How Good Can It Get

Bree Johnson
  • 5.0 (16)
  • Careers
  • Updated Semiweekly

How Good Can It Get is a podcast for ambitious leaders, founders, and creatives who are ready to move beyond burnout, hustle culture, and surface-level success. Hosted by Bree Johnson — former law firm executive turned leadership thinker and creator — this show explores what it really takes to heal work wounds, reclaim personal power, and build a life where success and fulfillment coexist. Through thoughtful conversations and solo reflections, each episode examines the intersection of work, wealth, worth, and well-being, offering grounded insights on leadership, identity, nervous system regulation, career transitions, and the hidden emotional costs of modern ambition. This is not productivity advice or performative self-help. It’s a deeper inquiry into how we work, why we strive, and what it means to lead with clarity, integrity, and self-trust. If you’re navigating burnout, redefining success, or questioning the systems you’ve been asked to perform within, this podcast offers a quieter, wiser path forward. Tune in weekly and subscribe to explore how good life — and leadership — can truly get as you learn to recover your energy.

  1. 2d ago

    Ep. 161 Quieting Resistance with a Daily Rhythm

    Two weeks ago, I stopped giving my resistance a seat at the table. Maybe you’re ready to do the same. This week, we’ve looked at resistance from every angle, and today I’m sharing what’s actually working for me. I record a daily podcast, write every day and go live on Instagram every day, with no outs, no matter what. Even in a week full of disruptions, the practices held. They’re quietly rewiring my productivity-driven brain and teaching me to love the process. This episode explores: How to tell resistance that keeps you stuck from resistance that protects you from burnout Why making something non-negotiable leaves no open question for resistance to argue with What showing up in “troll mode” with no makeup taught me about building in public The difference between an amateur who dabbles and a pro who puts in daily reps How building a business can quietly build you, too Connect with Bree Website: executiveunschool.com Instagram: @breejohnsonofficial x @executiveunschool

  2. 3d ago

    Ep. 160 When I Got Sick of My Own BS, Things Changed

    For three years, I told myself I was writing a book. Maybe you’ve told yourself a story like that too. I had 54 pages I kept tinkering with, a publishing course I’d paid for, and a very reasonable list of reasons to wait. Then I heard a question that stopped me: whatever it is that you want most, do you want to be an amateur or go pro? That’s when I finally got sick of my own BS. This episode explores: How indecision about traditional versus self-publishing became a hiding place for my resistance The valid-sounding stories we tell ourselves to stay comfortable with our resistance What “going pro” asks of us in self-trust and commitment Why I’m measuring my writing days by done instead of stellar, thanks to my husband’s reminder Finding the one next action that moves you closer to what you want What’s your resistance, and what’s one small action you can take today to move past it? Then watch your world change. Connect with Bree Website: executiveunschool.com Instagram: @breejohnsonofficial x @executiveunschool

  3. 4d ago

    Ep. 159 If It's Hysterical, It's Historical

    Who am I to want more when I already have so much? Maybe you’ve asked yourself that too. There’s a saying from recovery circles that I can’t stop thinking about: if it’s hysterical, it’s historical. When a reaction feels much bigger than the moment, it’s usually carrying something from long ago. This week I’ve been exploring resistance, and today I’m going deeper. Sometimes the thing holding us back from a big pivot started long before our first job. This episode explores: How the ABCs we absorbed as kids (agreements, beliefs and conditioning) get loudest right when we’re ready to change Why gratitude and wanting more can live in the same life The fear of becoming different from your family, community or hometown What being alcohol-free for four years taught me about other people’s reactions to my choices Two questions that help you tell whether your resistance is historical Here’s a question to sit with: choose one belief you hold about wanting more, and ask whether it’s still true for the woman you are today. And if you know a woman who’s ready for a change but keeps talking herself out of it, send this episode her way. Connect with Bree Website: executiveunschool.com Instagram: @breejohnsonofficial x @executiveunschool

  4. 5d ago

    Ep. 158 The Upper Limit Problem

    Sometimes my resistance shows up right when things are going well. Maybe yours does too. This week, the daily podcast and my 999-word writing ritual have started to feel mundane, kind of like opening a pantry full of snacks I can’t eat anymore. A friend told me her season is about turning the ordinary into extraordinary moments, and it sent me back to one of my favorite books, Gay Hendricks’ The Big Leap. His idea of an inner thermostat changed how I see my own resistance, and it might change how you see yours. This episode explores: The inner thermostat that limits how much good we let ourselves feel Why our upper limit gets set by what feels familiar instead of what we deserve The four hidden barriers that keep our thermostat low, and the one I rumble with most Why so many women learned to be impressive, just not too impressive How naming your upper limit helps you push past resistance without slipping back into hustle culture Here’s a question to sit with: next time you feel resistance, ask yourself what good feeling you might be trying to avoid. And if you know a woman who keeps dimming her light to stay liked, send this episode her way. Connect with Bree Website: executiveunschool.com Instagram: @breejohnsonofficial x @executiveunschool

