You've heard it a million times: just find your work-life balance! But what if that whole concept is setting you up to fail? Andrea Christo—four-time expat, serial entrepreneur, and founder of the No Hustle Club—burned out twice before she realized the truth: you can't balance two things that were never meant to be separate. In this episode, she shares why hustle culture is quietly wrecking founders' health and what "life-work integration" actually looks like in practice.

What You'll Learn:

1. Why the "work-life balance" myth keeps people stuck in guilt and exhaustion
2. How Andrea's burnout in China (running a healthy snack bar 18 months straight, 5am-11pm) forced her to rethink everything
3. The difference between hustle (push and struggle) vs. integration (aligned action)
4. Why managing your ENERGY matters more than managing your time
5. How to find your peak performance hours—and fiercely protect them

Real Talk Moments: Andrea opens up about her second burnout damaging her thyroid so badly she couldn't breastfeed her newborn for six weeks. Megan shares her "yes person" struggle with ADHD dopamine hits. Plus, Danna drops the "when you say yes to everyone, you're saying no to yourself" truth bomb.

Andrea's Wisdom: "Saying no is sexy. When you have strong boundaries, when you know what you're capable of doing, what you're willing to give—that boundary allows room for you to grow and allows others to exist within your space."

Connect with Andrea Christo: https://www.andreacristancho.com/

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 Ready to embrace a healthier, happier you say hello to Organilicious. Where our own functional medicine, health coach, Danna, helps women. Like you feel incredible in their own skin. Forget the quick fixes and confusing wellness trends. Danna's approach is all about real sustainable change that fits into your life. Whether you want to supercharge your metabolism, find peace with your plate or just get back to feeling like the rock star you are. Danna's got the secret sauce. Did I peak your interest head over to Organilicious.ch and discover how to make wellness work for you. With plenty of laughs and inspiration along the way.

Organilicious - Danna, Functional Medicine Health Coach

Hello and welcome to the podcast that gives you food for Thaw

an Apple a day, and for those who wanna have their cake and eat it too.

I am Megan McCrory, and I am with my beautiful and talented

co-host, Donna Levy Hoffman.

And today you are listening to a livestream episode of

the So Freaking Healthy.

Hey, Megan.

Yes, it is me, Donna Levy Hoffman.

And today we're talking about rethinking the work-life balance and the problem

with the hustle culture and to talk to us about it is our special guest, Andrea

Christo, the founder of the No Hustle

Club.

Hi, Andrea.

Hello.

Hello.

So nice to be here.

Thank you so much for having me.

Yes, it's wonderful to meet you.

So Andrea, let's just start off with a little bit, um, if you could just

share yourself a little bit about yourself and, you know, what's your

why Work-life balance in the No

Hassa Club.

Absolutely.

So let me share, you know, I'll, I'll start with the personal note.

You know, I'm la Latina 100%, but not only that, I have been a

four-time expat international entre.

So I've been an entrepreneur all my adult life and, uh, that experience

is really what brought me to where I am today as a health coach and as a

mom, and also an ambassador and real supporter of saying no to the hustle.

I like to say that I'm on a mission to stop the hustle culture

burnout among founders, and there's a real reason for that.

I've experienced burnout twice in my life.

And, uh, you know, I guess, uh, for some people, third time is

a charm for me was a fourth.

Basically, I had to learn the hard way that the only way I had to

sustain a business growth was to slow down and rethink my prior.

So when I went to health coaching school, I really didn't go with

the mentality of I'm gonna go out into the world and serve my people.

I went because I had a real serious burnout that really damaged my

thyroid, and when I deliver my baby, , first time mom away from home.

I deliver in South Africa.

You can't imagine that when you have a newborn and you

cannot breastfeed your newborn.

I was really panicking.

Thank God for science and modern nutrition that you had, you know, some baby formula

right there because it took six weeks.

For my PTU Terry to talk to my ovaries to then produce milk so I could feed my baby.

Mm-hmm.

. When that experience really brought me to my senses, I realized

first the gift of being a mom.

And being a healthy mom.

And that's when I embarked into health coaching school.

But not only that, it was just for me to realize what have I done?

Because for the past 20 years, I was a vegetarian.

I was a yug.

I really was doing it by the book, the book, or quote big ones out

there, , because I really didn't know what I didn't know, but.

an entrepreneur.

I learned that you had to give your hundred percent and your hundred

percent meant your 150%, and I did jeopardize my health and when I didn't

have the tools to really fix myself, I panicked because my mind was not enough.

My body needed.

Calm down and rebalance in order just to stay alive myself

and then to feed my baby girl.

So that's really where, you know, I came to sense.

I understood that.

Mm-hmm.

, this lifestyle moving forward is not what I want.

So I brought together, My business knowledge with a healthy lifestyle,

and then the coaching knowledge came to be, and that was sort of

like a triad that built a bridge for myself to then carry on.

