Leading Without Self Abandonment: Emotional Load, Workplace Gaslighting, and Recalibration

Reach out! You don't have to explain how crazy she was. We believe you!!!🎙 Episode NotesIn this episode of Beyond Mommy Dearest, host Noelani Pearl Hernandez, trauma-informed executive coach, sits down with Brittanni Hendricks, MBA, ACC (ICF Associate Certified Coach), ICF-certified Leadership Alignment Coach, speaker, author, and creator of the Playful Power Method.Together, Noelani and Brittanni unpack why workplace dynamics can feel eerily familiar for adult daughters of narcissistic, emotionally immature, or unsafe mothers. They name how survival mode follows us into leadership, why gaslighting at work is so destabilizing, and how high performers often confuse self-abandonment with resilience.This conversation is for the overachievers, the emotional regulators, and the leaders who carry the invisible load. 🧠 Topics We Cover in this EpisodeWhy narcissistic family dynamics show up so clearly in workplaces and leadership environmentsWhat workplace gaslighting sounds like and why it destabilizes survivorsOverfunctioning, people pleasing, and “masking” as professional survival strategiesWhy high performers burn out from responsibility without alignmentEmotional load: what it is, how it builds, and why it compounds over timeConflict cycles at work: overexplaining, self-editing, avoiding hard conversationsThe hidden cost of silence: the price of not having the conversationBody signals of misalignment (brain fog, sleep disruption, tension, numbness, stomach aches)Why peace can feel unfamiliar after chronic chaosRecalibration vs pushing through: how to rebuild self-trustThe Playful Power Method: reclaiming joy, playfulness, and agency without forceYou are not broken.You adapted.Alignment is available.💛 Work With Noelani / Beyond Mommy DearestMonthly Support and Trauma-Informed Small Support GroupsSupport that is steady, not overwhelming. Community without chaos. Structure without judgment.Guided Support Programhttps://www.beyondmommydearest.org/supportgroupInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/beyondmommydearestPodcast Pagehttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-mommy-dearest-podcast/id1871995241⭐ Guest Bio: Brittanni HendricksBrittanni Hendricks, MBA, ACC (ICF Associate Certified Coach), ICF-certified Leadership Alignment Coach, is a speaker, author, and creator of the Playful Power Method. With more than 15 years of leadership experience in talent development and organizational effectiveness, Brittany supports leaders and working parents carrying a high emotional load. Her work centers high performing humans who are not lazy, broken, or unmotivated. They are often misaligned, and ready to stop compensating and start leading from clarity, peace, and power.Brittanni is the author of It’s My Turn, a part memoir, part manifesto for people who have performed perfection long enough and are choosing alignment over approval.🔗 Connect with Brittanni HendricksWebsitehttps://www.brittannihendricks.comInstagram@playfulprofessionalBook a Free Alignment Audit to identify emotional load, body signals, and next steps toward alignment.Support the show