The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes

We were not created to produce. We were created to exist freely and thoroughly in our details.

In this rich and deeply personal episode of The Rest of Us podcast, Dana Tenille Weekes invites us to pause the production line of life and answer a powerful call: the call to create. Not for performance, not for praise, but for freedom, joy, and ourselves.

Dana unpacks the difference between "producing," which we often do for others at our own expense, and "creating," which centers and celebrates the very core of who we are. She also talks about how consumption is the offspring of producing, and how it contributes to unrest. 

Dana calls for us to think about “how to cultivate space to create instead of only living a life of producing?” In doing so, she offers and explores in detail three reflection questions:

1. What can I create?
2. When can I create?
3. How can I create?

At the end of the episode, Dana invites listeners to take the Seven-Day Call to Create Journey. Over the next seven days, there will be posts on Instagram and LinkedIn with prompts and reminders for how each of you can hold space to create for just 10 minutes. 

Through stories, reflection, and a challenge, this episode shifts our focus from outputs to the origin of our liberation … creativity.

If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 

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 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) 

Until next time, rest, my friends.

Connect with Us
Website:

• www.therestofuspodcast.com  

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• @therestofus.podcast
• @danatenilleweekes

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• @therestofuspodcast

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• Dana Tenille Weekes

It’s time to unpack the myth that we’re indispensable at work. (‘Cause we’re not!)

In this episode of The Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes talks about how we unintentionally contribute to unsustainable work environments by making ourselves irreplaceable.  

Through personal anecdotes and a reality check on “work-life balance,” this episode challenges the conventional wisdom of hustle culture and invites listeners to rethink their relationship with professional identity and rest as liberation.

In doing so, Dana asks and explores five thought-provoking questions to examine how you create unrest by making yourself indispensable at work. 

They are:

1. Do you still believe you’re in survival mode when you no longer need to be?
2. Are you creating structures that must accommodate you at the center of it to show your value?
3. Is your health dispensable?
4. Is it hard for you to say, “no,” or “no thank you,” when it is necessary, because you feel like you’re not honoring commitments?
5. Do you confuse sacrifice for service?

If you have greater loyalty or obligation to your job than your career, loved ones, and, of course, yourself, then listen to this episode and begin to settle into who you truly are.

If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 

🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) 

Until next time, rest, my friends.

Connect with Us
Website:

• www.therestofuspodcast.com  

Instagram:

• @therestofus.podcast
• @danatenilleweekes

Substack:

• @therestofuspodcast

LinkedIn:

• Dana Tenille Weekes

Friend, stop. Let’s lean into the power of the pause. 

In this episode of The Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes names five life moments that call for us to pause: (1) when worrying; (2) when your body says so; (3) when you should celebrate; (4) when in the midst of change; and (5) when you are stuck in the familiar. (There’s also a sixth moment Dana sneaks in.) 

In discussing each of these moments, Dana emphasizes the importance of the relationship between her definition of rest and the necessity of pausing to fully embrace yourself. As part of the episode, Dana shares a story about how few people, specifically her friend Mia, understood the true pause she needed after resigning from the firm. How Mia understood what Dana was searching for was in the pause.

Are you looking for how to make meaningful progress in your life? Maybe it’s time to settle into this episode and learn that there’s progress in the pause. 

If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 

🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) 

Until next time, rest, my friends.

Connect with Us
Website:

• www.therestofuspodcast.com  

Instagram:

• @therestofus.podcast
• @danatenilleweekes

Substack:

• @therestofuspodcast

LinkedIn:

• Dana Tenille Weekes

In this episode of the Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes calls us to stand in our truth and reclaim our power after conversations with friends, mentees, and clients who feel robbed of their truth by societal pressures and the current political climate. In doing so, she emphasizes that these societal constructs are intentionally designed to undermine our humanity, often causing us to question our existence and self-worth.

Dana shares a personal story of a recent road rage incident laced with racist hate speech to illustrate how largely orchestrated and everyday events are all attempts to rearrange our sense of self. 

In this powerful episode, Dana reminds listeners about the importance of identifying and embracing our truths, protecting our inner selves from external rearrangement, and seeking liberatory activities that reconnect us to our agency and belonging. As a call-to-action, Dana outlines three key strategies for standing in our truth: (1) recognizing the internal source of power, (2) understanding how people avoid accountability, and (3) practicing liberatory rest.

00:00 Introduction to Rest and Self-Liberation
00:26 Understanding the Struggle to Stand in Your Truth
01:21 The Reality of Societal Systems
04:03 Defining Truth and Its Importance
09:11 Personal Story: Confronting Bigotry
14:08 Reclaiming Your Power and Setting Boundaries
20:15 The Importance of Liberatory Rest
26:16 Conclusion and Community Engagement

If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 

🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) 

Until next time, rest, my friends.

Connect with Us
Website:

• www.therestofuspodcast.com  

Instagram:

• @therestofus.podcast
• @danatenilleweekes

Substack:

• @therestofuspodcast

LinkedIn:

• Dana Tenille Weekes

Host Dana Tenille Weekes asks a profound question she believes every person must answer truthfully to reclaim their right to rest: “Whose mountain are you climbing?” 

This episode of The Rest of Us podcast distinguishes between succeeding and thriving and reveals how succeeding keeps us mountaineering for others. Through storytelling, Dana shares five types of encounters that contributed to unrest in her life and redirected her to climbing other people’s mountains. They are encounters with the: (1) Dream Decision-Makers; (2) Breadcrumbers; (3) Well-Intentioned Fearfuls; and (5) Inner Narrator (that isn’t your voice).

