48: Your 2025 Holiday Survival Guide

Strategies for an Overwhelm-Free Holiday

Are you tired of feeling obligated to do all the domestic duties during the holidays, rushing around while everyone else is making memories? 

In this episode, I address the elephant sitting around the Christmas tree. It's this … the common thread of resentment and exhaustion that many women face, despite their best efforts to create a "magical time" for everyone else.

Listen: Your worth is not defined by what you can do for others this holiday season. It’s time to put yourself on your Christmas wishlist and truly participate in the holiday fun.

What you'll discover today:

  • How to break the cycle of overworking and feeling guilty for accepting help. 

  • Why the "I make it look easy" façade is built on exhausting yourself in the kitchen days ahead.

  • Three crucial steps to having a fun, joyful, and connected holiday.

  • How sharing the mental and physical load instills new family values — and specific tips to help get your family on board.

  • How to reconnect with what you genuinely love about the holidays (beyond presents), such as childhood traditions or simple activities that bring you joy.

  • How to manage the inevitable feelings that come up (like guilt and anxiety).

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction: Surviving and Thriving as Women During the Holidays

00:15 The Burden of Hosting: A Common Struggle for Women

01:02 The Hidden Resentment: Unseen Struggles

02:59 Breaking the Holiday Overwhelm Cycle: A New Approach

04:55 What Do You Really Want for Christmas?

06:34 Sharing the Load: A Family Effort

11:37 Managing Feelings of Guilt and Anxiety

15:35 Conclusion: Make This the Best Christmas Ever

16:21 Gift Yourself the Overwhelm Care Program

Invitation: Give yourself the gift of banishing overwhelm for good.

Invest in yourself this season and sign up for the Overwhelm Cure Program. Sign up is open now! We start in January 2026.

sign up now
Kimberly Knull, RPsych

Kimberly Knull is a Registered Psychologist, motivational speaker and trained by Brené Brown as a Dare to Lead™ and Daring Way™ facilitator. She’s the Co-Founder of Momentum Walk-In Counselling Society, recognized as one of Avenue magazine’s Top 40 Under 40, and dabbled as a local celebrity as CBC AM Radio’s parenting columnist. Her favorite pastimes include whipping up a yummy cheese souffle, hanging with friends, riding her horses or playing the piano. She lives with her husband and two girls in Edmonton, Alberta, but has big dreams of moving to the country.

https://www.kimberlyknull.com
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47: The Courage to Be Disliked