Episode 35

bonus
Published on:

15th Nov 2025

Introvert at a 55+ Meetup 😂👵✨

Today’s diary entry comes to you at 2 a.m., powered by chai, salmon leftovers, and pure introvert grit. I dragged myself to my 55+ women’s Meetup group (yes, I am absolutely not 55, yes, they still let me in), and ended up meeting the sweetest, most community-minded woman who basically volunteers for sport. Instant admiration. Friendship unlocked. 🫶

I hacked my chai latte with a protein shake (bless the baristas who didn’t judge), watched IU football with Brandon, took an accidental nap, and still hit 87 grams of protein for the day — half food, half vibes.

Dinner was leftover salmon and a salad my mom tried to steal (rude). The evening wrapped with Dateline, a Pilates mat workout that obliterated my core, and a confusing but determined attempt to figure out the EveryDollar budget app for No-Spend November.

It’s that time of year when the planning bug hits, so I’ve started rough-sketching my 2026 goals and prepping for a new season… even if the pool is still not closed and the weather refuses to commit to November.

Short, simple, sleepy — but still showing up.

Key Takeaways

  • Making friends as an introvert hits different (and also feels like a side quest).
  • Protein goals can be achieved with creativity and caffeine.
  • Pilates remains a menace, but an honorable one.

⚠️ Content Note:

Light mentions of caregiving stress, food tracking, and budgeting; mild lifestyle frustrations.

✨ Connect with The High-Functioning Disaster:

🏷️ Keywords / Tags

Disaster Diaries, Sacha Holder, High-Functioning Disaster, Miracle Morning, Meetup, introvert life, protein goals, bariatric surgery, Mounjaro, GLP-1, chai latte protein hack, Pilates, YouTube Pilates, No-Spend November, EveryDollar app, caregiving, IU football, Dateline, goal planning

👉 Make sure you’re subscribed to The High-Functioning Disaster so you don’t miss this next entry.

📌 Standard Disclaimer

This podcast reflects personal experiences and opinions and is for informational and peer-support purposes only. It is not medical, mental health, legal, or financial advice. Please consult qualified professionals for guidance specific to you.

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for The High-Functioning Disaster

About the Podcast

The High-Functioning Disaster
High-functioning on the outside. Hot mess on the inside.
You’ve got the color-coded calendar, the competent job persona, the “I’m fine!” mask down to an art—and a mental load heavy enough to throw out your back. Meanwhile, life? That's a hot mess express—total chaos with zero chill and a full tank of emotional baggage. And what makes it even worse? Nearly no one’s talking about it.

Welcome to The High-Functioning Disaster, a podcast for people who are doing their best to hold it together while navigating burnout, grief, trauma, anxiety, caretaking duties, family drama, body image issues, and a to-do list that never quits.

Host Sacha Holder isn’t the disaster (neither are you!)—life is. And this show is about making space for that truth and giving ourselves permission to say it out loud. Every week, Sacha explores what it means to be deeply human in a world that keeps demanding more. Sometimes she’s flying solo, sometimes she brings along guests and friends—but the vibe is always real, raw, unfiltered, and grounded in radical self-acceptance and permission to be human.

We talk boundaries. Body image. Mental health. Emotional labor. The moments where everything feels like too much—and the ones where we catch our breath and keep going.

This isn’t a self-help podcast. It’s a self-permission podcast.
Permission to be exhausted.
To not have it together.
To be honest about what’s hard—without needing to package it as a “lesson.”

Because you don’t need fixing.
You need space to fall apart—and still be seen.
Because some of us are just trying to make it through the day.
And here? That’s more than enough.
New episodes every Monday. Come as you are. Seriously.
Support This Show

About your host

Profile picture for Sacha Holder

Sacha Holder

Sacha Holder is a project manager, podcast host, and bariatric patient who’s not here to pretend it’s all perfect. With over a decade of professional experience and a whole lot of lived experience, she creates podcasts that tell the truth about what it means to live, heal, and grow — through chaos, and curveballs, while keeping it together (mostly).

She’s the voice behind Life in the Bari Lane, a bite-sized bariatric podcast for real people navigating post-op life, and The High-Functioning Disaster, a show about showing up even when everything feels like too much. Through humor, honesty, and zero judgment, Sacha builds community through conversation — because no one should have to figure it out alone.