Amy Vaughn:
Hello, everyone. Welcome to our weekly power lounge. This is your place to hear authentic conversations from those who have power to share. My name is Amy Vaughn, and I am the owner and chief empowerment officer of Together Digital, a diverse and collaborative community of women who choose to share their knowledge, power, and connections. You can join the movement at togetherindigital.com. As many of you know, May is mental health awareness month. And according to the American Psychiatric Association, each year, 1 in 5 women in the United States experience mental health problems such as depression, post traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, or an eating disorder. Today, we’re here to talk about the balance of ambition and emotional wellness, particularly for women with doctor Akua Boateng.
Amy Vaughn:
Doctor Boateng is a licensed clinician with nearly 15 years of extensive experience, practice, and education. She has been featured by major media outlets such as The Washington Post, Essence, NBC News, Refinery 29, HuffPost, Pinterest, NBC, Black Enterprise, and many more. As a trusted speaker, expert contributor, and insightful consultant, doctor Boatton has made a significant impact in the world of mental health. Through her illustrious career, doctor Batson has honed in a compassionate and integrative approach to therapy. She has addressed a wide range of issues, including anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, trauma, and importantly, for us here listening today, workplace wellness. Her unique focus lies at the intersection of ambition and wellness, driving her to work with a high profile and, also, a lot of our listening audience, high achieving leaders as the founder and CEO of Boatton Psychotherapy and Consulting. Doctor Boatton has guided clients towards an integrated sense of self, family, and community since 2015. Through Watson Consulting, she has partnered with companies like Pinterest, Black Enterprise, and the Architects Association to provide sustainable emotional wellness strategies that elevate lives and propel leaders to greater success.
Amy Vaughn:
We’re so honored to have you here with us today and back again, actually. You have been a guest in the past, and I was so glad that you reached back out because this is such an important and near to and dear to us topic. Doctor. Baughton, thank you so much for being with us again today. Alright.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Absolutely. Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
Let’s jump into some questions. And then, of course, as always, we have a live listening audience here with us today. And we want you all to feel comfortable with asking questions. No such thing as a wrong question. We’re gonna get through a lot, but, obviously, we’re gonna leave some time at the end of today’s session for you to ask questions as well. So please use that comment section, use the chat, and let us know if you have anything that you would like to ask in case there’s something we don’t touch upon. But first, if you could just start sharing by sharing with us what inspired you to focus, especially recently, on this intersection of ambition and emotional wellness? Absolutely. I’m so excited to
Dr. Akua Boateng:
be here. I feel like this community has become like a second home for me, and so I’m so glad to be with you all today and be talking about something I’ve become super passionate about. And the reason why I’ve become really passionate about ambition and emotional wellness is that oftentimes in the past 15 years, I’ve worked with folks that are really successful professionally. They have done a lot of work to become founders, to become c suite executives, teachers, doctors, full time home caregivers, and their achievement has become a chief part of their identity. Right? A lot of the things that they’re doing in the world are connected to some sort of achievement based thinking. And ambition is at the center of how they see the world and how they see their future. And so, across multiple disciplines, you know, a lot of the ones that I’ve just stated, one thing really remains the same. We all have a dream.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? We all have a way of thinking about our future that is infused with ideas about success. And oftentimes, those ideas of success come from childhood. They come from early adulthood or early adulthood, early childhood dynamic, and it is often divorced from emotional wellness. I know how to succeed really well, but I don’t really know how to do that at the same time as taking care of my emotional health. I can do one or I can do the other. Society teaches that. We learn that in our homes. We learn that in our jobs.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
We’re celebrated for grinding, for working hard. And so I believe that there is a way. There is a path where we can succeed in our emotional wellness, and that should be our ambition.
Amy Vaughn:
I love it. I remember when we were having our kind of catch up conversation about bringing you back on here, and I was like, oh, I feel so seen. And I’ve said it before in past conversations and other podcast interviews where, you know, I’ve been asked questions about, you know, where I was, you know, when I was climbing a ladder in agency life and world. And I kind of came to that realization kind of through the verbal processing of being interviewed, which is sometimes kind of like therapy Yeah. Is that I was like, oh, yeah. I was really good at work. So I always leaned in hard at work because that was the thing I could show up and do well. But then when it came to life and at home and being alone with myself and my own thoughts, that was hard.
Amy Vaughn:
That was hard. And that’s how I became a really good workaholic for many, many years. And I agree with you greatly that this hustle culture has been given a lot of favor and accolades for a long time, and I agree that that really needs to start to change because that leads, you know, right into my next question, which is burnout. You know, that term gets just used and used over and over again, and I know folks are probably tired of talking about it. We’re burnt out on burnout, but it is such a common thing among high achievers. In fact, according to a study by Deloitte, 77% of women reported feeling burnout at their current jobs, and 42% left their jobs due to burnout. Can you explain how burnout manifests in ambitious individuals, and what signs we should be looking out for within ourselves or maybe others, when it comes to this?
