In this episode of Energy + Hours, I’m joined again by returning guest Courtney Cecil to look at boundaries from a systems perspective.One of my favorite ideas from this conversation is Courtney’s concept of the “vulnerability window”: the specific moment or set of conditions where a boundary tends to fall apart.
Maybe it’s opening your email as soon as you wake up and letting work determine the tone of your morning. Maybe an open stretch in your calendar disappears into your phone. Maybe work keeps bleeding into home because you haven’t decided what needs protecting in the first place.
Courtney walks us through how to find those vulnerable points and create practical controls that make boundaries easier to maintain.
We also talk about work-life integration, calendar audits, priorities, energy, and why boundaries can protect you from your own habits as much as they protect you from other people.
In this episode:
- Why knowing your boundaries isn’t always enough to maintain them
- How to identify your “vulnerability window” where boundaries tend to break down
- Using your environment and simple systems to make boundaries easier to keep
- Courtney’s three W’s: what you value, prioritize, and spend
- How boundaries show up across work, relationships, finances, emotions, and physical wellbeing
- Using tools like the Five Whys and risk management controls to reduce friction
- Work-life integration, calendar awareness, and using small pockets of time more intentionally
About Courtney Cecil:
Courtney Cecil is a fierce advocate for making work and life sustainable. She spent over two decades as a culture and organizational strategy executive in professional services and Fortune 50 companies before launching Working Moms Movement in 2023.
Through her Life Management System, Courtney helps working moms move from stretched thin and stuck in their to-do lists to feeling more in control and present for their careers, families, and wellbeing. She also works with organizations on retention and engagement strategies for caregivers and rising leaders.
IG: https://www.instagram.com/workingmomsmovement/
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyca/
Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/life-management-system
Quiz: www.workingmomsmovement.com/boundaries
Don’t Miss Her FREE Live Masterclass: www.workingmomsmovement.com/live-training
Resources Mentioned:
⏳✨
I’m Jill, a Time Management Expert and creator of the Time Magic™ Method.
I help high performers create sustainable productivity through time + energy management that works for real life.
My work blends practical systems, energy awareness, and neuro-affirming tools to help people manage their priorities, capacity, and workload without burning out.
Built from my experience as an entrepreneur, former hospitality professional, and mom of four, Time Magic is designed for real humans navigating real responsibilities.
Explore more:
⏳ Take the Time Magic Quiz: https://jillwright.ca/quiz
Get the Time Magic™ Planner: A 90-day seasonal planner designed for ADHD and intuitive brains: https://www.jillwright.ca/planner
💻 Download the Free Sustainable Productivity Toolkit: https://www.jillwright.ca/freebie
👉 For personalized support, book a Time Tune Up session: https://www.jillwright.ca/tune-up
Connect with me:
Website: https://www.jillwright.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/energyandhours
💛 Want to support my work? I keep the Energy + Hours podcast, Substack, workshops, and many of my resources free because I believe helpful information should be accessible. If something I’ve shared has helped you and you’d like to help me keep creating more of it, you can support my work on Buy Me a Coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/jillwright.
