5 Ways Working Women Can Escape Holiday Chaos and Stay Present

The holidays can feel like one endless to-do list, especially for ambitious, working women who are juggling careers, families, and the pressure to make everything magical. But what if you could step off the hamster wheel and actually enjoy the season?

In this episode of the Glass Ceiling and Sticky Floor Podcast, I’m talking about Presence Over Presents—what it means to focus on connection, joy, and sanity during the holidays instead of getting buried under the chaos.

Here’s what you’ll learn in today’s episode:

• The #1 reason women feel overwhelmed during the holidays (and how to shift your mindset).
• 5 practical strategies to simplify the season, ditch the stress, and focus on what matters most.
• How to prioritize presence over perfection—even when the mental workload feels heavy.
• A powerful reminder to take back your time and energy so you can actually enjoy the holidays.

If you’re ready to escape the chaos, embrace calm, and make this season truly magical—this episode is for you.

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Transcript

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Let me paint a picture for you. It's December, you've got a team meeting at nine, a client deadline by three. And in between you're ordering the teacher gifts. You're scheduling your family photos and you're Googling all of the different recipes that you need to have for the holiday potluck. Does that sound familiar? Well, welcome to the mental workload of the holiday season, especially for women like us, women who are ambitious, who are holding it down at work and who are making the season magical for everybody else. It's like we are running this marathon while decorating the track and the Christmas lights y'all but here's the thing. In the rush to get the perfect presence. I throw the best parties and send out the most beautiful cards. We actually lose sight of what really matters. And that's being truly present. And let's be honest when you look back on the holidays and do you remember what you bought your kid's teacher in 2018? Or do you remember the time you spent laughing over hot chocolate with your family and just how much love there was now today we are going to unpack how you can ditch the chaos. And embrace presence over presents this holiday season. welcome to the glass ceiling and sticky floor podcast. The show that's here to empower you to break free from limiting beliefs, ditch toxic behaviors, and unlock the infinite possibilities waiting for you. This is your time to live your best life unapologetically. I'm Erica Rooney, your host and biggest cheerleader on a mission to get more women into positions of power and keep them there where they belong. Now, if you're ready to shatter ceilings, crush self-doubt and build a career in life overflowing with growth and abundance. You're in the right place. Here's the deal. We talk about the hard stuff, the real stuff. Imposter syndrome, perfectionism, fear, burnout, you name it. It's raw. It's honest. And it's exactly what you need to level up. So grab a seat popping into your bud and let's dive in. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the glass ceiling and sticky floor podcast. I'm Erica Rooney. And today we are diving head first into the holiday madness, the gifts, the parties, the cards, and why. So many of us are feeling frazzled. Instead of festive. And I want to call it what it is, right. As women, we carry the mental load of the holidays, just like we do everything else. We are the ones who remember the secret Santa gift for work. We move that damn elf every night. Right? And the fact that Great Aunt Martha prefers gluten-free cookies over regular cookies. Okay. On top of that, we're managing our careers. We're trying to hit our goals and we're trying to show up as the bad ass professional that we are, and it is fricking exhausting. Now here's a quick story for you. But a few years ago. I wanted to go all out for the holidays. I wanted to make it so magical for my children. And I wanted to do this because, well, if I'm honest with you, I wanted to do this because I thought I had to do it. Right. I felt like I should do it all. First of all, y'all know that is the trigger word that I should. Create these memories for my kids that I should have the matching jammies. I should have the perfectly rep presence in the cookies baked. And this damn holiday cards. Right. And y'all know if you listen to this podcast, I don't do that anymore. I don't do the holiday cards. I've given them up. But. We're going back in time. For this episode and this story. So stick with me. Okay. Here's the deal. I did six kinds of cookies. I bought presents for eight grandparents. Yes. I have eight grandparents for my children. I have very complex family tree and the. Multitude of cousins that come along with that. And it was exhausting. I was literally sitting there on the brink of burnout. I wasn't enjoying anything. It was backbreaking and mentally taxing. Very very stressful. And I just wasn't enjoying it. I wasn't enjoying the holiday season. It was just too much. And by December 26. Yeah, the day after Christmas, I was so wiped out. I just wanted all of the holiday shit out of the house. It was annoying me to look at it. I wanted it clean, organized, and back to normal. And y'all, that's not what the holidays are for. You shouldn't feel that way after a joyful, special, fun holiday with your family. And that year, it really just taught me