Thought Load: Overthinking, Overfunctioning & Exhaustion with Liane Davey  | 413 episode artwork

EPISODE · May 20, 2026 · 38 MIN

Thought Load: Overthinking, Overfunctioning & Exhaustion with Liane Davey | 413

from This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil · host Nicole Kalil + Airwave Media

We talk a lot about burnout, overwhelm, and productivity — but not nearly enough about the invisible mental gymnastics happening behind the scenes. The remembering, anticipating, overthinking, emotional labor, and “just handling it” that so many women carry every single day. Not just at home, but at work too. In this episode, Nicole sits down with Dr. Liane Davey — known as the Teamwork Doctor — to unpack the concept of “thought load” and why high-achieving women are especially vulnerable to carrying way too much of it. Liane is a New York Times bestselling author, leadership advisor to Fortune 500 companies, and author of the book Thought Load: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work. Together, they explore how over-functioning gets rewarded in workplaces, why busyness and productivity can become traps, and how to stop becoming everyone else’s emotional support system and human reminder app. In This Episode, We Explore: What “thought load” actually is — and why it’s draining women at work Why high-achieving women often become the default problem-solvers for everyone else The difference between being busy, productive, and actually impactful How to determine what truly matters instead of trying to do everything Why managing attention matters more than managing time How to stop becoming the go-to person for everyone’s problems Boundary-setting strategies that don’t require becoming cold or unavailable Why letting go is necessary if you want to grow into leadership Because the higher you want to climb, the more willing you have to be to let go of the roles, responsibilities, and expectations that are keeping you stuck. Thank you to our sponsors! Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free! Families are better when they’re working together… go to myskylight.com/WOMANSWORK for $30 off your Skylight Calendar. Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/woman  Connect with Liane: Website: https://lianedavey.com/  Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thoughtload-Manage-Madness-Free-Great/dp/1774586517 LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lianedavey/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/drlianedavey  IG: https://www.instagram.com/lianedavey  Related Podcast Episodes: How To Tame Your Inner Critic (Without Gaslighting Yourself) with Megan Dalla-Camina | 354 VI4P - Head Trash and Giving Grace on the Journey (Chapter 7) Holding It Together: Women As America's Safety Net with Jessica Calarco | 215 Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk a lot about burnout, overwhelm, and productivity — but not nearly enough about the invisible mental gymnastics happening behind the scenes. The remembering, anticipating, overthinking, emotional labor, and “just handling it” that so many women carry every single day. Not just at home, but at work too. In this episode, Nicole sits down with Dr. Liane Davey — known as the Teamwork Doctor — to unpack the concept of “thought load” and why high-achieving women are especially vulnerable to carrying way too much of it. Liane is a New York Times bestselling author, leadership advisor to Fortune 500 companies, and author of the book Thought Load: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work. Together, they explore how over-functioning gets rewarded in workplaces, why busyness and productivity can become traps, and how to stop becoming everyone else’s emotional support system and human reminder app. In This Episode, We Explore: What “thought load” actually is — and why it’s draining women at work Why high-achieving women often become the default problem-solvers for everyone else The difference between being busy, productive, and actually impactful How to determine what truly matters instead of trying to do everything Why managing attention matters more than managing time How to stop becoming the go-to person for everyone’s problems Boundary-setting strategies that don’t require becoming cold or unavailable Why letting go is necessary if you want to grow into leadership Because the higher you want to climb, the more willing you have to be to let go of the roles, responsibilities, and expectations that are keeping you stuck. Thank you to our sponsors! Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free! Families are better when they’re working together… go to myskylight.com/WOMANSWORK for $30 off your Skylight Calendar. Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/woman  Connect with Liane: Website: https://lianedavey.com/  Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thoughtload-Manage-Madness-Free-Great/dp/1774586517 LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lianedavey/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/drlianedavey  IG: https://www.instagram.com/lianedavey  Related Podcast Episodes: How To Tame Your Inner Critic (Without Gaslighting Yourself) with Megan Dalla-Camina | 354 VI4P - Head Trash and Giving Grace on the Journey (Chapter 7) Holding It Together: Women As America's Safety Net with Jessica Calarco | 215 Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NOW PLAYING

Thought Load: Overthinking, Overfunctioning & Exhaustion with Liane Davey | 413

0:00 38:23

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Big Old Life: Heather Blackbird interviews people on planet earth. Heather Blackbird loves asking questions. This podcast is a learning experience. Join me, Heather Blackbird, as I talk to people about their lives. Frequency of new episodes is a little all over the place and I'm learning as I go. Big Old Life is a small way of talking about the vastness of life, one person at a time. If you are reading this or found this podcast it's probably because someone you know gave you a link to it. :) Explicit Tales Of A Superstar DJ The Insomniac Spun seemingly out of nowhere from her complacent life in the corporate world, turned seemingly overnight from 16-Hour shift work and into the life of a literally starving artist and working musician, The Protagonist navigates her supposed rise to fame and superstardom on a journey through spiritual awakening, coming-of-age, and intimate self-realization--guided by an omnipresent force and equipped with the power of love, magic, and music. {Enter The Multiverse.} [The Festival Project] The Festival Project, Inc.™ is a multidimensional multimedia platform which encompasses exploratory and artistic social personifications and expressions on cosmic theory, spirituality, growth, health & wellness, philosophy and theoretic dynamics in entertainment such as music, design, film, television, radio, dance and festival culture, art, fashion, literature, and science. The Festival Project™ and its subsidiary Non-Profit, The Collective Complex © aims to challenge modern artistic and philosop Explicit Bitcoin Is Dead Trey Carson Welcome to Bitcoin is Dead, the ultimate Bitcoin variety show where host Trey takes you on a journey through the ever-evolving world of Bitcoin. Each episode brings new personalities, fascinating locations, and insightful conversations with politicians, educators, and innovators shaping the future of Bitcoin. Whether you're a seasoned Bitcoiner or just starting your journey, tune in for thought-provoking discussions, unique perspectives, and a deep dive into the ideas and people driving the Bitcoin revolution. Explicit The Sacred +Profane Podcast nephtaragrace The Sacred + Profane Podcast is a provocative conversation dedicated to cementing a better future for all. We specialize in unpacking the nuances of what is considered sacred and profane, particularly focusing on sex, death, and all that pertains to the circle of life. Our aim in focusing on such ”taboo” subject matter is to demystify what is unconscious, bring to light what has been known for centuries as ”the occult,” and empower the rapid transformation that is occurring on the Planet. Explicit

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil?

This episode is 38 minutes long.

When was this This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil episode published?

This episode was published on May 20, 2026.

What is this episode about?

We talk a lot about burnout, overwhelm, and productivity — but not nearly enough about the invisible mental gymnastics happening behind the scenes. The remembering, anticipating, overthinking, emotional labor, and “just handling it” that so many...

Can I download this This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!