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Absolutely. You are right. Burnout is just as prevalent as anxiety. Anxiety is like the number one emotional concern that we’re experiencing in the United States. Burnout, really close second there. It’s a lot. You know? A lot of people are experiencing it. I find that highly ambitious people can fall prey to highly effective compartmentalization.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Mhmm. We folks, those high achievers starting in early life, you know, you’re getting all the stars on your grade and report card. You’re the one of the teachers like, oh, I don’t have to worry about you. Right? Or you took a different path, but we are the folks that are the push through nation. Mhmm. We’re the ones that know how to grind. And so the challenge with, high functioning, high achieving folks and burnout is we have normalized working at such a high frequency
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
That we can be close to the cliff of our capacity and not know it. Mhmm. We are the folks that have normalized and actually become masters at silencing the discomfort. That’s what makes us successful. Right? That we can actually work under great challenging circumstances. We can rise above the fray. Right? We can stay in and work long hours. But that fall we fall prey to not understanding that our resources have diminished along that time that we’ve been pushing through.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
And so as a result of that, irritability is missed.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? Loss of creativity is missed.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Extreme and chronic fatigue is missed. Right? Or compartmentalized out intellectualized away. Right? And one of the other symptoms that I often find or strategies, internal strategies that high achieving folks use and burnout is really present is what we call reaction formation. It’s a defense mechanism. And it is the person that says, I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine. And really what’s happening on the inside is you are not fine, and you’re using the strategy of saying I’m fine to change the course of how you might feel.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
It’s not all the way effective, but it’s certainly a good college try that we give, right, to say I’m fine. And so the person that’s always saying they’re fine while also at the very low level Mhmm. Their resources are headed towards burnout. Mhmm. When you’re fully in burnout, that means something has failed, some system. It could be your physical body.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
It could be that you have a symptom, stomach issue, chronic headaches, insomnia Mhmm. Larger things like high blood pressure. Right? Something fails
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
And we’re not able to function at such a high frequency. Mhmm. And then we realize we’re in burnout. Yeah. They can’t do all the things they used to do.
Amy Vaughn:
So many important things you just said there. And I love that statement of we are so used to operating close to the cliff of our capacity. Yes. I feel that. I see that. And, also, that last statement of the I’m fine. I’m fine reminds me of the common iteration I have among a lot of my very strong female friends, which is check on your strong friends.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yes.
Amy Vaughn:
Because they do have that tendency to kind of put on that brave face and keep moving things along even when it’s not fine. So really, really asking, but are you fine? And not assuming it. They believe it.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
That’s the tricky part because you really do feel like you’re fine.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Because you’ve learned to literally compartmentalize. I’m so distant from my own feelings.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. You’re that numb. And then, like, even you said, when it begins to manifest as a physical ailment, and you don’t necessarily tie the physical ailment to the mental distress. But all of that stuff is absolutely connected. That’s such a great point too. I also realized something, and I won’t reveal names or anything because this was within a peer group that we had recently. But I recognized this so immediately, but there was, another you know, having been an agency person in the past, there was a woman saying she felt burnt out, but it was really interesting because she felt burnt out during a lull. She felt that she was sitting idle and was kind of, like, itching and waiting and ice and she had just come off a big project.
Amy Vaughn:
And I thought, this is your moment of rest. I said, why are you waiting for and chasing the next high? This is like your high shouldn’t just be work. This is not healthy. Like, this should be you going, oh, I have a moment to, you know, sort of rest, relax, and and and then the next surge of work will come. But burnout shouldn’t be you saying, oh, I’m not I my value is in me being busy all the time. You know? It’s like she almost had, like, the inverse, like, thought process of burnout. Like, if I’m not at max product like, productivity, like, then I’m not valuable, and I’m not doing a good job. And I’m burned out on my job if I’m basically not working at a 110 capacity.
Amy Vaughn:
Absolutely.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. And there’s so much to that. I won’t go into that, but that is an early childhood dynamic, isn’t it? Yeah. My, right, my worst is connected to what I do.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah. And that’s a hard thing to break. But, yeah, you’re right. That’s a longer, deeper session than what we’ve got today. Let’s talk about another fun term that all of us ladies love hearing because we just get to hear it all day every day, which is imposter syndrome. It’s another prevalent issue among ambitious women.
Amy Vaughn:
In fact, research, again, published by the Journal of Behavioral Science indicates that imposter syndrome affects women more frequently than men. How does imposter syndrome tend to affect mental health, and what strategies can we sort of start to implore to help us overcome it?
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. So I think imposter syndrome is really a crisis of belonging and personal agency. Mhmm. Right? Belonging and personal agency, when we mix those when we separate them out, right, they’re, you know, 2 challenging things on their own. Together, it’s a crisis. Right? And so, really, imposter syndrome is like an internalized self doubt, right, about your intellect, about your skills, about accomplishments, your worthiness, and among high achieving folks. You know? It really results in the feeling, like I’m a fraud
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
When you’re actually just looking to belong.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? Belonging is internal, and so it’s a historic dynamic of, a history of not belonging, a history of feeling underneath what is acceptable or the standard. And so that’s internalized. I believe it about myself now after I’ve lived in this environment. And then it’s external with all of these ideas around our environmental work conditions, as women, as people of color. There’s so many different pieces of that. But, really, how do we attack it? I use the lock method, l o c. Right? L is leaning into the discomfort. We are consumed with these historical feelings of doubt, typically.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? We distance ourselves from discomfort. We, in moments when we are desiring to lean out, we really need to be leaning in, engaging that discomfort, engaging those feelings of I’m not good enough. Making attempts to lean in normalizes our tolerance or window of tolerance of these feelings. Right? So show empathy to yourself. Find a resource, an emotional signal. And then, oh, so that is offering belonging. You first of all have to offer something belonging to yourself. Right? And so this internalized out of your skills and your ability and your worthiness, is connected to a world where you feel like you don’t belong.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
And so creating spaces where you do is important. Environments where you feel empowered, capable, like together in digital. Right? Places where you feel like you are at the top of your game. Mhmm. Personally, offers that belonging back into the system, and then c is really cultivating curiosity. Imposter syndrome creates a fixed mindset. Fear, insecurity Yeah. It’s like they just lock you in, don’t they? Right? And so, creativity can’t coexist with fear.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
And so offering yourself,
Amy Vaughn:
Love a good framework, and I love it. Love a good framework, and I love a good framework. It always really helps to kind of bring that back home. I think too what’s been helpful for me with this whole imposter syndrome mentality is it is like a mentality. I love having language for things, but I don’t like getting locked into language that becomes a mindset that holds you captive. Right? And I recently had someone send me a commencement speech given by the woman who founded Girls Who Code. And it was really amazing because she talked about the fact that there used to be this thing called bike face that was considered a syndrome. And, also, I am sure you know this, that the initial research for imposter syndrome was actually called imposter, a phenomenon by the 2 psychologists who first kind of observed it.