this huge lesson. And that lesson is that if I'm not present in the moment, None of the effort really matters. Because no one remembers perfect. They remember that connection. And I can tell you now my kids don't remember anything. About the Christmas cards or the cookies. Or how crazy. got that day. They just remember the magic. Right. And it wasn't perfect magic and it doesn't have to be perfect magic. But let's get into it. So how can people like us ambitious, driven women step off the hamster wheel and actually enjoy the holidays without sacrificing our sanity or sense of self. And I've got five strategies for each day, five actionable strategies. And I'm going to go ahead and dive in because these are ones that I use periodically all the time. And I just want you to have these tools in your toolbox. So pick what works for you, leave the rest, but the first one is embracing. Good enough. Not every detail. For this holiday has to be Pinterest worthy. Let the cards be simple or be like me and just don't do cards. By the cookies from Publix instead of baking them, y'all, they've got an award winning bakery. And if you don't live in the land of the south, where Publix is, I've heard, Wegmans is just as great. Okay. How about this? Let somebody else host you don't have to have the family meal every year. Perfection is overrated. And you, my friend have permission to let things slide. You really do. Now the second strategy is saying no, without guilt. Now this season, I really want you to start practicing saying no to things that do not align with your priorities. No to the extra bake sale. No, to that second fundraiser, no. To the party that is of your neighbor, that you don't even really like. Saying no doesn't make you selfish. It makes you smart. So the pro tip here on this one is if you do feel guilty, remember this, that every yes you give away is a no to something else. Like your sanity, like your family time or your sleep. So say no without guilt. Now, the third thing is time block for joy. Now my friend, Jessica Janzen shout out girl. She's amazing. She is a joy expert. She believes in blocking out time for joy, right? We block out time for work. Why not? Block time for joy. Schedule an hour to watch your favorite holiday movie. Mine is the Chevy chase, Christmas vacation, or elf. It's a hard tie, right? That is guilt-free. Right. Maybe schedule yourself a massage after you do all the Christmas wrapping. I put it on your calendar, like a meeting with your CEO, make it a priority because honestly it is a priority. And your CEO in this moment, it's you. And then the fourth thing is delegate, delegate, delegate. Y'all delegating is one of my favorite things here. This holiday season is the season that I want you to lean on others. Let your partner handle the gift wrapping, ask a friend to help with party planning or. Hire like a task rabbit to run errands or do you groceries? Delivery. Okay. You don't have to do at all. And delegating is not a sign of weakness. My friends, it doesn't mean you are less than it. Doesn't make the holidays less magical when you delegate it's a power move. When you delegate it, frees up your time for those moments that matter. So delegate, delegate, delegate, and then the final and the fifth tip that I have for you is to ground yourself in gratitude. And I know we are just coming off November where gratitude is all of the rage. But I really do believe in gratitude. So I just want you to get into the practice of every morning, take one or two minutes to just focus on what you're grateful for. Whether that's your family or your career or your health, or just your growth that you've been experiencing. Gratitude is the fastest way. To shift out of stress and into the present moment. It is quite literally that mindset reset. And you really do deserve that piece, especially during the holidays. Okay. Peace on earth. Y'all get with the program. Okay. Now here's the thing. If you are feeling overwhelmed by all of these things that you have to do, And you're like, I need more of this. Whether, whether this is during the holiday season or any time I want you to know there is another way and you don't have to do this alone. Okay. In my coaching program, I work with nothing but ambitious women, just like you to help them climb the ladder, shatter the ceiling in, balancing it all without sacrificing your sanity or losing your shit on those. You love. The holidays are a perfect time to remind yourself of this okay. That you don't need to do it all. You don't have to do it all and you definitely don't have to do it all alone. All right. Y'all if this episode resonated with you, D M me the word ready on Instagram or LinkedIn, and let's talk, how can I support you? Because 2025 is just around the corner and it's going to be your year. I know it. And I want. You to be able to start 20, 25 with clarity and with confidence. Y'all thanks for tuning into the glass ceiling and sticky floor podcast. If this episode lit a fire under you, go ahead and give it a five star review. Y'all it's how we get the message into the hands of the women who need to hear it most. And don't stop there. Let's keep the conversation going. Find me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Tik, TOK, wherever you are. I promise you I am there and I will give you daily doses of inspiration, free resources and all the tools you need to keep smashing those ceilings. Now until next time. Remember this, the only limit is the one you set, so let's break through it together.