Raised to Perform: The Long-Term Impact of Performance-Based Childhoods

Dr. Simone returns to Zurich after a women’s empowerment weekend in St. Moritz and shares her experience solo‑traveling with a nine‑month‑old—what worked, what was tiring, and how the trip ultimately went well. She challenges discouraging, old‑fashioned advice aimed at mothers, urging women to try travel their way, support each other, and build self‑esteem through positive reinforcement and bold choices. @drschwank @unesurcent

Dr. Simone explores unexplained infertility—when thorough testing shows no clear cause—discussing how common it can be and available treatments such as fertility medications, IUI, and IVF. She also covers practical steps couples can take: lifestyle changes (quit smoking, reduce alcohol and caffeine, maintain a healthy weight, balanced diet, daily exercise), stress reduction, and the importance of seeking support and treatment options at Optimal Performance Zurich. @drschwank @unesurcent

Dr. Simone explores how narcissistic personalities often gravitate to leadership roles and the ways their behavior can feel like psychological warfare in the workplace. This episode outlines common manipulative patterns and the impact on employees' emotional well-being. Practical guidance is offered on protecting your nervous system: keep a low profile, distance yourself when possible, document escalations, and seek HR or external support when needed. Surround yourself with supportive people and prioritize self-care to navigate toxic leadership.   @drschwank @unesurcent

Power, Pressure, and the Price of Constant Output: Dr. Simone's explores the psychological cost of relentless ambition and the imbalance between masculine drive and the suppressed feminine side. Through personal stories and observations, she highlights how constant output affects mental and physical well-being. Inspired by successful, feminine women she met in Shanghai, Dr. Simone's urges embracing softness, beauty, and connection as a path to greater success, balance, and nervous system recovery—especially for women navigating male-dominated environments. @drschwank @unesurcent

How early conditioning shapes adult ambition, burnout, and self-worth. Growing up under a never good enough parenting approach, pushed these women to over perform, yet as a consequence have an incredibly low self esteem, caused by an incredibly harsh self evaluation. The inner critic never stops until complete exhaustion.   @drschwank @unesurcent

The psychology of a high performing women, their history and childhood how they are the way they are, and then how that impacts relationships and marriages down the line.   Balancing your goals for the year, if someone has big dreams and a million things they want to do how to strategize and prioritize.   When you feel so overwhelmed you just freeze and do nothing instead?   @drschwank @unesurcent   How and when is a good time to tick off bucket lists thats been on your heart for years?

Today’s episode with an openminded global citizen that dares to wear a Birkin bag. Meet Niklas: A designer at heart, inspired by movement, people, and everyday moments. Discussing the feeling of constantly being overstimulated by today’s constant inputs, social media, podcasts, music, and the peace and quiet of phone free hours, such as mornings with his analog alarm clock, providing a post wake up hour of phone free bliss, the 45min ride class, completely in the moment of movement, and the post class phone and availability detox joy. Nikolas shared his love for food, cooking, baking, and childhood memories. When angels are baking in pre Christmas times. A shared childhood memory.   @drschwank @unesurecent @maisonbyniklas

Today’s conversation with Tanya. A passionate barre and yoga instructor, devoted mom, and sourdough baker turned small business owner, deeply interested in health and fitness —all while balancing the many hats of modern womanhood. We’ve discussed the drivenness and hyperdrive of millennials. The feeling of never being, pushing hard enough, even if we alway give at least 150%, still second guessing ourselves. Tanya shared her transforming practice of teaching restore classes, and how people come over and over and return to this peaceful 45min of calm and peace. What a great inspiration to incorporate it into our daily busy lives.   @drschwank @unesurecent @sourdough_at9  @tanyaponya

Today’s been a day, where I felt to be like unorganized puzzle pieces all over the place. My mind like a bee hive, one million thoughts and feelings at the same time. Up in the air like leaves in the fall wind. After a miserably rainy morning came the sun with a crisp icy winter wind. Snow had fallen near by the city for the first time, winter is officially around the corner, only a couple of hundred meters higher above sea level. After the typical evening duties, today literally called for a yin yoga session to close the day, calming mind and body to recalibrate and be a better more present member of the family. A less irritable, stressed, rushed, judgmental on self and others human kind. This diary entry shall stand for as a metaphor of how so many of us go about our days, never stopping, holding our breath, to start deep conscious breathing. Welcome to the mom diary part one.   @drschwank @unesurecent  

Life can be a rollercoaster: some days we wake up on the sunny warm side of life, other days on the rainy cold side. Many factors can play a role and shift the mood in one or the other direction. Especially, for women this is the case, having a natural cycle dictating a woman’s life through all stages of life. One’s personal life story of course, play the predominant role in how we face challenges. With a more optimistic outlook, we can cope with many more demanding situations life can bring. This positive outlook isn’t just something we’re born with. It’s an interplay of nature vs. nurture, experiences, situations, interactions with self and others, and being at the right place and time for the magic to happen. Sometimes we feel things fall into pieces other times things fall in to places. Life is unpredictable at times, as much as we wish to control it. I find it very challenging myself, to let my thoughts wonder and be open to what comes. Certain practices can be very beneficial to putting you back on track. Embarrassing the uncertainties and go with the flow!   @drschwank @unesurcent