Erin Halligan-Avery
Speaker, consultant, coach, researcher, and educator behind @AdviceForGrownUps, Empathic Edge, and The More Love Podcast:
Erin Halligan-Avery, PhD
I help people who care deeply set boundaries that last through energy management, candid insight, and practical strategies. With my support, leaders, helpers, and mission-driven organizations can stop over-functioning, reduce burnout, and lead with renewed clarity and authenticity through my Sustainable Caring™ framework.
What Can I Do for You?
Consultant + Keynote Speaker ● PhD in Mental Health Counseling + Supervision ● Founder of ConcernCenter, Inc. ● C-suite Coach ● Co-Host of The More Love Podcast ●
Set Boundaries that LAST
Do you find yourself overextended, carrying too much, and ready to stop doing things the same way?
I work with highly capable, deeply empathic people and organizations. They’re leaders, helpers, executives, educators, founders, nonprofit professionals, and care-centered experts that people depend on.
I point out false patterns that may affect their leadership style:
Availability ≠ Commitment
Exhaustion ≠ Excellence
Self-abandonment ≠ Kindness
By naming these patterns, I help you understand where your energy is flowing, and how to set boundaries that are clear, practical, sustainable, and aligned with who you actually are.
You are not “too sensitive”. You are not being “dramatic”. You are not “soft”.
You can care deeply without losing yourself.
Caring Longer, Not Less
“Just say no” has never been helpful advice. I get to the heart of why saying “no” seems impossible. Why you keep over-explaining, over-functioning, avoiding disappointment, or carrying things that don’t belong to you.
Together, I’ll help you and your organization address:
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Boundary-setting
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Burnout
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People-pleasing
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Over-functioning
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Emotional labor
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Role confusion
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Resentment
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Energy depletion
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Leadership strain
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Unsustainable care-centered work
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Systems that reward exhaustion instead of clarity
I’m not here to tell you to try harder, but with a greater understanding of yourself, I’ll help you see the pattern, tell your truth, and build a different, sustainable way forward that actually works with your values, relationships, job, and leadership role.
Energy Management for Boundaries that Last
You can’t build a boundary until you know where your energy is flowing. With my Energy Management assessment, you’ll see where you’re spending your emotional, cognitive, relational, administrative, and moral energy in your life, work, relationships, and other systems.
You’ll learn:
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Where your energy is going
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What you tolerate because you’re afraid to disappoint people
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What systems or relationships continuously benefit from you over-functioning
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What boundary would protect your energy while allowing you to live and lead with compassion
Energy Management Framework
Energy
Awareness
Knowing how much energy you actually have— not how much you want to have.
Pattern Recognition
Identifying the people-pleasing, over-functioning, role confusion, guilt, emotional labor, or system dynamics that are keeping you stuck.
Boundary Strategy
Creating clear, practical, values-aligned boundaries that can be communicated, practiced, and protected.
The goal is not to become less caring, but to sustain your energy so you can continue caring.
Services Overview
Consulting
For organizations ready to address burnout, staff exhaustion, leadership strain, boundary confusion, culture concerns, and patterns that keep people over-functioning.
Consulting may include:
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Organizational assessment
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Staff listening
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Leadership advising
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Boundary and burnout culture analysis
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Energy Management strategy, practical recommendations, and implementation support
Coaching
For leaders, executives, helpers, founders, and high-capacity professionals who are overwhelmed, overextended, and ready for candid support.
Coaching focuses on:
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Boundary-setting
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Energy Management
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Burnout
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People-pleasing
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Leadership clarity
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Decision-making
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Authenticity
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Emotional labor
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Creating a more sustainable way to live and lead
Free Resources
Start with free tools. Explore these resources designed to help you understand your energy, name your patterns, and begin setting boundaries that actually last.
Halligan-Avery Energy Assessment
What's Your Sustainable Caring Style? Quiz
The Sustainable Caring Decision Guide
Printable Reminder Cards for People Who Care Deeply
When You Don't Know What to Say - Scripts for People Who Care Deeply
Permission to Say No - A Boundary Setting Meditation
I Don't Have to Earn Love - A People-Pleasing Meditation
I Can Be Kind and Clear - An Empathy with Authority Meditation
Teresa
I truly cannot convey how much your kindness, compassion and open mind (and heart!) meant to me. I felt so comfortable speaking with you; the level of genuine trustworthiness you exude allowed me to be vulnerable and painfully forthright without feeling like the other shoe would drop. Thank you for making me feel heard, valued, and important. Our conversation rejuvenated me, and allowed me to tackle the week with an open mind and spirit. I appreciate you – and your efforts – so much!
Shannon
Working with you has been one of the best investments I've made in my business. You took the time to understand my vision, encouraged me when I needed it most, and helped me think bigger. Your guidance gave me the confidence to pursue new opportunities, expand my programming, and grow both my business and my impact. I truly appreciate everything you've done for me.
Sara
I can't say enough about what it's been like to work with you. You have a way of helping people see strengths and possibilities they can't always see in themselves. I left every conversation feeling more confident, more capable, and excited to take the next step. You challenged me, encouraged me, and held me accountable in a way that always felt supportive. I'm so grateful for your guidance.
Videos and Podcast
More Love Podcast
I co-host More Love with my best friend, Rebecca where we discuss friendship, healing, honesty, humor, relationships, and the kind of love that tells the truth. Get a sense of my work through the real conversations, emotional insight, candid reflection, and relational wisdom that shape how I think about boundaries, empathy, authenticity, and being human.
Related
Work
ConcernCenter, Inc.
I am the founder of ConcernCenter, Inc., a SaaS platform that helps people navigate support resources within an organization by identifying their concern and connecting them to relevant, organization-specific help.
College Professor
I am a professor in Public Administration, Nonprofit Management Track, where I teach students how to think critically about leadership, organizations, systems, service, and the real human impact of the work we do. My teaching blends research, candor, practical application, and a deep belief that people can create better systems when they are willing to ask better questions.