With my business career without having to blame my children for

stopping me because you know, now I'm a mom, I have no time for business.

That was not, and like, that was not an excuse I was going to use, and I

just simply started to draft what I like to call the past to know hustle.

And what that simply means is prioritizing.

Is serving me in this lifetime, in this present moment, in this

season in my life and my career.

And the outcome of that decision was what I like to call integrating life and work.

It's a yes.

that, you know, the hustle were, you know, let's say old school

terms means workaholism, right?

Mm-hmm.

, the new business term is hustle.

It's something I, I saw growing up.

You know, I do come from parents that gave it all to their careers.

and they had a very good, um, stable career growth.

So much so that coming from South America, I had an international education.

Mm-hmm.

. So this meant that, you know, they gave me everything they could give mm-hmm.

But what they couldn't give was what they didn't know.

And that's okay.

Right.

We cannot blame them.

But I did see them sacrificing life because of career.

So I thought that was, Yeah, and when my chance to go out there until the

world came, I was in China 23 years old, starting my first business ever.

Of course, I gave it all and all meant, you know, burning

out to the point that one day.

I just walked into my apartment and just crawled in my sofa and started crying my

eyes out nonstop, like I just collapsed.

And that was the moment where I just simply told myself,

I don't do this to myself.

You know what I'd like to call now.

I don't do.

. Mm-hmm.

. It's just not okay for me.

And I guess as we grow, we start sort of placing policies around

who we are and what we enjoy doing.

Well, for me it was very clear, this is not it, but it took me

fast forward 10 years to realize what it was that I really wanted.

. But when I then understood, okay, what had happened between those 10 years

between my first burnout and the second was then that I woke up to allowing

myself for that middle way of integration.

Mm-hmm.

I love that.

Yeah.

You know, the, the, the one thing, you started kind of explaining it, but

I would love for you to go a little bit into detail because I. the word

hustle, just like the word health, just like pretty much all words, um, mean

different things to different people.

Mm-hmm.

, right?

Mm-hmm.

. So, you know, for me, hustle is like I translated into, I need to post

things on social media cuz that's how people see me and blah blah.

And nowadays everything is revolving around social media, but

there's a little bit more to that.

So I would love for you to kind of dig deeper into what does hustle actually

mean to different people and what are the, the negative effects that those could.

on our culture and on our, our mental health and, and overall wellbeing.

Mm-hmm.

? Yes.

Well, I, I do understand that the word hustle means so many

things to many different people.

and the way that, you know, I like to define it.

Let's start the way I understand it, and then we can compare right.

hustle means, you know, it's, it's a synonym of holism, as I said, but

to me it means pushing a, you know, and, and, you know, togging, right?

It's, it has a negative connotation in the sense that when you are

going against, you know, gravity, things just get harder, all right?

Mm-hmm.

, for me, the word hustle in the, I'm gonna say the American culture.

You know, the, the understanding there is you've got to get

the work done, all right?

But when you go to the grammar, like to the dictionary, , the word

hustle means that push and toggle.

So in my understanding, the way I use it is in the negative sense

of why do we need to push and pull, like there's no need for.

There is an easier way to do things the way that is aligned

with our values, our integrity, and our mission, like our purpose.

So it's not about being lazy and it's not about doing less and

letting go totally in the country.

It's about being smart on what you do and how you do it in a way that first serves.

and not what the market or the next marketing, you know, bro or gal is

saying that works for them because that could absolutely work for them.

And yes, hustle, hustle, hustle 'em to your eyes, bleed.

Cool.

That's your way, do it.

My way is I absolutely choose integration instead because when I get smart and.

This, and this is going to get me to where I want.

It keeps me focused, it keeps me aligned, and it keeps me

happy, healthy, and vibrant.

And that energy is the one I want to sustain in order to see my business grow,

in order to see my children grow, in order to really be the human I wanna be.

Yeah.

Does that, . Yeah, definitely.

I have a lot more questions, but Yeah, yeah.

No, no.

My turn.

My turn.

Um, , so I was also thinking as you're talking about, because the word hustle

to me is, uh, related from my point of view to like the side hustle, which is

like something you do on the side and you're hustling, meaning that you're just

always constantly working on something.

But, um, I feel like somehow maybe hustle also has a negative and

positive connotation, like stress.

Like you can have negative stress or you can have positive stress, or

let's just say you can have negative or positive reactions to stress.

Right.

So I feel like in some cases there are some people that

really thrive in a hustle like.

Something that requires them to work really hard for a short

period of time or on something.

And there are other people who don't.

Do you know what I mean?

Uh, just like the same reactions people have with same stressors.

People can have two drastically different reactions to that.

What are your thoughts on that kind of negative versus positive

framework of, of hustling?

