Friday Aug 15, 2025

Make a Nope List and Watch Your Energy Soar

The simplest act of self-care? Saying no. It protects your time, preserves your energy, and keeps your productivity focused on what matters most.

In this episode, I’m talking about the “nope list,” a simple but powerful way to guard your time, energy, and attention. I’ll share why women in medicine are especially prone to overcommitting, how chronic yeses chip away at intuition, and why naming your no’s can be as game-changing as chasing your yeses. You’ll hear stories from my own life (including why a hot air balloon ride will never make my bucket list) and real examples from women in my Catalyst Studio who’ve traded guilt for boundaries, whether it’s declining misaligned patients, skipping unnecessary speaking gigs, or refusing to double-book their schedules.

If you’ve been stretching yourself thin in the name of getting it all done, this episode will show you how a simple shift can free up your time, boost your productivity, and give your self-care the priority it deserves.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 The Fantasy of Saying No

00:33 Creating Your Nope List

02:30 Recognizing Your Inner Nope

02:52 Burnout in Women Physicians

05:24 Why a Nope List Protects Your Energy

07:13 Neuroscience of Intuition and Boundaries

09:20 Real-Life Examples of Saying No

12:09 Avoiding Schedule Overload

14:04 Aligning Your Life with the Nope List

16:04 Catalyst Question and Takeaway

Links