093. From Burnout to Joy: Straight Talk, Resilience, and Living Fully with Sandra Valks

In this powerful and heartwarming episode of Cups of Consciousness, Aleya Dao is joined by Sandra Valks—positive intelligence coach, passionate communicator, and advocate for conscious living. Sandra shares her incredible journey from burnout, workaholism, and societal expectations to a life of deep self-awareness, joy, and straight-talk coaching.

Through personal stories and hard-earned wisdom, Sandra reveals how curiosity, resilience, and truth-telling became her anchors in even the darkest moments. She discusses the importance of listening to life’s whispers, the courage to change, and finding joy in connection with others—even in the smallest interactions.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:
✨ Overcoming Burnout: Sandra’s raw story of running from pain and rediscovering purpose.
🌱 The Power of Straight Talk: Why honest, compassionate accountability is the key to growth.
🔍 Listening to Life’s Whispers: How paying attention to subtle nudges can lead to profound transformation.
💡 Resilience and Curiosity: Cultivating these tools to navigate life’s toughest seasons and emerge stronger.
🌍 Spreading Joy and Impact: How small moments—like a smile, a joke, or pink hair—can ripple out and change lives.

Key Highlights:

• Sandra reflects on overcoming societal norms, an unhappy relationship, and burnout to rebuild a life of purpose.
• The difference between surface-level connection and true, joyful human connection.
• Why waiting for “pain to be greater than the gain” keeps us stuck—and how to move forward courageously.
• Aleya and Sandra explore how life’s whispers hold more power than the sledgehammers, if we have the courage to listen.
• The ripple effect of spreading joy, positivity, and light—no matter where you are in the world.

Connect with Sandra Valks:

• Learn more about Sandra’s Straight Talk Coaching and her work with individuals and groups.
• Stay tuned for her upcoming book and other resources.

Links and Resources Mentioned:

• Join Aleya’s Live Coaching Sessions
• Get a Free Month of Cups of Consciousness Meditations