Hi everyone, I’m Maria! I am a Bulgarian-American, living in Washington, DC. I have an M.A. from Johns Hopkins and 18 years of experience working as an antitrust economist
Over the past 4 years, I have also been working as an executive, burnout, and self-care coach, helping amazing perfectionist, overachieving women and non-binary folks tackle their tendency to people-please, overcommit, and generally work themselves into the ground in order to keep everyone (but themselves) happy
I spent the vast majority of my life pushing myself to overachieve and overdeliver, because to me those were inextricable parts of my identity
As a result, my to-do list was often overpacked with things that all seemed extremely important and non-negotiable, and my brain was often overpacked with worries about upsetting other people
And flexibility, fun, or having any breathing room in my days seemed like a pipe dream
Not surprisingly, I felt stuck in a cycle of constant stress, exhaustion, and anxiety
Let Me Give You a Few Examples:
During my first semester in college, I remember seeing Office Space for the first time and being so intensely jealous of the main character when he allowed himself to sleep in one weekend day instead of going to work. Having a morning to just relax and sleep in seemed unfathomable given my unbearably overwhelming to-do list
I spent an evening sitting on the bathroom floor at my job, crying and trying to battle a debilitating migraine so that I can go back to my desk and keep pushing through a few more hours of work to meet an internal project deadline
During another intense period at work, I remember getting a stomach ache a few weeks before a deadline and dreaming that it would be appendicitis and I would have a legitimate excuse to not work on my project anymore until the deadline had passed
What coaching helped me realize is that pushing myself to be constantly productive and constantly vigilant about what others might be thinking of me and de-centering everything that brings me joy is actually making me less productive and much more miserable
And re-prioritizing my joy, self-care, and relationships is the best way to accomplish more while being much happier and more fulfilled
I want to teach you how to do the same!
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