Yöla Mind

Women's Mental Well-Being, Rooted in Science

by Eliana L. Medeiros

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

Any Other Jo

Jo wakes up with a mind racing at full speed.

She slept badly. Again. A tired body, a brain already in overdrive.

The idiot boss, who, the moment he found out she was pregnant, promoted a less competent colleague to the position everyone knew should have been hers. Now, she has to report to someone who barely knows what they're doing. Which means more work, more patience, more diplomacy, and more adults acting like children to manage.

Her father, who has dementia, refuses medical care. Her mother, exhausted, spends hours on the phone, repeating the same old complaints about him. And Jo’s brain won’t stop. Even in sleep, it keeps spinning.

But Jo doesn’t have time to complain. She’s on her way somewhere.

Years of study, sacrifices, and swallowing her pride to get here. Now, she just has to hold it all together:

Have a healthy baby, without gaining more weight than necessary.
Hold on to the multinational job, even if it’s toxic, it’ll open doors.
Support her husband, while he watches his company head toward bankruptcy.
Take care of her parents, because they did everything for her.

Some have it worse. Some really do have it worse, she reminds herself.

She widens her eyes, trying to push the thoughts away. But her brain is a runaway horse, charging ahead. She catches her reflection in the mirror. The weight of it all dulls her face.

She takes a deep breath. Straightens up. Forces a big, fake smile. There. That’s better.

Let’s go.

"What still surprises me is how little we, as women, are taught about this extraordinary gift—our body and our mind. We're told to break the glass ceiling, to persist, to endure. But to do so with true excellence and impact, we must deeply understand how we are built and how we function, if only to protect ourselves from the trauma these challenges impose, which all too often lasts a lifetime."

Across the world, women make up half of all higher education students. Yet, in leadership positions, only one in three C-suite roles is held by a woman. Add to that the fact that millions of women leave the workforce every year, and we lose influence over the decisions that shape our lives.

How do we change this?

By balancing high performance with well-being. What if mental health was our most powerful tool to achieve that? Let me explain my reasoning.

There are two key areas that we, as women, need to manage in order to create real change.

The first: Structural challenges

The reality is that women in the workplace face greater psychosocial risks—harassment, discrimination, job insecurity, and the relentless juggle between work and personal life demands.

Take Portugal, for example: women work, on average, an extra hour and a half each day to balance careers and household responsibilities. Over a year, that adds up to almost a month and a half more work than men. This pressure makes us more vulnerable to mental health challenges like burnout, anxiety, and stress, issues with serious consequences.

And these are some of the main reasons why so many of us end up leaving the workforce.

The second: Well-being

If you don’t understand how your body and mind work, and how to navigate them, your path will be much harder.

Here’s the reality: we, as women, are twice as likely to experience mental health conditions like depression. One in five of us will face common mental disorders such as stress and anxiety. And it’s not just a mental health issue, our hormones play a major role.

Hormones like estrogen directly impact our emotions and key neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, which regulate mood, irritability, anxiety, depression, and even sleep quality. Now, imagine the lifelong impact of this, through menstruation, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause.

Understanding your hormonal balance and mental health is essential. Because if these issues go unmanaged, the effects can be severe, from burnout and loss of creativity to cognitive decline, lack of joy, and impaired decision-making.

And finally, the brain.

The brain is the most powerful and extraordinary asset we have. Yet, despite carrying this luxurious gift within us, so few of us truly understand how it works.

Too often, we treat it as an oracle of truth, but that’s not its real function.

To achieve what you want, to break the glass ceiling, to persist, resist, and take your rightful seat at the table of your own life, mental health is not optional, it’s an essential part of the journey.

I’m going to share science-backed tools and strategies to help you get to where you want to be. Because you deserve it.

And the truth is, you’re already here, so make it count.

Grateful for your company.

Eliana.

Strategy #1

Mental Fitness

Why does this matter?

Your mind is your greatest tool. When you strengthen it, you live up to your true potential.

Start with the End in Mind

We already know that mental health is essential for a fulfilling life, yet most of us were never taught how to care for it. As a result, we don’t give it the same priority as physical health.

The reality? Anxiety is one of the most widespread health conditions in the world, affecting more people than cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s combined. And yet, we continue to stigmatize it and underestimate its profound impact on our bodies.

The Missing Piece We Never Talk About

When we think about high performance and balance, we focus on talent, strategy, and ambition. But there’s one essential element we rarely mention: the mental resilience needed to sustain it all.

