Alive & Well – Nervous System, Productivity, Time Management, Somatic Tools, Work-Life Balance, Burnout, Anxiety

Michelle Grosser – Inspired by Mel Robbins, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and Ed Mylett
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On paper? You’re crushing it. But your body’s telling a different story: fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, and a burnout you just can’t seem to shake. Welcome to Alive & Well—the podcast for high-achieving women ready to burnout-proof their lives by rewiring their nervous system for clarity, energy, productivity, and ease. I’m your host, Michelle Grosser, Esq.—trial attorney turned nervous system strategist, wife, mom, and entrepreneur (x3). After burning out hard trying to do it all, I discovered the missing piece: nervous system regulation.  Now I help ambitious, high-capacity women like you build a life that’s sustainable and successful—where your nervous system becomes your superpower, not your saboteur. Around here, you’ll learn: ✔️  Burnout-proof systems for time management and productivity ✔️  Science-backed tools for nervous system and emotional regulation ✔️  Somatic practices that help you stay grounded & calm under pressure ✔️  Faith-rooted wisdom for leading from overflow—not overdrive ✔️  Boundaries that protect your purpose—not just your calendar ✔️  Sustainable strategies for stress management, presence, and work-life balance It’s time to break the burnout cycle, reclaim your well-being, and lead with the kind of peace that doesn’t cost your ambition. Hit follow and start your path to living Alive & Well. New episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

  1. 3H AGO

    Capacity Expansion (Pt. 2): Why Nervous System Hacks Don’t Stick — and How to Build Real Capacity

    If nervous system tools help… why do you keep needing them? Why does regulation feel temporary?  Why do you calm down — only to feel activated again a few hours later?  Why does it feel like you’re constantly managing your nervous system just to get through the day? This episode answers that question clearly and compassionately. Because tools don’t change your baseline.  Capacity does. In this episode, I’m breaking down the difference between regulating in the moment and expanding your nervous system’s capacity, why high-achieving women often feel like regulation never “sticks,” and what’s actually required to widen your window of tolerance over time. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why needing frequent regulation tools doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrongThe difference between momentary regulation and long-term capacity expansionHow allostatic load quietly narrows your window of toleranceWhy insight and self-awareness alone don’t change nervous system patternsHow productivity and busyness can function as stress coping strategiesWhat foundational habits actually build capacity instead of just managing symptomsThis episode is for you if you’re highly self-aware, using nervous system tools regularly, and still feel like stress comes back faster than you’d like. If you’re tired of constantly managing your nervous system and want to understand how to change your baseline — not just calm yourself down — this conversation will help you see what’s missing, and what actually moves the work forward. -- → Learn more and join Burnout Recovery Blueprint

    25 min

  2. 1D AGO

    427 – Capacity Expansion (Pt. 1): 3 Ways to Regulate an Overactive Nervous System

    If your body feels tense, wired, or constantly “on,” this episode is for you. An overactive nervous system doesn’t mean something is wrong — it means your body has been under sustained stress without enough opportunities to fully downshift. In part one of this short Capacity Expansion series, I’m breaking down why your nervous system feels overactive and walking you through three science-backed tools you can use in real time to help your body shift out of fight-or-flight. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why your nervous system reacts to modern stressors the same way it reacts to danger What’s actually happening in your body when you feel anxious, overwhelmed, or on edge Three simple, effective ways to regulate your nervous system in the moment Why stillness and “just calming down” often don’t work when you’re activated How real-time regulation creates the foundation for lasting capacity expansionThis episode is about relief — learning how to come back into your body when your system is activated. In part 2, we’ll talk about why tools don’t always stick and what actually changes your baseline so you’re not constantly regulating just to get through the day. Enrollment for Burnout Recovery Blueprint is open now, and we begin next week. Cart closes Friday, January 16 at midnight EST. 🎧 Press play to learn how to regulate an overactive nervous system — and build the foundation for real capacity expansion. -- → Learn more and join Burnout Recovery Blueprint

    26 min

  3. 2D AGO

    426 - 7 Signs You’re Experiencing High-Functioning Burnout as an Ambitious Mom (and What Actually Helps)