  5. 6d ago

    Ep. 157 When Resistance Means Something More

    Most days this month, I’ve felt resistance before doing the very things I chose to do. Maybe you’ve felt that too. I committed to recording a daily podcast and writing 999 words a day for the book I’ve wanted to write since I was a little girl. Some mornings, folding laundry sounds better than either one. For a long time, I read that resistance as a warning. Now I’m wondering whether my internal alarm is working off an old map. This episode explores: Why resistance can feel like danger after a season of self-abandonment How the friction of growth and the friction of betraying yourself can feel the same in the body What Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art taught me about Resistance with a capital R Two questions that help me decide whether resistance is worth pushing through How small changes to my environment are making the hard work feel like coming home Here’s a question to sit with: where are you feeling resistance right now, and what might it be pointing you toward? And if you know a woman who’s starting something meaningful and doubting herself, send this episode her way. Curious what your work wounds are asking for this season? Take the Work Recovery® Audit at workrecovery.com. Connect with Bree Website: executiveunschool.com Instagram: @breejohnsonofficial x @executiveunschool

  6. Oct 16

    Ep. 156 Why Grace + Discipline Belong Together

    If I give myself grace, will I lose my edge? Maybe you’ve wondered that too. If you built your career on getting everything done without complaint, letting yourself off the hook can feel like opening Pandora’s box. As an Enneagram 3, I’ve wrestled with this one for years. Part of the answer lies in how our culture rewards grit, and in what that’s taught us to call discipline. This episode explores: How the word “discipline” got hijacked by hustle culture Why so many high achievers fear that grace will make everything unravel Redefining discipline as devotion to your craft, your work and yourself What a missed workout teaches us about grace that gets you back up the next day How to tell when grace is helping you return, and when it’s become an excuse Here’s a question to sit with: what would it feel like to be held by both grace and devotion, instead of choosing between them? And if you know a woman who’s afraid to slow down because she thinks she’ll lose herself, send this episode her way. Curious where you are in your own work recovery? Take the Work Recovery® Audit at workrecovery.com. Connect with Bree Website: executiveunschool.com Instagram: @breejohnsonofficial x @executiveunschool

  7. Oct 15

    Ep. 155 What Work Looks Like After Burnout

    After burnout, so many of us start asking when we’ll get back to normal and feel like ourselves again. In this episode, I give you my honest answer. You may never return to the version of you who existed before burnout... and that might be the best news. When you look at your patterns with radical honesty, you find things you want to change. That could be how you work, how you show up for your work, or how you separate your worth from your output. Those changes become who you are now. And yet there can be real grief in letting go of the woman who could push through anything, especially when the people around you got used to her. I also share where I am right now in writing my book, using a ritual of 999 words a day. That excavation has shown me a built-in “governor” I didn’t have in my chief-level years, and I’m learning to trust it. In this episode Why “getting back to normal” may be the wrong goal after burnout Grieving the version of you who could handle anything, and remembering what that capacity cost your health and your peace The pushback that comes when your new boundaries affect the people around you Why the urge to come back sharper and faster is an old pattern in a new flavor Small kept promises that rebuild self-trust, like taking lunch away from your desk or leaving when you said you would Meeting old reflexes with curiosity and grace when they come back Take the Work Recovery Audit I worked really hard on this one. The audit helps you slow down and notice what you might be carrying from work, then maps your answers to the Work Recovery Method (Regulate, Rewire, Reclaim). It tells you which phase to start in. Take it at workrecovery.com or find it linked at executiveunschool.com. I’d love to hear what you think. Share the show If this episode helped you, follow or subscribe and leave a rating. Then send it to the friend who keeps saying “I’m fine,” with a note that says, “This made me think of you.” Connect with Bree Website: executiveunschool.com Instagram: @breejohnsonofficial x @executiveunschool

  8. Oct 14

    Ep. 154 Force v. Flow? How to Tell the Difference After Burnout

    I’ve wrestled with this one for years: when do I give myself grace, and when do I push through? After burnout, your internal alarm system can get out of whack. Some women feel like everything is forcing. Others feel so numb that nothing registers at all. No one can watch you work and tell you whether you’re in flow. You’re the instrument, and this episode helps you tune it so you can feel into what force and flow feel like for you. This episode explores: What flow actually is, and why it needs challenge to show up How forcing borrows energy from caffeine, fear and self-abandonment Four questions that help you tell flow from forcing The difference between the friction of growth and the friction of betraying yourself Small, low-stakes check-ins that rebuild your connection with yourself after burnout Here’s a question to sit with: pick one task on your list this week. Does it renew your energy, or does it borrow from somewhere you’ll have to pay back later? And if you know a woman who’s trying to find her way back after burnout, send this episode her way. Connect with Bree Website: executiveunschool.com Instagram: @breejohnsonofficial x @executiveunschool

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About

How Good Can It Get is a podcast for ambitious leaders, founders, and creatives who are ready to move beyond burnout, hustle culture, and surface-level success. Hosted by Bree Johnson — former law firm executive turned leadership thinker and creator — this show explores what it really takes to heal work wounds, reclaim personal power, and build a life where success and fulfillment coexist. Through thoughtful conversations and solo reflections, each episode examines the intersection of work, wealth, worth, and well-being, offering grounded insights on leadership, identity, nervous system regulation, career transitions, and the hidden emotional costs of modern ambition. This is not productivity advice or performative self-help. It’s a deeper inquiry into how we work, why we strive, and what it means to lead with clarity, integrity, and self-trust. If you’re navigating burnout, redefining success, or questioning the systems you’ve been asked to perform within, this podcast offers a quieter, wiser path forward. Tune in weekly and subscribe to explore how good life — and leadership — can truly get as you learn to recover your energy.

Information

  • Creator
    Bree Johnson
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    161
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    How Good Can It Get

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