Leaders Devoted to Rest®

Recently released *New Book* Rest Is Sacred. Check out www.restissacred.com for order and purchase options. Rest, read, and restore!

In this special Mother's Day meditation, I offer a sacred rest practice centered around the profound truth that we all deserve to be held. When I ask people "What part of you is most in need of rest?", mothers often respond that they need permission to receive support rather than always being the one who holds others.

This meditation honors the sacred relationship between mothers and children in all its complexity—for those mothering, those being mothered, and the child and mother that live within each of us.

This practice reminds us that "every mother in your lineage that has ever been, exists within you." It creates space for both mothers and children—for those who are gone and those who remain, for those who are sick and those who care, for those who long for softness and those who provide it.

Perfect for anyone navigating the complex terrain of mothering or being mothered, this rest practice offers a sacred pause to honor our interconnection across generations.

If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a 5-star ⭐️ review here on Apple podcasts and don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube!

Learn more about group rest coaching with Octavia Raheem at www.devotedtorest.com and apply to her rest based mastermind, Devoted to Rest® here.

To connect visit:

www.restissacred.com

Access The Rest Portal : www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred-portal-bonus

octaviaraheem.com

instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

youtube.com/@restwithoctaviaraheem

Music Production Credit: Julianna Sma on Instagram @shebloom

Recently released *New Book* Rest Is Sacred. Check out www.restissacred.com for order and purchase options. Rest, read, and restore!

When I ask people "What part of you is most in need of rest?", I've found that about 80% identify their mind. This comes as no surprise, as our mental activity can be relentless—whether it's recurring thoughts on a loop or simply too many thoughts competing for attention at once. In this rest practice, I explore this common experience.

As you listen, I guide you through:

• Choosing between sitting upright or lying down (I suggest sitting can help with attention when seeking mental rest)
• Scanning your body from bottom to top, top to bottom, and left to right
• Noticing where your attention is naturally drawn in your body
• Releasing tension and providing support where needed
• Softening different parts of your body systematically
• Using the mantra "Inhale: let, Exhale: go" to anchor your mind

This approach isn't about rigid stillness but finding varying degrees of rest that work for you. 

This episode is perfect for leaders, space-holders, and anyone whose mind needs a generative pause from constant activity.  

If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a 5-star ⭐️ review here on Apple podcasts and don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube!

Learn more about group rest coaching with Octavia Raheem at www.devotedtorest.com and apply to her rest based mastermind, Devoted to Rest® here.

To connect visit:

www.restissacred.com

Access The Rest Portal : www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred-portal-bonus

octaviaraheem.com

instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

youtube.com/@restwithoctaviaraheem

Music Production Credit: Julianna Sma on Instagram @shebloom

Recently released *New Book* Rest Is Sacred. Check out www.restissacred.com for order and purchase options. Rest, read, and restore!

When you are the leader, the space holder, the one who holds it all together it can be difficult to step back from that reality and allow yourself to receive support.

In this rest practice, I invite you to offer yourself what you so consistently deliver to everyone else: support, space, and care.

One way to first accept this invitation is to simply play the audio in the background of your life. Listen to my voice. Notice and feel if there’s resonance for you.

Trust whatever you discern.

After that you can lean a little further in to this invitation by sitting in your favorite chair, softening your gaze or closing your eyes if that feels safe to you. From there follow along as I guide you to be aware of the support of the chair, place your hand near your heart center, and become aware of your breath supporting your body.

The next layer and level of this invitation is to ease back even further, lay down or practice supine and rest.

This titrated method of accepting this invitation allows you- the one always on, always holding, always supporting, to slowly and with intention communicate to your nervous system that you, can, in fact be held, and supported in rest too. That it is safe to do so.

You have a lifetime to unlearn the grind. To relearn how to be held. And you get to do that slowly, intentionally, and with care.

I am honored to be your guide in remembering this sacred truth:

You are supported. You are held.

This practice is perfect for leaders, creatives, and anyone looking to transform their relationship with rest as a pathway to authentic power, creativity, and expanded awareness.

If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a 5-star ⭐️ review here on Apple podcasts and don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube!

Learn more about group rest coaching with Octavia Raheem at www.devotedtorest.com and apply to her rest based mastermind, Devoted to Rest® here.

To connect visit:

www.restissacred.com

Access The Rest Portal : www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred-portal-bonus

octaviaraheem.com

instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

youtube.com/@restwithoctaviaraheem

Music Production Credit: Julianna Sma on Instagram @shebloom

Recently released *New Book* Rest Is Sacred. Check out www.restissacred.com for order and purchase options. Rest, read, and restore!

