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#98 - When Slowing Down Feels Dangerous: Healing the Nervous System Beyond Hustle
What if slowing down feels more dangerous than burning out?
In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Charyse Williams sits down with Dr. Tarryn MacCarthy to unpack why so many high-achieving women feel unsafe when they stop moving. Together, they explore how hustle becomes a survival strategy, how productivity gets tied to worth, and why rest can trigger anxiety instead of relief.
Dr. Tarryn shares her personal journey through burnout, grief, and healing, revealing how her nervous system had to learn that it was safe to slow down. This episode reframes rest not as weakness or laziness, but as a skill, a practice, and a strategic advantage, especially for leaders, clinicians, and entrepreneurs.
Listeners will hear why self-care often backfires for high performers, how shame keeps the nervous system stuck in overdrive, and what it really takes to create safety in stillness. From micro-breaks and nature walks to intentional lunch breaks and self-compassion, this conversation offers grounded, realistic ways to slow down without losing your edge.
If you’ve ever felt guilty resting, panicked when things get quiet, or afraid that slowing down will cost you success, this episode will meet you right where you are.
Company Name: The Business of Happiness
Website: https://thebizofhappiness.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebizofhappiness/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebusinessofhappiness
Dr. Tarryn MacCarthy is an orthodontist, author, keynote speaker, and host of The Business of Happiness Podcast. After experiencing severe burnout early in her career, she rebuilt her life and went on to grow the largest Invisalign practice in her state. With over 25 years in clinical orthodontics and business ownership, Tarryn now coaches high-achieving women and leaders in self-leadership and stress management. Through her Radical Happiness program, she helps clients break free from burnout, reclaim fulfillment, and create sustainable success from the inside out using mindset, somatic, and nervous system–based work.
To learn more about Transcendence, click here: https://jointranscendence.my.canva.site/
To be in community with BADA$$ nursepreneurs, click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theqlc
Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(1:26) When slowing down feels dangerous
(6:24) Why rest can trigger stress and panic
(8:38) The moment productivity stopped and fear surfaced
(12:13) How worth becomes tied to doing and achieving
(17:15) Teaching your nervous system that it’s safe
(27:00) Why rest is a business and leadership strategy
(39:14) Modeling real breaks as a leader
(49:09) Why clarity only comes when you slow down
(51:51) Outro
Make sure you subscribe wherever you get your podcast so you won't miss any future episodes, and you'll have access to all the previous episodes as well. Subscribing is easy. Just find the podcast on your favorite podcast platform and click the "Subscribe" button. Don't forget to invite your friends and colleagues who might benefit from the show to subscribe as well. Thank you for joining me on this journey, and I look forward to having you as a part of our podcast community.
View all episodes
By Charyse WilliamsWhat if slowing down feels more dangerous than burning out?
In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Charyse Williams sits down with Dr. Tarryn MacCarthy to unpack why so many high-achieving women feel unsafe when they stop moving. Together, they explore how hustle becomes a survival strategy, how productivity gets tied to worth, and why rest can trigger anxiety instead of relief.
Dr. Tarryn shares her personal journey through burnout, grief, and healing, revealing how her nervous system had to learn that it was safe to slow down. This episode reframes rest not as weakness or laziness, but as a skill, a practice, and a strategic advantage, especially for leaders, clinicians, and entrepreneurs.
Listeners will hear why self-care often backfires for high performers, how shame keeps the nervous system stuck in overdrive, and what it really takes to create safety in stillness. From micro-breaks and nature walks to intentional lunch breaks and self-compassion, this conversation offers grounded, realistic ways to slow down without losing your edge.
If you’ve ever felt guilty resting, panicked when things get quiet, or afraid that slowing down will cost you success, this episode will meet you right where you are.
Company Name: The Business of Happiness
Website: https://thebizofhappiness.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebizofhappiness/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebusinessofhappiness
Dr. Tarryn MacCarthy is an orthodontist, author, keynote speaker, and host of The Business of Happiness Podcast. After experiencing severe burnout early in her career, she rebuilt her life and went on to grow the largest Invisalign practice in her state. With over 25 years in clinical orthodontics and business ownership, Tarryn now coaches high-achieving women and leaders in self-leadership and stress management. Through her Radical Happiness program, she helps clients break free from burnout, reclaim fulfillment, and create sustainable success from the inside out using mindset, somatic, and nervous system–based work.
To learn more about Transcendence, click here: https://jointranscendence.my.canva.site/
To be in community with BADA$$ nursepreneurs, click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theqlc
Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(1:26) When slowing down feels dangerous
(6:24) Why rest can trigger stress and panic
(8:38) The moment productivity stopped and fear surfaced
(12:13) How worth becomes tied to doing and achieving
(17:15) Teaching your nervous system that it’s safe
(27:00) Why rest is a business and leadership strategy
(39:14) Modeling real breaks as a leader
(49:09) Why clarity only comes when you slow down
(51:51) Outro
Make sure you subscribe wherever you get your podcast so you won't miss any future episodes, and you'll have access to all the previous episodes as well. Subscribing is easy. Just find the podcast on your favorite podcast platform and click the "Subscribe" button. Don't forget to invite your friends and colleagues who might benefit from the show to subscribe as well. Thank you for joining me on this journey, and I look forward to having you as a part of our podcast community.