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.
Learn more about signature programs and speaking style: https://www.aspirewithaileen.com/corporate-wellness
If you're ready to book a consultation to discuss your speaker needs: https://aspirewithaileencalendar.as.me/corporatewellness
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!
We all have moments that clarify our purpose—those quiet affirmations that we’re on the right path. For me, those moments often come through the people I meet and the stories they share after my talks. But the roots of that purpose go much deeper. In this post, I’m reflecting on the personal legacy that fuels my work, the values passed down from my mother, and how they continue to shape the way I show up for others with empathy, intention, and heart.
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At the end of one of my keynotes, a woman came up to me with tears in her eyes and she said, thank you so much for this. This came at the exact right moment in my life. Now a favorite quote of mine is, to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived is to have succeeded. So this quote is actually one I use in the eulogy for my mom. And she really is the inspiration behind much of my why. She instilled this passion for helping others, of really being of service in the world in me from such a young age. And it's that sense of purpose really from her that's been a huge driver for my entire career. Knowing that I can help people feel like the load of life is lighter and helping them feel more hopeful about the future, that's what this is all about for me. And also, it feels like a way of honoring my mom's legacy.
Burnout isn't just a professional interest for me—it's personal. My journey into understanding and supporting others through stress and burnout began with my own experience. This lived experience deeply impacts the work I do today. In this post, I’ll share how my story shapes the way I support others and why a mix of empathy, evidence-based tools, and realism makes all the difference in burnout recovery.
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One of the things that I think helps me in providing support to employees and organizations on stress management and burnout is my own burnout story. In 2019, after 42 weeks of pregnancy and 36 hours of labor, I became a mom. And only a few months after that, my own mom was given a terminal cancer diagnosis. She ended up living for two years, but we had a little pandemic sprinkled in there for good measure. And those few years of transitioning to becoming a new mom caregiving for my own mom, as well as my business really pushed me past that edge and led to my burnout in 2021. So while you don't need to have experienced burnout to support others, I do think it really helps me show up with more empathy. And not only do I bring in evidence-based strategies for stress management and burnout recovery, but I bring this realistic perspective about what's feasible because there's nothing worse than when you're burnt out,
being told, hey, here's the solution, and it's something that's completely untenable. So one of the things I hear in the feedback from my programs is that people appreciate that vulnerability in my share and that they also feel more inspired and hopeful that recovery is possible because of that story as well as the tools that I share.
Sometimes, the most memorable well-being lessons come with a bit of shock value—in the best way. What started as a niche, unconventional topic has become a more mainstream conversation about holistic wellness. And the best part? Years later, participants still tell me how this session transformed how they shop, choose, and care for themselves. In this post, I’m sharing the story behind that program—and why lasting impact is the heart of everything I do.
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Let me tell you about a time that I scarred people for life, but in a good way. So one of the most enjoyable parts of the well-being programming that I do is that I get to be creative and really approach well-being from this holistic perspective. So one of the more atypical programs that I run is called You Are What Your Skin Eats. And it's all about the products that we use and the impact that they can have on our health. And this used to be a pretty out of the box topic, but now it's way more mainstream of a conversation. And one of the things that I find most rewarding is that I have people who attended that program seven years ago who say every single week it still guides their decision making. And that's really the whole goal behind why I do what I do is to really see that impact being lasting in people's lives.
Effective workplace wellbeing programming isn't one-size-fits-all—it requires flexibility and a deep understanding of your organization's unique needs. What truly transforms this work is the opportunity for ongoing collaboration. When organizations and wellbeing professionals become thought partners, they create a dynamic relationship that evolves with employee needs. The result isn't just better programming—it's the continuity of care that builds trust, drives engagement, and creates lasting cultural change within your organization.
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Three of the main ways to work with me for well-being programming are employee off-sites, ERG-focused events, or conference keynotes. So pretty much you name it, I can support you. I do programming as short as, say, 30-minute stretching and yoga sessions as a certified yoga instructor to as long as half-day programming. One of my favorite things that's happened in my work as a speaker is having organizations that I've partnered with since 2018. These are some of the most rewarding because we become thought partners for one another. Each year I meet with these organizations and we say, okay, what are the newer challenges? What are the things that employees really want to have addressed? And then I can come up with new and innovative programming to really support those challenges and needs. Being able to see those familiar faces, build those ongoing relationships really helps me feel like I'm making that longer term impact and having that continuity of care that's so valuable in this space.
Career Coaches and Workplace Wellbeing Speakers offer unique value through our dual perspective on talent retention. Having witnessed thousands of career transitions firsthand, we understand exactly why employees leave—and what makes them stay. This allows us to address specific challenges that broader wellbeing programs often miss, effectively bridging the gap between organizational initiatives and individual employee needs. This targeted approach creates tailored solutions that complement existing HR efforts, ultimately strengthening retention and boosting workplace satisfaction where it matters most.
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Hi, my name is Aileen Axtmeyer, and I'm a Career Coach and Workplace Wellbeing Speaker. One-on-one, I help people land work they love, and then I work with organizations to help them retain that talent. I have the unique perspective of having almost two decades of coaching experience and seeing why people leave their jobs. And it's such a joy to get to be on the other side of the table and try and help organizations keep those people around. My background in psychology, counseling, and other stress management modalities gives me that kind of versatile, tool to add to organizations toolkits. A lot of organizations will have bigger programs or bigger solutions for well-being but sometimes more of those unique topics for employees at hand get lost in the shuffle. And that's where i really like to be of service to be kind of the bridge of any gaps in well-being programming to make sure all employee challenges are being addressed.
In our pursuit of stress reduction, we've overlooked a powerful truth: not all stress harms us. The workplace wellness conversation often focuses exclusively on eliminating pressure, but what if some stress actually fuels our growth?
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Do you know what eustress is? About 90% of people say no when I ask them in my wellbeing workshops. And I think that's part of the problem. We talk about stress all the time, but this important part of the conversation is being left out. Eustress means good stress. It's when we're pushed just outside of our comfort zone and we're challenged and we have to rise to the occasion, but we're not quite overwhelmed. So think about when you're using a new skill at work, or maybe you have that big presentation And you feel confident about doing it, but you still have to really be on for it. Those are those times when we grow personally, we grow professionally, and we need those. It's part of the human experience. When we think about employee well-being, we think about stress management, we need to acknowledge this big piece of the puzzle. And for the other piece, we can talk about strategies and tools that help tell our brains and our bodies that they're safe when they might be telling us otherwise.
Don't underestimate the power of a five-minute break. While wellness initiatives often focus on major interventions, these tiny pauses between meetings can significantly impact your workday.
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One of my favorite tools to give employees for stress management as well as burnout recovery is five minute breaks. Now, don't roll your eyes. This is a tiny thing, but I promise it makes a big difference. So there's actually a lot of science and research behind this that shows that when we have tiny, tiny breaks, even as short as those five minutes between meetings or even just throughout the day, our brains have that ability to recover. It can be really restorative. And in fact, participants in one study in 2021 from Microsoft saw that they had a 40% lower reduction in stress levels and they were 13% more engaged in their next meeting.
A lot of times when we think about well-being, we think of these huge interventions or these huge changes, but I think sometimes those aren't accessible and these little micro moments, those micro actions can be incredibly powerful as well. People need accessible, simple, practical and implementable strategies more than ever before.
