Beyond The Quo

**100 episodes. Two years. One hell of a journey.**Beyond the Quo is officially celebrating its 100th episode, and Stacey Luces is taking us back to where it all began.From flatlining twice during emergency surgery to leaving a 25-year federal career, moving her family, building businesses, and rediscovering parts of herself she'd left behind, Stacey has spent years challenging what success is supposed to look like.But here's the uncomfortable truth: **You can change your entire life and still bring the same old habits with you.**In this candid, funny, and deeply personal milestone episode, Stacey revisits her very first recording and asks herself a question: *After 100 episodes about redefining success, living authentically, and leading courageously, am I actually living what I preach?*She reflects on the conversations that changed her thinking, the immigrant drive to achieve, the trap of living a "level five" life, and why even the most accomplished people struggle with boundaries, self-abandonment, and knowing when enough is enough.Now in her late 40's, with another business, new adventures, and a whole lot more perspective, Stacey is learning that reinvention isn't always about making bigger moves. Sometimes it's about the tiny decisions that bring you closer to the life you actually want.And yes, two years later, she's still worrying about laundry.**This one's a birthday celebration, a reality check, and an invitation to look at your own life differently.**So here's the question:*If you were recording episode 100 of your own life tomorrow, what would you be proud of, what would you laugh about, and what would you finally admit needs to change?*You've already done the quo. Now it's time to go beyond.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when the life you've spent decades building no longer feels like yours?In this episode of Beyond the Quo, host Stacey Luces sits down with artist, curator, and cultural advocate Gaby Viteri for a refreshingly candid conversation about midlife reinvention, grief, divorce, motherhood, creativity, and the freedom to become someone new.Gaby married young, became a mother at 21, and spent much of her adult life identifying as a wife, mother, and businesswoman. Today, approaching 50, she's divorced, navigating an evolving relationship with motherhood, and finally comfortable calling herself an artist.But getting here wasn't exactly a smooth transition.The loss of her mother, the end of her marriage, career changes, and a series of personal challenges forced Gaby to question who she was and what she actually wanted. Along the way, she discovered how uncomfortable other people can become when you stop being the person they've always known.Stacey and Gaby explore what happens when we stop seeking permission to change, why grief doesn't need a neat inspirational ending, and how creativity can help us reconnect with parts of ourselves we've spent years neglecting.In this episode, we get into:•    Why midlife can feel like starting over, even when you've built a successful life•    Divorce, motherhood, empty nesting, and the identities women outgrow•    Sobriety, boundaries, and dealing with other people's opinions•    Why we sometimes abandon ourselves to keep everyone else comfortable•    The stories behind her exhibitions SPEED KILLS and All My Friends Are Birds•    Finding freedom, authenticity, and peace in the next chapter of lifeWe also discover that Stacey and Gaby share an October 13 birthday, discuss the unexpected connections art can create, and have a few laughs about the wonderfully strange business of becoming ourselves.Gaby Viteri is the founder of Women's Art Week Palm Beach and First Female, creating opportunities for artists and expanding access to the arts.Connect with Gaby:Website: https://gabyviteri.comInstagram: @gaby_viteriConnect with Stacey Luces:Website: https://staceyluces.comYouTube: @staceyluces🎙️ About Beyond the QuoHosted by Stacey Luces, Beyond the Quo explores what it means to redefine success, live authentically, and lead courageously, especially in the messy, exciting, sometimes uncomfortable middle chapters of life.If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with someone navigating their own reinvention, and join the conversation below.Here's a question worth sitting with: What part of who you used to be are you still holding on to, even though it no longer fits who you're becoming?You've already done the quo. Now it's time to go beyond.