The Black Woman’s Stress Solution Podcast: discover the connection between Black women’s stress in work, love, and health—offering real solutions to help you stress less and thrive more!

Hosted by Brig Johnson

Business Entrepreneurship Education Health Fitness

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267

Latest episode

Jul 2026

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About the show

Welcome to ”The Black Woman’s Stress Solution,” the podcast for ambitious black women who are navigating the complexities of success while striving for balance and well-being in their lives. Brig Johnson, your host and go-to coach for stress management, brings you insights, strategies, tools and a little bit of neurobiology to master mindfulness, self-improvement, confidence, and personal growth. With Brig’s guidance, you’ll learn how to become unstuck and manage stress effectively while pursuing your goals and dreams to create your EPIC shit. Each week Brig dives deep into the world of self-care, mindset shifts, and empowerment strategies tailored specifically for Black women in business and leadership roles. With a focus on self-awareness, confidence-building, and goal-setting, this podcast provides the tools and guidance needed to navigate the challenges of work, health, relationships, and modern life with grace and resilience. Whether you’re an experienced women boss or just starting your journey of self-discovery, this podcast is your go-to resource for becoming the empowered, confident woman you were meant to be. Brig addresses common questions and challenges faced by high-achieving black women, offering practical advice and actionable steps to help you unlearn and unleash to live a more balanced and fulfilling life. Examples of these questions are: *How can Black women effectively manage stress while juggling multiple responsibilities? *What are some mindfulness techniques specifically tailored for Black women? *How can Black women develop a positive mindset in the face of challenges and setbacks? *What strategies can Black women employ to boost self-confidence and self-esteem? *How can Black women set achievable goals for personal and professional growth? *What are some practical self-care practices that Black women can incorporate into their daily routines? *How can Black women navigate imposter syndrome and overcome feelings of inadequacy? *What role does self-love play in stress management and personal empowerment for Black women? *How can Black women overcome barriers to seeking help and support for their mental health? *What are some effective techniques for boundary-setting and prioritizing self-care in a demanding work environment? *How can Black women cultivate resilience and bounce back from triggers stronger than before? *What resources are available for Black women seeking mentorship, coaching, or community support? *How can Black women leverage their unique experiences societal bullshit and perspectives to excel in their careers and personal lives? *What are some common misconceptions about stress management and self-improvement for Black women, and how can they be addressed? *How can Black women balance ambition and self-care to achieve sustainable success and fulfillment? * How can Black women become unstoppable and unf*ckwithable being their absolute best self…no matter what the situation—not allowing outside things to impact how they think and feel about themselves, what they do, or how they show up in the world? *Health and relationships and societal bullshit that create stress for black women *Why stress is the biggest block to your confidence, keeping you stuck. *Why is creating safety one of the first things we must address as black women? *Why is stress hindering the growth of our relationships? Subscribe to ”The Black Woman’s Stress Solution” today and embark on a journey of empowerment, resilience, and growth. Visit https://brigjohnson.com/ to learn more about Brig Johnson and her coaching services.

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July 6, 202620 min

EP. 257 Inner Critic Or Inner Cutie?

What if the voice you have been calling your inner critic is actually trying to protect you? In this episode, Brig introduces the idea of your “inner cutie,” the part of you that gets loud when you are about to do something new, uncomfortable, or important. That voice may sound like fear, hesitation, or self-doubt, but Brig encourages you to stop treating it like the enemy. Instead of trying to silence that voice, she shows you how to get curious about it. What is it afraid of? What is it trying to protect you from? What information is it giving you? Brig also shares from her own experience and explains how listening to this part of yourself can help you build trust with yourself, make clearer decisions, and move forward without waiting for fear to disappear. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN How to recognize the difference between your inner critic and your inner cutie Why self-doubt may be information, not proof that you should stop How to question negative self-talk instead of automatically believing it Why listening to your inner voice can strengthen self-trust How to work with fear instead of fighting against it WHY THIS MATTERS Many of us have learned to push down fear, ignore doubt, and force ourselves forward. But Brig offers another way. The feelings you are trying to get rid of may be trying to tell you something. When you slow down, listen, and respond with curiosity instead of judgment, you can make decisions from a place of awareness instead of fear. TAKE ACTION The next time self-doubt shows up, pause before trying to silence it. Ask yourself: What is this part of me trying to tell me? What is she afraid will happen? What does she need to feel safe enough for me to move forward? You do not have to let fear make the decision, but you also do not have to fight yourself to grow. For a clearer look at the patterns shaping your choices, take the free Kages Self-Assessment and discover what may be keeping you stuck. STAY CONNECTED — Website | Instagram | Facebook