In this episode, I am talking with Dr. Tej Khalsa, a Consultant to the World Health Organization's Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health and the Founder and Medical Director of the GIM Mind Body Medicine Clinic. She shares her powerful insights on prescribing rest as medicine and how reconnecting with our authentic power transforms our relationship with work and ourselves. We explore how rest awakens us to truth and helps us reclaim sovereignty in spaces that don't always serve our highest good.

Drawing from her medical background and personal journey, Dr. Tej reveals how our understanding of the heart offers a profound metaphor for rest—explaining that even the physical heart begins everything from a place of rest and relaxation before contraction. Her path from institutional medicine to founding her own clinic offers a powerful testament to what becomes possible when we ask ourselves who we truly work for and honor our connection to authentic power.

In this episode, we explore:

• How the medical understanding of the heart provides a powerful metaphor for rest in our lives
• The revolutionary realization that "the day the heart begins to fail is the day it fails to remember to rest"
• Dr. Tej's personal experience with workplace toxicity and how rest helped her reclaim her sovereignty
• The transformative questions: "Who do you work for from your first breath to your last?" and "Who do you truly serve?"
• How rest connects us to our authentic power and helps us recognize when we're disconnected
• Moving from a place of inferiority/superiority to one of authentic truth and love
• The process of "giving it a rest" as a gentle pathway to deeper relaxation and presence
• Building a legacy based on love rather than merely financial success

Experience a guided rest practice focused on back support and stability. Discover how embracing rest can transform not just your approach to work but your relationship with yourself, revealing freedom and possibility when you operate from a place of authentic presence rather than exhaustion.

Connect with Dr. Tej Khalsa:

Website: www.mindbodymedicineclinic.com

If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a 5-star ⭐️ review here on Apple podcasts and don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube!

Learn more about group rest coaching with Octavia Raheem at www.devotedtorest.com and apply to her rest based mastermind, Devoted to Rest® here.

To connect visit:

www.restissacred.com

Access The Rest Portal : www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred-portal-bonus

octaviaraheem.com

instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

youtube.com/@restwithoctaviaraheem

Music Production Credit: Julianna Sma on Instagram @shebloom

Recently released *New Book* Rest Is Sacred. Check out www.restissacred.com for order and purchase options. Rest, read, and restore!

In this episode, I am talking with Dr. Tiffany Johnson James, an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at Georgia Tech and a work, equity, and wellness researcher, writer, and teacher. She shares her transformative journey from academic burnout to embracing rest as a sacred mandate. We explore how prioritizing stillness has awakened clarity and grace in her life, fundamentally changing her approach to academia, leadership, and personal wholeness.

Drawing from her yoga training and commitment to presence and prayer, Dr. Tiffany reveals how operating from a rested state has become essential to her well-being, authentic leadership, and ability to show up genuinely in academic spaces. Her path from exhaustion to embodied liberation offers a powerful testament to what becomes possible when we reject hyperindependence and embrace rest as self-affirmation.

In this episode, we explore:

• How academic pressure and physical symptoms of burnout led Dr. Johnson to seek out restorative practices
• The revolutionary act of saying "no" and modeling boundaries in academic spaces
• How stillness-based practices transformed Dr. Johnson's presence in meetings and relationships
• Finding liberation by knowing your worth and refusing to exhaust yourself proving it repeatedly
• The power of prayer and writing as a sacred mandate to define "enough" in each day
• Breaking the illusion of independence through rest and remembering our interconnectedness
• How rest enables access to ancestral wisdom and embodied liberation

Experience a guided rest practice focused on releasing hyperindependence and receiving support. Discover how embracing rest can transform not just your approach to work but your relationship with yourself, revealing wholeness and creative possibilities when you operate from a place of presence rather than exhaustion.

Connect with Dr. Tiffany Johnson James:

Website: www.tiffanydawnjohnson.com

Instagram: instagram.com/tikkidawn11/

Facebook: @Tiffany D Johnson

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffanydjohnson/

Calling PhD program graduates, post-docs, junior faculty (Assistant Prof, Assistant Lecturers) and recently tenured faculty (2023 or later) who want to take the bold steps of translating their research in ways that only they can. 

WHOLE 2025 , created by Dr. Tiffany D. Johnson, is returning, with you in mind.

Beginning in September 2025, and over the course of 10 months, WHOLE 2025 members will be part of a 10-month group and 1:1 coaching experience where they begin to translate their research into practice. And they do so in ways that are restorative, spacious, and empowering.

For more information please visit: tiffanydawnjohnson.com/about/whole-community/

If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a 5-star ⭐️ review here on Apple podcasts and don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube!

Learn more about group rest coaching with Octavia Raheem at www.devotedtorest.com and apply to her rest based mastermind, Devoted to Rest® here.

