Episode 31 & 32 - Healthy Boundaries for Women: Saying No Without Guilt to Start the New Year Strong with Maureen Considine & Janie Jurkovich

By Jessica Garrison 

We’re doing something a little different for this last week of 2025 with two guests in one blog! Our first guest of the week is Maureen Considine, who describes herself as courageous, adventurous, fun, driven, kind, and of service. Our second guest this week is Janie Jurkovich, whom Melissa knows from the Fresno County Women’s Chamber of Commerce. She describes herself as honest, practical, funny, determined, and a woman who perseveres. 

I want to touch on the topic of boundaries in this blog because both women have such incredible things to say about this subject, and there’s nothing like the new year to bring new challenges you’ll need to face with healthy boundaries. Maureen says, it’s not really about what you say no to but really what you say yes to. We’ve heard similar phrasing in the past, but it’s crucial to remember when making decisions. If you’re constantly saying yes to things, you won’t have time for what nourishes your soul. Similarly to self care, Maureen reminds us to stay committed to our boundaries, which is arguably the hardest part of them. People are bound to come along and try to push you past your limits, but you have to remember that you said no for a reason. 

For Janie, she didn’t know boundaries were a thing for the longest time, which is a common answer for a lot of our guests. She’s since learned that it’s okay to say no without an explanation because “No” is a complete sentence. Boundaries also set the standard for how people will treat you. If they see you as someone who stands their ground and doesn’t let people walk all over them, they probably won’t even try to. But if they see you’re not one to hold up your boundaries—or as Maureen says, commit to them—then they won’t bother to listen to them in the first place. Janie says it’s important to keep practicing at setting and sticking to your boundaries, and eventually you will get better at it. I also wanted to share the reminder that Janie told us: it isn’t your job to please everybody. You are only responsible for yourself and if someone is unhappy, that is their own journey to handle it. 

Maureen’s episode will be out Tuesday, December 30th and Janie’s episode will be out Thursday, January 1st to perfectly wrap up 2025 and begin 2026. I hope everyone takes the advice, not only from these two incredible women, but from all of the guests we’ve had over this year. Remember that you set the precedent for how people will treat you, and you are worthy of the utmost respect. Also remember to respect your boundaries and practice committing to them—you can only get better. Happy holidays from everyone at The Embracing Layers Network. We’ll see you next year!

Ways to Engage: Think of some questions to ask yourself when saying yes to something. Do you really want to? Does it feed your soul? If you can’t answer yes to these questions, then challenge yourself by saying no to the request. You might feel guilt at first or experience some backlash, but it’s important to honor yourself and what you want.