Balance & Beyond

A single throwaway line at the pub, “Off you go, you’re the poll queen”, opens up a surprisingly big truth about change, identity, and resentment. We’ve all got that role we fall into the organiser, the fixer, the reliable one and it can look like confidence from the outside while feeling like pressure on the inside.

Jo shares a moment where the behaviour stays exactly the same (yes, the WhatsApp poll still goes up), but the inner experience changes completely. Instead of moving on autopilot with the old mental noise (if I don’t do it, no one will; why am I always the one), there’s a pause, a real choice, and a decision made for a clear reason. That tiny gap between “this is what I do” and “this is what I choose” is where intentional living starts and where people pleasing begins to loosen its grip.

We talk about why so many capable women fear mindset work, because it can sound like you’ll become less organised, less reliable, less effective. The takeaway is the opposite: you can keep your strengths and drop the resentment by changing the driver, not the outcome. If you’re working on boundaries, self leadership, habit change, or simply want to feel cleaner inside your day-to-day life, this one will hit home.

If it helps, share it with a mate who carries the group chat, and please subscribe and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s your “WhatsApp poll” right now?
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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

Free Live Workshop
FOR THE WOMAN WHO LOGS OFF, BUT CAN’T SWITCH OFF
How to Switch Off From Work So You Can (Finally) Enjoy the Life You’ve Built
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Leadership in 2026 can feel like a full-body contact sport: restructures, redundancies, tighter budgets, and that constant hum of uncertainty. And if you’re the capable one, the reliable one, the “leave it with me” one, you’ve probably noticed something uncomfortable. The habits that made you successful are starting to cost more than they’re worth.

I walk through five patterns I see in high-performing women again and again, especially senior leaders: carrying everyone else’s uncertainty, moving the bar on what you think you need to know (hello, AI), automatically picking up extra work, trying to create certainty by overthinking and over-planning, and managing everyone’s reaction after you’ve made or communicated a tough decision. These are not character flaws. They’re success strategies. They worked, until the environment poured rocket fuel on their downside.

You’ll get clear questions to ask yourself, practical boundary lines to draw, and a more sustainable definition of “enough” so you can switch off from work without stepping back from your career. I also share details of my free live workshop, where we go deeper on what keeps you mentally clocked on after hours, and how to start interrupting it.

If this landed for you, subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, share it with a woman who needs the reminder, and leave a review to help it reach the people it’s meant for. What’s the one thing you’re ready to put down before 2027?
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

A magpie swoop can turn a normal walk into pure panic in seconds, and that’s exactly why it makes such a powerful lesson about fear. I’m sharing a moment with my daughter that started with a scream, escalated into a relentless territorial bird, and ended with both of our bodies in full survival mode. If you’ve ever felt your heart race before you even knew why, you’ll recognise what happens next.

We talk about how quickly the nervous system decides “danger, run” and how the rational brain often arrives late, trying to explain what’s already unfolding. I reflect on how my own childhood memory of being swooped came rushing back, and I share my daughter’s brutally honest belief that the magpie was going to pick her up and take her away forever. It sounds absurd, but it captures something real: fear is incredibly convincing when you’re inside it, and perspective can vanish in an instant.

From there, we zoom out to the modern versions of swooping: an email from your boss, a look on your partner’s face, a hard conversation, or the feeling that you’ve made a mistake you can’t fix. You’ll walk away with a simple reset question you can use when you’re flooded: is this genuinely dangerous, or am I currently being swooped? If you want practical mindset shifts, emotional regulation tools, and a down-to-earth take on anxiety and stress, press play, then subscribe, share with a mate, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.
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

A single research finding can land like a slap: tens of thousands of responses show Gen Z ranking wellbeing, authenticity, and helping others at the top, while hiring managers still reward achievement, nonstop action, and traditional work-first values. Our initial reactions can be sharp judgement, frustration, even disgust but we slow it down and ask the more uncomfortable question: what does this values mismatch reveal about the way we’ve been taught to succeed?

We unpack how the “old model” plays out for high-achieving women, especially women in leadership who have done everything right on paper. When identity and worth get tangled up with external measures like promotions, performance, money, and influence, the bar keeps moving and satisfaction stays out of reach. The costs are real: fatigue, sleep disruption, being less present with family, and the strange irony of reaching seniority while feeling less confident or less excited about work. If you’ve been searching for a sustainable version of ambition, this conversation speaks directly to burnout, work-life balance, and reclaiming a sense of self.

The most charged moment is the trigger: watching younger people clock off, say no, or refuse “the rules” we obeyed for decades. We name the rage and the grief underneath it, and we explore a healthier middle ground where growth doesn’t require self-abandonment. We also talk through the wake-up calls that force change, and how to start rewriting your rules now, without waiting for a crisis or a calendar milestone.

If it hits home, subscribe for more conversations like this, share it with a woman who needs it, and leave a review to help the Ripple Effect reach 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

My daughter hit me with a finger wag and a line I couldn’t ignore: “We listen and we don’t judge.” It was funny, sharp, and uncomfortably accurate. One raised eyebrow in the car turned into a real-time mirror of how judgement can slip out of us, even when we think we’re being supportive. 

From there, we pull apart what’s actually happening underneath judgement. We talk about the link between self judgement and judging others, and why so many of us, especially women, can spend decades as our own harshest critic. When someone else speaks up, asks for what they deserve, or shows up boldly authentic, it can trigger us because it highlights a place we’ve stayed small. That doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you human and it gives you a clear path for personal growth. 

You’ll hear a workplace example that brings this to life, plus a simple mindset shift you can try immediately: practise non judgemental listening with other people and with your own inner voice. If you want better communication, more emotional intelligence, and a calmer relationship with yourself, this short episode is a strong reset. 

If this lands, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a gentler inner voice, and leave a review so more people can find Balance and Beyond Moments. What’s one place in your life where you could “listen and not judge” today?
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