The Wellness Mama Podcast The Beliefs That Burn Us Out: Four Hidden Beliefs Keeping You Exhausted With Cristi Cuellar
Dec 2, 2025
Cristi Cuellar, a health and wellness practitioner who overcame numerous autoimmune issues, shares her transformative journey. She discusses how the ‘no pain, no gain’ mindset can harm women’s health and the importance of recognizing four hidden beliefs that fuel burnout. Cristi also highlights the critical role of nervous system regulation through breathwork and somatic practices. She challenges the myth that happiness comes from external success and emphasizes letting go of perfectionism in favor of simply 'being'.
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Bodybuilding Led To Repeated Burnout
- Cristi Cuellar describes training for bodybuilding while working as a physical therapist and repeatedly burning out after competitions.
- She later discovered Hashimoto's, celiac, leaky gut, and food allergies which explained chronic inflammation and slow recovery.
Sympathetic Dominance Makes Exercise Harmful
- Chronic sympathetic nervous system dominance can make exercise catabolic and destroy muscle instead of building it.
- Training should prioritize energy-building, blood flow, and postural muscles when the nervous system is dysregulated.
Good-Girl Conditioning Fuels Chronic Stress
- Cultural 'good girl' conditioning and people-pleasing silence women's voices and create chronic stress.
- Reclaiming voice and boundaries aligns women with personal power and reduces burnout.
