<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[ChristySlanaker]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christy Slanaker is a keynote speaker, executive advisor, and children's author helping recovering perfectionists build steady confidence and durable execution — through coaching, workshops, children's books, and online courses.]]></description><link>https://www.christyslanaker.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 23:44:19 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.christyslanaker.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[I say my kindest words to myself when I need them least.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I used to say my affirmations through gritted teeth on my worst mornings, and they never worked. It turns out I was saying the right words at exactly the wrong time.]]></description><link>https://www.christyslanaker.com/post/why-affirmations-dont-work</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d7d2ac84b746063026279</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:11:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/65fcd8_6db8e06a29644f54b87701d141d956ef~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christy Slanaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Catholic backpack]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is a bag I have carried most of my life. I did not pack it, and I have never once been allowed to set it down. Here is what I learned to do instead of emptying it.]]></description><link>https://www.christyslanaker.com/post/catholic-guilt-perfectionism</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3abd048955009f72298f9f</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:21:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/65fcd8_9b58471044da4f38aa7deefed39f1d68~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christy Slanaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The wall the rest of me was leaning on]]></title><description><![CDATA[I was the senior leader who couldn't stop carrying everything. We call it a boundary problem. It is older and deeper than that, and understanding it changes nothing on its own.]]></description><link>https://www.christyslanaker.com/post/over-functioning-at-work</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a343fd7217d21f7fb5fc06b</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:33:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/65fcd8_5ea0073bfb22447ab41e6eaad53ed3b6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christy Slanaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What my dogs teach me about perfectionism and self-worth]]></title><description><![CDATA[They have no idea I used to lead two hundred people, or that today went badly. They wait at the door exactly the same either way. I spent most of my life believing I had to earn that. Here is what a morning walk keeps teaching me about perfectionism and self-worth, and why steadiness was never a performance.]]></description><link>https://www.christyslanaker.com/post/perfectionism-and-self-worth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3335eb38520286278f6190</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:16:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/65fcd8_16c2ad0752f24d46ba1cf5c41cf368de~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christy Slanaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The ceiling came off. The floor never moved. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[My mother grew up with two options: nurse or teacher. My father told me I could be anything. I inherited both, and it took me far too long to do the math on what that cost.]]></description><link>https://www.christyslanaker.com/post/you-can-be-anything-pressure</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a33293973364b8eee6da2ab</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 23:32:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/65fcd8_d585adba7c5a46ff9f3c814317377f6e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christy Slanaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why high achievers rehearse the life out of their own presentations]]></title><description><![CDATA[For most of my career I treated the nerves before a presentation as a problem to solve. More prep, more rehearsal, every line scripted. Then a speech coach and four words on a screen showed me I had it backwards. The fear was never the enemy. It was the proof that something mattered.]]></description><link>https://www.christyslanaker.com/post/presentation-perfectionism</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a331ca8ce85b49c3c4e6961</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 23:08:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/65fcd8_b408004796df416db5b84b66e63d69ca~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Christy Slanaker</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>