June 29, 202628 min

EP. 256 Why You Can't Receive What You've ALREADY Earned

In this episode, Brig speaks to the high-achieving Black woman who has worked hard, planted faithfully, and built so much, but still feels guilty slowing down long enough to receive the harvest. If rest feels like falling behind, or receiving feels harder than doing, this conversation will hit home. Brig breaks down the old thoughts that keep you proving, producing, and pushing, even when you have already done the work. She challenges you to notice when you are still operating in planting mode, even though life may be inviting you into a season of harvest. What You'll Learn Recognize when you are always planting but never allowing yourself to harvest Understand why receiving may feel uncomfortable, even when you have earned what is coming to you Identify the thoughts that keep you overworking, overgiving, and under-receiving Learn how to stop treating every season like it requires more striving Practice celebrating your wins without guilt, apology, or the need to immediately move on to the next thing Why This Hits So Hard So many women have been taught to measure their value by how much they can carry. That conditioning can make rest feel unsafe, success feel temporary, and receiving feel undeserved. This episode challenges that pattern. Brig reminds you that you are not failing because you need rest. You are not lazy because you want to enjoy what you have built. And you do not have to keep planting just because planting is what you know. Take Action Ask yourself: Am I in a planting season, or am I in a harvest season? Then pause long enough to name what your work has already produced. Receive the compliment. Take the break. Let the win count. Let yourself experience the peace and joy you keep working toward. To take a closer look at what may be driving your pattern of overworking and under-receiving, take the free Kages Self-Assessment and discover which old beliefs may be keeping you from fully receiving your success. STAY CONNECTED — Website | Instagram | Facebook

June 22, 202621 min

EP. 255 If I Could Teach You One Thing This Would Be It

It's time to unpack the pictures in your head that shape your reality, because they often aren't the truth. In this episode, Brig breaks down the mental images we create about how life is "supposed" to be, and how these pictures can lead to unnecessary frustration and pain. Join in as she shares a personal story about a flat tire that showed her a massive lesson about expectations and reality. You'll learn how these constructs can hold you back, and how recognizing them can set you free. What You'll Learn Identify the difference between reality and the pictures in your head that rule your life Understand how these mental images are formed and the impact they have on your emotions Explore the roots of your expectations and question their validity Discover practical steps to dissolve the emotional charge around unmet expectations Learn how to shift your perspective from frustration to acceptance, freeing up energy for what truly matters Why It Matters We often find ourselves moving through life with rigid expectations that lead to disappointment. By recognizing that these pictures are constructs rather than truths, we can stop arguing with reality and start embracing it. This shift allows for greater peace and the ability to actually enjoy our days, instead of just getting by. Take Action When you feel disappointment or frustration, pause and ask yourself: What did I think was supposed to happen here? Then, challenge that picture: Is this based on something real, or is it a story I've absorbed over time? This simple practice can help you get your focus back on what actually matters. RESOURCE — Then take the free Kages Self-Assessment and find out which kage has been keeping you stuck. STAY CONNECTED — Website | Instagram | Facebook

June 15, 202639 min

EP 254: Wife Work on Girlfriend Salary

Queen, you've been giving wife-level loyalty on a girlfriend-level container — and it's time to name that pattern without shame. In this episode, I'm getting into something tricky but necessary: the gap between what you're giving in a relationship and what's actually been established. This isn't about weakness, desperation, or low self-esteem. It's a program — and once you can see it clearly, you get to choose something different. What You'll Learn Understand the difference between "wife work" and "girlfriend salary" — and why that gap deserves to be named Recognize the real cost of over-giving: your time, your self-trust, your standards, and the version of you with her own dreams Trace where this programming comes from — childhood, love songs, church messaging, and the women in our families we admired most Unpack the most dangerous belief hiding underneath it all: if he leaves, it's because you didn't give enough Learn why a man who only stays when you're over-giving wasn't staying — he was being comfortable Discover the most important question in the whole episode: are you giving from love, or from fear? Why It Matters We were taught that the ring was the reward — that if we gave enough, waited long enough, loved hard enough, it would all be worth it. But the reward was never the ring. It's respect, reciprocity, and a relationship where both people show up because they want to, not because one person has been auditioning for a position the other person never offered. You were never the problem. You were running a program that was never designed to serve you. Society designed it to serve everyone else — and now you get to choose something different. Take Action Before you give at wife level, define the container. Ask yourself: what's actually been established here? And what's driving this — love, or obligation? Then take the free Kages Self-Assessment and find out which program has been running your relationships: 👉🏾 assessment.brigjohnson.com Visit my website: brigjohnson.com

