PLAN GOAL PLAN | Goals, Transformation for Women, Mindful Time Management, Balance, Working Moms

Danielle McGeough, PhD | Burnout Recovery Strategist
  • 5.0 (109)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

** Top 1.5% Globally Ranked Podcast ** You know that feeling—when life looks full of achievement, but something inside still feels... off-script? Welcome to the Plan Goal Plan Podcast, where we turn planning and goal setting into a ritual of self-revelation and intentional living. I’m Danielle McGeough—professor, mom, recovering overachiever, and ritual nerd. After years of chasing big goals and crossing off endless to-do lists, I hit a milestone—and felt completely unmoored. That’s when I stopped planning to prove myself, and started planning to be myself. Each episode offers tools, insights, and rituals to help you: Set meaningful goals that reflect who you truly are Create intentional routines that support joy and purpose Turn everyday planning into a powerful personal growth practice Feel focused and fulfilled—without the burnout Whether you’re leading a team, managing a household, or navigating change, this podcast will help you reclaim your time, reimagine your goals, and build a life that feels lived-in—not just productive. Let’s plan a life that feels like yours—on purpose, with heart, and one gentle step at a time. Learn more: https://www.plangoalplan.com/ Email: support@plangoalplan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-b673334

  1. 2d ago

    Why Doesn't More Free Time Make You Feel Better? The Truth About Time Freedom | Ep. 304

    What if having more time isn't the same thing as feeling free? This week, I'm joined by Dr. Ann Tsung, a NASA flight surgeon, triple board-certified emergency physician, entrepreneur, and mom, to explore one of the biggest misconceptions about productivity: that if we could just free up our calendars, we'd finally feel at peace. But as Ann shares from her own sabbatical and travels abroad, time freedom isn't just about controlling your schedule. It's about transforming your relationship with time. Together, we explore: the five stages of time freedom why "fake time freedom" keeps so many high-achievers feeling stressed the difference between managing your time and managing your energy why white space on your calendar can feel surprisingly uncomfortable how outsourcing, boundaries, and nervous system regulation work together why saying "yes" to everything keeps us trapped in scarcity and how creating space for possibility often leads to the moments that matter most One of my favorite insights from this conversation is that the goal isn't simply to optimize every minute. Sometimes the most meaningful moments happen precisely because we left room for them. If you've ever wondered why a full calendar doesn't always equal a full life, this conversation offers a completely different way of thinking about success, rest, and what it really means to experience time freedom. Connect with Dr. Ann Sung Website: Ann Tsung MD Email: Join Mission Control Time Freedom Quiz: Take the Time Freedom Quiz Connect with me: Email: support@plangoalplan.com Facebook Group: Join Here Website: PlanGoalPlan.com LinkedIn: (I post most here!) www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-🗓️-b673334 Ready to begin? Schedule a chat about Simply Bold at plangoalplan.com

  2. Jul 14

    Why Does Rest Feel So Uncomfortable? When Productivity Becomes Your Identity | Ep. 303

    Last week, we explored what rest actually is. This week, we're going one layer deeper. Because what if the hardest part about rest isn't finding the time... it's figuring out who you are when you're not accomplishing something? For so many high-achievers, busyness isn't just a schedule. It's become part of our identity. When the to-do list disappears, the silence can feel surprisingly uncomfortable, not because we're doing something wrong, but because stillness invites questions we've spent years avoiding. In this episode, we're exploring: why rest can feel uncomfortable even when you desperately need it how productivity quietly becomes part of our identity the difference between true rest and simply numbing out why high-achieving women often struggle with stillness how our nervous systems learn that busyness equals safety what emotional and spiritual rest actually look like and how rest can become a practice of rediscovering who you are beneath your accomplishments One of the biggest takeaways? Rest isn't just recovery from performance. It's an invitation to remember who you are when nothing is required of you. Because your worth was never meant to depend on your output. The more connected you become to who you are beneath the achievement, the more sustainable your success becomes. Connect with me: Email: support@plangoalplan.com Facebook Group: Join Here Website: PlanGoalPlan.com LinkedIn: (I post most here!) www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-🗓️-b673334 Ready to begin? Schedule a chat about Simply Bold at plangoalplan.com