Yes.

Well, you know, two sides of it.

As you mentioned, the, the, the stress levels, like how we all take

and measure and manage our stress is totally different because it really

has to do with circumstances like the environment and how well we're trained

to take it and deal with it, you know?

Mm-hmm.

, I say the more I meditate, the more I can.

And uh, if you were to ask me that five years ago, I would've

said, uh, I can't do it.

I now seldom use the word can.

, right?

I just simply say, give me a minute.

Let me breathe and I'll get back to it.

You know?

So I, I do see that we evolve and understand how to handle

that stress and then handle the hustle that lives brings by.

So that's in one end.

The other end is the side hustle.

And there I do see it as that's a positive side of the.

Because when we speak about a side hustle, we're speaking about, I'm

going to venture into something new.

It could be your passion project, it could be your hobby.

It could be, you know, something that you are pursuing in parallel to something

else that potentially could grow and take your a hundred percent focus.

But at the moment, it can only receive 50 or.

. Right.

So when it comes to side hustle and, and, and the use of the word in that way,

I believe on that positive side, yes.

, I hundred percent support venturing in a 50%.

Because you do not want to let go and be irresponsible and then

stress yourself out because you don't know what's gonna happen.

Where is that business gonna grow if it's gonna grow And then

you still have bills to pay.

Like absolutely not.

Don't do that.

You do this.

I hustle then.

Right.

But when I say I don't do hustle, . It's when I say I'm not gonna kill

myself over whatever that project is.

Mm-hmm.

, because it's just not worth it.

Because if I'm killing myself, that means I'm running myself to

the ground and then the project or whatever it is, is not taking, or

it's not receiving my very best.

And there is where I say there's no need for that.

Mm-hmm.

, we can be smart at the undertaking.

and, and for that we just need to come into alignment.

Yeah, that's interesting.

Cause I think that a lot of people would, would listen to

you or to us right now and say,

okay, but without the hustle, the business won't move.

Right.

We won't get to point point B to point C if we don't stick to our,

uh, you know, schedule or to our.

, how do you explain that to a person and how do you make sure that

the business is still running and running well while we are focusing

on ourselves at the same time?

Yes, and uh, I love that question.

Really, that's what gets me up every single day because that's

where I say I'm on a mission.

The, the reality, the way I see it is, The smarter you get, the easier

it's gonna be to do that business.

So it's not about, you know, without hustle, you're not

gonna grow the business.

I say with Hustle, you're gonna burn out and you're gonna stop

and jeopardize your own business.

So rather align in a way that you place self care front and.

every single day of the week, because the more you focus on getting smarter,

feeling energized, really staying honest to your purpose, the easier it is gonna

be to get that business from point A to B.

Because he's just gonna be smooth sailing, coming from, you know,

inwards, like your effort, right?

If you rather, you know, think about it this way, you're gonna run at a soccer

field holding your breath, all right.

Good luck.

When you make it halfway, you're gonna stop like full stop and gas

for air because you're not gonna be able to make it most likely

cuz you haven't trained for it.

But what if I tell you, friend, don't hold your breath.

Let's just close your mouth and breathe through your nose and run

steady, steady pace gets you there.

That's what I would answer to.

Without hustle, you're not gonna grow the business.

I simply beg to the fair and say, with Hustle, you're gonna

run your business to the ground.

If you go for the other way, the alternative, what I present is integrate

life and business, then I guarantee you that's gonna be that winning proposition.

Teach the hustle.

. Mm-hmm.

. Megan: You, you started talking, uh, in your intro a little bit about your

burnout experiences and, um, in our pre-talk, in our pre-work with you, you

had mentioned that you'd like to explain a little bit more about your burnout in

China, as you mentioned, as a foreigner over there in your early twenties.

So maybe you could just go into a little bit more depth about.

how that burnout, how, how you perceive the burnout to have happened

leading up to that, and then also what you actually learned from that

experience in, in a bit more detail than, than from the introduction.

Yes, definitely.

So let me take you into a little story.

I landed in China in 2006 when that dragon was waking up to development.

So Shanghai, China was a city in absolute growth mode.

I was standing in a whole new space of opportunities, and that's

exactly where I said I'm not going.

This is my new home and my entrepreneurial spirit kicked in, and that meant I was

finishing my master's degree and at the same time I started my business, like the

research phase, the idea creation when I.

Finish the, the degree I just had the keys to my healthy snack bar, which

back then was something revolutionary because I had a shop in the middle

of the financial district of Shanghai for people on the go, and I was

offering something super new that.

, organic coffee, fresh fruit, um, uh, juices and, uh, frozen yogurt.

Like it was something quite special all on the go.

You know, it was really like people, I, I want to feed you

healthy as you're passing by.

I did that for 18 straight months, from Monday to Monday from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

all day, every day.