    You’re getting things done. Your life looks full, productive, and “on track.” And yet… something feels off. You’re more irritable than you want to be. Your brain feels foggy even when you sleep. You’re exhausted — but slowing down feels impossible. That’s the paradox of high-functioning burnout. In this episode, I’m unpacking the quieter, easier-to-miss signs of burnout that show up not as collapse — but as competence, over-functioning, and pushing through. We’ll talk about why ambitious moms often don’t realize they’re burned out until their nervous system forces a reckoning — and what actually helps before you hit that point. In this episode, you’ll hear about: The subtle ways burnout hides behind productivity and capabilityWhy being “the strong one” can keep your nervous system stuck in survival modeSeven signs your system is operating beyond capacity — even if life looks goodHow high-functioning burnout affects your patience, focus, and emotional bandwidthWhat helps you recover without stepping away from the life you’ve builtIf you’ve ever wondered why success feels heavier than it should — or why rest doesn’t fully touch the exhaustion — this conversation will help you connect the dots. You don’t need to wait until you fall apart to take your nervous system seriously. 🎧 Press play to learn the signs of high-functioning burnout — and what actually helps before it gets louder. -- → Learn more and join Burnout Recovery Blueprint

    34 min

  4. 6D AGO

    425 - Why Managing Stress Isn’t the Same as Releasing It (And What Works Instead)

    You’re good at managing stress. You solve the problems. You handle what needs to be handled. You keep going. And yet, your body still feels tight, tired, or on edge — even after the situation is over. That’s because managing a stressor and releasing stress are not the same thing. In this episode, I’m breaking down the difference between the stressors in your life and the stress response happening in your body, why stress isn’t just mental but physiological, and how uncompleted stress responses quietly drain your nervous system capacity over time. In this episode, you’ll learn: The difference between handling a stressor and discharging stress from your bodyWhy your nervous system doesn’t automatically “stand down” when a problem is solvedHow accumulated stress contributes to allostatic load and narrows your window of toleranceWhat it actually means to say we “store stress in the body”Why releasing stress — not just managing it — is essential for expanding your capacityThis episode is for you if you function well, cope effectively, and keep showing up — but feel like stress never fully leaves your body. If you want to stop carrying stress from one moment into the next and start building real capacity instead of just getting through your days, this conversation will help you understand what actually works — and why. -- → Learn more and join Burnout Recovery Blueprint

    21 min

  5. JAN 7

    424 - Why Capacity Expansion Is My Goal for 2026 (And Why It Changes Everything)

    Free Somatic Workshop - Experience the Shift >> REGISTER HERE -- This year, I’m not setting goals around being calmer, more productive, snapping less, or being more disciplined. I’m focusing on one thing: expanding my capacity. Because I’ve learned that when your nervous system has more capacity, everything else follows.  In this episode, I’m sharing why capacity expansion is the lens I’m using this year, how it’s grounded in nervous system science, and why it’s what so many high-achieving women are actually craving — even if they don’t have language for it yet. In this episode, you’ll learn: What “capacity” really means from a nervous system perspectiveThe difference between shrinking your life and expanding your capacity to hold itHow your window of tolerance shapes overwhelm, reactivity, and resilienceWhy experience — not more insight — is what actually changes your nervous systemThis episode is for the woman who loves her life, has worked hard to build it, and is tired of feeling like she’s holding it all at the edge of her capacity. If you’ve been sensing that this year needs to feel different — not quieter or smaller, but more sustainable — this conversation will help you understand why. -- → Learn more and join Burnout Recovery Blueprint

    21 min

  6. JAN 6

    423 - 3 Reasons Why Trying to Calm Down is Keeping You Stressed

    Free Somatic Workshop Jan. 8 & 9, 2026 -  >> REGISTER HERE -- If you’ve ever told yourself to “just calm down” — and felt even more stressed afterward — there’s a reason for that. Most high-achieving women are trying to regulate stress from the top down: thinking their way into calm, forcing stillness, or pushing their body to quiet before it’s ready.  And while that approach sounds logical, it often backfires. In this episode, I’m unpacking why trying to calm down can actually increase stress, how your nervous system interprets those efforts, and what works instead when your body is in fight-or-flight. This conversation reframes calm not as something you force, but something that emerges when the right physiological conditions are present. In this episode, we explore: Why “calm down” often becomes a form of suppression, not regulationHow effort, control, and “doing it right” keep the stress response turned onWhy your nervous system responds to signals — not self-talk or logicWhat actually allows the body to downshift and settle when it’s activatedIf you’ve been doing the breathing, the mindset work, and the meditation — and still feel keyed up or exhausted — this episode will help you understand why, and what your body has been asking for instead. And if you’re ready to stop managing stress and start experiencing real nervous system regulation, I’m hosting Experience the Shift on January 8th and 9th — a live, experiential event designed to help your body feel safe enough to actually calm. -- → Learn more and join Burnout Recovery Blueprint

