When the tourism season ends, there’s always a strange mixture of relief and disorientation. My body exhales, but my brain? It takes a while to get the memo. After months of “go mode,” my whole system forgets how to downshift — and honestly, rest has never come naturally to me.

In this episode, I’m sharing the messy, honest truth about my relationship with rest: why slowing down feels so uncomfortable, how burnout crept up on me a few years ago, and what I’ve learned about worth, productivity, and listening to my body before it starts yelling.

From working with a health coach and uncovering how high my cortisol levels really were, to redefining what rest actually means (hint: it’s not just lying on the couch), to exploring creative and emotional rest in my off-season, this chapter of my life has been one long lesson in letting go.

If you’ve ever struggled to rest, tied your worth to productivity, or felt your nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight long after the busy season ended, this episode is for you. I hope it encourages you to protect your rest, honor your limits, and realize that slowing down isn’t falling behind — it’s how we find our way back to ourselves.