Wow.

My only joy was to wake up super early in the morning to make it to my yoga

class, and then go open the shop and push through all day until I close home.

Rinse, repeat back again.

So, , that was really the best sure way I was gonna burn out.

But I just didn't know because I was immersed in that environment

where if I wasn't at the shop, I was doing deliveries, I was

presenting at a chamber event.

I was trying to, you know, come up with new ways to bring more income

into the business and why not So, One day I just walked into the shop and I

said, I cannot sustain this anymore.

Mm-hmm.

, not only that, I already felt it in my heart that it was heavy in my body,

and yes, daily yoga kept me going.

But you know, there was a point where enough was enough and I

realized, okay, what could happen if, you know, like, how do I let.

, right?

Mm-hmm.

. And that's when that day I walked and just cried and cried and cried nonstop.

Like I really broke and I just didn't know what was happening.

Like, as I like to say, I don't know which truck hit me, but when

I understood, look, there's got to be a way decided to sell the.

, and that's, that's what I did.

That was, you know, that was the out, it was time for me to step out and take

care of myself, and that was the best exit strategy without me knowing that I

was prioritizing myself, listening to, you know, my intuition, which that word

came into my world 20 years afterwards.

Okay.

. Like, let's just be clear here, . But it was that inner voice.

, you know, after a long conversation with my mom where she just simply, I

kept on telling her I cannot do this, and she kept on, you know, hearing

me soft and telling me, yes you can.

And that yes you can, was yes, you can choose.

Yes, you can do it your way.

Yes, you can commit to what you want, like stop pressuring yourself

because you know what's the point.

Mm-hmm.

. Danna: It must have been

so hard to, to, sorry, to, to come to that realization in a country that is

known for its hustle as well, you know?

Exactly.

China is known for like, working people to death and, and what, you

know, you were talking and what it reminded me of is actually the kind of

new age of, of, of four day weekdays.

Right.

Or workdays, which I love the idea of, I mean, I'm, I'm a huge advocate of it.

I'm.

Do it.

Um, where, you know, it, it is been proven that people actually work

better and are happier in their work

and are more productive by

cutting down one more day, but giving them an extra

day of weekend is doing Yeah.

Huge, huge wonder in, in the field.

So I thought that was just my,

that's all . Yes.

And mind you, I was 25 years.

So,

yeah, and that was actually my question in terms of age, because

I remember when I was 25 and I was freaking indi invincible, right?

And I feel like, mm-hmm.

, I'm wondering if you had had the same experience a little bit later, if you

would've like held on as long, or if you would have switched something.

Like can you maybe think about like some alternate endings when you

would have had that same experience at different times in your.

Oh, yes, I have gone through all the scenarios.

I had to heal, like my first failure, you know, like I had to

let go of that baby, you know?

Mm-hmm.

, that, that was really a, a transformation.

And, uh, the, what would have, have I done differently?

I would certainly have hired more staff to pull me out of the business.

And see the bigger picture, I would have asked for help.

You know, I would have had, you know, mentors closer to me mm-hmm.

to advise me.

The, as you very nicely said, feeling of I'm invisible was really

what brought me down to the ground.

Like I, I, instead of raising my hand asking for help, I

just simply, , I can do this.

I've got to do this.

Which is not true.

Mm-hmm.

, you know, to grow a business, you require a set of skills.

And as I like to say, it takes a village to grow a human well.

It also takes a village to grow a business.

And if you want to go far and, and grow wide and, and, you know, proficient

and, and, you know, make money with it, then rely on other humans because

you're an expert in what you do.

Mm-hmm.

, but not in everything.

And that was exactly what I didn't know back then.

Like, I just simply said, okay, if I hire someone, then I have to spend more money.

But that is investing in the business.

Yeah.

. Yeah.

Okay.

We're gonna take a brief break, um, just to talk a quick second

about the platform that we're using to stream today and record.

This episode is restream to io.

Now, this is not an advert.

For the company?

Uh, not at all.

We're not sponsored by them.

actually, um, the reason I'm doing this little break here is because,

um, restream is co headquartered in Austin, Texas, and Kiev Ukraine.

So since, um, the conflict in Ukraine, the war in Ukraine has happened, um,

U Restream has been very active about.

You know, helping people be able to donate to proper organizations.

So there is a QR code.

If you're watching the video, there's a QR code on the screen, and if you're

listening to this and the podcast later on, there's gonna be a link in

the show notes that just is just one little place where you can go and,

and show some support, uh, where.

You know, their starting year, the finished year, it's been a

year, which is incredible to me.

But, um, I know Donna's done some, some aid work for them in the fa, um, when

it first started, but it's still going.

So I think it's still necessary to talk about it.

And if you have a couple dollars to give, I think that there's

always gonna be a need as long as.

this is still going on.