Amy Vaughn:
And it was really more of these kinds of more privileged women, white women typically in leadership positions who felt like they did like you said, it was more a lack of belonging or a sense of and again, because there were no other women in the room. Right? Absolutely. Lack of belonging. And it was less of that whole fraud, and it wasn’t a syndrome. It wasn’t an illness. And she talks about how it was kind of more of a divisive term really during the women’s rights movements. And then she kind of relates it to bike face, which was something of a phenomenon as well back in the 1800 as bikes became more accessible and went from being that one big giant wheel to 2 equally proportioned wheels, and people were riding bikes more often, including women. This was also during some of the women’s rights movements, and this made women more mobile because women were not dependent upon men to get them from place to place.
Amy Vaughn:
And dudes didn’t like it because the ladies could get from one place to the other, which meant they could convene, and they didn’t like that because if the ladies got together, they could talk about lady things and then talk about their rights, and then they might try to do things. And so, doctors were concerned and started spreading the word about bike faces. That was essentially like bulging eyes and red faces, and it was, it’s dangerous. And you really did, you should not be riding bikes because you could get a bike face. And so she really equated this whole notion of this cautionary tale of bike face to imposter syndrome as a way in which to sort of, you know, contain women and hold them within their place by perpetuating this notion of a syndrome. And I was like, oh, snap. I never even thought about it like that. Never thought about it like that.
Amy Vaughn:
So I think that’s where it’s, like, your idea of, like, cultivating curiosity, like, starting to kinda think about, like, why does this word why does this feeling why does this notion have power? And beginning to kind of have that curiosity and explore these things and just sort of see, like yeah. Yeah. Like, how can I let this not have power? You know? Anyways, I have to share that. Every time I talk about imposter syndrome now, I have to share a pike face to just let more people know.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
I remember that. Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
Love a good story, and I just think it makes so much sense. I was like, so thank you for sharing it with me. And I hope those who have listened will continue to perpetuate the story because it’s like, okay. I’m seeing it. I’m seeing I I and it’s one of those things too. It’s like it’s once it’s like once you see something and learn something, you can’t really unlearn it. Right? So then you’re gonna start to notice and see other other symptoms out there.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Absolutely. I do that.
Amy Vaughn:
Let’s talk a little bit about leadership. You’ve worked a lot with some pretty high profile leaders. What are some unique challenges that these folks face in terms of emotional wellness? I mean, these tend to be some pretty high profile and, you know, pretty stressful jobs because at the end of the day, they’re still human. Right?
Dr. Akua Boateng:
How do
Amy Vaughn:
you help them navigate and manage some of these challenges, particularly women?
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. Absolutely. And so, really, I think what you just said is really important. At the base of any of our experiences, whether whatever platform you have and whatever job and life that you’re living in, you’re human.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? And so, the core issue is the same. Yeah. Am I enough? Am I doing the things that I said I wanted to do? Am I living out the dreams that I have destined for myself? Do I feel supported? Am I loved? Mhmm. Right? How am I seen? How am I valued? Am I you know, all of these things are really universal, and they come up in high profile folks. Right? It’s a really similar thing. Mhmm. The challenge, if we put a layer of complexity on top of it, is that it is really doused in a society that may not give them a space to be broken, a space to be human.
Amy Vaughn:
Right.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? And so it creates this kind of cocoon of sorts that is really, really hard to find safety. Yeah. It’s hard to find safety when you’re the one in the room that is in charge of everyone else in the room. Yeah. It’s hard to be able to say, you know what? I don’t have it today, when you are the one responsible for everyone else having it today. Right? It becomes really, really difficult when you have all of the eyes on you, and you’re a public figure, and everyone is looking at how you move and how you handle things Oh, yeah. In order to judge you Yep. And your efficiency.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Mhmm. Right? And so at the base level, same concerns.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Same concerns. How do I juggle it all? Mhmm. And the answer remains the same. If you work with me, we don’t. Alright. Exactly. We don’t tackle it all. You’re only human, flesh and blood.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. Gentle. Gentle.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
How do we find spaces for you to cultivate, recover? How do we dismantle harmful beliefs and mechanisms that are really trying to, you know, create extinction in your humanity. Mhmm. How do we find soft places to land, a tribe that holds you and supports you? Mhmm. Right? How do we really, again, disentangle the views of other people and the mechanism with which you work ? How do we disentangle that from how you treat yourself? Yeah. Right? These are the same things that we talk about with everyone. Complexity upon complexity depending on what platform you have Mhmm. And the pressure that you feel to perform.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Mhmm. Right? And if we think about high achievers, we’re celebrated for performing. Right. Right? And so if you think about that just in your circle, and then you have a whole system that you’re part of or leading Mhmm. Also celebrating your productivity, efficiency. Right? Where is the space for your humanity? You have to make it for yourself. You are also leading this vessel that you’ve been entrusted with. And if you actually live out loud with that level of vulnerability, it creates a current of change in your circle of influence for other people to begin looking at themselves and creating space for their own humanity.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm. I love that. I love that so so much. I just wanna think that’s a good thing. This gets recorded. You can just play that y’all over and over and over again. Yes. Because that’s the kind of leadership that needs to be modeled, really.
Amy Vaughn:
I think because our society just perpetuates this notion of the fact that, like, success breeds love and admiration, and it’s just not the reality because especially if you’re a woman. Yes. It’s a double edged sword. Right? There’s a whole, like, avail likeability penalty that’s out there and re in the research, right, that Sheryl Sandberg did. Like, gosh, it’s been over a decade now where it just shows, like, women are seen as less likable the higher they climb. You know? And so you think you’re being told by the world, oh, the more successful you are, the more people will love and admire you. And it’s like, actually, no. The more people are gonna be coming after you, the more you’re constantly gonna have to defend yourself, and the more you’re gonna have to look inward, trust, love, respect, value yourself.
