Overgivers Anonymous Podcast

About Overgivers Anonymous Podcast

Helping you get over overgiving

Publisher

Angela Mondor - The Geeky Girl

Category

business · business · business

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

21 Dec 2021

Latest episode

15 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

114 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Jul 2026

   How to Leave Your Business for 3 Months (Without the Guilt) with Candy Messer

   Have you ever felt like your business is a beautiful, high-performance vehicle, but you are the only person who knows how to drive it? For many entrepreneurs, the dream of freedom often turns into a 24/7 job where stepping away for even a weekend feels like a recipe for disaster. But what happens when life throws you a curveball? What if a family emergency or a personal health crisis requires you to step away for weeks, or even months? In a recent episode of the Overgivers Anonymous podcast, host Angela Mondor (the Geeky Girl) sat down with Candy Messer, a profitability adviser and fractional CEO. Together, they explored the essential shift from being the bottleneck in your business to becoming a leader who empowers a team to run the show. Whether you are struggling with the "guilt monsters" of taking time off or you aren't sure how to trust your team with your "baby," this guide breaks down how to build a business that thrives without your constant oversight. The Wake-Up Call: Why Operational Efficiency Matters Most entrepreneurs start their journey seeking time and financial freedom. However, Candy Messer points out that we often end up just working in a different location. We take our laptops on vacation, check emails during dinner, and stay tethered to our phones. While this might work during the "hustle" phase, it fails when real life intervenes. Candy shared a deeply personal story about the importance of business systems. In late 2025, she received a call that her father had been diagnosed with cancer. Because she had spent years preparing her team and testing her business's operational efficiency, she was able to drive ten hours away and stay for three months to care for him. She didn't have to worry about the day-to-day operations because her team was ready to step in. "I was not worried about work," Candy shared. "I was able to be there for the whole time... I'm very thankful that we had that vision ahead of time to prepare." This is the ultimate goal of delegation: the ability to be present for the moments that matter most without the business collapsing in your absence. The 10-Week Test: How to Step Away Gradually You don't go from working 60 hours a week to taking three months off overnight. Candy recommends a "testing" phase to identify where the cracks are in your systems. This gradual approach allows you to build confidence in your team and refine your processes. The Step-by-Step Testing Method: * Week 1: Take one full week off. When you return, look for the "bottlenecks." What questions could only you answer? What tasks stalled? * Week 2: Once the first set of issues is resolved, take two weeks off. * The Expansion: Gradually increase your absence to three weeks, then four weeks. By the time Candy had to care for her father, she had already tested her absence for a total of 10 weeks over the course of a year. This "stress test" ensured that her team knew exactly what to do when the real emergency arrived. Conquering the "Guilt Monsters" Angela Mondor introduced a concept many overgivers relate to: Guilt Monsters. These are the internal voices that make us feel guilty when we aren't working, but also make us feel guilty when we are working and ignoring our families. It’s a lose-lose cycle that leads to burnout. To defeat the guilt monsters, you must shift your mindset from control to empowerment. Many business owners believe that "no one will care as much as I do" or "no one can do it as well as me." While it’s true that your team might not do things exactly like you, they might actually do them better. "Your team might not do it the same way you do... and they might do it better than you," Angela noted. When you empower your team, you aren't just offloading work; you are giving them the op...

2. 

   8 Jul 2026

   Neurodivergent Entrepreneurship: Building a Business Without Burnout with Alyece Smith

