You may be losing energy and focus throughout the day without realizing why. Screen apnea, a pattern of holding your breath or breathing shallowly while working, can keep your nervous system in a constant state of stress. This post explains how it works and how small breathing adjustments can help you reset and improve performance.
Most people try to handle stress by reacting quickly, but the most important step often happens before action. Pausing to notice your thoughts, emotions, and physical state creates the awareness needed for better decisions. This post explores how curiosity helps you respond more intentionally instead of defaulting to automatic patterns.
Stress is not always caused by external pressure. Often, it comes from the way you speak to yourself. Negative self talk can keep your nervous system in a constant state of activation, impacting your confidence, focus, and overall performance. This post explores how to recognize these patterns and shift them in a more supportive direction.
Deep breathing may seem too simple to make a real impact, but it is one of the most effective ways to regulate your nervous system. When your breath slows, your body shifts out of stress mode, improving focus, clarity, and decision-making. This post explores how small, intentional breathing moments can enhance your performance throughout the day.
Crying is often seen as something to avoid, especially in professional settings. But it is actually a natural way your body processes and releases stress. In this post, you will learn why suppressing emotions can create more tension and how reframing crying can support regulation and long term wellbeing.
It feels like progress when something clicks, but insight alone rarely leads to lasting change. Without a clear way to apply what you’ve learned, it is easy to fall back into old patterns. This post explores why most change efforts break down and how small, consistent actions can help you create habits that actually stick.
Burnout awareness can feel like a breakthrough, but it often leaves people asking what to do next. Understanding the problem is not the same as solving it. In this post, you will learn why tools and frameworks matter and how small, repeatable actions can help you manage stress and prevent burnout more effectively.
There is something different about how you feel on your birthday. You are more present, more relaxed, and less focused on pressure, even though your responsibilities have not changed. This post explores why that shift happens and how you can bring more of that ease and presence into your everyday life.
Burnout does not always show up as a breaking point. Often, it builds quietly while you continue to perform at a high level. Emotional exhaustion, detachment, and a decreased sense of accomplishment can all signal something deeper. In this post, you will learn the key signs of burnout and how to recognize them before they take a bigger toll.
“Just calm down” sounds simple, but it rarely helps when your body is already in a stress response. When your nervous system is activated, logic alone is not enough to bring you back to calm. In this post, you will learn why that advice often backfires and what actually helps regulate your system so you can respond more effectively.
Most people think stress is the problem. It is not. The real issue is that we rarely complete the stress cycle, leaving our nervous system stuck in a constant state of activation. This shows up as tension, fatigue, and difficulty focusing, especially at work. In this post, you will learn how breathwork helps regulate your body, improve performance, and build the kind of confidence that actually lasts.
Between the year-end sprint at work, the holidays, and #allthethings, this stretch from Halloween to January 1st can feel like a black hole of chaos. (Anyone else? Bueller?)
What if the most productive thing you did during any “push” season… was sloooooow down?
As a recovering perfectionist and Type A planner, I used to think rest was something you earned 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 getting everything done. But when I created my “Power of Rest” program, the research (and my own burnout recovery) taught me something powerful: micro-moments matter. In fact, sometimes the reality is: that’s all we feel like we realistically have.
Even a 5-minute mental break every hour can significantly boost mood and help sustain attention. Small rest = big results.
Here’s the challenge: many of us know this… but we don’t do it.
If slowing down feels uncomfortable, that’s normal - it’s a new skill for many. In this clip, I share one mindset shift that can help quiet the guilt and give yourself permission to pause.
What helps you integrate calm amidst chaos? I'd love to hear your go-to strategies - the more we see others modeling rest, the easier it becomes to give ourselves permission to do the same.
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This past summer season, Boston set a new record of 13 rainy weekends in a row. It’s far from the worst thing happening in the world (understatement of 2025), but Bostonians wait all year for that sweet summer air and you can see it taking a toll on people’s moods.