Dana ends the episode by prompting listeners to envision their mountaintop through a reflection exercise in which we name and embrace how we want to navigate this world to thrive instead of succeed. 

If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 

🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) 

Until next time, rest, my friends.

Connect with Us
Website:

• www.therestofuspodcast.com  

Instagram:

• @therestofus.podcast
• @danatenilleweekes

Substack:

• @therestofuspodcast

LinkedIn:

• Dana Tenille Weekes

Host Dana Tenille Weekes closes out the three-part episode on the rest continuum by exploring the third form of rest: liberating rest. After settling in with listeners on doing nothing/being and restoring as two forms of rest, this The Rest of Us podcast episode focuses on the importance of holding sacred space in your life to engage in liberating activities—activities in which you are enlivened by your own details. 

Dana discusses how liberating rest is often sourced from creative and nature-based activities. She also encourages listeners to start thinking about what could be our liberating activities and how to incorporate them into our lives. This episode ends with reflective questions to help listeners embrace and protect our liberating rest.

00:00 Introduction to the Rest Continuum
00:13 Recap of Previous Episodes
01:05 Understanding Liberating Rest
03:06 The Role of Creativity in Liberating Rest
04:00 Personal Examples of Liberating Activities
04:34 Challenges and Encouragement for Liberating Rest
05:18 Reflection Prompts for Liberating Rest
08:45 Capitalism and Creativity
11:07 Practical Tips for Incorporating Liberating Rest
13:28 Conclusion and Community Building

If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 

🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) 

Until next time, rest, my friends.

Connect with Us
Website:

• www.therestofuspodcast.com  

Instagram:

• @therestofus.podcast
• @danatenilleweekes

Substack:

• @therestofuspodcast

LinkedIn:

• Dana Tenille Weekes

In this episode of the Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes delves further into the concept of the rest continuum, focusing specifically on two forms of rest: doing nothing/being and restoring. 

Dana explains the importance of cultivating space for rest (in addition to living in a rest mindset) by illustrating how each form of rest can help us reconnect with our agency and sense of belonging. The episode concludes with reflective questions to help listeners incorporate and embrace these forms of rest into our everyday lives.

00:00 Introduction to the Rest Continuum
00:12 Recap of Part One
01:19 Exploring the Rest Continuum
02:10 Understanding Agency and Belonging
05:24 Doing Nothing and Being
06:34 Challenges of Doing Nothing
10:02 Questions for Reflection on Doing Nothing
10:46 Restoring Rest
13:37 Questions for Reflection on Restoring
14:18 Conclusion and Community Building

If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 

🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) 

Until next time, rest, my friends.

Connect with Us
Website:

• www.therestofuspodcast.com  

Instagram:

• @therestofus.podcast
• @danatenilleweekes

Substack:

• @therestofuspodcast

LinkedIn:

• Dana Tenille Weekes

Host Dana Tenille Weekes kicks off a three-part episode on the rest continuum, three forms of rest to incorporate into our everyday lives. In this episode of The Rest of Us podcast, Dana guides listeners to reflect on how we rest and introduces the rest continuum as a way to cultivate space for doing nothing/being, restoring, and liberating. 

00:00 Introduction to the Rest of Us Podcast
01:05 Defining Rest and Its Importance
01:55 Reflection Exercise: Identifying Your Rest Activities
04:44 Categorizing Your Rest Activities
08:01 Analyzing Patterns and Themes in Your Rest
09:37 Conclusion and Next Steps

If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 

🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) 

Until next time, rest, my friends.

Connect with Us
Website:

• www.therestofuspodcast.com  

Instagram:

• @therestofus.podcast
• @danatenilleweekes

Substack:

• @therestofuspodcast

LinkedIn:

• Dana Tenille Weekes

In the inaugural episode of The Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes explores rest as a form of self-liberation and introduces listeners to her definition of rest. Dana delves into the fundamentals of her definition, including self-acceptance, agency, and belonging, and why rest is a mindset and not simply a self-care practice. In doing so, Dana reads a poem by Nikki Giovanni titled “Revolutionary Dreams.”

Released on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the day of the U.S. presidential inauguration, Dana invites listeners to join a community committed to making rest a revolutionary act.

00:00 Welcome to The Rest of Us Podcast
00:26 Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Inauguration Day
00:55 The Importance of Rest as Liberation
02:46 Defining Rest as Liberation
03:24 Nikki Giovanni's Revolutionary Dreams
06:00 Self-Acceptance and Conscious Living
08:46 Agency and Belonging
10:46 Survival Mode vs. Rest
13:52 Personal Journey of Rest
19:51 Reflection and Closing Thoughts

If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 

🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) 

Until next time, rest, my friends.

Connect with Us
Website:

• www.therestofuspodcast.com  

Instagram:

• @therestofus.podcast
• @danatenilleweekes

Substack:

• @therestofuspodcast

LinkedIn:

• Dana Tenille Weekes

Welcome to The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes

Embracing Rest as Self-Liberation

On the Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes discusses the importance of self-care and rest as a form of self-liberation. By challenging societal norms and finding humor in the process, the podcast aims to help listeners reclaim their lives and prioritize their own well-being despite the demands of work and others.

Subscribe to get new episodes in your feed. :) 

If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 

🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
 ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) 

Until next time, rest, my friends.

Connect with Us
Website:

• www.therestofuspodcast.com  

Instagram:

• @therestofus.podcast
• @danatenilleweekes

Substack:

• @therestofuspodcast

LinkedIn:

• Dana Tenille Weekes