That inner monologue? You are not alone.
The Build:
I'm Christine Russo, building my third media company using the learnings from each time. This is my build. You have yours. And I've decided to share my feelings along the way because maybe you feel that way too. And it's cool to not feel alone. And I'll share how I deal with it. Maybe that helps you too. I share thoughts inside my head which range from neurotic to confident to second guessing myself.
If you are building anything: a company, your personal brand, your career, a non-profit then I hope these thoughts inside MY head connect with thoughts inside YOURS.
We speak our fears to overcome them. And for strength. And for community.
The Feeling: Have I said too much?
Have you ever been woken up in the middle of the night by a sinking feeling that you said too much? Maybe it was at a work cocktail party, after a large meeting, or even in a social setting.. Yeah, I have, many times.
Just this week it happened. And I have my advice on how to deal with it if it’s happened to you. But I am eager to hear your advice if you’ve got something. Email is below.
Jolting awake at 2am, after consuming a dirty martini with blue cheese olives earlier, thinking that you spent the entire day blurting out unfiltered thoughts is a nightmare. I know from experience.
The Question: Why It Happened?
Saying too much is one of the professional hazards of conference season, where a mix of exhaustion, networking pressure, and social settings can easily lower your guard.
The "Bar Atmosphere": Professional boundaries blur when high-stakes networking moves from the exhibition floor to after-hours drinks and dinners.
The Fatigue Factor: Travel, time zone shifts, and back-to-back presentations cause mental fatigue, which directly degrades your executive function and filter.
The Desire to Impress: In a room full of peers, competitors, and industry leaders, the pressure to validate your status, expertise AND TO BUILD RAPPORT can lead to accidental oversharing.
This is exactly what happened to me. I didn’t pivot from casual humor mode with colleagues to professional communicator mode with the corporate folks.
What The Data Shows Us
Keller, A. J. (2026, February). Why overthinking is so hard to stop. https://neurosity.co/guides/rumination-and-the-brain-overthinking
Replaying feels like problem-solving, but it isn't. The article says rumination uses much of the same prefrontal machinery as real problem-solving, which is why the 2am replay feels like you're about to figure something out, or “Fix it” when it can’t be fixed at that moment because you are in bed!
Why it feels urgent. The article describes a loop with three parts. One brain network keeps generating thoughts about you, the amygdala tags them with emotion, and a regulating region that should say, this isn't going anywhere, and fails to step in. The longer you stay on the thought, the more your alarm system reads that attention as proof the threat is real. That explains why a small thing you said can feel like a big problem in bed.
Reflection and brooding are different. The two feel identical from the inside. But they aren’t and the distinction matters.
Unsolicited Advice
Well, it’s simple: Get Over It. Yeah, it’s not very complicated but that’s really the only way to handle it. As the brain cycles through panic, the goal is to get back to sleep and start the next day fully over it.
But don’t take it from me. Martha Stewart said of her 2004 conviction in her 2024 documentary, Stewart emphasizes that she deliberately chose not to engage in public self-pity or endless apologies. Instead, her post-prison strategy was defined by a rapid operational return: launching a new television series, expanding her product lines at Kmart/Macy's, and reclaiming control of her company's brand image.
And isn’t control really what this week is about? Control helps prevent the oopsie-I’ve-said-too-much and control is what gains back the confidence to go forward.
So, yeah, we can sometimes put our foot in our mouth and we just need to grab it, take it out and get on with it.
We are building ourselves and each other. Let's do it together.
Content:
Thoughts Inside YOUR Head
Want to discuss? Or join a room full of people who probably have the same concerns? email me at [email protected]. And I'll email you back, meet you for coffee, or invite you to our dinners.
This will go out every Sunday. Each week has a different topic. They are mostly based on my personal emotional swing that week but sometimes they are based on a conversation someone had with me. I’m feeling really vulnerable about this but I have a lot of positive feedback! I always welcome positive and negative feedback- feel free to send it to me anytime.
And, if you know someone who my enjoy reading this, please forward. They can sign up below.