To connect visit:

www.restissacred.com

Access The Rest Portal : www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred-portal-bonus

octaviaraheem.com

instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

youtube.com/@restwithoctaviaraheem

Music Production Credit: Julianna Sma on Instagram @shebloom

Recently released *New Book* Rest Is Sacred. Check out www.restissacred.com for order and purchase options. Rest, read, and restore!

In this episode I am talking with Rashida Parrish, a Senior Staff Project Manager, Chief Cat Herder, and mindfulness advocate. She shares her transformative journey from workplace trauma and exhaustion to embracing rest as an empowered practice. We explore how prioritizing rest has awakened "Rashida 2.0," unleashing her creativity, authentic leadership, and confidence, fundamentally changing her approach to corporate work and life.

Drawing from her personal rest practices and commitment to family and community, Rashida reveals how operating from a rested nervous system has become essential to her well-being, creativity, and ability to show up authentically in corporate spaces. Her path from burnout to liberation offers a powerful testament to what becomes possible when we reject the badge of honor of exhaustion and embrace rest as self-affirmation.

In this episode, we explore:

• How toxic workplace culture and exhaustion led Rashida to seek out restorative practices
• The revolutionary act of challenging corporate messages that glorify overwork and exhaustion
• How intentional rest practices have transformed Rashida's leadership and opened doors to C-Suite conversations
• Finding liberation by knowing your worth and refusing to exhaust yourself proving it to others
• The power of consistent morning silence and evening restorative practices to clear the mind
• Breaking generational patterns through rest and teaching these practices to her son
• How rest enables us to make decisions from a place of intention rather than fight-or-flight reactivity

Experience a guided rest practice focused on letting go and releasing tension throughout the body. Discover how embracing rest can transform not just your approach to work but your relationship with yourself, revealing confidence and creative possibilities when you operate from a place of rest rather than exhaustion.

Connect with Rashida:

Instagram: instagram.com/shida_luana/ 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rashida-parrish-atkinson-pmp/

If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a 5-star ⭐️ review here on Apple podcasts and don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube!

Learn more about group rest coaching with Octavia Raheem at www.devotedtorest.com and apply to her rest based mastermind, Devoted to Rest® here.

To connect visit:

www.restissacred.com

Access The Rest Portal : www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred-portal-bonus

octaviaraheem.com

instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

youtube.com/@restwithoctaviaraheem

Music Production Credit: Julianna Sma on Instagram @shebloom

Recently released *New Book* Rest Is Sacred. Check out www.restissacred.com for order and purchase options. Rest, read, and restore!

In this episode I am talking with movement doula and rest advocate Cristina Renee Aguilar. She shares her transformative journey from burnout to embracing rest as a transformational practice. We explore how prioritizing rest has reawakened her creativity, ancestral connections, and authentic voice, fundamentally changing her approach to movement work and life.

Drawing from her personal rest practices and deep commitment to collective liberation, Cristina reveals how operating from a place of rest has become essential to her well-being, creativity, and ability to hold space for transitions and change. Her path from executive burnout to creative flourishing offers a powerful testament to what becomes possible when we center rest as a form of resistance and ancestral healing.

In this episode, we explore:

• How Cristina's "radical pause" in 2017 led her from burnout to ancestral reconnection in Mexico
• The revolutionary act of challenging cultural messages against rest ("no seas floja" - don't be lazy)
• How rest practices supported Cristina through pivotal historical moments
• Finding creative liberation through rest, leading to museum curation projects and book writing
• The power of "atomic habits" like daily meditation and journaling to sustain rest practices
• Creating boundaries around social media consumption to protect your nervous system
• How rest enables us to hold the "sacred pauses" between life transitions

Experience a guided rest practice focused on letting go and releasing tension throughout the body. Discover how embracing rest can transform not just your approach to movement work but your relationship with yourself and your ancestors, revealing joy and creative possibilities when you operate from a place of rest rather than exhaustion.

Connect with Cristina:

Website: www.aguilarstrategies.com

Instagram: instagram.com/borderlandsoul/

Facebook: facebook.com/crisrenee

Learn more about group rest coaching with Octavia Raheem at www.devotedtorest.com and apply to her rest based mastermind, Devoted to Rest® here.

To connect visit:

www.restissacred.com

Access The Rest Portal : www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred-portal-bonus

octaviaraheem.com

instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

youtube.com/@restwithoctaviaraheem

Music Production Credit: Julianna Sma on Instagram @shebloom

Recently released *New Book* Rest Is Sacred. Check out www.restissacred.com for order and purchase options. Rest, read, and restore!

In this conversation, leadership coach and rest advocate Cherese Brauer shares her transformative journey from workaholism to embracing an unhurried pace of living. We explore how prioritizing rest has reawakened her imagination, creativity, and authentic voice, fundamentally changing her approach to leadership and life.