June 8, 202623 min

EP 253: After The Betrayal - The One Question That Actually Gives You Peace

Queen, the question you've been asking after the betrayal isn't the one that will actually give you peace. If you've ever been blindsided by someone you trusted, this episode is for you. Grab your tea, find a quiet space, and let's talk — as friends, as women who've been there. Because there's something we do after we've been hurt that feels like healing but isn't. And today I want to give you the one question that actually gets you to the other side. What You'll Learn Understand why your brain goes into detective mode after betrayal — and why it's not torturing you, it's trying to protect you See why the answer you're looking for was never in the evidence, no matter how long you search for it Discover the real question underneath the question — the one that actually has an answer you can build on Recognize the difference between performing okay and actually being strong — and what it costs you to hold it all together when you're not Learn why self-trust isn't a decision you make once, but a practice you build through real reps over time Why It Matters We spend months — sometimes years — going back through every conversation, every red flag, every moment we should have seen coming. But here's what I've learned at 61: some things just don't make sense, and the person who hurt you may not even understand why they did it. No amount of investigation is going to give you that answer. The security you've been looking for was never in them. It was always in you. The woman who trusts herself to handle whatever comes doesn't need to run an investigation anymore. She's free to love fully — not from fear, but from knowing she's got herself no matter what. Doing it soft is how you do it strong. Take Action Sit with this question: Can I trust myself to take care of me, no matter what someone else does? And find out which Kage has been making it hard to trust yourself — take the free Kages Self-Assessment, five minutes, completely free: 👉🏾 assessment.brigjohnson.com Visit my website: brigjohnson.com

June 1, 202620 min

EP 252: Your NO doesn't need a footnote

Queen, your decision is the sentence. Everything else is just a footnote — and it's time to stop leading with the footnote. In this episode, I'm getting into something I caught myself doing in real time: building a full legal brief for a woman I'd met once, just to say no. Big decisions, small transactions — the pattern runs everywhere. And today we're going to name it, trace it to its roots, and start dismantling it. What You'll Learn Recognize the footnote pattern — why we bury our decisions at the end of a long explanation instead of leading with them Understand the real cost of over-explaining: how it gives others ammunition to negotiate with your reasons and erodes your own self-trust over time Trace the roots of this programming — from survival on the plantation, through Jim Crow, the angry Black woman trope, the family table, and the doctor's office — and why the footnote was once a safety net See why knowing the pattern isn't enough — and why this is nervous system and identity level work, not a communication tip Practice three concrete reps you can start today: decide cold, lead with the decision, and let the silence breathe Why It Matters You didn't learn to over-explain because you're insecure. You learned it because in the rooms your mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers walked into, leading with the decision wasn't safe. That programming got passed down — not in a conversation, but in your nervous system. The footnote kept somebody safe. The footnote got somebody home. But the rooms have changed, and you get to put it down now. The silence after your decision is not a problem to fix. The silence is where your authority lives. Take Action Notice every time you don't lead with the decision. Notice the pull to justify, to soften, to make it pretty. That's the cage talking — and what you can't see runs you. Then take the free KAGES Self-Assessment — five minutes, completely free — and find out exactly which survival program has been writing footnotes for decisions that never needed them: 👉🏾 assessment.brigjohnson.com Visit my website: brigjohnson.com

May 25, 202623 min

EP 251: Meet Bob - Why the starting line was never EQUAL

Queen, you were never the problem. You were just given a tool that wasn't built for you — and then blamed when it didn't fit. In this episode, I want to introduce you to Bob. Bob is fine. Bob starts every attempt at growth from baseline — neutral, stable, rested, regulated. You? You start already carrying. And that changes everything. This is the conversation bro self-help has never been willing to have. What You'll Learn Meet Bob — and finally understand why the starting line was never equal and what that actually means for your goals Identify the real loads you've been carrying that no productivity system ever accounted for: hyper vigilance, allostatic stress, emotional labor, generational history, and more Understand the Capacity Gap — why pushing harder on an overloaded nervous system doesn't build capacity, it depletes it further See the three gaps keeping high-achieving women spinning: the Capacity Gap, the Authority Gap, and the Belief Gap Learn why the goal was never to become more disciplined — and what to aim for instead Discover the difference between resting and actually recovering — and why it matters for your next attempt Why It Matters Every program you've ever tried was an app running on an outdated operating system. The OS was installed for survival in a world that no longer exists — and the apps keep crashing. It was never your discipline. It was never your mindset. It was never you. You just ran out of capacity that was never replenished, because you started so far behind the start line Bob never even knew existed. This ends now. Take Action Next time you quit something, don't ask what's wrong with me. Ask: what was I carrying that I never accounted for? Then take the free CAGES Self-Assessment — it takes five minutes and will show you exactly which of the 5 survival programs has been quietly running your life: 👉🏾 assessment.brigjohnson.com Have a topic you want me to cover? Reach out: brig@brigjohnson.com Visit my website: brigjohnson.com