Mental health isn’t just well-being, it’s the foundation that holds everything up.

And there’s a key concept behind it, one you’ve probably never heard of: Mental Fitness.

Taking care of your mental fitness isn’t self-care, it’s a power move. It’s what allows you to stay focused, make better decisions, and face challenges without burning out.

And, of course, be the CEO (or, as I like to say, the Beyoncé) of your own life.

What Is Mental Fitness?

Mental fitness is something you can train and develop. It shapes how you think, feel, and perform.

Its foundations are simple yet powerful:

Mindfulness – The ability to stay present and aware of your thoughts and emotions without judgment.
Emotional Regulation – The skill to manage your emotions effectively instead of being controlled by them.
Resilience – The strength to bounce back from setbacks and face challenges with confidence.
Cognitive Flexibility – The capacity to adapt to change, think creatively, and approach challenges with a fresh perspective.
Stress Management – Practical techniques to handle pressure, anxiety, and overstimulation while staying clear and focused.

Train It Like a Muscle

Just as physical strength is built through consistent training, mental fitness develops through intentional habits and effort. The more you train it, the stronger you become—emotionally and mentally.

How?

Techniques like meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and mindfulness help build resilience and improve focus.

Why?

Regular practice enhances mental agility, making it easier to handle stress, change, and uncertainty.

Mental fitness isn’t about avoiding struggle, it’s about building strength. It means:

Building strong relationships
Finding purpose and direction
Adapting to change with confidence

Today, your greatest competitive advantage isn’t just your experience or knowledge, it’s your mental capacity to stay in the game, sustainably.

To build mental fitness, we need moments of reflection. As Beyoncé put it: "Women need to take the time to focus on their mental health—take time for themselves, without feeling guilty or selfish. The world sees you the way you see yourself and treats you the way you treat yourself."

The Strategy in Action

The 5-Minute Mental Reset

The greatest advantage of mental fitness? Most of its tools require nothing but your body and mind—no special equipment, no perfect conditions. You can apply it anytime, anywhere.

This was the first tool I used on my own journey to mental fitness. With consistent practice, I started seeing results: more calm in high-pressure situations (because building a career, being in the C-suite, having a family, and managing this physiology is no small feat), more creativity, and greater empathy.

The 5-Minute Mental Reset is a neuroscience-backed technique designed for high-performing professionals, especially helpful for women and minorities, who face additional pressures throughout their personal and professional journeys.

Five minutes for more focus, less stress, and better decision-making, exactly when you need it most. Ideal for hectic mornings, after long days, and those moments when clarity is non-negotiable.

Photo by DISRUPTIVO on Unsplash

How, The Science, Why

closeup photo of woman wearing black top

Photo by Eli DeFaria on Unsplash

How to Do It

Step away from all devices. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in for 4 seconds.
Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
Slowly exhale for 4 seconds.
Hold your breath again for 4 seconds.

Repeat for 5 minutes. If you struggle to stay focused at first, don’t give up. The key is to keep returning to your breath, without judgment.

Your mind will wander, that’s normal. In fact, it’s a sign that you’re alive. Whenever you notice it happening, simply bring your focus back to your breath.

Mental training works just like physical training, at first, it may feel difficult, but the more you practice, the stronger you become.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

The Science

This simple breathing technique, known as "box breathing," is backed by neuroscience. Studies from leading universities, including Stanford and Harvard, confirm its impact—it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, shifting the body into a state of calm.

It lowers cortisol levels, reducing stress and allowing the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for prioritization, creativity, and empathy, to function at its best.

And in a world where bias and discrimination, simply for being who we are, still shape our experiences, mental resilience isn’t optional, it’s essential.

If that’s not reason enough, remember that great leaders like Steve Jobs and Oprah relied on breathing techniques to train their minds, maintain clarity, and enhance both performance and balance.

A group of blue, yellow, and red circles

Photo by Li Zhang on Unsplash

Why It Works

Better Decision-Making – Less stress, more clarity, and balance.
More Confidence – Stay grounded before tough conversations.
Burnout Prevention – A quick reset before exhaustion takes over.

No fancy tools. No time-consuming commitments. Just five minutes to shift from reactive to strategic.

Use it whenever you need a quick reset, before that important meeting, to be more present with family, or to stop fatigue from taking over.

A tool that any Jo can use to calm the mind, find solutions, and take action aligned with her goals and values.

And as a result, better mornings and better nights.

Train your mind. Strengthen your present. Co-create your future. The world needs you.