So that's my little, um, blurp there for Ukraine.

And um, now I'd like to kind of shift a little bit because the actual

name, the title of this episode is Ditch the Work-Life Balance.

Now, you've talked about life work integration and work-life balance, but

let's get into that a little bit more.

Um, so how do you define.

because I did my homework.

Of course, you know, Donna knows I do my homework.

And so I looked around like what is the definitions of work-life

balance and so on and so forth.

So I have some ideas, but um, Andrea, how do you define work-life balance,

and why do you think it needs to be

rethought?

Yes.

Let's say that has been that next evolution of, you

know, life after burnout.

the definition of life, work balance for, you know, as long

as I knew was the, the aim.

You know, like that, that pinnacle of health, equilibrium, and wellbeing.

The truth of the matter is that I went on to seek that life work balance,

and every time I strive for it, when I finally said, okay, I think

I'm, I'm getting it, I'm getting it.

Something was falling.

So the life work balance as, as an equation means that there is a 50 50.

You know, equal place for life and work.

And let's think about it.

When we speak about life, we are humans living in different

seasons in our life, and we are in constant change and evolution.

. So when we just say, okay, we have to put life in this pocket, okay?

Mm-hmm.

. And then we look at work and we are humans with, you know, ambition and

we want to, to strive for a career.

We want to make money with our business.

We want to gift to society.

that bucket, you know, on that other half then becomes that, uh,

you know, counterbalance to life.

So if you say life work balance, we're right on a 50

50 match, and that's not true.

Mm-hmm.

life is not on a 50 50.

So when you are asking, okay, how did I feel about it?

Well, when I went to seek again and again and again, I was bumping.

You know, I'm getting my math wrong.

Why am I not?

Staying in balance.

The more I meditate, the more I breathe, the more yoga, the more

everything you know, all the salads and everything in the world.

You know, probiotics included.

I am not making this math right until one minute.

I said, wait a minute, I think I got this wrong.

Life is not a circus act.

, why am I trying to walk on a, on a wire, like mm-hmm.

, there is no such thing as me staying in the center, you know, doing that

beautiful circus act and yeah, look at me, how stable and balanced I am.

There's no such thing.

That's when I said ditch that concept, because it's a myth.

What I believe is that, when we get the chance because we need

to give ourselves that minute to say, what is serving me right now?

What do I want to achieve?

And with decision really having agency in our lives, and the real truth

agency is that you get to decide.

And if that doesn't work, you choose.

. And if that doesn't work again, then you choose again until you bring your

own math and your own equilibrium.

And that's what I like to call the real balance.

And that real balance happens within, but mm-hmm.

outside World is looking as an integration of work and life.

Mm-hmm.

, because that thin line, you know, the more we want to separate.

Work life and real life, the more we are sabotaging ourself, because it's

not that we wake up and we go to work and we become a different human, and

then we come back home and then we, you know, we put it on a different mask.

No, that's not the way it goes.

You wake up and you are you, and you make decisions throughout the day.

But the more decisions you make towards that integration, the more

in alignment you are, the happier you are, the better human you.

, you know, from mind, spirit, and body.

So what I like to say is ditch that myth.

Mm-hmm.

, and instead go for micro habit, micro changes that are gonna get

you to decide what is serving you today in this very minute that gets

you to achieving that next goal.

Mm-hmm.

, that's the way I see it.

. Megan: Interesting.

Please, please tell me that you have seen the show Severance.

Have you watched Severance?

Yes.

Okay.

I thought for sure she has seen this.

Have Donna, have you seen this show?

Okay, so, but where it's on Apple TV plus, but it's, it's literally they

implant something in people's head so that when they come to work, It,

it's like a, a new, a new person.

So whatever they do at work that, that's called their in, they don't

know what's going on in the outside, and the outside person doesn't

know what's going on on the inside.

And so now that that show is out there and it became so popular, I feel like

that is like the perfect example of saying that's what the old kind of

philosophy of work-life balance was.

When I'm at work, I'm at work and when I'm home, I'm at home and I should

not be checking my work emails at home and I should not be thinking about my

child's, uh, doctor's visit while I'm at work, which we all know doesn't happen.

So I just think that that show has opened up a really great analogy

to say that is not real life.

You cannot just turn it on and off in each location.

And that's why this whole integration or why it's a myth of having these two

and it again, it's perfectly balanced.

It's.

, it's on or it's off and it's, it's, um, yeah, so it's a great

analogy for this type of topic.

. I will definitely try to watch that show.

But, um, you know, for

the visual listeners, I think for what I was visualizing while

you were talking, Andrea was like, you know, the old school is two

circles, one is life, one is work.

Very separate from one another, not touching each other, not

coming close to one another.

Literally, there's just a road to drive to work and back.

That's the only connection there, right?

Yeah.

