Self-Care Isn't Indulgence, It's Adulting
This episode is brought to you by the Change Makers Certification Program! Sinikka Waugh - Connect with me on either LinkedIn or send me an email! Founder, Owner, Trainer, and Coach Sinikka Waugh, PMP, President and CEO of Your Clear Next Step, spends her days helping people have better workdays. Trainer, coach, business leader, and difference maker, Sinikka is known for consistently helping people solve problems and get things done at work. With a 20+ year background in languages, literature, and project management, Sinikka has helped over 50,000 people have better workdays since 2008. Her clients value how her professionalism blends seamlessly with her down-to-earth, “try this now” approach and her passion for helping others. Sinikka holds a BA from Central College, an MA from the University of Iowa, and is a certified Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute (PMI). In a world that constantly pushes us to do more, be more, and achieve more, it's easy to forget that taking care of ourselves is not a luxury, but a necessity. Self-care isn't about pampering or indulgence—it's a fundamental aspect of adulting. It’s the conscious choice to prioritize our well-being, so we can show up fully in our work, relationships, and lives. At the core of self-care is emotional intelligence: the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our emotions. When we are emotionally aware, we can better navigate stress, prevent burnout, and make more thoughtful decisions. Self-care begins with self-awareness—taking time to assess where we are emotionally, physically, and mentally. Once we know where we stand, we can move toward self-management: creating strategies that help us maintain balance, set boundaries, and respond to life’s demands in a healthy way. Self-care also requires us to examine our priorities. What really matters to us, and how do we protect and nurture those values? As adults, it’s our responsibility to care for what’s most important—not just for others, but for ourselves. When we take care of our own needs, we have the energy, focus, and resilience to show up and do the work that matters, whether it’s at home, in our careers, or in our communities. Tune in for more on how self-care is not about escaping responsibilities, but rather how it’s about embracing them fully, with the emotional and physical resources we need to succeed. It's adulting at its finest.
