Sasha K. Shillcutt - Brave Boundaries : Strategies to Say No, Stand Strong, and Take Control of Your Time: The Key to Living Empowered

Brave Boundaries

Strategies to Say No, Stand Strong, and Take Control of Your Time

The Key to Living Empowered

Sasha Shillcutt, MD

Setting boundaries is a core skill of every successful leader. Every leader who wants to level up should read Brave Boundaries!

Cy Wakeman,New York Times bestselling author of Lifes Messy, Live Happy

Once again, Dr. Sasha Shillcutt finds the timeliest moment to bless us with her wisdom and inspire us to take control of our lives and happiness unapologetically and with courage.

Dr. Sheila Nazarian, plastic surgeon, mom, entrepreneur, and Emmy-nominated Netflix star

Dr. Sasha Shillcutt is a leading physician, clinical scientist, educator, author, speaker, phenomenal business woman, loving mother, and wife. She has the unique gift of giving you the permission you did not realize you needed to show up as your authentic self. In this book, she tells us how to break out of the bondage of societal expectations and set new brave boundaries to say no to commitments that steal our time and energy. This book is the unfiltered advice I needed to reclaim my time.

Dr. Tiffany Love, PhD, APRN, FACHE, GNP, ANP-BC, CHC

Dr. Sasha Shillcutt has written a brilliant how-to guide for the modern woman on how to say no without guilt. A must-have for any working woman!

Dr. Nneka Unachukwu, founder of the EntreMD Business School and host of the EntreMD podcast

Brave Boundaries is a must-read for every woman! Sasha opens our eyes to where we need more boundaries and gives practical tools for creating a happier and healthier future.

Alli Worthington, author and business coach

Boundaries are critical for our mental health. Dr. Sasha Shillcutt takes the concept of boundaries and skillfully applies them to everyday life with liberating results. Brave Boundaries is a must-read for any leader striving for sustainable growth!

Dr. Howard Y. Liu, professor and chair, Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center

To my fellow women physicians who, despite being underpaid, passed over for promotions, and excluded in places they belong, continue to show up day after day, saving lives and caring for the least of these. May this book be a reminder that our worth is not defined by the limits or the value society has placed on us, and may you find the courage to set brave boundaries to live empowered.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind dont matter, and those who matter dont mind.

Bernard M. Baruch

This book wouldnt have been possible if I had not found myself in the pit of burnout at several times in my life when someone close to me said gently, Sash, do you think you have taken on too much? Ninety-nine percent of the time that person has been Lance Shillcutt, who graciously picks up the pieces as he watches me learn the same lesson over and over; namely, that I must create and enforce boundaries for myself on a routine basis. The older I get, and the more success I find, the more I need radical, lifesaving boundaries.

Thank you to my best friend, Lance, who is kind enough to love the boundary-less Sasha, which is not a small feat. You are the greatest gift of my life God has blessed me with. Thank you to my children, Sam, Asher, Sophia, and Levi, who have borne the brunt of me learning lifes greatest lessons. My hope for you is that, as you watch me set boundaries, you will be empowered to set your own.

Thank you to my parents and my sisters, who always encourage me to put out into the world what I believe I was made to share. Thank you to all my family members, who put up with me getting up at 5:00 AM , making coffee on vacation, and writing in between basketball games, on family vacations, and at dance practices. Thank you to my community, the women of The Table. You have stood by me as I navigated the most challenging year of my career, picking me up when I was knocked down. You followed me into the unknown, supporting me as I drew difficult and yet necessary lines in the sand. Your love and support are beyond what I deserve. You were with me in the dark places, and I am forever grateful for each of you who remained.

To my Brave Enough teamChantel, Sarah, Jadethank you for all your incredible patience with me. I am so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for carrying the mission day to day and helping so many women thrive. To my circle: my sisters Leah, Michaela, Amy, Ali, Mina, Tara, Brittney, Steph, Jayme, Alli, Julie, Cy, Erica, AK, Aimee, and Dusty, thank you for not judging me but rather encouraging me to speak truth in the most unpopular areas.

To Dr. Gail Walling-Yanney, thank you for believing in me and giving me your wisdom to navigate the waters I find myself in.

To my amazing UNMC coworkers, truly, you are the best medicine has! Thank you for letting me be the weird one who challenges the status quo of academia.

To my boss and mentor, Dr. Steve Lisco, thank you for sponsoring, paying, and promoting so many women to lead. Your equity will be your legacy.

To the Old Widow Society and Rogue Enough, thank you for all the laughter, encouragement, and being secret holders. Save me a seat, Im on my way.

Thank you to my agent Jeanne for your confidence in me and encouragement to cross the finish line.

To Christine, thank you for your excellent editorial guidance.

In 2013, I decided to pivot. I didnt decide to wake up out of some deep enlightenment on a beach or after hearing some phenomenal TED talk. I decided, out of necessity, to radically change how I approached my everyday life. I sat on the floor of my closet contemplating the reality that the life I was living was not the life I had envisioned for myself. I was burned out, emotionally depleted, physically exhausted, and empty. On paper, I was a successful up-and-coming cardiac anesthesiologist with four children under the age of seven. I looked good. On the inside, I was struggling to prove myself in the academic male-dominated world of medicine, crying myself to sleep each night when I would dare think of how bad I felt inside.

I was failing.

Over the course of a year, I made radical changes. I stepped into my power by owning the person God created me to be, by stepping out of everyones expectations of me. I began by spending thirty minutes a day with myself. I started to prioritize my own well-being, my own wants and needs, saying No to the things others asked of me. I started peeling back the expectations of others by being okay with being unliked. I accepted being uncomfortable, as I moved from chronic people-pleaser to living life on my own terms. I centered my well-being. I prioritized my family over work. I became comfortable with the backlash that came with disappointing others who were used to me saying yes to everything and accepting unpaid work because I was a woman who should feel grateful that I was even considered for the task.

I set radical, lifesaving boundaries.

What came out of that year was more than me stepping into my power. I formed a sense of awareness about my own abilities and voice that I had never fully grasped prior. I felt courageous enough to start a community of women. What began with thirty women physicians, grew to nearly thirteen thousand, through my company,