And then we're talking about this work-life balance where we're thinking

maybe it's this circle, the circles are kind of like, uh, what do you call it?

Overlap.

And so now maybe that's what we're trying to do here

is somehow.

Be okay with going to take the kid to the doctor in the middle

of a workday type of mentality.

Um, but from what I'm hearing you say is like for each person, those

circles are gonna be a different size and the overlap is gonna be different.

And each person needs to find their kind of way

to,

to find the, the integration that you're talking about where.

, it doesn't, you know, maybe one day we won't work at all because

the kid is sick and I'm, I'm gonna be with my kid now versus another

day where I'm like, okay, cool.

He's at school and I have all day and I can do this and I can do that, and I can

also take some time to relax and meditate in that workday, official workday.

I'm curious from you, what are some tips that you can help people visualize

themselves going into that work life?

Uh, integration.

My number one tip.

Let go of the guilt.

Mm-hmm.

number one, and right on, learn how to manage your energy.

And here's why we have, you know, coming from that old school model where

life work balance is coming from, we also have the time management, right.

So that all school model is telling us you've got.

accommodate within 24 hours, your 50 50 split, but rethinking,

you know, of the concept.

What is really my invitation to speak about as founders and to

really, when I say place self-care front center, is manage your energy,

understand what's happening when you sleep, are you really recuperating

to the point that you wake up?

to do something for yourself, for you know, your family, for your business,

for the environment, like whatever it is.

Are you really waking up with a level of energy required in order to excel?

Also, when we start the day, we are really living in a world

where we're completely plugged.

24 7 because of digital technology, and we're super thankful for it.

But try not to let that pace Jan you from your real energy pace, because if you're

someone that eats a nap in the middle of the day, then allow yourself to take the.

If you're someone who wakes up and gets its best work done

early in the morning, then allow yourself for that time to exist.

Mm-hmm.

, I am not a morning person and I am not a night owl, and I really

try to fit myself in either or.

It was just like Jesus Christ, like why am I such a weirdo?

Oh, I'm someone who gets my best work done mid morning.

And when I discovered that, it was like boom, genius came out of the box and

got the best work done in three hours, and that's all I needed in the day.

Mm-hmm.

. So ditching those old models and allowing yourself to understand who you are,

what you need and what time you need to get that done is gonna get you there.

So that would be my, you know, tip number.

, and then number two would be lock down if it's an hour,

three hours or five, whatever.

As long as you know I am in my peak energy moment, lock that time guarded

because that's your golden goose.

That's really where your magic is happening.

Why stay up and burn that midnight oil?

if you know it's not gonna produce the same quality of work.

Mm-hmm.

that if you produce it in your peak hours, so.

Mm-hmm.

, this is my sense of it.

. Megan: Yeah, I couldn't agree more.

I see

so many people who kind of go through, you know, they claim to be night

, night owls, but then they, they literally are just burning themselves to the ground

where, and then of course there's that vicious cycle of then you wake up tired,

so you don't have that energy and you're just loading up on caffeine and chocolate

and, and you know, bread to just kind of keep you going throughout the day.

And then by the moment, evening comes where you should go to.

, you're now hyped up and, and then you're night out and then next day it's

the same back circle.

So I don't agree.

Yeah.

Yes.

And you know, I put together a resource with 27 tips that I like

to call wellbeing tips and tools to get you to practice self-care

daily as a thriving founder without adding more onto your to-do.

The point is with this tips, these are micro things that you do throughout

the day that gets you to give more time to yourself without really having to

consider, I've got to now get this done.

For example, taping your mouth to sleep.

I'm not sure if you know listeners are aware.

and I know that my only viral ever real was when I really took

a tape out of my mouth and said, who else is doing this 5,000 years?

That to me, has been the viral story , because when I discovered that I was going

to bed and getting up tired, because you know, you need to build awareness.

That's the first step for everything we do in life.

But when we speak about wellbeing, building that awareness, that's

not something we are taught there.

You, you need to dedicate time to say, okay, how am I breathing right now?

How am I feeling when I wake up?

How how's my appetite?

You know, when I understood that I was waking up tired, I of course

blamed it to motherhood by default.

That was like, oh, of course.

Not normal.

That is not normal.

And then I said, all right, what is there that I could do?

Because yes, I wake up and drink that coffee or I used

to and nothing was happening.

So I knew my Adria was not recharging.

I went on to investigate and went on, you know, down that rabbit

hole, and I figured that the botte technique taped in your mouth meant

that you were just using your nose.

The only organ designed for breathing, just for starters, natured nose better.

So understood.

Okay, let's give this a try.

The outcome was fantastic.

, I was reducing the hours of sleep and waking up refreshed.

So much so that my sinus is cleared first time in my life and I'm on 40.

So, you know, it was a while.

And then I understood, okay, then something else is gonna happen.

