Balance & Beyond

Your brain isn’t failing you. It’s doing its best with ancient wiring in a world of endless emails, Slack pings, AI pressure and a culture that rewards output over wellbeing. I’m joined by Dara Simkin, co-author of Full Stack Human, to reframe what so many high achieving women privately fear: that they can’t keep up because something is wrong with them. Dara’s take is both grounded and liberating, we don’t need more optimisation, we need an upgrade back to being human. 

We unpack the Full Stack Human “tech stack”, starting with play as a serious, science backed tool for sustainable performance and nervous system health. Dara explains how play fuels the brain with feel good chemistry, why curiosity is an evolutionary advantage, and how hope and intelligent optimism help us move from doom and gloom into practical action. We also explore embodied adaptability, the idea that real flexibility comes from involving the body, not just thinking harder, especially when life feels high stakes and out of control. 

Then we name the quieter danger before burnout: Achievement Syndrome. We look at how validation, trophies, promotions and perfectionism can fuse identity to output, and why the next gold star never delivers what we think it will. Dara shares a gentler path forward through tiny micro practices that are easy to repeat, plus one powerful nightly question that shifts the benchmark from performance to presence: “How was I a human today?” 
Full Stack Human is available now online and in bookstores. 
Take the free assessment at https://www.fullstackhumanbook.com/
To follow Dara's work, connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dara-simkin-culture-hero/
Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone

We unpack why tying your identity to your job makes you fragile, especially as AI speeds up role change and redundancy. We share how to build a more fluid sense of self so you can pivot without losing confidence or peace. 
• a single line that reframes job identity as risk 
• how high-achieving women get rewarded into identity fusion 
• the hidden costs of overwork and never switching off 
• why AI exposure can hit older, educated, higher paid women 
• what redundancy triggers: grief, over-responsibility, loss of confidence 
• why more qualifications are not the real fix 
• building a fluid identity by shedding labels and conditioning 
• the must-have skill for the future: adapting without panic 
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today. And don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite sized breakthroughs. 
Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone

The most confronting reason we stay stuck often isn’t a lack of time, talent, or confidence. It’s the moment you realise you’re the one holding you back and you can’t seem to stop, even though you can see the pattern coming a mile away.

I’m sharing what I’ve learned from working with 500+ successful women who feel trapped in people pleasing, perfectionism, overthinking, and rescuing everyone else. We talk about why “just set a boundary” can collapse the second guilt hits, why delegating can feel unbearable when your standards are wired for speed and control, and why being needed starts to look like the same thing as being valuable. If you’ve ever found yourself saying yes before you even meant to, then swimming in resentment later, you’ll recognise this instantly.

We also pull apart the myth that more discipline will fix it. Willpower is finite, it depletes when you’re tired, and it can’t keep up with the hundreds of micro-decisions you make every day. What’s really running the show is an old internal operating system built for a previous definition of success, one that links rest to earning, mistakes to danger, and stopping to falling behind. The shift isn’t about trying harder; it’s about rewiring so your ambition becomes sustainable and your work-life balance stops being a constant battle.

If this lands for you, subscribe to Balance and Beyond, share it with a woman who needs the words, and leave a review so it reaches the people it’s meant for.
Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone

We share 10 lessons Jo learns from her daughter Stella that cut through self-doubt and bring you back to what matters. We turn unicorns, poopy corns, dance parties, and hugs into practical mindset shifts for balance, mood, and connection. 
• choosing belief over other people’s limits 
• finding the gift inside hard seasons 
• adding colour and brightness to your day 
• leaning on classic self-care that actually works 
• using movement to change your mood fast 
• deciding how you want to feel regardless of circumstances 
• focusing on small things that create big change 
• giving yourself permission to ask for what you want 
• learning to feel deeply instead of numbing with busyness 
• building relationships through micro moments of real presence 
If this resonated, share it with a friend who needs to hear it today. 
And don't forget to subscribe to Balance and Beyond for full episodes and more of these bite sized breakthroughs. 
Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone

You can be flat out from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep and still feel like nothing that matters is getting done. We’re talking about why that happens, and why “I need more time” is often the wrong diagnosis. The real issue is what your life is full of, and how the small, noisy stuff expands until it crowds out the big, quiet priorities.

We use a simple metaphor that lands hard: a jar filled with rocks, pebbles, and sand. Sand is the constant stream of emails, meetings you do not need, fixing problems that are not yours, redoing work instead of coaching, and filling every gap in your calendar to prove you are working. It is not evil, but it is addictive because it delivers quick wins and a dopamine hit. The catch is brutal: sand creates more sand. The more reactive you are, the more interruptions you attract, and the further you drift from the work that would actually move your career, relationships, and wellbeing forward.

Then we name the rocks: strategic thinking, the difficult conversation you have been avoiding, the meaningful project that is important but not urgent, real rest that restores you, and being present with the people you love. Rocks do not scream for attention, so in a loud world they get postponed, sometimes until you cannot even remember what your rock is anymore. The practical shift is straightforward: put the rocks in first, and before you say yes, ask whether the request is sand or a rock. The key question is not “Do I have time?” but “Is this worth giving my time to?”

If this hit home, subscribe, share it with a woman who needs it, and leave a review so it reaches the people it’s meant for.
Send a text message to Jo
The Balance & Beyond Podcast Hosted by Jo Stone, founder of The Balance Institute
For women who are already succeeding, but beginning to wonder if they're willing to keep losing themselves in the process.
We know high achievers, because we are one. This podcast draws on Jo's 20 years in global leadership and thousands of hours coaching executives and ambitious women: the patterns she sees, how to untangle them, and what it actually takes to keep your success without paying for it with yourself.
If something landed today, there's more where that came from.
And if you know a woman this would resonate with, send it her way.
🎙️https://www.balanceinstitute.com/podcast
🔗 www.balanceinstitute.com
💼https://au.linkedin.com/in/stonejoanne
📷 @therealjostone