  3. Jul 7

    Why Am I Still Tired After Vacation? The Rest You're Actually Missing | Ep. 302

    Last month, we explored play. This month, we're slowing down to explore something just as important, but often misunderstood: rest. Because here's the thing. You can get eight hours of sleep, take a vacation, or spend an entire weekend "doing nothing" and still feel completely exhausted. So what if the problem isn't that you need more rest? What if you need a different kind? In this episode, I'm unpacking some of the biggest myths we carry about rest and introducing the powerful framework of the seven types of rest from Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith. Together, we explore: why sleep isn't the only kind of rest your body needs the difference between play, restoration, and true rest why so many high-achieving women feel guilty slowing down how productivity culture teaches us to earn our rest the seven different types of rest and how to recognize which one you're missing why vacations don't always leave us feeling refreshed and how learning to rest well can actually help us show up more fully in every area of our lives One of my biggest takeaways? Rest isn't something you earn after you've done enough. It's one of the things that allows you to keep doing what matters most. So as we begin this month's conversation, I hope you'll get curious—not just about whether you're tired, but about what kind of tired you really are.   Connect with me: Email: support@plangoalplan.com Facebook Group: Join Here Website: PlanGoalPlan.com LinkedIn: (I post most here!) www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-🗓️-b673334 Ready to begin? Schedule a chat about Simply Bold at plangoalplan.com

  4. Jun 30

    How Do You Make July Count? A Simple Reset for Your Health, Wealth, and Relationships | Ep. 301

    July has a way of disappearing before we even realize it's begun. So instead of filling your calendar with more goals, more pressure, and more things to keep up with, what if you designed a month that actually felt like you? In this episode, I'm sharing a simple framework to help you reset for July with just three intentional practices—one for your health, one for your wealth, and one for your relationships. Together, we'll create a month that's both ambitious and grounded, so you can make meaningful progress without sacrificing rest, play, or the things that matter most. We also explore: why your goals should work on your hardest Tuesday—not just your best day the difference between support and accountability how to choose the kind of encouragement you need this season why guilt isn't the same as motivation and how to create a July you'll actually enjoy living through My hope isn't that you end July with a perfect streak. It's that you arrive in August thinking, "That month felt like me."    Connect with me: Email: support@plangoalplan.com Facebook Group: Join Here Website: PlanGoalPlan.com LinkedIn: (I post most here!) www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-🗓️-b673334 Ready to begin? Schedule a chat about Simply Bold at plangoalplan.com

  5. Jun 23

    Why Is It So Hard to Look Foolish? Play, Vulnerability, and Being Fully Yourself | Ep.300

    Play sounds fun in theory. But in practice? Play asks us to risk looking foolish. It asks us to try something we're not good at, let go of control, and show parts of ourselves that don't always fit neatly into the roles we've built our lives around. In this episode, Ryan and I are talking about the vulnerability hidden inside play and why it can feel surprisingly difficult, especially for people who are used to being competent, capable, and taken seriously. We explore: why play often feels risky for high-achievers the connection between vulnerability and creativity how professionalism can sometimes crowd out authenticity why being playful doesn't make you less capable what our holiday spider has taught us about joy and belonging how play strengthens relationships at work, at home, and with our kids and why some of life's best stories begin with being willing to look a little ridiculous One of my favorite takeaways from this conversation is that play creates permission, not just for us, but for the people around us. When we're willing to show up fully as ourselves, it often gives others permission to do the same. And maybe that's the real invitation here. Not to become less serious, but to become more fully yourself.   Connect with me: Email: support@plangoalplan.com Facebook Group: Join Here Website: PlanGoalPlan.com LinkedIn: (I post most here!) www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-🗓️-b673334 Ready to begin? Schedule a chat about Simply Bold at plangoalplan.com

  6. Jun 16

    What If You're Not Stuck? Creativity, Burnout, and Reimagining Your Life | Ep. 299

    This month we're talking about creativity and play, and today's conversation completely changed the way I think about both. I'm joined by Tasha Golden. She is a former touring songwriter turned public health researcher whose work explores how creativity shapes our wellbeing, identity, and ability to navigate change. What started as a conversation about creativity quickly became a conversation about burnout, life transitions, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. We explore: why creativity is about more than art or self-expression how burnout can become an invitation to reimagine your life the connection between creativity and behavior change why difficult emotions can act as guides instead of obstacles Tasha's concept of "The Art of Refusal" how limiting stories shape our choices and identities and why creativity may be one of the most important skills we have for navigating uncertainty One of my favorite moments in this conversation is the idea that sometimes we haven't reached the limits of reality. We've simply reached the limits of the story we're telling ourselves. If you've ever felt stuck, burnt out, uncertain, or like you're standing in the middle of a life transition wondering what's next, this episode offers a powerful reminder: The end of one story doesn't mean it's the end of your story. It may simply be the beginning of a new one Connect with Tasha  Website: Tasha Golden Free Resources: Plan Goal Plan Listener Page Connect with me: Email: support@plangoalplan.com Facebook Group: Join Here Website: PlanGoalPlan.com LinkedIn: (I post most here!) www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-🗓️-b673334 Ready to begin? Schedule a chat about Simply Bold at plangoalplan.com