Yes, I became sharper, like less memory fog.

You know, less sugar cravings.

Like there was a whole chain of, oh my God, if I use my nose while I'm

asleep, my metric contract recharges.

Hence I've got more power to push through throughout the day.

Just one little thing.

A take that.

Mm-hmm.

. Oh, you go to the pharmacy, you get your micro porte, boom.

Yes.

You have to take it as a principle that you're.

you know, like all things according to what your doctor says and

what your body's telling you.

Right?

But I gave it a try and I'm never ever looking back.

This is my way forward.

Even my two year old boy knows, oh mommy, go put your tape.

You know, like , he, he, he, he's got into the trend as well.

So these are the type of tips I like to give.

Not only.

, you know, to everyone who, who listens, but it's also part mm-hmm.

of, of my program.

You know, it's what, you know, part of what I teach within the Know Hustle Club.

Yeah.

And just for everybody watching, we do have a, a QR code for those tips.

Uh, that's actually just a QR code to her main website, but if you scroll

down all the way to the bottom on her main website, you'll see that, uh, those

where you can sign up to get those tips.

And if you're listening, uh, we will have of course, a link in the

show notes for those tips as well.

Cool.

Um, I think I, I missed my opportunity cuz I think Donna moved on too quickly

cuz I had some more things to say about the, um, work-life balance.

Um, I'm curious, I'm sorry, I'm, I know I'm regressing, I'm going

backwards, but I'm curious, have you, what are your thoughts on

the book, the work-life balance?

By David Mcne, and as we're all three coaches from i i n and in i i n as,

as well as other health coaches, there's this life wheel balance wheel.

The, the, the perceptive of.

that your life is as a form of a wheel where you have all these different wedges.

And then also in his book, he also has seven different domains.

So it's kind of the same concept of having these different domains.

And I thought that that all kind of tied very nicely together because I feel like.

Um, one of the things I also read was a lot of like, and you talked

about it, like you have 50%, you have either you have to take it from work

or you have to take it from life.

And that is actually, those are just two components of your whole life.

You know, like you can't, work is one component of a life.

You have your relationships, you have your, your health, and

you have all these other things.

And we kind of didn't get into that meat and bones of like, The

rest of life that does not work.

And also the idea.

Work should give to life.

Like, you know, like maybe, do you have some thoughts around, and I

don't know if that ties into what you do with the No Hustle Club.

Does that, I, you know, I don't know if that's a good lead in or

not, but maybe you could talk about those balancing all the different

aspects of your life as well, and

with work.

Absolutely.

The Wheel of Life, you know, as a tool is something that I do.

Like to, to present, as you know, that first sort of check on point to then land

into the concept of bio-individuality.

Mm-hmm.

, because it's not a one ons and done, you know, exercise.

This tool should always be with us because it serves.

Throughout life.

And yes, the different, you know, components like what we like to

call the, the primary food, right?

When we speak about Bioindividuality, environment, relationships, family,

you know, it's not that all of those feed our life, you know, spirit,

religion, whatever you believe.

It's not just what.

Put on a plate and eat what feeds us.

Now, the truth of the matter is that the more I coach, the more I see that people.

Are completely disconnected with the bio-individuality.

It's like they don't know what serves them.

So how are we going to really speak about integration if we haven't

really identified the components?

So within the No Hustle Club, what I've created is, uh, a, a ritual wellbeing.

where I teach three main factors, or let's say we come learn and practice

three main things in order to get all these components into the equation of a

well grounded wellbeing, you know, human.

And those are breath work, yoga, nira, guided meditation, and.

And why do I focus on these three to come from a health approach?

Breath work as that one tool that serves you to up-regulate, down-regulate,

improve your sleep, even help you with your appetite, and then yoga,

Nira guided meditation as that one tool that guides you into the journey

within to understand that all your.

are just right there.

You just need to find that pathway to tap within to go get it.

Meaning, mm-hmm.

, you don't need to rely on outside sources nor outside gurus.

No one needs to come tell you what is best for you, cuz you already know it.

But if you don't know where the source of information is, then how

are you gonna, you know, go tap and.

And then of course coaching, be that one, you know, practice, that one instrument

that we use to get into that highest potential that gets us to grow and evolve.

So within the club, that's exactly what we do, and I just focus on founders because.

, the burnout amongst startups, founders has a connotation that we haven't

yet touched upon, and it's a sort of shame we don't speak about it because

we are supposed to be superhuman.

And because we're leaders we cannot show weakness.

And that is, you know, I call BS on that.

The more you speak about your strength and your.

Same.

Same.

The more vulnerable you are, the more human you are, the more appealing you

are because no one has all the answers.

We're all always trying to put our best foot forward to get it done.

