Are Women Punished for Having Too Much Ambition? (ft. Stefanie O'Connell)
This week, host Hillary Bautch is joined by award-winning journalist Stefanie O'Connell, author of #TheAmbitionPenalty. They unpack why women get told they're not ambitious enough — from the double standards around traits like "assertive" and "independent," to "you're never quite right" bias in leadership, Queen Bee Syndrome, the unpaid "second shift" that costs women a month of leisure time a year, and how girlboss and tradwife culture sell the same lie that women are their own biggest obstacle. Tune in for new episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Follow along on social @notcrazyrightpod and @hillarybautch. Connect with Stefanie @stefanieoconnell, tooambitious.com, and on her Substack .
Are Women Taught to Apologize for Just...Existing? (ft. Vallean J.)
This week, Hillary sits down with Vallean J. — journalist, author (including her latest novel Her Worst Enemy ), and founder of the Young Readers Literacy Experience and the Dear Me Experience — to talk about the reflex so many women share: saying "sorry" for things that need zero apology. Enjoy! Tune in for new episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Follow along on social @notcrazyrightpod and @hillarybautch. Connect with Vallean @authorvalleanj and authorvalleanj.com
Why Are Women Gaslit Into Thinking Their Bodies Are Lying to Them? (ft. Addy Kircher)
If you've ever been told "that's not a real thing" by a doctor... this one's for you. Hillary sits down with her work-wife-turned-real-life-bestie Addy for a vulnerable story that she's never shared publicly: her years-long fight to get diagnosed with endometriosis. From being put on the pill as a teenager to "fix" mystery pain, to collapsing and ending up in the ER, to a doctor finally saying six words that changed everything — "I believe you, and I'm sorry" — this conversation is about what happens when women stop doubting themselves and start trusting their own bodies. In this episode: Getting dismissed by doctors for years before getting answers Why endometriosis can only be diagnosed through surgery (yes, really) Trying every diet, every elimination protocol, every "fix" — before realizing the real problem was never being believed What it felt like to finally hear "I'm sorry you went through that" This one's raw, it's real, and it's a reminder: you know your body. Trust yourself. Enjoy! People mentioned: Dr. Camran Nezhat, MD @camrannezhatmd @sophie.richards @found.womenshealth NOTE: One of the surgeries mentioned was miscalled "abalation" - the correct term is "ablation." Tune in for new episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Follow along on social @notcrazyrightpod and @hillarybautch.
Have Men Written By Women Made the Modern Day Fairytale Feel More Attainable?
We grew up on Cinderella and boombox-outside-the-window rom-coms — love as a rescue mission, not a partnership. Then reality hit, and we were told to just lower our standards. But what if the standard was never the problem? This week Hillary breaks down why male characters written by women (hi, Garrett Graham 👀) aren't setting an unrealistic bar — they're proof the bar was reachable all along. We're talking book boyfriends, real-life "men written by women," and why effort has become the new grand gesture. Enjoy! Tune in for new episodes every Thursday! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Follow along on social @notcrazyrightpod and @hillarybautch.
Why Is It So Hard to Trust Your Gut At Work? (ft. Fiona Simpson)
Have you ever been totally confident in a decision… until everyone around you started weighing in? Suddenly you're second-guessing yourself, outsourcing your choices to anyone who'll give an opinion, and wondering how you got here. This week, I'm joined by Fiona Simpson — corporate baddie by day, mindset coach and founder of Reflect Path by night — to talk about one of the most relatable struggles women face at work: losing touch with our own instincts. Enjoy! We get into: How to tell when you've stopped trusting yourself The difference between helpful external feedback and just... noise Why your gut feeling is never actually gone — it just gets quiet How to build a track record so your coworkers trust your instincts too The "hype file" hack that will change how you approach your annual review The difference between risk and uncertainty (and why most decisions aren't as scary as we think) When quitting your job might be exactly what your gut has been trying to tell you Tune in for new episodes every Thursday! Follow along on social @notcrazyrightpod and @hillarybautch.
Why Did it Take So Long For Mid-Size to Become a Size?
If you grew up as a millennial woman, you probably remember the era of low-rise jeans, bodycon dresses, and crash diets that promised to help you lose 30 lbs in 30 days. But what happened if you weren't quite "plus size" — and weren't quite "straight size" either? You fell through the cracks. Literally. In this episode, Hillary gets personal about growing up mid-sized — always feeling like the biggest girl in the room, even when the math didn't quite support it. From Forever 21 dressing rooms to frat house basements, she unpacks what it actually felt like to exist in a body that the fashion industry, diet culture, and society at large simply didn't have a category for. She also talks about the exhausting reality of crash diets, and the moment she finally stopped waiting for a magical day when she'd wake up and love her body. This one's for every woman who never felt thin enough, or just... enough. Tune in for new episodes every Thursday! Follow along on social @notcrazyrightpod and @hillarybautch.
Does Distance Actually Make Friendships Easier? (ft. Dakota DeFelice)
Have you ever had a four hour phone call that started as a quick check-in and ended with you Googling the same random celebrity at the same time as your best friend — without either of you saying a word about it first? If you have a long distance bestie, you know exactly what that's like. And if you don't, you're about to wish you did. In this episode of I'm Not Crazy, Right? , host Hillary Bautch sits down with her long-distance best friend Dakota — a friendship that started entirely over Slack messages and early morning phone calls back in 2019, and one that didn't become "in person" until four years later. Together they get into the question every woman with a far away best friend has quietly wondered: does distance actually make some friendships better , not worse? From the "What The F*ck Is Up Wednesday" video tradition that's kept their friendship going for years, to the very different communication styles that almost broke them (and ultimately made them closer), Hillary and Dakota get honest about what long distance friendship really looks like — the good, the hard, and the deeply, deeply random. Enjoy! In this episode we cover: Why so many women end up with their closest friendships being long-distance — and why that's not something to feel guilty about The "anonymity" of long-distance friends — why it's sometimes easier to be completely honest with someone who isn't tangled up in your daily life Navigating different communication styles in friendship — texting anxiety, phone calls, and finding a middle ground that works for both people Tune in for new episodes every Thursday! Follow along on social @notcrazyrightpod and @hillarybautch.
