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When Rest Chooses You: A Holiday Reminder for High Achievers
16 Plays4 hours ago
Merry Christmas! In this heartfelt episode, Leanna opens up about a deeply personal season of rest, recovery, and reflection. She talks candidly about undergoing surgery after six years of unanswered pain and what it taught her about advocating for herself in a healthcare system that often minimizes women’s pain. Beyond the medical journey, this episode explores something many high-achieving women will recognize: the realization that she felt she needed a “valid” reason to stop producing and let others take care of her. From unexpected lessons in rest and leadership to an opportunity to reconsider how and when we allow ourselves to be cared for, this episode is a reminder that you don’t need a crisis to deserve rest, and that listening to your body and your needs is a powerful act of leadership.
Full transcript available here.
Check out Leanna’s Holiday Tips Series by connecting with her on Instagram @execcoachleanna or LinkedIn.
Sign up for Leanna’s email list at coachleanna.com/connect for the latest information on her third annual January Reset for High Achieving Women!
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Transcript
Introduction and Holiday Wishes
00:00:04
Speaker
Welcome to the Executive Coach for Moms podcast, where we support women who are attempting to find balance and joy while simultaneously leading people at work and at home.
00:00:14
Speaker
I'm your host, Leanna Lasky-McGrath, former tech exec turned full-time mom, recovering perfectionist and workaholic, and certified executive coach.
00:00:27
Speaker
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the show and Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. If you are celebrating today, we made it. We made it. So I just want to wish you all the best today, but I hope that at some point today,
00:00:44
Speaker
Like I said in my holiday tip yesterday, that you can zoom the lens out a little bit and really just get to soak in the moments. And if you are not celebrating Christmas, I just want to wish you a happy everything, happy everything that you are celebrating. Happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa, happy Orthodox Christmas, which I recently learned happens actually in January.
00:01:10
Speaker
i just want to wish everyone all the happy things. And if you c celebrate Hanukkah, congratulations, you're done. I hope you're resting and enjoying some much needed rest after a busy holiday season.
00:01:26
Speaker
And today, i just wanted to share a few updates. because i feel like there have been some personal things that I just, I wanted to share
Health Journey and Diagnosis
00:01:36
Speaker
today. And i don't often share a whole lot of personal stuff, mainly because I feel like there's just so much I want to share with you. And so any of the personal stuff I usually end up cutting so that we can get to the real message that's going to help you.
00:01:51
Speaker
But i have had some personal things that I really felt like i wanted to talk about today. So last Tuesday, December 16th, I had surgery. And so I am recovering today as I'm recording this. It's Monday before Christmas. So it's been almost a week.
00:02:12
Speaker
And let me tell you, having surgery itself is a very humbling experience and having it right before Christmas is a whole kind of experience.
00:02:23
Speaker
So just to give you a little bit of background about the surgery, and I won't go too much into detail. I always tease my mom because I noticed that when we go to parties and get together for the holidays and things like that with older folks, it's they tend to really like to talk about like health issues. It seems to be like the hot topic of conversation of like, what doctor's appointments do we have? And, you know, it's like a really big, big part of life. And so my goal has always been, number one to reduce the amount of doctor's appointments that I will need when I am a quote unquote old person.
00:03:03
Speaker
And number two, to not go into excruciating detail about medical stuff and health stuff. So I'm going to give you the high level overview because I do think it's important because my surgery was something that maybe other people who are listening have experienced or are experiencing, and maybe you haven't gotten answers yet. And so I just want to share a little bit about it just kind of an overview of that experience. And please don't call me an old person for doing it. Nothing against old folks. So probably about six years ago, I started experiencing this pain in my lower right abdomen. And it was excruciating at times. At times I would be just kind of like curled up in a ball in the fetal position, unable to function. I went to the ER twice for it.
00:04:01
Speaker
The first time I went down the GI road, almost said GI track, but that would have been a little too punny i went and got a colonoscopy and ended up seeing a nutritionist and seeing if it was something kind of GI related. And then the second time they referred me to pelvic floor physical therapy, thinking it was maybe something there. And from that, she discovered that I might have a labral tear. So she referred me to an orthopedist and two and a half years ago, i had
00:04:33
Speaker
hip surgery to correct labral tear and a bunch of other issues in my hip from my 20-year soccer career. And I thought that maybe that would be the thing that would fix it. And it wasn't. The pain persisted.
00:04:48
Speaker
i talked to my OB about it every year at my annual, and she would send me for all the tests. They thought maybe it was a sports hernia. We had so many theories, and nothing showed up on any of these tests.
00:05:03
Speaker
Nothing could explain my pain. And i continued with this pain. And finally, at my annual last fall, she said, you know, you've been having this pain for a while. We've done all the tests. We can't figure it out. So I'm going to refer you to a pelvic pain specialist. And I was like, what?
00:05:23
Speaker
That is a thing? Like those exist? Why didn't I know about this
Surgery and Healthcare Reflections
00:05:28
Speaker
before? i've been suffering so much. And so I went to the pelvic pain specialist and immediately, whenever I told her my symptoms, she was like, this sounds like either endometriosis or adenomyosis. And those are two very common causes of pelvic pain in women that bring a host of other symptoms along with them.
