This tendency has carried me a long way in my life, and has brought me much success, but at a price that previously I was not aware I was paying. Kind of like the hidden fees that you discover with your cable service, the price of overachievement has some hidden costs as well. (I'll share those with you in a bit).

I would like to clarify the difference between overachievement and high-performance.

Overachievement is often motivated by anxiety, fear of failure and even feelings of unworthiness and are more focused on reaching the finish line, preferably first.

High-performance, on the other hand is about the performance. 

An example is studying for an exam. The overachiever wants to get the highest score on the exam, so may memorize a bunch of facts, pull all-nighters just to get the grade - the destination is the goal. 

The high-performer wants to pass the exam (getting a high score would be awesome) but this person wants to understand, process and integrate the knowledge without sacrificing their self-care during the process - the experience and the growth is the goal.

Unlike high-performers, overachievers are on the fast track for burnout which can leave them wide open to negative self-talk and even self-loathing (these are some of those hidden costs I mentioned above).



Success does not just mean finishing on time or ticking certain tasks off a list. Instead, success is all about the journey both personally and professionally.

And that brings me to my revelation.

The difference between the overachiever and the high-performer is love, self-love to be specific.

Overachieving is a search for external recognition; seeking validation and approval from others, whereas high-performing is about internal recognition; discovering one's magnificence, unleashing one's highest potential and knowing there is nothing that needs to be proven to self - YOU ARE ENOUGH!

Practicing self-love and self-care takes practice .

It can be challenging to unbundle all the messaging and programing over the course of one's life that suggests that we are less than who we truly are unless we are achieving, striving, staying in line, and maintaining the status quo.



Jumping off the hamster wheel can feel scary, especially if it's all you ever know. You wobble and wonder, what's next? Can I really do [insert your passion and purpose here]?  Should I just stay where I am? Who do I think I am to live a life of purpose and passion? Am I worthy? Am I enough? What will people think, say?

Is the hamster wheel really that bad when I am facing uncertainty and the possibility of a life of fulfillment and freedom for the first time?

I know these feelings intimately. 

When I first left bedside care to begin my new life as an entrepreneur I was terrified. Feelings of unworthiness and failure nearly consumed me but I knew I could not get back on the wheel and so I girded myself against the onslaught of self-criticism and self-doubt.

I was nervous at first as shadows of my overachieving self would whisper in my ear, you have to do this alone, you don't need help, you can do this by yourself in an effort to undermine my success and steer me back to the hamster wheel.

These whispers were so seductive that I listened for quite awhile until I realized that I knew what I didn't know and I knew I needed help, I didn't need to do everything all by myself. 

I knew my mission deserved better, 'we' needed to not just survive but flourish. My mission and I deserved to be guided, supported, and mentored by heart-centered experts if we were to succeed.

Once I made this transition in my thinking (and my belief system), the world opened up, and continues to open up as I continue to invest in my growth and development as a leader of a global movement that WILL transform the heart and soul of healthcare around the globe.

And that same opportunity and potentiality can be yours as well.

What I know for sure is that I cannot do it alone. I need passionate, courageous folks just like you to join me, join this movement. 

I am inviting you to step off the hamster wheel, shed those feelings of 'lessthanness' and invest in becoming a certified Trauma Informed Professional!



The American Academy of Pediatrics has just released its clinical report and policy statement regarding Trauma Informed Care for Child Health Services. 

This movement is no longer a questions of if, but when will we all get onboard and change the healthcare system to support and nurture babies, children and families in crisis!

Please join me and close to 200 international, interdisciplinary clinicians from over 40 states in the U.S. and 10 countries around the world who have embarked on the journey to become certified Trauma Informed Professionals!

If you enroll during the month of August you are eligible for a 35% discount off the standard tuition when you apply coupon code: AUGTIP21.

To learn more about the program join the Caring Essentials Faculty and myself this Thursday, August 12th at 12:30pm EDT for a FREE SNEAK PEEK into the program.

I know this journey isn't for everyone, but I can tell you who this journey is for...

This journey is for you if...

• You feel out of alignment and disconnected from your purpose and passion
• You know you have more to give to the babies, children, and families you serve than just tick marks on a checklist 
• You yearn to share a deeper, more authentic expression of yourself with the world
• You want to create a legacy that touches lives and impacts lifetimes

I look forward to welcoming you aboard the journey of a lifetime as depicted by our amazing program graduates! 

"We cannot remove the experience of suffering in life, but through the way we care, we can create a more resilient world one human contact at a time". - Katharine Romero MS CCC-SLP, IBCLC, Certified Trauma Informed Professional

REGISTER FOR THE FREE SNEAK PEEK

Thanks for taking the time to read me

Take care and care well,

Mary