Why Do Smart Women Feel So Lost When It Comes to Their Finances? (ft. Rachel Stillman)
Have you ever nodded along in a conversation about investing, budgeting, or retirement accounts — and then gone home and googled every single word? You're not alone. And you're definitely not crazy. In this episode of I'm Not Crazy, Right? , host Hillary Bautch is tackling one of the most universally felt but least talked about questions women have: why does managing money feel so overwhelming, even for smart, capable, accomplished women? Hillary and her friend Rachel break down why financial literacy has a gender gap problem, why so many women feel shame around not knowing this stuff, and what you can actually do about it — starting today, starting small, and starting without judgment. Enjoy! In this episode we cover: Why smart women feel lost when it comes to personal finance — and why it's not your fault The real reason financial literacy has a gender gap How to start budgeting when you don't know where to begin The basics of investing for beginners — what you actually need to know How to understand and manage debt without the overwhelm Why women are actually better investors than men — and why we don't act like it How to overcome money shame and finally open the banking app Practical first steps toward financial confidence no matter where you're starting from Tune in for new episodes every Thursday! Follow along on social @notcrazyrightpod and @hillarybautch. As promised, a glossary: Compound interest – Earning interest on your interest. The earlier you start, the more powerful it gets. The thing Einstein reportedly called it the "eighth wonder of the world." Portfolio – Your total collection of investments (stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.) Diversification – Spreading money across different investments to reduce risk ("don't put all your eggs in one basket") 401(k) – A tax-advantaged retirement account offered by employers. Always contribute enough to get the full employer match — it's free money. IRA (Individual Retirement Account) – A retirement account you open yourself. A Roth IRA lets your money grow tax-free. APR (Annual Percentage Rate) – The true yearly cost of borrowing money, including fees. Critical for comparing credit cards and loans. ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) — A basket of investments (like stocks or bonds) bundled together and traded on the stock market like a single stock. For example, buying one share of VOO gives you tiny ownership in all 500 companies in the S&P 500 at once. They're popular for beginners because they offer instant diversification at a low cost. The Market — A broad term referring to the overall system where stocks, bonds, and other investments are bought and sold. When people say "the market is up today" they usually mean the major U.S. stock exchanges are performing well. The Stock Market – Where shares of publicly traded companies are bought and sold The S&P 500 – Tracks the 500 largest U.S. companies; often used as the go-to measuring stick for how "the market" is doing overall The Dow Jones (DJIA) – Tracks 30 large, well-known U.S. companies like Apple, Nike, and McDonald's NASDAQ – A stock exchange heavy on tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Meta The Bond Market – Where government and corporate bonds are traded (generally considered safer/more conservative than stocks)
Remember when we were told that if we just hustled hard enough, wanted it badly enough, and leaned in far enough — we could have it all? And remember how that felt less like empowerment and more like exhaustion you weren't allowed to admit to? Yeah. We're talking about it. In this episode of I'm Not Crazy, Right? , host Hillary Bautch is making the case that girlboss culture didn't just burn women out — it convinced us that burning out was the whole point. From Sophia Amoruso to Sheryl Sandberg, from the gender pay gap to the impossible standard of "having it all," Hillary gets personal about her own experience working in breaking news, the moment her body finally forced her to stop, and why she's still unlearning some of it today. Spoiler: girlboss culture did set us up to fail. But that doesn't mean YOU are a failure. Enjoy! In this episode we cover: What girlboss culture actually promised women — and where it went catastrophically wrong Why exhaustion became a status symbol and burnout became a badge of honor The real statistics behind women and burnout — and why the gender gap is widest at the top Why the gender pay gap made girlboss culture's promises impossible from the start How social media keeps girlboss culture alive and why the highlight reel is making us feel like shit The myth of "having it all" — what it actually means and why it was never realistic Hillary's personal story of working in breaking news and the moment her body shut down Why burnout is not failure — and why the system was designed to make it inevitable How to start unlearning the idea that your worth is tied to your productivity Tune in for new episodes every Thursday! Follow along on social @notcrazyrightpod and @hillarybautch.
Have you ever said yes to something you desperately wanted to say no to — not because you wanted to go, but because the guilt of not going felt worse than the inconvenience of showing up? You're not alone. And you're definitely not crazy. In the very first episode of I'm Not Crazy, Right? , host Hillary Bautch is asking the question every woman has felt but rarely says out loud: why is it so hard to choose yourself? From canceling plans to staying in relationships too long, Hillary gets honest about the guilt, the people pleasing, and the slow process of learning to put yourself first — without the shame spiral that usually follows. Enjoy! In this episode we cover: Why women default to putting everyone else's needs before their own The real reason guilt stops us from choosing ourselves — and why it's more irrational than we think How people pleasing shows up in friendships, romantic relationships, and everyday life Why staying in the wrong relationship is sometimes about proving something to everyone but yourself What it actually looks like to start choosing yourself — starting small, starting now How to have honest conversations with friends and partners about your needs without the guilt Why protecting your peace isn't selfish — it's necessary Tune in for new episodes every Thursday! Follow along on social @notcrazyrightpod and @hillarybautch.