00:05:56
Speaker
And what it is, is essentially tissue. Your uterus creates tissue. And when it's endometriosis, it grows tissue outside of the uterus. And it's kind of like floating around or and it latches on to different parts around the uterus.
00:06:14
Speaker
And in adenomyosis, it actually grows tissue inside the lining of the wall of the uterus, like inside the muscles in there. And so it can be very, very painful.
00:06:29
Speaker
And so, of course, as the doctor shared, Research into women's health issues is very limited. And so we don't have a ton of information about these two diseases. And so i was happy to hear that they are both non-cancerous. But also adenomyosis cannot be officially diagnosed without surgery, without actually taking the uterus out and looking at it under a microscope. And endometriosis can't be diagnosed without going in with a scope and looking to see if there is that tissue growing outside the uterus.
00:07:13
Speaker
So all that to say, i decided to have surgery. I was actually originally scheduled for surgery in September, but I caught a cold and apparently they won't do anesthesia when you have a cold because it's very dangerous because your um mucus can clog the breathing tube. And so it got moved to December.
00:07:33
Speaker
Here I am a week after and the pathology report came back on Friday And they got no cancer, but they did confirm the diagnosis of both endometriosis and adenomyosis. And so I will say that now six years later, I'm really happy to finally have an answer for my pain. Because this is a pain that I have carried around and it's been kind of a low level experience.
00:08:03
Speaker
always there like some parts of the month throughout my cycle it gets more intense but also kind of always in the back of my mind like is this something that's going to kill me like is this cancer is the what is this why do i keep having this pain and so i'm sharing that story because i think that as women so often we downplay our pain and others downplay our pain And in my search for answers, I mean, it was so many different tests. It was multiple yeah ER visits. It was multiple doctors who looked at me and I continued to push forward and just said, like, nothing is touching this pain. Like nothing is changing. And so I feel really happy that I did that.
00:08:56
Speaker
But also, i feel kind of let down by the healthcare system that let this pain persist for so long.
Recovery and Entertainment
00:09:05
Speaker
Because it wasn't really any one doctor that fought for an answer. It was me continuing to push for an answer and push for tests and and figure out what was going on.
00:09:18
Speaker
So here we are a week later. post-surgery. And if you're having anything similar, please don't hesitate to reach out. I would love to hear your story and support you in any way I can. And one of the things that I think is interesting about this beyond the kind of medical aspect is, so like I mentioned, I was supposed to have this surgery in September.
00:09:43
Speaker
And this past summer, I had really worked to try to enjoy the summer as much as I could with my daughter and like cram all of my work into... three days a week and spend the rest of the week with her because she was six. And I just know that the number of summers that she's going to be wanting to hang out with her mom are limited. And so I really prioritize that and it was wonderful. And then at the end of the summer, she started first grade. She was the first time she's been in school all day, every day, full time.
00:10:17
Speaker
And I hit the gas really hard to get everything ready with work and my podcast and everything with my clients so that I could be out for a month starting September 16th.
00:10:32
Speaker
And then whenever I got sick, it was so interesting because i didn't have the surgery and I felt so let down afterwards. Obviously disappointment that like I would have three more months of pain But also what I realized in talking with my therapist is that I was really looking forward to letting other people take care of me and just sit on the couch and watch sex in the city. Like to have a reason to not contribute, to not produce, to just be.
00:11:10
Speaker
And when I was talking to my therapist about this, she looked at me and she said, Leanna, the fact that you needed a surgery in order to feel like you could let other people take care of you and you could take a break.
00:11:26
Speaker
Does that tell you anything? And she said, i think it's okay for you to lay on your couch and watch some sex in the city. And so I did. i actually did. I took a couple weeks because I really couldn't get myself off the couch. I was really bummed.
00:11:42
Speaker
And so I think it's interesting because I'm sure so many of you can relate to just like the idea of letting other people take care of us for a change and not being the one who's always taking care of everybody else.
00:11:58
Speaker
So I'm sure there's a lesson in there for us all. So this past week, I have been enjoying laying on the couch. I'm sleeping a whole lot more than I realized I would be.
00:12:10
Speaker
I haven't really wanted to watch Sex and the City, but I think that's just because there are some other interesting things that I would rather watch that I haven't seen before. I have been very into the Taylor Swift docuseries. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it. Honestly, I'll tell you what, when the heiress tour was happening, I remember seeing a lot of my friends at her concert, like people I know that I went to college with.
00:12:37
Speaker
They were taking pictures of themselves at this concert and I was like, wait, we like Taylor Swift. i I don't know. I like thought that was like a kid thing. i didn't i didn't know that, you know, that we were liking Taylor Swift. And then I think I watched Miss Americana and I was like, oh, wow, Taylor Swift's a really interesting person.
00:12:57
Speaker
And watching her docuseries, I just, I have become a fan. i will tell you. i don't know if I can call myself a Swifty, but i i I am a fan. I think that it's very inspirational to look at how she runs things. and how she takes care of her team.