It has made me think about one of my favorite lines from Jennifer Moss in her book “Why Are We Here? Creating A Work Culture Everyone Wants.” She talks about how over 60% of employees globally are “dining al desko” - aka eating lunch at their desks.
Can we use this stinky streak to encourage a behavior change that would be beneficial for our wellbeing all year round and, gasp, take a few minutes to step away from lunch al desko and instead dine al fresco? Or at the least… away from our devices?
Jennifer Moss shares the research that just 20 minutes of social lunch with a coworker each week reduces mistakes and boots job satisfaction.
Of course this isn’t feasible for everyone, and there are certain days where it just may not be in the cards. But, what might life look like if you protected some time for yourself every day and not just on the weekends? What are some other small but impactful actions that improve wellbeing at work?
When my daughter was born, everyone told me to make a baby book. But staring at those beautifully blank pages, I knew myself well enough to know that they’d sit on a shelf collecting dust, silently reminding me of one more thing I “should” be doing.
So, I tried something different. I set up an email address in her name and began writing her messages - sometimes attaching a photo or video, other times capturing a funny phrase, small moment, or hard-earned parenting insight.
She just turned 6 and there are 239 messages from me. While that may make any inbox 0 warriors reading this crawl in their skin, it makes me smile. 🙂
What I wouldn’t give to have these kinds of notes from my own mom, now that she’s gone. My hope is that one day, my daughter will find comfort and connection in these words and maybe a deeper understanding of both herself and me through reading them.
The point behind my post, decorated with the wordiness of a sentimental mama, is this:
Whether in parenting or in the workplace:
🔹 Know your strengths.
🔹 Trust your instincts.
🔹 Remember: doing things your way isn't wrong just because it's not the norm. It might be the exact thing that creates something meaningful and helps you avoid the regret that comes from doing nothing at all.
This year at the The IgA Nephropathy Foundation SPARK Conference, I shared new content about how patients and caregivers can tap into different forms of rest to support their minds, bodies, and spirits. Whenever I speak, my goal is simple: help every person walk away with at least one practical tool they can use in their daily life.
I didn’t expect to hear from two audience members who had used tools from last year’s session:
😮💨 One woman shared that she began a simple breathing practice and no longer needs a medication she once relied on.
😴 One man said he now naps daily and feels noticeably happier and more energetic (a major win when managing chronic illness).
Running your own business can feel isolating, and I sometimes wonder if I’m making an impact. But these moments remind me why I do this work AND inspire me to let others know when they have made a difference in my life!
A reminder for all the helpers: you may never know the depth of the good you’re doing.
PS This was my first time having the honor of a graphic recorder - shout out to Paul Williams for his incredible work capturing messages during the session!
I wish the woman in this photo knew she was doing a phenomenal job.
My grandmother-in-law turned 100 (!!) this year and our family traveled to Virginia to celebrate her. This photo is from the first time we flew there with our daughter.
When I look at it now, I feel endless self-compassion for the new mama I see. I was sleep-deprived, had never flown with my baby, and was just two months into navigating my mother’s terminal illness - traveling back and forth to CT to care for her and tending to the daily realities of motherhood in places I never imagined I’d be.
It’s easy to look back and give ourselves grace… but what if we could offer that same grace in the moment?
Back then, negative self-talk was second nature - constant comparisons to other parents, judgment about how I was doing. Over time, I began learning and practicing self-compassion, and it changed my life. Now, I get to share it with others.
It might sound a little “woo-woo,” but as self-compassion expert Dr. Kristin Neff shares, thousands of studies around the world have shown that self-compassion:
✅ Reduces anxiety and depression
✅ Increases motivation and accountability
✅ Builds inner strength and emotional balance
✅ Helps us care for others without burning out
Practical tools by Dr. Kristin Neff can be found here: Self-Compassion Practices
If you don't love the answer, consider this your invitation to explore what life feels like when you have your own back.