Drawing from her personal rest practices and deep commitment to self-trust, Cherese reveals how operating at an unhurried pace has become essential to her well-being, leadership, and ability to design a "swoon-worthy life." Her path from exhaustion to flourishing offers a powerful testament to what becomes possible when we center rest as a form of resistance and self-love.

In this episode, we explore:

• How exhaustion extinguishes imagination and limits our sense of possibility
• The revolutionary act of putting rest first rather than treating it as an afterthought
• Creating spacious, unhurried days that honor your true desires and authentic self
• Moving from "proving your worth" to designing a life of ease and joy
• Providing safe harbor for Black women leaders to flourish through rest practices

Experience a guided rest practice focused on future planning and returning to the present moment. Discover how embracing rest can transform not just your approach to leadership but your relationship with yourself, revealing the abundance of options available when you operate from a place of ease rather than exhaustion.

Connect with Cherese:

Website: www.counterthenarrative.com

Instagram: instagram.com/sure_reece/

LinkedIn: @Cherese Brauer

Learn more about group rest coaching with Octavia Raheem at www.devotedtorest.com and apply to her rest based mastermind, Devoted to Rest® here.

To connect visit:

www.restissacred.com

Access The Rest Portal : www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred-portal-bonus

octaviaraheem.com

instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

youtube.com/@restwithoctaviaraheem

Music Production Credit: Julianna Sma on Instagram @shebloom

Recently released *New Book* Rest Is Sacred. Check out www.restissacred.com for order and purchase options. Rest, read, and restore!

In this conversation, visionary leader and founder of The Highland Project, Gabrielle Wyatt Gardner, shares her transformative path from burnout to reclaiming inner power through intentional rest. We explore how creating deliberate clearings in our lives can awaken trust in our innate power and reveal authentic leadership that serves both ourselves and others.

Drawing from her rest practice and deep commitment to creativity and nature, Gabrielle reveals how intentional pauses have become essential to her leadership, self-expression, and vision for change. Often found walking alongside trees on new trails in New York, birdwatching, or painting, her journey from comparing herself to others to trusting her own vessel of power offers a powerful testament to rest's transformative potential.

In this episode, we explore:

• How clearing space awakens self-knowledge and reconnection to authentic self
• The relationship between rest and discovering inner power
• Breaking free from busyness and honoring seasonal boundaries
• Self-leadership as foundation for creating meaningful change in communities
• Creating spaces anchored in creativity, nature, and community care
• How The Highland Project's commitment to Black women leaders connects to personal rest practices
• Envisioning a well-rested life filled with tangible memories and creations
• The importance of having support systems that honor your boundaries

Experience a guided rest practice focused on shoulder opening and recognizing the abundance of choices available to us. Discover how embracing rest can transform not just your leadership approach but your connection to your own power, creativity, and vision for building multi-generational wealth and community transformation.

Connect with Gabby:

Website: https://www.thehighlandproject.org/

Instagram: instagram.com/leadhighland/

Learn more about group rest coaching with Octavia Raheem at www.devotedtorest.com and apply to her rest based mastermind, Devoted to Rest® here.

To connect visit:

www.restissacred.com

Access The Rest Portal : www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred-portal-bonus

octaviaraheem.com

instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

youtube.com/@restwithoctaviaraheem

Music Production Credit: Julianna Sma on Instagram @shebloom

Recently released *New Book* Rest Is Sacred. Check out www.restissacred.com for order and purchase options. Rest, read, and restore!

In this sacred rest practice, Octavia F. Raheem guides you through a gentle exploration of rest focused on the throat and heart spaces. Beginning with an invitation to identify which parts of our bodies need rest the most, this practice creates space for truth, voice, and self-remembering to emerge.

Through this practice, we discover how intentional breathing and focused awareness can help us reclaim parts of ourselves that need restoration. 

This practice guides us into:

• Noticing the support beneath us, around us, and radiating from within
• Connecting with ancestors and those "light and bright in spirit" who attend to our care and wellness
• Using intentional breath work to clear and rest the throat space
• Bringing gentle awareness to the heart center without forcing or controlling
• Experiencing the subtle shifts that can occur even in stillness and minimal movement

Perfect for those seeking to reconnect with their voice and heart space, individuals needing restoration of truth and expression, and anyone wanting to experience the profound effects that can emerge from simple, intentional rest practices.

Learn more about group rest coaching with Octavia Raheem at www.devotedtorest.com and apply to her rest based mastermind, Devoted to Rest® here.

To connect visit:

www.restissacred.com

Access The Rest Portal : www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacred-portal-bonus

octaviaraheem.com

instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

youtube.com/@restwithoctaviaraheem

Music Production Credit: Julianna Sma on Instagram @shebloom