00:13:20
Speaker
I love the fact that she handed out almost $200 million dollars in bonuses to her people on the heiress tour, which I think is just such a huge testament to what happens whenever women are in control of more money. We do really cool things with it. You don't see corporate greed here.
00:13:38
Speaker
You see more generosity and giving it to the people who deserve it. And one of the things in the docuseries that they showed was her... writing handwritten thank you cards to every single person on the tour. And I thought, wow, I know she's not a mom yet. But like she's kind of got a lot on her plate, right? Like she's always recording a new album. She's doing the biggest tour in history. and she didn't let those things be a reason for her to not write handwritten thank you cards to all her people and like sign them and seal them with wax. I just was so inspired by that because i will tell you, as a leader, I have definitely deprioritized things like that in the past when I feel like there's just too much to do.
00:14:28
Speaker
And I just think that there's a lot of leadership lessons. From Taylor Swift. And a year ago, if you had asked me that, I would not believe I would be saying that today. But I honestly, I'm really excited because i know that Taylor has sung about having some kids. I'm excited for Taylor Swift to become a mom at whatever point that might be. because i can't wait to hear her take on it. I can't wait to hear her perspective. And i am just going to put it out there in the universe. I really hope she'll come on the show and talk to me about it.
00:15:05
Speaker
and That would be amazing. So Taylor Swift docuseries has been on my watch list. I also have been really enjoying the Morning Show, the latest season.
00:15:16
Speaker
i was so excited when I saw the trailer for the show because it features my favorite film actor of all time, and my favorite TV actor of all time, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.
00:15:29
Speaker
I fell in love with Reese whenever I saw The Man in the Moon when I was a kid. i don't know if any of you remember that movie, but it was so good. And I have really enjoyed following her career ever since. Not only what she's done as an actor, but also i just, I really love what she's done with her production company It is really aimed at producing more work by women and featuring more women as strong main characters. And then Jennifer Aniston, I mean, I've watched all 10 seasons of Friends at least 10, maybe 20 times each. I am not a huge TV person overall, but I am always up for an episode of Friends. If you ever need a teammate for Friends trivia night, I'm your girl. We got Apple TV Plus just to watch that, as well as Come See Me in the Good Light, which I haven't watched yet, but I'm really excited to watch. I haven't watched it yet because I don't know if my heart is ready, but... It features the poet Andrea Gibson, and Andrea died this year and was just such an inspiration. if you are not familiar with their work, I would highly recommend going and checking it out, going and checking out the movie. I already know it's going to be amazing. but
00:16:53
Speaker
That's the TV I've been watching. That's what I have to talk about this week because that's what I've been doing as I've been recovering from surgery. I worked really hard to get all of the holiday tip series done and to get my podcast last week ready. And now I've been able to really kind of enjoy being taken care of. And let me tell you, it's really nice. It's really nice to be taken care of, for sure. And maybe there's an opportunity for us to figure out how we can do that more often, not just whenever we have major surgery.
00:17:26
Speaker
So that's really what I wanted to share with you today. As a reminder, like I said in my holiday tip yesterday, I hope that you take a moment today or on whatever day you're celebrating with loved ones to kind of zoom the lens out and look around and just take it all in. even if it's just for a few seconds amidst the hustle and bustle of everything, just really take a moment to enjoy it.
Goal Setting and Future Plans
00:17:53
Speaker
And looking ahead to next week, I'm going to be talking a lot more about my January challenge, and I hope you'll join me for that. I'm going to be bringing together a group of women really helping to support you through meeting your goals for 2026. So be on the lookout for registration info for that. It will all be over at coachleana.com starting next week.
00:18:14
Speaker
And before we get to 2026, I know we always love to look forward and look ahead and keep moving on that forward trajectory. But I also think that it's really important to take a look back at 2025 just spend some time looking at some of the moments that you're most proud of. I think that sometimes we forget how far we can come in a year.
00:18:36
Speaker
And I think it's really nice to look back at I look back at my notes from January and December of last year, and where I was at and what I was thinking about and what I was wanting for this upcoming year and looking at you know, which goals i accomplished and which goals I would like to continue focusing on for next year. I will be talking about that next week as well here on the podcast and also over on the socials. So you can connect with me over on LinkedIn or on Instagram at execcoachleana.
00:19:08
Speaker
All right, everyone. Merry Christmas. Enjoy your day. Bye-bye.
Coaching Program Promotion
00:19:17
Speaker
If you're loving what you're learning on this podcast, I'd love to invite you to check out the Executive Mom Reset. It's my six-month coaching program for ambitious, success-driven, career-focused women who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.
00:19:32
Speaker
Together, we'll tackle the stress, guilt, and overwhelm that come with being a high-achieving executive mom. You'll learn how to set boundaries, prioritize what truly matters, and build the confidence to show up powerfully at work, at home, and for yourself.
00:19:46
Speaker
Head on over to CoachLeanna.com right now to schedule a free discovery call. We'll spend an hour talking about where you are now, what you wanna create, and how I can help you get there. Because every woman deserves to live the life of her dreams.
00:20:00
Speaker
Let's create yours together.