A Message For You: Let It Be Easy

At 33, I had a wake-up call. I was exhausted. I was busting my ass for my career. My daily calendar was packed, I worked late on most days, and rarely took a proper lunch. No matter how much I got done, it never felt like enough. I always felt “behind”. I pushed myself to make more money, but deep down, I also craved recognition and appreciation for all my effort.

Weekends were my escape — fun, busy, full of parties, and late nights. My self-talk was demanding and urgent, lacking any grace. The one thing that brought me solace was travel. My husband and I were going to amazing places around the world and each place seemed to crack me open and reveal parts of me I didn’t know were there. I started reading self-discovery books, but wasn’t consistent — my schedule was packed, remember? Each book gave me little lightbulb moments, although I never took time to integrate them before jumping to the next. Still, I felt something shifting inside me.

Then one rainy morning, I woke up dreading work — which was rare. I sat on my kitchen counter sobbing to my husband. I had a great marriage, a well-paying job, a new house, a new car, and a killer closet, and a passport full of stamps. But I couldn’t fully enjoy any of it. I was stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, stuck on autopilot, drowning in to-dos, emotionally drained, and disconnected from my life. I was always chasing the next thing to check off my list. And rest? I thought I had to “earn” it. That day, I knew something had to change.

At the time, I thought it was my job. So I left it behind and became a life coach. That eased a lot of pressure, but I still had the same tendencies: hustling, overworking, over planning, and chasing the next goal. Stress, anxiety, and overwhelm didn’t completely disappear either.

As my self-discovery deepened, a huge realization hit: I was afraid to let go of my “hustler” identity because I worried I’d become lazy. I didn’t want to lose that drive completely. Then it dawned on me — my hustler was obsessed with external goals that drained me physically, mentally, and emotionally. But the internal goals I now chased? They did the opposite — they nourished and filled me up. And guess what? I still felt productive and accomplished, just in a totally different (and better) way. Turns out, I didn’t have to stop hustling — I just had to do it differently.

Over time, I learned how to soften my self-talk. It became more encouraging, supportive, kind, and even funny. THIS made the biggest difference alone! Alongside the external hustle, my internal hustle helped me get to know my ‘hustler’ side — where she came from and why she was so dominant. I slowly began to soften my hard edges . . . and it rippled out and touched every area of my life.

Now, I help other women do the same.

What if you’re ready to soften too?

You don’t need to earn your right to slow down. You’re ready now.