#BeyondTheQuo #StaceyLuces #GabyViteri #MidlifeReinvention #PersonalTransformation #WomenOver40 #GriefAndHealing #AuthenticLivingSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stacey Luces reflects on feeling mentally exhausted after ordinary days and, as she approaches 50, explores why midlife mental stamina matters beyond simply handling pressure.She distinguishes mental stamina (sustaining attention, judgment, emotional regulation, and purposeful effort) from mental toughness (pushing through), noting how nonstop demands, overstimulation, sleep and hormonal changes, and inadequate support systems can erode decision quality and strain relationships.Citing APA stress findings, Gallup burnout data, and National Institute on Aging notes on aging and menopause-related sleep disruption, she argues the goal isn’t just physical longevity but having patience and presence for what matters.She offers three strategies: protect your cognitive prime time for high-value thinking, build real recovery and transitions between demands, and stop proving your worth by carrying everything alone through clearer roles, boundaries, and delegation.01:03 Ordinary Day Mental Exhaustion04:36 Why Mental Stamina Matters08:25 Beyond Overwhelm Context09:31 Mental Stamina vs Toughness14:52 Aging Changes and Advantages21:34 Three Midlife Observations26:41 The Real Consequences32:20 Strategy One Protect Prime Time36:11 Strategy Two Build Recovery38:52 Strategy Three Stop ProvingABOUT BEYOND THE QUOHosted by Stacey Luces, *Beyond the Quo* explores what it means to redefine success, live authentically and lead courageously. You've already done the quo. Now it's time to go beyond.🌐 staceyluces.com📸 Instagram: @stacey.lucesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feeling overwhelmed in midlife? What if the problem isn't your time management, but the number of responsibilities you're carrying?Between careers, entrepreneurship, family, aging parents, health, finances and building a legacy, life gets complicated. And the advice to "just prioritize" isn't cutting it anymore.In this candid solo episode of Beyond the Quo, Stacey challenges the productivity advice we've heard a thousand times and introduces the capability trap: when being the person who always figures things out becomes the reason everyone depends on you.Drawing on 25+ years in leadership and transformation, Stacey explores why success creates more responsibility, why asking for help doesn't always lighten the load, and why entrepreneurship doesn't automatically mean freedom.You'll learn how to:- Transfer ownership instead of simply delegating tasks.- Recognize the hidden mental load of being everyone's go-to person.- Put a price on your YES and protect your time.- Have better conversations about support at home and work.- Conduct a simple 7-day life audit to identify what needs to change.CHAPTERS00:58 Midlife Overwhelm Season04:39 Rethinking Overwhelm10:46 Life Mirrors Organizations13:28 Success Adds Maintenance18:45 The Capability Trap24:24 Transfer Ownership, Not Tasks27:54 Put a Price on Your Yes31:11 The Founder Freedom Myth34:50 Support Agreements That Work37:54 The 7-Day Life AuditABOUT BEYOND THE QUOHosted by Stacey Luces, *Beyond the Quo* explores what it means to redefine success, live authentically and lead courageously.You've already done the quo. Now it's time to go beyond. staceyluces.com Instagram: @stacey.lucesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when the fuel that got you here starts poisoning your experience of being here?For many high achievers, proving yourself works.Prove you’re smart enough. Prove you belong. Build the career. Make the money. Raise the kids. Survive the setback. Walk into rooms that weren’t designed for you and show that you deserve to be there.But what happens when you already have the evidence?In this solo episode of Beyond the Quo, Stacey Luces, founder, leadership and transformation strategist, entrepreneur and Co-Founder of WE WHISTLE Global, explores a question she’s confronting in her own evolution:If I stop proving, will I stop achieving?Drawing from her immigrant story, career, burnout and life redesign, Stacey examines why proving can become such a powerful fuel source and why, eventually, it can become expensive. Pasted textBecause proving requires an audience. A boss. A parent. An industry. Someone who underestimated you. Sometimes someone who hasn’t been in your life for decades.And if you never decide what “enough” looks like, the goalpost keeps moving.This episode explores the identity of the strong one, the hidden costs of constantly proving your worth, and what it means to enter a chapter where ambition comes from somewhere different.From proving to purpose.From fear to curiosity.From validation to conviction.From “I’ll show you” to “I want to see what I’m capable of creating.” Pasted text In This Episode02:16 When Success Turns Toxic06:00 The Immigrant Drive to Achieve08:06 The Audience Problem09:27 The Red-Stick Goalpost11:31 Midlife + Enoughness15:36 The Identity of “The Strong One”19:19 The Real Costs of Proving24:08 Changing Your Fuel SourceMaybe the question is no longer, “What else do I need to prove?”Maybe it’s: “I know what I’m capable of. What do I want to do with it now?” Pasted textYou’ve already done the quo. Now it’s time to go beyond. Connect with Stacey Luces:staceyluces.com | Instagram: @stacey.luces | LinkedIn: @StaceyLucesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.