Amy Vaughn:
Otherwise, they’re just gonna tear you down, and it’s gonna be as hard as hell, and you’re gonna have to be as tough as nails in order to do it. I mean, I could just think of, like, a a good handful of celebrities right now that have just, you know, honestly, the women specifically that I get put through the mill, that live their principles are all about self love and still they’re ready to quit and turn around and throw up their hands because it is that hard for them to not be under a critical eye and constantly judged.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Top 3 people in your life that create safety become the number one mission.
Amy Vaughn:
That’s important. I think that’s a good point. You know? Top 3 people. That makes a lot of sense. Mhmm. Let’s talk a little bit about this then since, you know, we’re saying, you know, like I just said, a lot of people, I think, kind of in their heads think, you know, ambition leads to success, success leads to love and admiration. What if we were to redefine success and ambition in a little bit? Because to me, it feels like it’s, it’s necessary and it’s a necessary step in just getting us all into the right direction of just leading happier lives overall. How can we start to shift our perspective on success to prioritize our emotional wellness without necessarily sacrificing our professional goals.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. At times, you will have to sacrifice your professional goals. But, hopefully, the redefining process allows you to weed out what’s not supposed to be in your life. But if we were to redefine ambition, it really looks like emotional wellness. If you look at the anatomy and the core of what we really, really, really desire. Right? It is not the landmarks of career success that people find that it is. Right? It is the human attribute that or human ability that it gives you as a result of getting to that height. It could be, I want this promotion because I want more freedom.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Mhmm. I want this money in order to be able to support my family. I wanna be able to ascend to this height because it will give me the sense of love and affirmation that I lead. Right? So at the core of really what we’re reaching for, grinding for, ambition is really to be emotionally secure and safe.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. And so that’s the redefinition to get really down to the core is that I don’t need this stuff. I’m really pressing for the person, the person in my mind that I knew I could always become, the person that is really at the essence of my true identity. If I was free, if I was safe, if I had more money, if I didn’t have to worry about constraints, if I could be imaginative and playful. It’s this is really the success that we are innately unconsciously moving toward. And so making it more prominent as a definition just makes sense. Right? Will you sacrifice some things in your life? Yeah. You might.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Mhmm. But you’ll sacrifice it for what you truly, truly need and what you truly desire at the heart of who you are. And so that’s really the life you want, isn’t it?
Amy Vaughn:
I love that. Yeah. I wanna see that ambition is just becoming our truest selves. I love that. I love that. That’s really what it should be. And I have seen that, like, some really wise folks in recent years sort of have even opportunities come their way, and they’ll say, you know what? I’m not gonna say no. I’m just gonna say not right now.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
Because they just know that this isn’t the time or maybe the place for them. And just having that inner knowing and wisdom is awesome and amazing, but I think you’re right. You have to take the time and intentionality to spend with yourself and ask yourself why. You know, I think it’s always interesting when I talk to certain women, and I appreciate the ambition, but they’ll be like, well, I want a new job. And I’ll say, okay. Why? Well, because I want more money. Why? Mhmm. Well, because I just want more money.
Amy Vaughn:
Why? I mean, are you destitute? Are you having trouble making ends meet? Are you saving money for a house? Well, I just wanna make more money. And I said, well, you’re gonna make more money, but then what? Like, are you gonna use that to travel more? Are you going to give some to charity? Are you going to, like, you know, save for something that means something to you? Like, what’s the outcome? Because at the end of the day, you know, a couple more zeros with no intentionality isn’t gonna really make you happier or more satisfied or more fulfilled or as we said, get you to your truest sense of self. So I love it. Great answer.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
So, so true.
Amy Vaughn:
Alright. Let’s talk about, you know, another favorite topic. I’m like, we’re hitting all the trigger points. Imposter syndrome, burnout. Now let’s say balance. We’re gonna talk about balance. Many folks struggle to balance their career ambitions with their personal well-being. Do you have any practical advice for finding this so called and I’m using air quotes here for those who are just listening, balance and maintaining what you describe as your personal agency.
Amy Vaughn:
And maybe if you want, for our listeners who don’t understand that term, define a little bit of what personal agency means.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Absolutely. So your personal agency is your ability not only to feel a thing, but to do it. Right? And so to feel empowered enough to take the action that you desire. Right? And so that’s personal agency. The first piece of that is the felt sense of ability, confidence, capacity. And then the second portion of that is the action. I have the ability to act. I have the freedom to act.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
I have the permission to act. Personal agency is what we need in any aspect of our life to really move from one place to the next. Right? And balance is really, it is quite triggering for a lot of people. Right? Because we’ve tried to use that word in so many ways. And I was at a retreat. I was in a wellness retreat that I do every year, and I heard in one of the breakout sessions that we had a word that felt so true. In the in you know, the facilitator talked about instead of balance, he’s really moving towards harmony.
