Balance & Beyond Podcast

The holidays can be noisy, busy, and strangely empty all at once.

We wanted to create a quiet pocket in your feed to say a sincere thank you, share a few of our own rituals, and invite you to make space for rest without apology. From the notes you send to the stories you trust us with, your courage and honesty shape everything we do, and we reflect on how that shared momentum helps ambitious women lead with more ease and less burnout.

We talk about gratitude as a practical tool, not a platitude, and how naming what’s working can reset a frantic mind. You’ll hear about our simple family traditions—alternating Christmas Day, familiar plates from childhood, a cheeky cheer for every popped cork in honour of Grandma—and why these small, steady rituals regulate the nervous system and restore presence. We touch on a year coloured by health challenges and what it means to hold close the people and habits that make time feel meaningful.

Looking ahead, we offer a gentle frame for a lighter, fuller, more you 2026: schedule rest first, trim low-value demands, and choose rituals that anchor you to your values. If you’re navigating career pressure, leadership expectations, and the unseen load at home, this conversation is a permission slip to breathe, to celebrate what you’ve built, and to define success on your terms. Share this with a friend who needs a soft landing, leave a quick review if it helped, and explore our toolkit at balanceinstitute.com to keep building a life of balance and beyond. Subscribe, share, and tell us: what joy will you protect this season?

Episode Transcript

INTRO: Welcome to Balance and Beyond, the podcast for ambitious women who refuse to accept burnout as the price of success. Here, we’re committed to empowering you with the tools and strategies you need to achieve true balance, where your career, relationships and health all thrive, and where you have the power to define success on your own terms. I honour the space you’ve created for yourself today, so take a breath, and let's dive right in…

Jo (00:19.982)

Hello, beautiful women, and Merry Christmas. Before we all switch off for a little while, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you, truly, on behalf of me, the team, and my family.

Thank you for listening to the podcast, for sharing it with your friends, and for being part of this incredible community of women who are doing life and leadership differently. I'm so grateful for every message you send, every story you share, and every moment you let me into your world.

Hearing how this work has landed in your life, how it's helped you breathe again, lead differently, or simply come home to yourself means more than you know. We're heading into our own family break soon.

And as always, at Christmas, there'll be the usual traditions. We alternate Christmas Day with each family, and this year, we're at mine. There'll be the same familiar food we've had since I was a kid. We all still say, "Hey!" every time a champagne cork is popped in honour of my grandma. And of course, the usual overindulgence in everything.

This Christmas will feel especially meaningful with my dad, given everything he's navigated this year. Wherever you are and however you celebrate, I hope you get to enjoy some of the magic you've created this year.

Make space for joy, make space for rest, and most importantly, make space for yourself. For me, the team, and my family, Mick, Nikita, and Stella, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Here's to a 2026 that's lighter, fuller, and more you!