What does it look like to stop living in survival mode and actually listen to what your nervous system has been asking for all along?

In this episode of Do Better with Debra, I'm joined by Zabie Yamasaki for a deeply grounding, expansive conversation about healing, boundaries, and learning how to choose ease in a world that rewards overextension. This is a conversation about slowing down, honoring capacity, and remembering that rest is not collapse, it's care.

Zabie shares her journey as a survivor, healer, educator, and mother, and how her lived experiences shaped the work she now offers to others. We talk honestly about trauma, hypervigilance, and the ways survival mode can quietly become our baseline, especially for women of color, caregivers, and those working in systems that demand constant giving.

We explore how boundaries live in the body, why "boundary work is nervous system work," and what happens when we stop overriding the signals our bodies send us. Zabie reflects on the moments that led her to write Protect Your Energy, a book that reads less like instruction and more like a restorative inhale, gentle, spacious, and deeply affirming.

This conversation weaves together stories of loss, resilience, activism, and healing, while naming the exhaustion so many of us carry but rarely say out loud. We talk about toxic work environments, the pressure to overperform, redefining success, and learning to ask for and receive, what we deserve.

If you are tired, carrying too much, or questioning whether another way is possible, this episode is an invitation to pause. You don't need to fix anything. You don't need to do more. You just need to listen.

My hope is that you hear something that reminds you that your body is wise, your capacity matters, and you are allowed to choose yourself, without guilt.

Key Takeaways

• Survival mode often shows up quietly and can become normalized over time

• Boundary work is not just cognitive; it lives in the nervous system and the body

• Rest is not collapse it can be restorative when practiced with intention

• Honoring capacity requires slowing down and learning to trust bodily cues

• Healing does not require perfection or completion; it can happen right in the middle

About Zabie Yamasaki

Zabie Yamasaki, M.Ed., RYT is the founder of Transcending Trauma through Yoga and a nationally recognized trauma-informed yoga instructor, resilience educator, consultant, and keynote speaker. Her work centers nervous system regulation, embodied healing, and supporting trauma survivors through accessible, compassionate practices.

Zabie's yoga as healing curriculum is implemented at over fifty college campuses and trauma agencies across the country, including the University of California system, Stanford, Yale, USC, Notre Dame, and Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of multiple books and healing tools, including Protect Your Energy: A Gentle Guide to Nurture Your Nervous System, Cultivate Rest, and Honor Your Needs.

She lives in Los Angeles with her partner and children and sees her sensitivity and softness as her greatest strength.

Connect with Zabie: Instagram: @transcending_trauma_with_yoga Website: zyamasaki.com

About the Host

Debra Y. Griffith, Ed.D. is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind Do Better with Debra. She currently serves as Chief Equity Programs Officer at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools in Los Angeles, where she leads system-wide equity strategy focused on belonging, college readiness, and postsecondary success.

With more than 25 years in education and leadership, Debra supports women of color leaders navigating transition, complexity, and change, without abandoning themselves in the process.

Connect with Debra:

Website: www.dobetterexecutivecoaching.com

LinkedIn: Debraygriffith

Instagram: @dobetterwithdebra

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