Episode Summary
In this conversation with Patrice Cameau, we explore what happens when you stop surviving and start choosing yourself without guilt.
Patrice, a former communications expert turned wellness and travel advocate for working moms, shares her journey from burnout and work trauma to creating a life where she unapologetically prioritizes feeling good.
This isn't just another conversation about self-care, it's about the energetic shift that happens when you stop believing you're the only person who can hold everything together.
Patrice's story illustrates how true alignment requires dismantling the mythology of the irreplaceable woman and learning to trust that your needs matter as much as everyone else's.
The Catalyst Moment
"When High Performance Becomes Survival"
Patrice describes her breaking point in October 2023—late to school, forgotten lunches, missed meetings, crying in the parking lot while her daughter had a meltdown.
This wasn't just a bad day; it was her nervous system rejecting a life built on overfunction.
The Energetic Truth: Your body will force the conversation your mind keeps avoiding. When we operate from survival rather than choice, our system eventually rebels. This isn't failure—it's intelligence.
The breakdown often precedes the breakthrough, but only when we're willing to listen to what our body is trying to tell us about our current trajectory.
For my clients: This is why we spend time learning to recognize the subtle signals before they become screaming ones.
Your exhaustion isn't a character flaw; it's data about misalignment.
Chapter 2: The Permission Revolution
"Reimagining Motherhood Through Your Own Lens"
Patrice shares how she gave herself permission to travel solo, set boundaries with her children, and create systematic structures that honor her needs.
She challenges the cultural conditioning that equates maternal love with self-abandonment.
The Energetic Truth: Permission isn't something you receive—it's something you give yourself. The moment you stop asking others if you're allowed to prioritize yourself is the moment you step into true leadership.
When you model self-respect, you teach your children what healthy relationships look like.
For my clients:
We work on identifying where you're still seeking external validation for choices that are fundamentally yours to make. Your children need to see what it looks like when someone takes responsibility for their own well-being.
Chapter 3: The Myth of Indispensability
"Why 'I'm the Only One Who Can Do This' Is Actually Your Ego"
When asked what she'd tell mothers who feel they can't take time away, Patrice delivers a powerful truth: "That is your ego, because none of us are that important."
She challenges the belief system that keeps women trapped in the role of the irreplaceable caretaker.
The Energetic Truth: The need to be needed often masks a deeper fear of not being valued for who you are, only for what you do. True service comes from overflow, not depletion.
When you believe you're the only one who can handle everything, you rob others of the opportunity to step up and you rob yourself of the chance to receive support.
For my clients:
We examine where your identity has become enmeshed with your function. Your worth isn't determined by how much you carry or how indispensable you make yourself.
Leadership means building systems and relationships that can function without your constant input.
Chapter 4: Solo Time as Recalibration
"When You're Alone, All You Hear Is Yourself"
Patrice explains how solo travel and intentional alone time provide clarity that's impossible to access when constantly responding to others' needs.
She describes the transformative power of hearing your own thoughts without interruption.
The Energetic Truth: Solitude isn't selfish—it's sacred. In the space between stimulus and response lies your power of choice.
When you regularly create containers for deep listening, you strengthen your capacity to make decisions from alignment rather than reaction.
Solo time isn't just rest; it's remembering who you are beneath all the roles you play.
For my clients:
This is why we build practices that create space for your inner voice to emerge. The answers you're seeking aren't in another strategy or system—they're in the quiet moments when you can actually hear your intuition above the noise.
Chapter 5: Systematic Boundaries as Spiritual Practice
"Creating Structure That Serves Your Soul"
Patrice shares her approach to boundaries, blocked calendar time for workouts, no texting with her team, intentional communication with her children about when she needs space. These aren't rigid rules but flowing structures that protect her energy.
The Energetic Truth: Boundaries aren't walls, they're river banks that allow your life force to flow in the direction of your choosing.
When you create clear containers for your energy, you can show up more fully in each area of your life. The spiritual practice isn't just meditation on a cushion; it's the ongoing creation of conditions that support your highest expression.
For my clients:
We develop boundary systems that feel supportive rather than restrictive. True boundaries aren't about controlling others, they're about taking responsibility for your own energy and creating the conditions where you can thrive.
Chapter 6: The Integration of Being and Doing
"Challenging Yourself vs. Forcing Yourself"
Patrice distinguishes between growth that feels expansive (solo travel despite initial fear) and force that feels contractive (saying yes to things you don't want to do). This discernment is crucial for sustainable alignment.
The Energetic Truth: Your body knows the difference between expansion and contraction, between challenge and force. True growth has an element of excitement beneath the fear, it's your soul calling you forward.
Force feels heavy and resigned; growth feels scary but alive. Learning to feel this difference is essential for making choices that serve your evolution rather than your conditioning.
For my clients:
We cultivate the somatic awareness to distinguish between the fear that signals growth and the resistance that signals misalignment. Your nervous system is constantly giving you information about what's true for you, learning to read these signals is a foundational leadership skill.
Closing Reflection
Patrice's journey from burnout to boundary mastery illustrates a profound truth: alignment isn't a destination but a dynamic practice of choosing yourself, again and again.
Her story reminds us that the permission we're waiting for can only come from within, and that true service to others begins with honest service to ourselves.
The most radical thing a woman can do in a culture that profits from her depletion is to prioritize her own well-being without apology. This isn't selfishness, it's the foundation of sustainable leadership and authentic love.
When you're ready to stop performing alignment and start living it, the work begins with one simple question: What would I choose if I truly believed I mattered as much as everyone else?
More from Patrice:
YouTube: Patrice Cameau Travels
When you’re ready to realign how you lead
I work with high-achieving women who are done performing alignment and ready to live it.
If you're in a season of transition—emotionally, energetically, or strategically—I offer 1:1 Alignment Intensives and private mentorship to support you through the shift.
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