And when we're founding or, or, or trying to do company, we're trying to

put a project out there or we're trying to grow a team, or we're pitching that

next, you know, round of sea capital.

and something deep inside is not a line.

Well, guess what?

People will tell there's something off.

It's not that we're blind.

The problem is that we don't know how to identify what that is.

Hence taking off that, um, shame from the equation that when we are stressed

out or we're feeling vulnerable or that, you know, there's something off.

We cannot speak about it is of utmost importance.

And that's why I just choose to, you know, speak to founders and, uh, all my,

let's say, marketing efforts and sales efforts are just for this group of people.

Cuz they're my people.

We, you know.

Mm-hmm.

, I've been there.

We speak the same language.

Amazing.

. Very cool.

Very cool.

Um, so we will of course, uh, add all of your information to the show notes.

Um, are there any final thoughts about your mission or, um, any,

anything else you'd like to wrap up?

. Andrea: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Something that we haven't touched upon and I would love to live people with is

permission slip to set boundaries, because that's the one thing that I feel we sort

of sabotage ourselves when it's so simple.

I like to say saying No is sexy.

It's just sexy because it just makes you.

. When you have strong boundaries, when you know how to limit, where, what you're

capable of doing, what you're willing to give, and what's your commitment.

Mm-hmm.

, that boundary allows room for you to grow and allows others

to exist within your space.

So there's, there's growth, it's a win-win.

when we don't know how to set boundaries straight and we let others push their

interests on top of yours, it's just like we're coming into the hustle.

That push and push toggle story that I don't agree with.

I, I don't understand it.

Let's put it this way.

I just like to say, learn how to.

speaking your truth and setting your boundaries.

And in that dance, everyone is going to commit to your mission because it's just

impressive when people have boundaries and they're openly speaking about them.

And you, you know, you get on board with that mission because

it's just good for you and.

and mm-hmm.

We just really give ourselves that permission slip to teach the hustle,

set boundaries and prioritize self care.

I think my friend, we're in a winning proposition here,

. Danna: That's awesome.

I love that you say that saying no is is sexy.

Because I always tell my clients, you know, when you say,

To others all the time.

You're basically saying no to yourself.

And I think when you have that realization of like, oh, wait a

minute, you know, if I'm saying yes to everyone, what am I left with?

I'm left depleted and I'm left, you know, without energy, and I'm left

without the, the passion to even go home and, and be with my family

and, and have that energy for them.

I think that's when it dawns on people.

And when you say no is sexy.

. It kind of reminds me of, you know, I don't remember who told me this,

but you know, some men find it sexy not to see the cleavage cuz

they can use their imagination.

Right.

So

it's kinda like this, this whole aspect of

like, we're saying no and you're gonna keep, you know, in your

imagination what it would be like if I said yes, but it's just not gonna happen.

Yeah, exactly.

I, I, I'm definitely, I, in my twenties and thirties

I was definitely a. Person.

And I think that had to do a lot with my A D H D where like it

was a dopamine hit something new.

Yes, I will be in part of this, um, new activity.

Of course, yes, I will do this, I will do it, I will do it, I will do it.

And of course it got me into a lot of beautiful things, but it also made it so

difficult that I would kind of overdo it.

Not to the point of burnout, but where I'm going, okay, yeah,

no, I need to start to say, To prioritize my yeses, is what I say.

Prioritize my Yes.

Um, but, well, Andrea, um, this was a lovely conversation about the hustle

culture and why you are, have this beautiful mission to, to spread the word

about how you can have, you can be a founder, you can start your own business.

You can be a predominant person.

In your own business with by, by having these boundaries, by, by giving

yourself these, let's say, healthy gates, , and then also teaching

people how to, to actually self-care.

I know that word is tossed around a lot, but that's exactly what we're talking

about is, is prioritizing yourself.

And I think this was a really great, uh, conversation and I'm

really, uh, happy to have met you.

And, and thank you very much for, for sharing your time with us.

, Andrea: thank you for having me.

This has been a wonderful conversation and you know, it's rare to be in a room,

even if it's spiritual with uh, i n health coaches, so, you know, poor to that.

Really, thank you so much for the invitation and for a great talk.

, Megan: thanks.

So a reminder to everyone that our podcast can now be found

on several different platforms.

So you can watch it as a live, uh, via a live stream on YouTube,

Facebook, and occasionally LinkedIn.

And of course, you can also find the audio versions on your

favorite podcasting platform.

And this is also a reminder that Donna and I do this out of the

blood, sweat, and tears of our own bodies and , and we do not.

Sponsors.

And so if you have found value in this episode and would like to help us out,

we have a link on the screen and also in the show notes to buy us a cup of tea.

And this would definitely help just pay for a little bit of overhead, like

the platform we're using to stream on.

So with that, we really appreciate everyone that has joined us today, and

those of you are listening to this in the future and we will see you next time.

Bye everyone.