Amy Vaughn:
Oh, I like that. Mhmm. I feel like integration, but I think I like harmony even better.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yes. Yes. Harmony is what it is that we seek.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Because one day, we may need 75% of this. The next day, we need 25% of that same thing.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
And so finding balance will never find the formula. Yeah. There is no formula for life. It’s really all about harmony. It’s about being able to understand the things that you’re working towards mean something to you. And when they don’t mean something to you, it’s time for them to fade out. Mhmm. Right? And so seeking harmony, practical steps to seek harmony is always gonna start with your intuitive guidance.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
It’s always gonna start with how do I know what I’m doing is what I’m supposed to be doing? Yeah. That is in silence. That is in meditation. Mhmm. That is in really sitting with the self. And it’s also integration, Finding integration between what I do personally and what my mission is professionally. And so as I am doing something professionally, it’s not taking away from my personal experience. It’s adding to it.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
It is one path. Right? And oftentimes, we use the word balance because we feel as if they’re diametrically opposed or there’s just 2 worlds. Synergizing them, integrating them allows you to say, you know what? Today, my mission is efficiency. So I’m gonna do that with my kids. I’m gonna do that in my meetings. I’m gonna do that with the ways that I’m treating myself emotionally. I’m also gonna cut a couple things off of my list today because it’s not efficient to do 10 things instead of 8. Right? Or my mission and intention today is love.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
And so everything that I do, I’m gonna infuse love in my conversations as I get on the call with a professional colleague to ask them how they’re doing, to give them a word of affirmation. I’m gonna do the same thing with my kids today. Right? And whatever gets in the way of me moving towards that intention, it gets off the list. And that love extends to myself. Right? I’m gonna be loving myself. I’m gonna be gracious with myself. Right? That’s harmony. And so as we’re thinking about harmony, it really helps us to draw upon constructs that are softer, softer, more emotionally centered, grounded, right, versus formulas.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. Right? And so, yeah, that’s that sense of harmony. How do I really, really do just enough? Mhmm.
Amy Vaughn:
I love that just enough because, everything that you just gave there as an example was nothing huge, nothing tremendous, nothing overwhelming, high overachievers. We don’t have to change the world in a day. It’s those small, tiny sets one small intention and just kind of drop it into the instances of your day in little increments. I love that. I kinda wanna come back to this personal agency a little bit because I do get this sense that it’s definitely something a lot of us could use, you know, help or support and ideas in building a sense of personal agency. Because a lot of folks have a sense of things happening to me versus for me. So for those who are listening who don’t feel like they have a good strong sense of personal agency, how do we start to build that?
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Oh, yes. Good. So personal agency, again, the first part is confidence. Confidence is really just lived experience. Right? Like, experiential knowledge
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
That I’ve done this a few times, and I feel more comfortable, safer being able to believe that I can do it again. Mhmm. Right? And so building a sense of personal agency, you need clocked hours of doing a thing, attempting something that’s challenging.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? And so it could be that I have personal agency issues in my relationships. Right? And so I’m gonna have some attempts towards speaking up. I’m gonna make some attempts towards saying what it is that I need.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? I’m going to do that as much as possible to begin to learn and rely on the ability that I am gaining. Mhmm. Right? And so that’s the first part, experiential knowledge. Do it as much as possible. Lean in. That’s the lock method. Lean into the discomfort. Well, I don’t know how to do that.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
I know. You don’t know until you know. Let’s try. Let’s experiment. Let’s be creative. Right? And then that second part of the personal agency is to really take action. Right? The 1st part of taking action is writing down what you feel like you need to take action on. Right? It could be, I need to change my career.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
That is the action. I’m gonna lead up to it. I’m gonna work on the confidence to do it, but I actually do know. Mhmm. The answer is that I need to change my job. Right? The action is I need a different dynamic in my marriage. Mhmm. That it’s taking away from my ability to move forward.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. That’s the action. I’m gonna identify what the action is. Right? And then I’m gonna get resources. I’m gonna resource it as much as possible. How can I actually move on that action? The support, the accountability, the compassion. Who are the people that are gonna help move you to where you need to be? The people that say, hey. What’s going on with the applications?
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
You said wait. But no. But you said you were what’s going on with the applications? Yep. What can I do to support Mhmm? Let’s talk every Friday. But every Friday, let’s talk about it.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Let’s talk every Friday. Every Friday, let’s talk about it. Who are the people that are actually gonna support you and hold you accountable and also do that in a compassionate way.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? That actually will model that for you as well. So clocked time, it really is sometimes that easy.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? There are some folks whose personal agency was taken, Mhmm. Or was never modeled.
Amy Vaughn:
Gotcha. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. Therapy Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Is really helpful in identifying how and when that happened
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. And creating healing. So for some people, that’s the first step. Yeah. Right? I see that. Personal agency was dangerous. It was a threat. It was a problem, and it continues to be a problem maybe in my dynamic, in my life.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Mhmm. And so therapy helps us to get clear on that. Coaching can sometimes work with my clients. What is the threat? Because your body is feeling it.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
We shouldn’t overlook it. Right? It’s not that you’re not lazy. Yeah. You’re not lazy. Right? You’re disempowered because of something that you needed to survive. Right. Yeah. Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
That makes a lot of sense.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
There are a couple on ramps, but working through that healing and then the clock time that builds confidence and then the support internally and externally to get that personal agency.
Amy Vaughn:
That’s fantastic. Thank you so much. Yeah. I could see how for some people that feels like very bold moves. And I can also see how for some that might need, like, therapy to kind of get to that point. So great, great answer. Thank you for that. And I don’t know if that kind of, like, starts to actually almost answer the next question that I was gonna ask, but, you talk a lot about emotional wellness planning.
