Worthy of Rest: Redefining Success Without Sacrificing Yourself with Dr. Alicia Newsome
Release Date: 08/17/2026
The Unapologetic Executive
What happens to your mental health when you’re the person everyone depends on? In this episode of The Unapologetic Executive, Ritha Pierre joins Jasmary Tineo, CEO and Founder of Hidden Roots Mental Health LLC, for an honest conversation about supporting loved ones through mental health challenges while caring for yourself. From raising children to caring for aging parents, we explore the emotional weight many professional women carry, the guilt that can come with setting boundaries, and the difference between supporting someone and feeling responsible for their healing. We also discuss...
info_outlineThe Unapologetic Executive
Burnout doesn't happen overnight. It builds quietly through years of overcommitting, overachieving, and believing that your value is measured by how much you can carry. In Episode 128 of The Unapologetic Executive, host Ritha Pierre sits down with Dr. Lynise Green, naturopathic doctor and burnout & energy strategist, to unpack why so many high-achieving women are exhausted long before they ever call it burnout. This conversation goes beyond bubble baths and work-life balance. Dr. Green explains the biological and identity patterns that keep ambitious women trapped in cycles of depletion...
info_outlineThe Unapologetic Executive
What if success isn't measured by how much you accomplish, but by how well you honor yourself along the way? In this episode of The Unapologetic Executive, host Ritha Pierre sits down with Dr. Alicia Newsome, executive advisor, functional medicine and lifestyle physician, speaker, host of The Whole & Complete Woman podcast, and author of Worthy of Rest. Together, they unpack why so many ambitious women struggle to rest without guilt, how our worth has become tied to productivity, and what it really means to build a career and a life that doesn't require constant sacrifice. If you've ever...
info_outlineThe Unapologetic Executive
What happens after you've had the courage to begin again? In this episode of The Unapologetic Executive, I'm sharing what I'm learning in real time as I settle into a new city and navigate one of the biggest transitions of my life. After leaving Brooklyn, a place that shaped so much of who I am, I've discovered that starting over isn't just about finding a new home. It's about creating one. We're often taught how to build careers, grow our networks, and chase professional success. But no one really teaches us how to build community, cultivate belonging, or create a life that feels like our own...
info_outlineThe Unapologetic Executive
What if beginning again isn't a setback—but an invitation? After taking a step back from the microphone, I'm back to share where life has taken me, and why this season required me to choose presence over performance. In this deeply personal episode, I open up about leaving my beloved Brooklyn, relocating, rebuilding my life in a new place, traveling for work, growing my network, showing up for family, and navigating the emotional roller coaster that comes with letting go of one chapter while embracing another. This isn't an episode about having all the answers. It's about discovering that...
info_outlineThe Unapologetic Executive
This week on The Unapologetic Executive, we’re talking about the hidden emotional cost of being the person who always “has it together.” The meetings get handled. The deadlines get met. The bills get paid. The emails get answered. But behind the polished calendar and professional communication is a level of stress, mental overload, and emotional exhaustion that too many high-achieving women have normalized. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, this episode dives into what high-functioning anxiety really looks like for ambitious women, especially Black professional women who are...
info_outlineThe Unapologetic Executive
In this episode of The Unapologetic Executive, Ritha Pierre, Esq. takes a direct and honest look at what “shrinking” really means in the workplace, and why it’s not just a personal habit, but often a response to environments that demand it. Drawing from lived experience, Ritha speaks candidly about navigating spaces where she was silenced, othered, and dismissed, not because she lacked capability, but because she refused to compromise her integrity. This episode goes beyond surface-level leadership advice and addresses the deeper realities many high-performing women, especially Black...
info_outlineThe Unapologetic Executive
This episode marks a new chapter. The Unapologetic Executive is an evolution of Freeda’s World, not a departure from it. In this opening episode, host Ritha Pierre, Esq. shares the story behind the shift and why these conversations are more necessary than ever. Drawing from her lived experience in the workplace, Ritha reflects on navigating environments where she was silenced, othered, and dismissed, not because she lacked capability, but because she refused to compromise her integrity. She also speaks to a broader pattern: the reality that many brilliant, qualified women are often...
info_outlineThe Unapologetic Executive
So many women say, “I’m not burned out, I’m just tired.” But what happens when tired is actually something deeper? In this episode of Freeda’s World, Ritha sits down with Dr. Nikia Smith, a board-certified anesthesiologist, wellness coach, and founder of She Is Fire Forged, to discuss the simmer before burnout. That quiet, constant state of depletion that often goes unnoticed because everything still looks fine on the outside. Together, they unpack the subtle signs of simmering, why high-achieving women, especially women of color, are conditioned to ignore early warning signals, and...
info_outlineThe Unapologetic Executive
This week on Freeda’s World, we sit down with Dr. Brittney Anderson, a board-certified family medicine physician and the host of the Headed to Healthier podcast. Dr. Anderson is devoted to helping busy women create sustainable wellness habits that support real life, not fantasy routines. In this conversation, we explore what changes in the body through the 40s and 50s, why metabolism can feel unpredictable, and how stress and constant pressure affect both physical and emotional well-being. Dr. Anderson shares practical daily shifts that fit easily into tight schedules and offers grounded...
info_outlineWhat if success isn't measured by how much you accomplish, but by how well you honor yourself along the way?
In this episode of The Unapologetic Executive, host Ritha Pierre sits down with Dr. Alicia Newsome, executive advisor, functional medicine and lifestyle physician, speaker, host of The Whole & Complete Woman podcast, and author of Worthy of Rest.
Together, they unpack why so many ambitious women struggle to rest without guilt, how our worth has become tied to productivity, and what it really means to build a career and a life that doesn't require constant sacrifice.
If you've ever felt like you have to earn your rest, prove your value through overachievement, or keep pushing despite the cost, this conversation is for you.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why rest is a leadership strategy, not a reward
- The hidden cost of tying your identity to productivity
- Redefining success on your own terms
- How to establish boundaries without compromising your ambition
- Practical habits for protecting your health, peace, and purpose
- What it means to become a whole and complete woman while leading at the highest level
This episode is a powerful reminder that sustainable success isn't built by doing more; it's built by leading differently.
Connect with Dr. Alicia Newsome
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with the executive women in your network.
Because being unapologetic isn't about doing it all; it's about leading with intention, protecting your peace, and defining success on your own terms.