It can be one of the most powerful levers you can pull to impact your wellbeing at work and out in the world.
If you've been sending out dozens of applications without hearing back, you're not alone and the problem might not be your qualifications.
As a Boston-based Career Coach and Workplace Wellbeing Speaker, I've seen countless talented professionals struggle in their job search simply because their resume doesn't showcase their true value. The right resume isn't just a formality; it's your most powerful marketing tool, and when done correctly, it can turn months of radio silence into multiple interviews within weeks.
I worked with a client whose story perfectly illustrates how a strategic resume overhaul, combined with expert coaching, can dramatically accelerate your career transition and even add tens of thousands of dollars to your compensation package.
Auto-generated text below. Please excuse any typos!
A career coaching client came to me after he had spent months job searching but not getting any interviews. He was really well-qualified for the roles that he was going for but wasn't getting any traction. When we started working together, we redid his resume completely. He was really selling himself short and he was doing it in part because he was using a resume template that just didn't serve him in his years of experience.
So when we worked together, those first applications that he submitted with that new resume immediately brought on interviews. And through working together, he ended up landing an offer. And we worked through process of negotiation, everyone's favorite topic. And he actually increased his offer by $25,000. So, this was all within one and a half months of working together. Now that's atypical. It all depends on how big of a shift you're making, what the job market's doing.
“Aileen is always a pleasure to work with - organized, dedicated, kind, and knowledgable.
Her sessions are engaging and informative and our employees have enjoyed learning from her over the past 4 years!”
- Carissa Buurstra, Akamai Technologies
“Aileen "gets it"! She’s an expert in this space and has a real knack for making people feel at ease. After seeing her speak at the 2024 MetroWest Conference for Women, I knew she’d be the perfect fit to present to our internal team.
Aileen offered thoughtful guidance throughout both the planning and execution of the event. She asks great questions to understand the needs and goals of the workshops during the planning process.
A great partner - and just a genuinely nice person to work with, to boot!“
- Colleen Ciccone, EG America
“Aileen is simply the BEST! We’ve had the pleasure of partnering with her for the past few years, and each time she hosts a webinar, we receive glowing feedback from our employees.
Her calming presence, engaging style, and thoughtful insights make every session impactful. We always look forward to working with her and will absolutely continue to do so.”
-Abbey Wells, Apellis Pharmaceuticals
“Even before presenting, Aileen takes the time to understand the organization and audience. We've had her present to our employees on two separate occasions and both times, the experience feels tailored to our group. Her topics are varied and we appreciate that she curates her presentations depending on broad and current organizational events - there is always so much from which to pick.
She has a personable style that draws you in, no matter the topic. Aileen is easy to work with and professional in her delivery and communications, ensuring a seamless process. My experience has been great so far. We hope to invite Aileen back in the near future.”
-Clo Xavier, Bristol Myers Squibb
“I thoroughly enjoyed working with Aileen on our company's wellness initiatives. She was attentive and really listened when I spoke about our goals and desires.
She was super easy to work with and made sure to cater to our company's specific needs. All attendees also liked the sessions.”
-Leicia Henderson, America’s Test Kitchen
“Aileen provided an excellent presentation on work life balance, including strategies to reduce stress and avoid burnout.
These topics are highly relevant to my firm, and our attorneys and staff now have the tools to promote self care. We look forward to future opportunities to work with Aileen!”
-Adam Ponte, Fletcher Tilton PC
“Aileen was a joy to work with. She was able to deliver an impactful message to a wide range of audience members. What was most unique about Aileen was that she was able to connect with a large group of people on a personal level. I haven't seen that done in a presentation before and Aileen absolutely nailed it.
She is responsive, responsible and easy to work with. She truly cares about giving a high quality presentation. We will definitely have Aileen back.”
-Lissa Johnson, Mosa Mack Science
