After my son Jack was born, I took up running. At first, it was about getting back in shape—but quickly, it became about something more. I wanted to be good at it. Better. Faster. Farther.

And that’s exactly what I did. I pushed and pushed—until one day, my body pushed back.

My hips gave out. My joints screamed. I couldn’t lift my leg into a pair of jeans without pain. The message was loud and clear: Enough.

I had gone too hard, too fast. No breaks. No grace. Just a full sprint toward some undefined version of “good enough.”

That experience forced me to stop. To rest. To heal. And to realize something bigger: this wasn’t just about running. It was a metaphor for how I had been living my life.

And I know I’m not alone.

The Pace of Perfection

So many of us—especially high-achieving women and working moms—are running our lives like it’s a race we’re terrified to lose. We pack our days to the brim, answer emails at all hours, squeeze workouts into the early mornings, volunteer at school events, and push through exhaustion with a smile and a strong cup of coffee.

We tell ourselves it’s just for a season. That rest will come later.

But here’s the truth: later often comes when we hit a wall. When our bodies give out. When we snap at the people we love. When our passion turns to resentment.

Because despite what we’ve been conditioned to believe, rest isn’t something you earn at the finish line.

Rest is part of the training.

The Warning Signs You're Running on Empty

Before I physically burned out, there were signs. I ignored them, like so many of us do. Maybe you’ve seen some of these in your own life:

• You feel drained all the time, even after a full night of sleep.

• Little things set you off—you snap at your kids, your partner, your coworkers.

• You can’t focus, and your creativity is in hiding.

• You feel disconnected from your joy, your people, and even yourself.

• You tell yourself “this is just what it takes” to be successful/good/a team player/a good mom.

These are not signs of weakness. They’re signals that your body and mind are craving rest. Real rest—not just a quick scroll or a 10-minute breather before diving back in.

What Rest Really Looks Like

When I say rest, I’m not just talking about sleep (though that’s part of it). I mean deep, nourishing, intentional recovery—physically, mentally, emotionally.

Here’s what that might look like in practice:

• Unplugging from screens and to-do lists for a full hour (or more) just to be.

• Saying no to “shoulds” and yes to what actually serves you.

• Walking instead of running—literally and metaphorically.

• Creating buffer time in your schedule so every minute isn’t accounted for.

• Letting things be imperfect and still calling it enough.

For some of us, rest might be doing less. For others, it’s doing things that fill us back up: a walk in nature, a creative project, a real conversation with a friend.

Rest isn’t about stopping forever—it’s about recharging so you can keep going in a sustainable, wholehearted way.

Grace Over Grind

One of the hardest things to let go of is the belief that we have to earn grace. That if we’re not doing all the things, we’re falling behind. That ease means laziness. That slower means lesser.

But what I’ve found is the opposite.

When I slow down, I show up better. I’m more present with my kids. My work is more focused and creative. I feel more connected in my marriage. And—maybe most importantly—I feel more like myself.

I no longer measure my worth by how much I get done. I measure it by how aligned I feel with the things that truly matter to me.

If You’re Tired, You’re Not Broken—You’re Human

I see so many women like the one I used to be. Pushing through pain. Smiling through stress. Gripping tight to their calendar, trying to keep it all together. Hoping that if they just keep going, things will get better.

But better doesn’t come from doing more.

Better comes from doing differently.

That’s the work I do now—supporting women in unlearning the hustle, letting go of what’s not serving them, and reclaiming their time and energy for what matters most: themselves, their people, their purpose.

Your Invitation to Pause

If this story hit home, I want you to know: you’re not alone. And you don’t have to wait for your hips to give out (literally or metaphorically) to make a change.

Take a breath.

Take a beat.

Ask yourself: What would it look like to run at the pace of your actual life, instead of the pace of your perfectionism?

What might become possible if you rested before you reached your breaking point?

Let’s stop treating rest like a luxury.

Let’s make it part of the plan.