Amy Vaughn:
So I was curious if we could kind of dive into that a little bit and, what that is and how individuals can integrate this into their lives to better align both their ambition and their mental health.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yes. In order to do anything, I think I’m biased because I’m in psychology. I believe understanding your background is important.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? That we can apply all kinds of strategy to a new company. If we don’t do any market research, it’s null and void. Right? And so understanding yourself is the first part of emotional wellness planning. Right? What is it that I need? What are the historic dynamics in childhood, in my early life, in my present life that create certain vulnerabilities to me? Right? I need to know that. Because if it is fear as a result of trauma, it’s fear in the boardroom, it’s fear in doing the nonprofit. It’s fear in how I talk to my colleagues. It’s everywhere. Right? And so the planning comes in identifying harmful beliefs about who you are and how you’ve been shaped, right, and understanding what are the key interventions and strategies you need to really overcome those psychological issues.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? Mhmm. And then on top of that, what is the ritual wellness plan that helps me directly address these vulnerabilities? Right? If it is for a person speaking up. Right? If that’s their kind of their psychological dynamic from being in a household where speaking up was connected to danger or threat
Amy Vaughn:
Yep.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Or it was, really, really not celebrated in the family. For that person, having environments where speaking up is modeled is a ritual.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right. So being in space, again, like together in digital, not in you speaking up first, no, you’re not going to do that at first, you’re going to watch it, right? You’re gonna immerse yourself in it. Mhmm. Right? And that is a ritual. That is something that I’ve planned to do to begin normalizing this tendency within my life. Mhmm. Right? And it could be that as a result of that, if we follow that thread, the same person speaking up is an issue because there’s internalized fear about who I am. Right? I’m gonna also develop a practice that helps to regulate my nervous system because that was probably an issue for me.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Anxiety was probably an issue for me, not feeling resourced enough. Right? And so now I’m in environments that are really teaching me how people speak up so I can see it. It’s modeled. And then also in my daily practice, I am now finding a strategy in calming the nervous system when it becomes activated. Right? So now I have that as a tool and a strategy, and I put that into my plan. Right? And then also as a result of that, I maybe even shy away from professions that require me or positions that require me to speak up. Mhmm. Right? It’s really, really a part of your big life everywhere.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? And so as a result of that, now a part of my ritual is I’m beginning to investigate spaces that are requiring me to speak up, that I really have a desire to be in. Mhmm. Right? And so I’m starting to look those up. I’m researching those. That’s a part of my plan. Right? It could be that I have a spiritual dynamic that makes me feel powerless. Right? And so I’m gonna put myself in places where I can give back to people and empower them as I’m empowering myself.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
That’s a part of my plan. My charitable benevolence is a part of my plan. Right? And so emotional wellness planning is really understanding yourself Mhmm. And creating daily practices that help you resolve some of the psychological dynamics that you have as well as interjecting some of these into how you do your professional life.
Amy Vaughn:
I love it. That’s wonderful. I think a lot of this too. I’m kind of curious, like, this isn’t a question that I had written before, but has some of this sort of helped some of the women that you’ve worked with sort of look at it, evolve, and shape their leadership style as well?
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Absolutely. Mhmm. Because when we are seen, when we see ourselves Yeah. It’s easier for us to see another person.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Compassion begets more compassion. Mhmm. Right? And so as a leader, being able to access empathy, compassion, emotional attunement, meaning we’re actually listening to the dynamic of what a person is trying to convey to us. Mhmm. Right? That changes how you are fundamentally as a leader. Having mindfulness as a strategy before you go into meetings, you know that you’re kind of thinking about so many things, and you’re dysregulated. Mindfulness is how I start a meeting. Yep.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Not only will you do that for yourself, but then what if you and I’ve had women do this. What if you start your business call with a 60 minute or 60 seconds, excuse me, a 60 second mindfulness Yeah. Practice. Mhmm. First of all, you know you need it.
Amy Vaughn:
Uh-huh.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
And if I need it, others need it. Mhmm. And now you become this empathic mindful leader
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
That recognizes your circle of influence is so much more impacted Mhmm. By your presence than your productivity. Yep. Yeah. Change game changer.
Amy Vaughn:
I agree. I absolutely agree. And I I think it kinda goes back to something we were talking about earlier is just bringing more of that humanity into leadership and how we model it. Yes. Because I also think that a lot of times the reason why we feel this sense of imposter syndrome or a lack of belonging is because sometimes we we kind of come into these spaces where we are being ambitious or we’re playing the part of someone who’s successful or a leader, and we realize that we aren’t living our truest selves and that’s in conflict with our values. And that just doesn’t feel well and it doesn’t sit well within our sense of self and value and purpose. And so it’s like, oh, I’ve gotten to this place, but I don’t feel like I got here because of living out my sense of values or morals. And now I’m not behaving in a way that feels right for me.
Amy Vaughn:
I’m acting out in a way that is, you know, maybe idealized leadership, which has been modeled for me, but isn’t right for me. Right? So I think I love all of these exercises and reflective, practices you’re giving us because I do think it’s a really great way to kind of be a more thoughtful and intentional leader and just really allow that space, for all of us and and and really hopefully produce a next generation of, more thoughtful and intentional leaders.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
That’s right. And I I will say this, Amy. Sometimes what we do as leaders, we may not actually come into moments with solutions. Mhmm. We list solutions. Right? That we know how to get the deliverables. Sure. Right? But do we actually know how to offer an empathic solution?
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Like, you know what? You know what helps me? 15 minutes at the end of the day, I really sit and reflect on the day, and it’s called my tea time. And I I I, you know, really sit through it. That is a strategy that you give someone. Not just, hey. We need it in the morning. I’m sorry.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
You know? Barometer. We need it in the morning, and this is what’s helpful to me. Mhmm. Meditation, the call map. You know what? Our company has a call map. It’s cheaper. You should get it. It’s helpful.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yep. Offer real solutions.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm. Yeah. I agree. I agree. I think it goes a long way for employee productivity, employee retention, and employee satisfaction. It’s just like all these companies are really struggling with employee engagement, retention, all of these things, and it just seems like such a and at least in my opinion, I’m like, it’s kind of a no brainer. You know? It’s just it’s you need you’re just not investing in the right places, and you’re just not treating them like humans, and you’re not recognizing that you’re human. And, you know, it’s just, you know, at some point, they’re gonna come to the realization, I guess.