  7. Jun 9

    Why Do You Feel Guilty Resting? Learning to Give Yourself Permission | Ep. 298

    Last week, we talked about whether play can be productive. This week, we're digging into different questions: If play is important... why is it so hard to actually let ourselves do it? Why does rest feel uncomfortable? Why does fun feel like something we have to earn? And why do so many high-achieving women find themselves waiting for permission to stop, even when no one is asking them to keep going? In this episode, I'm exploring: why guilt around rest is often a learned response how productivity culture shapes our relationship with play the invisible ways women are socialized to earn rest and fun why so many of us wait for external permission before taking care of ourselves the "put on your shoes" principle and why action often comes before feeling ready how over-functioning becomes a pattern we don't even notice and why play is deeply connected to identity, self-trust, and knowing what you actually want One of the biggest takeaways? Permission isn't a feeling you wait for. It's a decision you make. The goal isn't just to make more time for play. The goal is to stop outsourcing your choices and start trusting yourself enough to honor what you need. And maybe the next step isn't waiting until things slow down. Maybe it's putting on your shoes anyway.  Connect with me: Email: support@plangoalplan.com Facebook Group: Join Here Website: PlanGoalPlan.com LinkedIn: (I post most here!) www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-🗓️-b673334 Ready to begin? Schedule a chat about Simply Bold at plangoalplan.com

  8. Jun 2

    Can Play Make You More Successful? Why High-Achieving Women Need Play | Ep. 297

    This month on Plan Goal Plan, we’re talking about play, and honestly, I think a lot of us have forgotten how to do it. Somewhere along the way, many high-achieving women learned that if something is serious, meaningful, or important… play has no business being there. That joy is earned. That rest has to be justified. That fun should come after the work is done. But what if play isn’t the opposite of ambition? What if it’s part of how we sustain it? In this episode, I’m exploring: whether play can actually support productivity and creativity why so many women struggle to access play without guilt the connection between play, nervous system regulation, and burnout how achievement culture teaches us to treat play like a reward instead of a necessity why planning your play may actually help you enjoy it more and how play helps us stay connected to ourselves outside of our roles and responsibilities I also share stories from teaching, motherhood, amusement parks, public speaking “play days,” and the ways play can become a form of resistance in a culture obsessed with output and proving yourself. One of the biggest takeaways? The women doing the biggest things long-term are not necessarily the ones sacrificing the most. They’re often the ones who have learned how to refuel. And maybe play isn’t a distraction from your life. Maybe it’s part of how you stay found inside of it. Connect with me: Email: support@plangoalplan.com Facebook Group: Join Here Website: PlanGoalPlan.com LinkedIn: (I post most here!) www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-🗓️-b673334 Ready to begin? Schedule a chat about Simply Bold at plangoalplan.com

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** Top 1.5% Globally Ranked Podcast ** You know that feeling—when life looks full of achievement, but something inside still feels... off-script? Welcome to the Plan Goal Plan Podcast, where we turn planning and goal setting into a ritual of self-revelation and intentional living. I’m Danielle McGeough—professor, mom, recovering overachiever, and ritual nerd. After years of chasing big goals and crossing off endless to-do lists, I hit a milestone—and felt completely unmoored. That’s when I stopped planning to prove myself, and started planning to be myself. Each episode offers tools, insights, and rituals to help you: Set meaningful goals that reflect who you truly are Create intentional routines that support joy and purpose Turn everyday planning into a powerful personal growth practice Feel focused and fulfilled—without the burnout Whether you’re leading a team, managing a household, or navigating change, this podcast will help you reclaim your time, reimagine your goals, and build a life that feels lived-in—not just productive. Let’s plan a life that feels like yours—on purpose, with heart, and one gentle step at a time. Learn more: https://www.plangoalplan.com/ Email: support@plangoalplan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-b673334

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