   Are you constantly feeling like you’re doing too much, yet somehow never doing enough? In a world that glorifies "the grind," many entrepreneurs, especially those with neurodivergent brains, find themselves trapped in a cycle of overgiving and exhaustion. In a recent episode of the Overgivers Anonymous podcast, host Angela Mondor (the Geeky Girl) sat down with Alyece Smith, a TEDx speaker and ADHD business coach, to dismantle the myths of hustle culture and explore how neurodivergent individuals can build sustainable, profitable businesses without burning out. Alyece Smith, the founder of Socially Awesome and an advocate for the neurodivergent community through Cadence Corner, brings a unique perspective rooted in both professional expertise and lived experience. As an autism mom and a neurodivergent entrepreneur herself, she understands that the "normal" systems of productivity often fail those whose brains work differently. This conversation dives deep into why we need to stop surviving and start building lives that actually support our unique cognitive wiring. The Hidden Dangers of Hustle Culture Hustle culture is everywhere. It’s the constant pressure to be "on" 24/7, to wake up at 5:00 a.m., and to sacrifice rest for the sake of the bottom line. For neurodivergent entrepreneurs, this culture isn't just exhausting; it’s harmful. Alyece explains that for those with ADHD or autism, energy is often tied directly to emotions. When we buy into the idea that we aren't doing enough, it triggers a downward emotional spiral. "That feeling of not doing enough and not being enough that comes from that hustle culture just takes us down an emotional path which gives us less energy," Alyece notes. "It’s a spiral that we can just be on forever." Because neurodivergent individuals often struggle with energy regulation, the shame of not meeting neurotypical standards of productivity can lead to extreme, long-term burnout. Navigating Rejection Sensitivity and Guilt One of the most significant hurdles for neurodivergent people is Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD). This extreme fear of rejection or failure can make every business decision feel like a high-stakes emotional gamble. When combined with the performance pressure of a career and the personal responsibilities of parenting or marriage, the weight can become unbearable. Alyece points out that many women are late-diagnosed, meaning they have spent years trying to be "everything for everyone" without understanding why they feel so overwhelmed. This leads to a deep-seated feeling of guilt, guilt for not being "enough" for themselves, their families, or their businesses. The "Permission Slip" Concept To combat this guilt, Alyece introduces a powerful mental tool: the permission slip. Many of us spend our lives waiting for someone else to tell us it’s okay to rest, okay to ask for help, or okay to do things differently. Angela shared a personal story of how her physiotherapist literally wrote her a "prescription" to ask for help after a car accident. This physical note served as a tangible reminder that she didn't have to carry the world on her shoulders. Alyece suggests that we shouldn't wait for a doctor or a coach to give us that authority. We can create our own permission slips. Whether it’s a sticky note on the mirror or a digital reminder, giving yourself explicit permission to honour your needs is essential for breaking the cycle of overgiving. Energy Management vs. Traditional Productivity The traditional "productivity guru" advice usually focuses on time management. However, for the neurodivergent brain, energy management is far more important. We all have different energy patterns; what recharges one person might completely drain another. For example, Angela mentions that while some people find a trip to the mall energizing, for her,

3. 

   2 Jul 2026

   Stop Being Your Own Worst Critic: Mindset Tips for Success with Sandee Sgarlata

   In the latest episode of the Overgivers Anonymous podcast, host Angela Mondor, also known as the "Geeky Girl," sits down with an extraordinary guest whose life story is a masterclass in resilience, transformation, and the pursuit of peak performance. Sandee Sgarlata is a recruiting strategist, a two-time award-winning author, and a retired professional athlete who has spent decades navigating the high-pressure worlds of figure skating and corporate leadership. For many high achievers, the external markers of success often mask a deeper struggle with perfectionism and self-doubt. Sandee’s journey is no different. Despite her impressive resume, she spent years battling the feeling of "not being good enough." In this conversation, Angela and Sandee dive deep into how to silence the inner critic, the importance of "gliding" through life’s transitions, and why the most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who never stop learning. The Metaphor of the Blade: Finding Your Stance The conversation opens with a fascinating comparison between figure skating and hockey. While both sports take place on the ice, the tools and techniques required are vastly different. Angela, a former figure skater, and Sandee, who has coached both figure skaters and hockey players, discuss the physical and mental shifts required to switch between the two. In figure skating, the blades are longer and flatter, featuring a toe pick essential for jumps and spins. Hockey skates, by contrast, require a more forward-leaning stance and offer more agility for chasing a puck. This serves as a powerful metaphor for neurodiversity and the different "tools" we use to navigate life. Just as a skater must adjust their center of gravity depending on their equipment, we must recognize that the strategies that work for one person might not work for another. Whether you are "gliding" through life or "chasing the puck" in your career, understanding your unique strengths and the tools you have at your disposal is the first step toward peak performance. Riding the Waves: The Duality of the Human Experience Sandee shares a personal symbol she wears, a wave necklace, to remind herself of a vital life lesson: "Just ride the waves." Life is rarely a straight line; it is a series of peaks and valleys. Sandee emphasizes that to truly experience love and joy, one must also be willing to experience pain and hurt. Many people, especially those prone to "overgiving," try to avoid the darkness or the "bad stuff." However, Sandee argues that these challenges are what make the human experience special. You cannot have light without shadow, and you cannot appreciate the good times without the perspective gained from the difficult ones. Embracing this duality allows for a more authentic and resilient approach to both life and business. Redefining Success: The "Gold Medal" Mindset One of the most poignant moments in the interview is when Sandee clarifies her "gold medalist" status. While many assume it refers to an Olympic victory, Sandee explains that her gold medal in ice dancing represents a specific level of technical mastery within the sport, a "black belt" of sorts. What makes this achievement significant is why she pursued it. Sandee didn’t reach this level as a child; she went back as a 34-year-old adult to complete the standard gold medal test. She chose the harder path, testing as a standard skater rather than an adult skater, because she wanted to prove her worth to herself and gain confidence in her coaching career. This story highlights two different paths to self-worth: * External Validation: Seeking certifications or demarcations from organizations to validate one's skills. * Internal Validation: Proving one's worth through personal milestones and honouring the drive within.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

10,962

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 78 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

97

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

68

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.