Ep 63 - Reclaiming your Festive Season Mojo (and surviving family drama!)

The festive season can be Overachiever hell! In this episode, Crystal shares her therapist-office breakdown and the 7 changes she made this year to stop being the "complaints department for the whole world." This isn't a prescriptive playbook—it's permission to choose what actually works for you.

KEY TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00] Cold open: "I feel like the complaints department for the entire world" [02:00] Why the festive season is a mental health hazard for overachievers [05:30] The therapist conversation that changed everything [08:45] "You're treating everyone like you're their line manager" [12:00] Change #1: Outsourcing the cooking (hello, private chef!) [16:30] Change #2: The Christmas Day shopping trip tradition [19:00] Change #3: Renting the Christmas tree [21:30] Change #4: The "no gifts" conversation with extended family [24:00] Change #5: Pre-briefing family like a CEO [28:00] Change #6: Disconnecting the wiring behind your buttons [32:00] Change #7: Resourcing yourself (sleep, self-care, massages!) [36:00] The invitation: You get to choose

QUOTABLE MOMENTS:

"The more you do, the more you get. You've trained everyone that you're the go-to person."

"You're treating everyone like you're their line manager. You're taking responsibility for outcomes that aren't yours to own."

"You can participate without orchestrating. You can show up without sacrificing yourself."

"Family will always push all your buttons. They know which combination activates the nuclear sequence. But you are the one who can disconnect the wiring behind the buttons."

"The festive season doesn't get to steal your sanity. Not this year."

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Chef Danny Tan – Private chef for festive gatherings (Christmas, CNY, and more) Instagram: ⁠@craftandfood⁠