This episode felt like the natural follow-up to the latest Chronically Automated drop, where I walked everyone through my end-of-year reset and how I rebuilt the backend of my business so I can actually take time off during the holidays without spiraling. And then of course, in true neurodivergent fashion, I admitted that even when the systems are perfect, my brain still gives me the finger and insists on freaking out anyway.

So today, Anthony and I sat down and just… got honest about it. The holidays hit differently when you're a business owner, especially when your brain refuses to shut up. I talked about how I try to automate everything, clean up my workflows, tighten my operations, and prep for rest, and yet somehow still feel the magnetic pull of notifications like I'm missing something catastrophic. Meanwhile, Anthony shared this whole chapter about accidentally giving up drinking and how that one shift changed his energy, his anxiety, his mornings, and honestly his entire baseline. It was such a good moment because you could hear the difference in how he shows up for his business now compared to a year ago.

We went all the way into the reality that no matter how many systems we build, we can’t automate our brains. The panic still shows up. The fear of stepping away still shows up. The “no one is working Christmas week but my brain is convinced the world will implode without me” still shows up. And then we started riffing on hops, gluten, inflammation, processed food, why our bodies riot after 30, and how much your lifestyle actually impacts your ability to run a business without feeling like you're crumbling from the inside out.

And honestly, that was the heart of the episode: the intersection between being a founder, being neurodivergent, trying to rest, trying to be a person, and still showing up for the people and business you love. Nothing polished. Nothing Pinterest-perfect. Just real founders talking about the mess that comes with trying to unplug when your nervous system refuses to do what you tell it.

If you’ve ever prepped for time off and still felt guilty, anxious, wired, or weirdly convinced that five minutes away from your inbox will ruin your entire life, this is the episode you needed.

In the latest episode of The Queen of Automation, I jumped into one of the most unexpectedly delightful conversations with Steven Puri, and honestly, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to sit two chairs down from Steven freakin’ Spielberg in a private DreamWorks story meeting, this one is your jam.

Steven came in hot with the kind of résumé that makes you blink twice. Senior executive at multiple film studios. Tech founder. Twenty million raised. Three companies. One exit. Two failures. The whole beautiful, messy journey. And then he pivots into this chapter of his life where he’s helping high performers get their time and focus back through the Sucre Company… which, you know, is basically my love language.

We talk about DreamWorks, and not in the glossy “Hollywood magic” way. Steven shares what it was actually like to work inside one of the only studios still run by creatives, where the mandate wasn't “make it cheaper,” it was “make it 1% better.” And of course, I had to ask if he ever had that fan-boy moment. His answer? Absolute gold. The man can sit next to Brad Pitt and feel nothing, but mention Gandhi or MLK and he’s floored. And that opened a whole door for us about impact, purpose, and what actually matters when you’re building a life.

Then we got into the transition, how he went from film sets and alien-movie story meetings to building tech companies and eventually designing tools to help people get into flow states. The through-line is wild: two engineer parents, coding as a kid, USC, the rise of digital film… and then this fascination with how the highest performers stay stable, grounded, and burnout-free even when the stakes are massive.

And yes, we eventually got to my favorite topic: what it really takes to manage your time, your brain, and your energy when you’re building something big. Steven and I are totally aligned on this idea that productivity isn’t about squeezing more into your day, it’s about actually being in control of your day. You’ll hear the two of us bounce back and forth about creativity, systems, life design, and why everyone should stop pretending they’re not allowed to have a freaking fangirl moment when something or someone lights you up.

This episode is just fun. It’s insightful. It’s a little chaotic in the best way. And if you need a reminder that your career can have multiple lifetimes, and that your day can get a whole lot easier when you stop fighting your own brain, you’re going to love this one.

This episode is my love letter to December, the sparkly, chaotic month that somehow manages to deliver holiday joy and business panic in the same breath. I got into why this season feels like it’s personally targeting anyone running a company, and how the real issue isn’t the calendar, it’s the constant repetition baked into your day.

I talked about the stress stew of inbox chaos, year-end pressure, family plans, and that low-grade fear that everything might fall apart the second you try to take time off. And because this is The Queen of Automation podcast, I dug into the sneaky tasks that drain your time and attention without you even noticing. The pings, the follow-ups, the tiny admin loops that steal more energy than the big, important work ever does.

The heart of the episode is a simple mindset shift, that reclaiming your time isn’t about doing more, it’s about removing what never needed your brain in the first place. Exploring how free yourself from even a couple of those repeatable tasks can completely change how the holidays feel, and how automation, delegation, and smarter systems are really just tools for getting your life back.

So if December has you feeling stretched, scattered, or secretly spiraling, this conversation is the reset your nervous system needed. It’s all about making this season lighter, making next year smarter, and reminding you that your business doesn’t need to hold you hostage to run well.

And yes, you deserve a holiday that doesn’t come with a side of panic.