    21 min

  7. JAN 5

    422 - The Missing Step Between Knowing What to Do and Actually Feeling Calm in Your Body

    Free Somatic Workshop - Experience the Shift >> REGISTER HERE -- You already know what to do. You know you should slow down, breathe, set boundaries, and stop pushing so hard. And yet your body still feels tense. On edge. Braced. If calm feels like something you understand intellectually but can’t reliably access in your body, this episode is for you. In this conversation, I’m breaking down the real reason so many high-achieving women feel stuck between knowing and feeling. T he problem isn’t a lack of insight or discipline — it’s a missing step most of us were never taught. This episode is about why awareness alone doesn’t change nervous system state, what your body actually needs in order to feel calm, and how capacity — not willpower — is the key to everything you’re trying to create this year. In this episode, we explore: Why knowing what to do doesn’t automatically change how your body feelsThe three requirements for real change — and where most women get stuckWhy calm is a physiological state, not a mindsetHow expanding your nervous system capacity changes everything downstreamIf you’ve been doing all the “right” things but still feel overwhelmed, reactive, or stretched thin, this episode will help you understand what’s missing — and why it finally makes sense. And if you’re ready to move from understanding into experience, I’m hosting Experience the Shift on January 8th and 9th — a live, experiential nervous system event designed to help you actually feel the difference in your body. -- → Learn more and join Burnout Recovery Blueprint

    21 min

  8. JAN 2

    421 - How Hypnosis Works on the Subconscious Beliefs Behind Burnout, Anxiety, and Perfectionism

    If you’ve done the mindset work, built the awareness, and still feel pulled back into anxiety or overdrive, this episode will make sense of what’s happening. Because most of the time, it’s not your thoughts that are the problem. It’s the subconscious beliefs driving them. In this conversation, I’m joined by Tim Shurr, a master hypnotist with decades of experience helping high-achievers release the beliefs underneath anxiety, burnout, and perfectionism.  We talk about why so many patterns persist despite years of mindset work, talk therapy, or self-awareness — and how hypnosis works at the level where real change actually happens. This episode demystifies hypnosis, explains why it can create rapid and lasting shifts, and explores how unconscious beliefs formed early in life continue to shape our stress responses as adults. In this episode, we cover: Why subconscious beliefs drive burnout, anxiety, and perfectionismHow unconscious “life rules” get installed and shape behaviorWhy talk therapy can feel like managing symptoms instead of changing patternsWhat hypnosis actually is and how it creates rapid changeWhy worthiness is often the core belief underneath overachievementHow people-pleasing and perfectionism are stress responses, not personality traitsWhy old patterns return — and how to reinforce real, lasting changeIf you’re a high-achiever who has done the work, read the books, tried the tools — and still feels like something invisible keeps pulling you back into the same loops — this episode will help you understand what’s really happening and show you a new way forward. Press play if you’re ready to stop managing symptoms and start changing the beliefs running your life. Related Episodes: Previous EpisodeAre You High or Low Energy? Nervous System Balancing Exercises Based on Your Energy TypeBurnout Trifecta: 3 Personality Traits that Are Draining Your EnergyStart Doing This Today to Reclaim Your Energy with Chloe WardEnergy Drains Aren’t a Time Problem — They’re a Boundary Problem-- → Learn more and join Burnout Recovery Blueprint

    42 min
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About

On paper? You’re crushing it. But your body’s telling a different story: fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, and a burnout you just can’t seem to shake. Welcome to Alive & Well—the podcast for high-achieving women ready to burnout-proof their lives by rewiring their nervous system for clarity, energy, productivity, and ease. I’m your host, Michelle Grosser, Esq.—trial attorney turned nervous system strategist, wife, mom, and entrepreneur (x3). After burning out hard trying to do it all, I discovered the missing piece: nervous system regulation.  Now I help ambitious, high-capacity women like you build a life that’s sustainable and successful—where your nervous system becomes your superpower, not your saboteur. Around here, you’ll learn: ✔️  Burnout-proof systems for time management and productivity ✔️  Science-backed tools for nervous system and emotional regulation ✔️  Somatic practices that help you stay grounded & calm under pressure ✔️  Faith-rooted wisdom for leading from overflow—not overdrive ✔️  Boundaries that protect your purpose—not just your calendar ✔️  Sustainable strategies for stress management, presence, and work-life balance It’s time to break the burnout cycle, reclaim your well-being, and lead with the kind of peace that doesn’t cost your ambition. Hit follow and start your path to living Alive & Well. New episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

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