyPodcast #KeepCalm

💛 Remember: You are not broken. You are becoming.

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨

What does it take to keep building emotional resilience and healing when life keeps getting harder?

In Part 2 of this raw series with Hawa Who from KeepCalm.org, we explore the practical side of living with trauma : how to build emotional resilience, find safe spaces for healing, and navigate setbacks without losing hope.

This conversation was recorded during my own mental health relapse in April. My words weren’t polished, my voice wasn’t always steady and if you are watching on YouTube, you’ll notice my eyes don’t focus on the camera. That’s because I was fully present with Hawa, focused on holding the conversation together. And still, I showed up. Because resilience isn’t about perfection. It’s about finding the strength to keep showing up, one moment at a time.

In Part 2, we explore:

• Why emotional resilience matters when healing isn’t linear
• How to move with and through trauma while life keeps happening
• The role of safe, supportive spaces in nervous system healing
• Why setbacks don’t erase progress and how to reframe them
• The quiet power of showing up when you feel least ready

Whether you’ve faced a "big" trauma, ongoing stress, or wounds you can’t name, this episode is for anyone building resilience while navigating the messiness and complexity of real everyday life.

The reminder is simple, but life-changing: You are not broken. Healing is a journey and emotional resilience is what helps us take the next step, even when it feels impossible.

Timestamps
00:00 – Honest intro to Part 2
03:02 – Why healing isn’t linear
06:14 – Building emotional resilience when life keeps happening
12:28 – Safe spaces & nervous system healing
19:57 – Reframing setbacks & showing up anyway
23:41 – Closing reflections & Part 3 preview

Resources & Links
📍 KeepCalm.org — a nonprofit mental health organization providing education, community support & practical tools.
📍 Hawa Who — creative, model, author, poet, and woman in tech; Cybersecurity Analyst at Carnegie Mellon University’s Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center.

Hashtags:
#TraumaHealing #EmotionalResilience #HealingJourney #NervousSystemHealing #MentalFitness #SelfLeadership #LuluEsseyPodcast #KeepCalm

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨

What happens when the most important conversation of your life happens in the middle of a mental health relapse? In Part 1 of this powerful three-part series, I share an unfiltered conversation on trauma, healing, and resilience that might change the way you see your own story.

During my mental health relapse back in April, I sat down with Hawa Who from KeepCalm.org for a conversation that became the start of a powerful series on trauma, healing, and emotional resilience. My words weren’t as fluid, my eyes didn’t shine as brightly and I showed up anyway. What unfolded was real, raw, and deeply human.

It’s the very first time I’ve included another voice on The Lulu Essey Podcast and I couldn’t imagine a better person to share this moment with than Hawa. In Part 1, her thoughtful questions open the door to an honest conversation about the nature of trauma, how it impacts the body, and what the first steps toward healing can look like.

In Part 1, we explore:

• What trauma really is (and what it’s not)
• Why it’s less about the event & more about the impact on your nervous system
• How trauma lives in the body and how your body tells the truth, even when your mind wants to move on
• The role of safe relationships in the healing process
• Why you don’t need to “be ready” to begin healing

This is not a neat, polished conversation. It’s an honest one. Whether you’ve experienced “big T” trauma, ongoing stress, or life events that have left an imprint you can’t quite shake, this episode offers a grounded, compassionate space to explore what healing can look like.

If you’ve ever felt “broken” or wondered whether healing is even possible for you, my hope is that this conversation reminds you: you are not broken, and you are not alone. Healing is rarely linear, and sometimes the most powerful steps happen when we feel least prepared.

Share this episode. Invite people into the conversation, & into the possibility of a gentler, more resilient way forward.

Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction to Trauma & Healing
02:53 – Understanding Trauma and Its Impact
03:21 – Resilience and Emotional Fitness
03:51 – Conversation with Hawa Who — the myths, truths, and lived realities of trauma
20:51 – Closing reflections & Part 2 preview

Resources & Links

📍 KeepCalm.org — a nonprofit mental health organization providing education, community support, and practical tools to help people navigate stress, anxiety, & other challenges.
🔗 keepcalm.org

📍 Hawa Who — creative, model, author, poet, and woman in tech; Cybersecurity Analyst at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center under Carnegie Mellon University.
🔗 hawawho.com

#TraumaHealing #EmotionalResilience #MentalFitness #SelfLeadership #NervousSystemHealing #LuluEsseyPodcast #KeepCalm

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

Subscribe on YouTube for more content.

Let's Connect:
https://www.luluessey.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@luluessey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucille-marie-essey/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulu.essey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulu.essey/

Free Guide: Break Free from the Success Trap – https://www.luluessey.com/freetool

Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