Amy Vaughn:
It’s just a matter of time and, I guess, enough research or whatever it is that it’s going to take. But yeah. Alright. Let’s talk about some integrative treatments to address some more complex mental health issues, such as some of the long things we cited earlier, like anxiety and depression among high achieving folks because, I mean, those are very much realities for a lot of us.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. So, I am a big believer in, like, the quarterly check-in. Right? So, typically, my clients, we recognize that we have an aggressive plan of resting. Mhmm. And, and so 6 every 6 to 8 weeks, there’s a rest period. It could be that I take a Friday off. Right? Or it could be that I’m, you know, coming in late on Monday. It could be that I’ve gotta work most of the day, but the way that I’m curating my environment is with meditation music in the back.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
It’s with beautiful sounds and smells and right? So there’s gotta be some rest. And so integrating that into your work Mhmm. Is a strategy. Right? But I’m a big believer in the quarterly inventory. It’s a holistic inventory. Right? I call it the 4 corners, but being able to look at your life emotionally, spiritually, physically, psychologically. Right? And assessing where you are. Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
This is really big for the high achiever because we can blow past these moments Yeah. Of actually sitting with ourselves and identifying what we need. Yeah. So we can’t get toward implementation without that
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Mindfulness. Yep. Right? And so that’s the first thing. And so, if you let’s say, spiritually, you’re finding that, I’m not really tapping into anything greater than myself. I’m not a part of any charities. I’m not a part of any societies that are really giving back to anybody. I’m not doing any spiritual dynamics. And so I really need to, in this next quarter, lean into that.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
So I’m going to plan. I’m going to integrate Mhmm. How I can improve my spiritual life
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Into the next 6 to 8 weeks. And so that means I might go and get a little brother, little sister, to be able to kind of give them things for their school and pour into them. It might mean that I’m gonna do more meditation and yoga, and I’m gonna block out the next 6 weeks, and I’m gonna preload and plan that. Mhmm.
Amy Vaughn:
So
Dr. Akua Boateng:
that I don’t have to worry about it. And so those kinds of check ins are really important for high achievers Mhmm. As well as collectives. Are you a part of any collective that is offering you a moment to think about your mental health?
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Not just what you do, but how you do it. If we’re not in in collectives that are celebrating it and talking about it, it’s not very common. And so integrating being a part of a collective Mhmm. That talks about how you do things and being active in it Yeah. Is a beautiful reminder that this is the mission I have in life. Right? And then lastly, it is if you can t I learned this going to school doing pre med even though I changed going to premed. One of my professors would would often tell me, if you can teach it, you probably know it.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Right? And so in what way are you teaching other people, other women? Right? Are you teaching other women how to do things? It’s
Amy Vaughn:
a great reminder.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
How are you kind of channeling your inner Amy to say, hey. How do I create a space where I am intentional about how I I’m helping other people
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Think about their emotional and mental health and integrate that into your schedule, into your life, into the way that you’re showing up. You’re not just checking boxes. Yeah. If you’re living, check it. Hear me now. If you are living and just checking boxes, this is your sign to redirect. Mhmm. Start living intentionally and purposefully, changing people’s lives, changing your own life should be at the top of your list.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. I agree. Your tombstone will not have that checklist on it.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
It won’t.
Amy Vaughn:
It will not have that checklist on it. And I love that idea of the quarterly check-in. I instituted at the beginning of this year what I call my quarterly treats, which my next one is next Wednesday where I take the day off, and I do something for myself. Last quarter was, going to the art museum, and I legit spent, like, an hour and a half in one indigenous art, like glass, art, like, exhibit. And because I usually go with my kids, and I can’t, I can’t stay and look or read anything. And the guy, when I came out, was like, oh, god. You were there for a long time. I said, yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
No kids. I could read every placard. I could study every piece. I watched every video. You bet I was in there for an hour and a half, buddy. I’m thinking I might go to the zoo next week because I love the zoo, and I never really get the chance to, like, really take my time and, you know, do all the things that I would like to do? But I love this idea too of taking the time to sort of, like, journal, reflect, look at all of the aspects of my life. I like to use LifeWheel. I think it’s like a life wheel dot I do, maybe it’s the website.
Amy Vaughn:
We’ll include it in the show notes. But, you know, if the idea is is that, if if now our redefining ambition is, you know, working towards being our our truest and our best selves, then, yeah, you need to kind of almost operate like you might have business, and you’re gonna check-in with yourself quarterly. You’re gonna say, am I going in the right direction? And if you’re not checking in with yourself, you’re not staying the course. You’re not staying the path. And it is. You’re right. It’s so easy because we put everyone and everything else first to sort of not have that check-in. And I live by my calendar.
Amy Vaughn:
I am a productivity nerd, so that’s why I made that intention at the beginning of the year. I said, these are my dates. And, you know, if something major comes up and I’ve gotta move it, I move it. I won’t cancel it. I move it. But it still happens. But that’s definitely been one thing that I’ve implored this year that’s been really helpful. So I’m gonna layer in your evaluation along with that.
Amy Vaughn:
I think that’s a great idea. Alright. We’ve got a few minutes left, so I wanna make sure our live listening audience knows that they can ask questions as well. Just use the chat. I’ll keep an eye on the chat for that. Otherwise, I’m gonna just ask you our last few questions that we’ve got here as we begin to wrap things up, but don’t be shy, folks, if you have questions. Workplace wellness is pretty critical for our overall health, especially in our current economy where there’s been a lot of layoffs, a lot of organizational changes and shifts. What is it that organizations could do in particular to help support their employees’ emotional wellness effectively?