May 18, 202628 min

EP 250: I Stopped Dreaming and Called it Being Realistic

Queen, you didn't give up — you just stopped seeing yourself as the one who gets to create. In this episode, I'm getting into something that almost slipped past me completely — because it doesn't look like giving up. It looks like being responsible. Mature. Realistic. But here's the truth: at some point, protection becomes a prison. And if you've been living in the middle ground — no big dreams, no big risks, no big disappointments — this episode is for you. What You'll Learn Recognize the four ways women respond to disappointment — and identify the sneakiest one: the woman who looks like she recovered but never really got back in the game Understand why you stopped dreaming — and why the dream was never actually the problem See the critical difference between the outcome and the desire, and why lumping them together is keeping you stuck Discover what a Loyalty Contract is and how to use it to protect yourself when things get hard — without shutting down Learn the four steps to rebuild your relationship with wanting, dreaming, and creating again Why It Matters The quiet cost of not dreaming isn't just personal. Every person who needed you fully — your clients, your kids, your community — got the version of you that was playing it safe. The world was never designed for us to see ourselves as creators and builders. So when disappointment hits, we don't just lose the round — we lose our sense of ourselves as someone who gets to be in the game at all. This episode is about getting that back. You didn't get too old for the dream. You just stopped believing you were the one who could make it real. And that is a completely different problem — with a completely different solution. Take Action Start with one small thing. One thing you stopped doing because it made you want something. Email me or DM me and tell me what it is. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnsonbrig Find out which cage has been keeping you in the middle ground — take the free Kage Assessment (just 5 minutes): 👉🏾 assessment.brigjohnson.com Visit my website: brigjohnson.com

May 11, 202626 min

I'm Back. Here's the Truth.

Queen, you've been a foreigner in your own life for long enough — and it's time to come home. After a real, unfiltered season away, I'm back. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on what actually happened: the financial reality of my coaching business, the decision to return to anesthesia, the inner battle I fought for six months, and the hard-won clarity that came out of it all. This isn't just a comeback — it's a full OS upgrade. What You'll Learn Understand why silencing your inner critic doesn't work — and what to do instead: listen with respect Recognize how fear compounds and shrinks your energy, making it even harder to move forward See the difference between "putting your feelings in a corner" and actually processing them Discover what the Unkaged Method really is — not a program, but an operating system upgrade for your life Identify the 5 survival programs most high-achieving women are running without knowing it: Cultural Program, Armor of Achievement, Giving Until Gone, Energy Depletion, and Silencing the Self Why It Matters The systems were never going to protect us — and the current political climate is making that clearer than ever. But what's also clearer is this: we have tools available now that didn't exist in 1930, or the 50s, or the 60s. We can build our own. We can serve our own. But to do that, we have to be able to lead ourselves — and that means getting out of your own way, upgrading the OS, and becoming truly Unkaged. I spent nine months not just teaching this work, but living it. I'm back clearer, stronger, and with more to say than ever. Take Action Find out which of the 5 survival programs has been running your life — take my free Kage Assessment (just 5 minutes): 👉🏾 assessment.brigjohnson.com Visit my website: brigjohnson.com

September 22, 202516 min

EP 248: Performance Partnership When It Ain't Really Partnership at All

Queen, let's talk about the elephant in the room: that exhausting dance you're doing in your relationship where you're solving his problems before he even names them, managing his emotions while yours get pushed aside, and wondering why love feels like a second job. If you're tired of performing for love instead of receiving it, this episode is your wake-up call. It's time to stop auditioning for partnership and start demanding the real thing. Because what society calls "devotion" is actually just patriarchy in a hoodie—and your nervous system is paying the price. What You'll Learn • Discover how "overfunctioning" elevates cortisol and creates adrenal fatigue in your body • Recognize performance partnership vs. true partnership—and why one is just patriarchy in disguise • Transform your understanding of safety: why regulating his emotions will never regulate yours • Notice how overfunctioning prevents your partner from developing emotional accountability • Shift from emotional babysitting to creating space for genuine co-regulation Why It Matters High-achieving Black women are conditioned to carry everyone's emotional weight—and it's literally breaking down our bodies. This pattern of self-abandonment doesn't just show up in romantic relationships; it's how we operate with bosses, children, and friends. Breaking free from performance partnership is about reclaiming your worth, your energy, and your right to be fully supported instead of always being the one doing the supporting. Take Action Take my free quiz to discover how your nervous system and survival patterns may be blocking your clarity: 👉🏾 brigjohnson.com/stress-quiz RESOURCES Join my Newsletter, Unlearn and Unleash Share Your Takeaways With Me at brig@brigjohnson.com Stress Quiz