Overachieving Shitshow

Long before he was hosting a ridiculous Facebook cooking show where the "surprise taster" was his best friend Sam every single week, Matt Stevens was a high school kid in Portland, Texas renting dance halls and chartering 50-seat buses to Luckenbach.In this laugh-out-loud but surprisingly deep episode, Dr. Kate talks to Matt about what happens when you spend your life managing big personalities (like Joan Rivers and Garth Brooks) and finally need a therapeutic outlet of your own. They talk about the freedom of acting crazy on camera, the peace found in a rural Buddhist temple, fighting for the Coastal Bend AIDS foundation in the conservative 1980s, and how to hold onto the memory of lost loved ones through pure, unadulterated humor.

Fifteen years, a few panic attacks in the Bell Library, multiple kids, and a dozen jobs later, they are sitting down to talk about how high-capacity women navigate life when they constantly take on "one more thing." If your accountant has ever asked you why you have so many W-2s, or you've accidentally used a deactivated credit card because you're functioning at 70%, this episode is your validation. Kate and Taylor talk boundaries, burnout, and learning when to let the "traveling shit show" app in your brain take the driver's seat.

Dr. Kate Lodriguez and Portia Hargrove discuss the challenges of being high-achieving women, setting boundaries, and the importance of proactive self-care. They also explore the impact of being the 'strong one' and the complexities of relationships and dating. The conversation covers topics related to dating, self-reflection, and managing sociopolitical pressure. It delves into the motivations behind compromise in relationships, the importance of self-reflection before dating, and the impact of past emotional trauma on current relationships. It also explores the challenges of managing sociopolitical pressure and the need for self-care and boundaries in the face of overwhelming information.TakeawaysProactive self-care is essential for maintaining mental and emotional well-being.Setting boundaries and practicing positive self-talk are vital for managing guilt and maintaining personal well-being. Motivations behind compromise in relationshipsImportance of self-reflection before datingManaging sociopolitical pressure and the need for self-careChapters00:00 Dealing with Guilt and Setting Boundaries22:40 The Importance of Self-Reflection Before Dating

If your version of "chilling out" involves scrubbing the baseboards, organizing the garage, or aggressively planning your next week, this one is for you. This week, Dr. Kate breaks down the clinical truth behind our historical inability to do absolutely nothing. Spoiler alert: It’s not just a quirky personality trait; it’s hypervigilance.Kate shares hilarious and vulnerable stories about trying to learn how to watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the myth of the perfect "craft mom" (shoutout to all the Venmo Moms out there), and a powerful lesson in why we actively resist sitting still.

In this episode of the Overachieving Shitshow, Dr. Kate is joined by her "sister-in-arms" and fellow overachieving Latina, Sammie Ramon. Sammie isn’t just a corporate meeting planner for a top engineering firm; she’s the current Chair of Leadership Corpus Christi and a master of navigating spaces where she’s often the only person who looks or sounds like her. Dr. Kate and Sammie dive deep into the reality of being a "professional Latina," the exhaustion of code-switching, and how to stop let your "big butt" (shoutout to Pee-wee Herman) get in the way of your dreams.

Why do we spend 10 hours putting out fires at work just to come home and watch a medical drama like The Pit? Dr. Kate gets into the "guilty as charged" reality of why overachievers crave high-stress entertainment and what it reveals about our own nervous systems. In this episode, we break down the five types of burnout—from the "I Got It" over-functioner to the cynical "Everyone is Annoying" phase. If you feel like your battery is at 5% but you're still performing like a boss, it’s time to learn how to triage your life before your body pulls the emergency brake for you.

What do you do when your phone charger won't plug in and you're suddenly screaming at the wall? You might be in menopause, and you’re definitely an overachieving shit show. Dr. Kate and guest Heidi Hovda get real about the "psychopath at night" phase of life, the beauty of "rage poems" (5-7-5 or bust!), and why we’re all choosing the bear. Grab a drink and pull up a spot on the floor—this one is for everyone currently white-knuckling life.

Don’t be too pretty. Don’t be too angry. Don’t wear hoops." Criminal defense attorney Lisa Greenberg spent years trying to follow the "rules" of being a female lawyer before realizing that her greatest weapon wasn’t her suit—it was her rage and her humanity. In this episode, Dr. Kate and Lisa dive into the grit of the legal system, the dark humor that keeps them sane, and why being a "Venmo Mom" is a perfectly valid survival strategy. From capital murder cases to the "emergency pack" of cigarettes in the console, this is an unfiltered look at what it takes to carry the weight of other people's lives without losing your own.

Do you ever feel like a hero at the office—the calm "fire extinguisher" who handles every crisis with a smile—only to walk through your front door and lose your mind because someone asked what’s for dinner?You’re not a "cold bitch" or a "bad partner." You’re experiencing The Saint Paradox.In this solo episode, Dr. Kate Rodriguez dives into the messy reality of burnout and why we often give our best "Saint" energy to strangers while saving our most exhausted, "shitshow" selves for the people we love most. She breaks down the science of why your brain's "CEO" (the prefrontal cortex) goes offline by 6:00 PM, leaving your "Fire Alarm" (the amygdala) in charge of your evening.

Once you’ve tasted total autonomy, there’s no going back. Crystal explains why she’s officially "unemployable," how she survived the "once-in-a-lifetime" crises of bridge closures and global shifts, and why she’d rather make the tough calls herself than ever sit in someone else’s 9-to-5 again.

Meet the accountant turned therapist who is done with the "perfect overachiever" narrative. Dr. Diane Herrero joins Dr. Kate to discuss why the path to becoming a Chingona is often messy, ugly, and full of pivots. If you’ve ever felt like you’re working twice as hard for the same seat at the table, this episode is your permission slip to set boundaries and breathe.Disclaimer: Dr. Kate Rodriguez is a therapist, but the information shared here is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. No therapist-client relationship is formed by consuming this content.

If one more person asks you "How do you do it all?" you might actually snap. Dr. Kate Rodriguez is here to validate what you’ve been feeling: your high-functioning competence is a trap. In this podcast, we dismantle the "strong woman" trope with a mix of dry humor, clinical insight, and radical honesty. From "Guinness shortages" to "productive procrastination," we discuss the messy reality of burnout and the practical, gritty steps required to get your life back. No fluff, no jargon, just the truth about what it takes to stop drowning and start floating.

Welcome to Overachieving Shitshow, the podcast for smart, capable women and some men who look like they have it all together but are secretly exhausted from holding everything up.I’m Dr. Kate, a counselor, speaker, and proud overachieving shitshow myself. In this podcast, we talk honestly about what it’s like to be the one everyone depends on — the professional, the helper, the fixer, the one who always gets shit done.We’ll unpack the pressure to achieve, the cultural expectations many of us carry, and the lie that burnout is just the price of being successful. You’ll hear conversations about protecting your spark, closing the mental loops that keep your brain spinning, and learning how to stay ambitious without running yourself into the ground.This isn’t about doing less or lowering your standards.It’s about building a life where your talent, ambition, and energy actually work for you, not against you.If you’ve ever thought “I’m fine… just busy and tired,” you’re in the right place.