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Oh, great. Okay. Good. Organizations really care about it. Have a town hall. Have a moment to really think about and assess the wellness of your personnel. Ask them. They will tell you.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Ways of doing that are having listening circles, bringing in a mental health professional to be able to have moments where they can talk about how they’re feeling and assess where they are in the process without judgment and without impunity. Right? And, also, after we have assessed it, let’s look at programs that will allow us to address these issues. Right? Again, it could be a quarterly lunch and learning. It could be an ERG group where you bring in someone that can talk about burnout, talk about impostor syndrome, talk about meditation and mindfulness. I’ve seen folks have wellness activations where they have half day off, and then they or just have the half day is wellness. So they have yoga people that come in. They have massage therapists that come in. They have folks that are allowing people to talk about and have office hours to talk about what they care about.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
And then resource, resource, resource. Oftentimes, people, their mental health are impacted because they don’t have enough resources. Right. Right? Help us. Uh-huh. Throw us
Amy Vaughn:
a lifeline.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
And so, you know, actually listen to what the resources are and provide them extra time, extra personnel, you know, the things that they need that actually feel people are addressing them.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm. Yeah. Listen and support. Listen and then act. Don’t just listen and be like, okay.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
But you know what’s so interesting? The it’s it even if you listen
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
There’s so much effectiveness, and there’s a lot of research on that. Even if a person feels that you’re having empathic listening
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm. Oh, yeah.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Mean just their ability to still stay in the game and be resilient.
Amy Vaughn:
Oh, 100%. That’s why at Together Digital, we have a channel just for social yelling that’s quite therapeutic. You just, in all caps, yell whatever you need to yell into the abyss. And, I mean, people sometimes say things and and share emojis or whatever, but really, it’s just there for you to just get it out and people hear you.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yes. Absolutely.
Amy Vaughn:
We had a great question come in from Elizabeth. So I wanna make sure we ask it really quickly before we wrap up. How can you distinguish the difference between regular career burnout and I need a career change burnout?
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Oh, great question, Elizabeth. Absolutely. Is it chronic or not? Right? No matter how the job changes, no matter how the seasons change, I’m busy. I’m not busy. I have a project. I don’t have a project. It’s summer. It’s fall.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
I’m always irritable. Always lack creativity. Always. I don’t really tap into my flow state, meaning I just really feel good about doing this. Mhmm. It’s really difficult for me to tap into that no matter how much their circumstances change. It may be that this entire industry is an issue. Right? Especially if you’ve changed positions.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah. Change positions and see, oh, I changed, and I still don’t love it. Right? Okay. I might be in a situation where I need a career change. The other side of that is to address the burnout first. No matter what it is, address the burnout. Recovery, rest, take time off. I have people take 6 week short term leave Mhmm.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
In order to really, really rest. If you’re feeling like you’re having a breakdown Mhmm. Take a moment. Take 2 weeks and actually search and find the curiosity Mhmm. You once had as a kid Yeah. That felt really good and just something that makes me feel good. Explore that and tap back into that to see, you know, if that gives you some wisdom.
Amy Vaughn:
I love that. That was one thing I was floored to learn. We lived in the UK for about 2 years, and we had a friend who was going through some mental health struggles, and he took 6 weeks of stress leave. I was like, that’s a thing. You could just take stress leave here and he got paid full
Dr. Akua Boateng:
for it. Yes. It’s called stress syndrome.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm. That’s amazing. Like, we need to know that that’s a thing and that we can take that as an option possibly. One more quick question. I know we’re at time, but I just love that people are asking, and these are important things. So as long as you’re good, we’ll ask. Okay. Cool.
Amy Vaughn:
Stephanie wants to know what tips do you have for dealing with executive dysfunction and difficulties taking care of yourself and your home when you just feel too worn out after work?
Dr. Akua Boateng:
I think there was a study on this. I forget what publication. A journalist asked me about this recently. It’s when kids come out after kids leave school, they have, like, a kind of a letdown of emotions at the end of the day, and they kinda decompensate.
Amy Vaughn:
I have a 7 year old. I’m like, I know this.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
I don’t know the name, but it is a thing. Yeah. Yeah. I think that was the Huffington Post. But you this would be the compensation and people adults are having that decompensation. Right? And so sometimes you really actually need to have moments where you decompensate. If you have a partner, that would be great, and allow your partner to know, I am at the cliff here. I’m at the edge.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Mhmm. And I really need a moment of being able to get outside, being able to do something that regulates the body while the brain rests. And tap it, Right? And then experiment with that to see if you need that in your daily practice. Mhmm. Also, secondly, what are things that help to regulate that nervous system? Because of synapses, your brain works a lot better when you have regular meditation, regular regular regulation practices. So that’s the short answer. So that’s a kinda layered question, but hopefully that’s Yeah. It is.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
I was gonna say I like doing my heart centered breathing. So focusing on meditation. But one thing I’ve noticed since the pandemic too, working from home, the separation between home and work, we don’t have that drive home. That was my decompression time was I would leave the office and have a 20 minute drive home. So, Stephanie, give yourself that time if you are going straight from your home office back to downstairs to maybe start doing Yes. The home things. What kind of decompression time do you allot for yourself? Maybe in your office or home space, maybe you go out and go for a quick walk around the block. Maybe it’s a different activity before you go downstairs.
Amy Vaughn:
But consider that. Maybe that might be part of the issue as well.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
I don’t know exactly what
Amy Vaughn:
your situation is, but that’s just a thought.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
That regression is key, though. Let yourself regress. Yeah. Yeah. I’m serious. Have a tantrum. Literally allow yourself because there’s something in you that is trying to come out. So if you have your partner or you have someone that can help you or it’s in the car, regress.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Wonderful. Thank you so much again. It’s so great to have you here with us to talk about all of these things. And, again, we could talk for a solid 2 hours. So, you know, I’m sure we’ll have you back at some point, but, again, thank you all so much.
Amy Vaughn:
We will include links for all of you so that you can get in touch with Aquina and, you know, follow what she’s doing. And, you know, if you need to reach out and you’d like to talk with her or learn any more about the work that she’s doing, you can do that as well. Thank you so much, Akoya. It was wonderful being with you today. Enjoy the long weekend, everyone. Thank you so much for being with us here today. We hope to see you all next week. Until then, please keep asking, keep giving, and keep growing.
Amy Vaughn:
Until then, take care. Bye, everyone.
Dr. Akua Boateng:
Produced by Heart Cast Media.
