239: How to Have Hard Conversations with Sara Bybee Fisk

This morning, I stepped on the scale and saw a number I hadn't seen in years. I was up 6.2 pounds. And while I felt that initial punch in the gut, what surprised me most was what happened next. Instead of spiraling into disappointment, I actually felt grateful. Yep, grateful! In this episode, I'm sharing how a busy season of TEDx preparation, family travel, and back-to-school routines led me to slip into an old habit without even realizing it. And it all started with one innocent-sounding sentence that I know so many high-achieving women tell themselves. If you've ever found yourself putting your own needs on the back burner or feeling discouraged when your progress slips, this episode is for you.   Resources:  Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.priyankavenugopal.com/241 Watch my TEDx talk: Overthinking, the Hidden Cost of Mental Time Travel HERE. Join my email list: https://priyankavenugopal.com/email

In this episode, I'm sharing why I decided to evolve this podcast from Burn Stress Lose Weight into something bigger. Weight loss was the doorway into so much of my own personal growth, but over the years I started noticing a pattern that went far beyond the scale. There was something upstream quietly keeping so many smart, capable women stuck, and I could no longer fit that conversation into a smaller box. This episode is part reintroduction, part behind-the-scenes look at my own overthinking, and part invitation into what's coming next. If you've ever had a goal, idea, dream, or decision that you've thought about so much that you barely moved, this new chapter is for you.   Resources:  Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.priyankavenugopal.com/240 Watch my TEDx talk: Overthinking, the Hidden Cost of Mental Time Travel HERE. Join my email list: https://priyankavenugopal.com/email

You may be completely capable of having hard conversations at work, advocating for your clients, or speaking up for someone you love, but when the conversation is about what you need, suddenly it can feel very different. In this episode, I'm joined by master certified coach Sara Bybee Fisk for a powerful conversation about people-pleasing, resentment, relational risk, and why the conversations we keep putting on the shelf often come with a cost. We explore what makes a conversation feel hard, why high-achieving women are especially likely to avoid certain conversations, and what can become possible when you're willing to speak up. About Sara Bybee Fisk: Sara Bybee Fisk coaches capable women through the conversations they're afraid to have. As a Master Certified Coach and host of the Ex-Good Girl Podcast, she's worked with thousands of women in medicine, business, and faith communities who've done years of personal work but still freeze when something they care about is at stake. Her approach is straightforward: most women don't need another insight or a better script- they need to learn the skills they were never taught.   Resources:  Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.priyankavenugopal.com/239 Sara's workshop: https://www.sarafisk.coach/voice   Sara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarafiskcoach/ Ready for your next level? Visit priyankavenugopal.com

🔴 TEDx YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/-p6KtUizbvs?si=ypWcVMOAGR2w8gz9

What happens when the thing that used to motivate you no longer feels quite as powerful? Sometimes we keep pushing, planning, and trying to force ourselves forward when what we really need is to reconnect with why we're doing any of it in the first place. In this episode, I'm sharing a lesson that started with a struggle at home with my daughter and quickly turned into a much bigger realization about motivation, overthinking, and the next chapter of my own work. This is a more personal episode about coming back to what matters, questioning the things we've been doing on autopilot, and being willing to move forward even when every detail isn't perfectly mapped out yet. Resources:  Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.priyankavenugopal.com/238 Ready for your next level? Visit priyankavenugopal.com  

You already know what you said you were going to do. So why does your brain suddenly have 47 very convincing reasons not to do it? For overachievers, inconsistency often isn't a discipline problem. It's what happens in those tiny moments when we start negotiating with ourselves. We think about whether we should start tomorrow, whether today is too busy, whether we need to feel more motivated first, and before we know it, we've talked ourselves right out of the action that would move us forward. In this episode, I'm breaking down why negotiating is so normal, how it quietly drains your mental energy, and the skill that can help you follow through even when part of your brain would really rather not.   Resources:  Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.priyankavenugopal.com/237 Get the Body Reset Mini Course: https://priyankavenugopal.com/bodyreset

What if the scale froze today and never moved again? Would you still want to eat, move, sleep, and take care of yourself the way you are right now? For overachievers, it's easy to bring transactional energy into our health goals. We follow the plan, put in the effort, and expect the scale to pay us back. And when it doesn't happen on our timeline, resentment, frustration, and "why bother?" can quickly creep in. In this episode, I'm exploring what happens when we stop keeping score with our bodies and start paying attention to a different kind of return. The kind that may never show up on a scale, spreadsheet, or tracker, but can completely change the way you experience taking care of yourself.   Resources:  Get full show notes and more information here: https://priyankavenugopal.com/236 Get the Body Reset Mini Course: https://priyankavenugopal.com/bodyreset

What if time isn't actually the reason you haven't reached your goal? As high-achieving women, it's easy to believe that we simply need more time, a calmer season, or fewer responsibilities before we can finally follow through. But in this episode, I'm challenging that idea and sharing a clip from a recent coaching call inside The Unstoppable Group about what actually creates results. We're talking about the difference between letting time pass and intentionally putting in high-quality reps, especially on the days when you don't feel motivated, excited, or perfectly on track. If you've ever told yourself, "I'll start tomorrow," this episode might change the way you think about your timeline entirely.   Resources:  Get full show notes and more information here: https://priyankavenugopal.com/235

The TEDx talk is officially done. After months of preparing, rehearsing, getting rejected, trying again, and thinking about those 12 minutes on the Red Circle, I expected to wake up afterward feeling completely different. But that's not exactly what happened. In this bonus episode, I'm sharing what surprised me most on the other side of accomplishing an "impossible" goal, including the patterns that showed up right before I stepped on stage, what helped me stop performing and start connecting, and why the biggest transformation often happens long before anyone else can see it. We're also talking about the people and environments we surround ourselves with, and how much they can shape what we believe is possible for us. Resources:  Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.burnstressloseweight.com/234 Take the Stress Quiz: https://burnstressloseweight.com/stress

This is the final chapter of my TEDx story before I step onto the stage, and this time, I'm not telling it from the other side. I'm recording it in real time, just days before the talk, while the nerves, perfectionism, and overthinking are very much alive. In this episode, I'm sharing what surprised me about getting close to a big goal, why success can sometimes make our stress patterns louder instead of quieter, and the shift that's helping me stay grounded as the red circle gets closer. Because sometimes the hardest part isn't starting. It's letting yourself arrive. Resources:  Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.burnstressloseweight.com/233 Take the Stress Quiz: https://burnstressloseweight.com/stress