Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:03] You're listening to the Poised Powerhouse Podcast. My name is Dr. Sita Hood, and I'm obsessed with empowering women like you with practical life strategies to live authentically without compromising your wellness. I used to be caught up in the hustle hard mentality until I learned that my quirky little traits I thought weren't that important actually turned out to be the secret side boss. I needed to step boldly into my purpose and create impact not only in my life, but so many amazing women around me. Organizing your schedule, launching impactful programs, redefining leadership without code switching or compromise, and stepping boldly into your God given assignment are all topics we'll discuss here. Think of this podcast as that Sunday brunch with your girls that feels so therapeutic, you can't wait to get to it. But let's clarify. This is not a substitute for a relationship with a licensed therapist. All right, grab your notebook and your coffee or your tea. We don't discriminate over here. And let's start the show.
[00:01:22] Ho, ho, ho. Back it up, girl. Back it up. Back that thing. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Before we start today's podcast, I want to share something with you. When I first launched the Poise Powerhouse podcast, I was in a different season. I had the capacity to show up weekly, to pour in and to maintain that rhythm. But as I've grown and as God's been stretching me, I've realized that in order to honor my own capacity and to give you the highest quality content, this podcast is shifting to a bi weekly rhythm. Because, baby girl, these are not just light, run of the mill topics that we're covering. These are conversations about dismantling hustle culture, aligning with God's design, and building rhythms that actually hold you. These are not binge and forget episodes. They are the kind that you actually need to sit with, marinate on, and actually apply it to your life.
[00:02:19] So instead of rushing and cranking out content, I want to give you the gift of breathing room. Every other week, you're still going to get faith, forward wisdom, strategy without burnout, and that soft but bold power that you've come to expect.
[00:02:37] And in between episodes, you'll have time to actually live it out, not just listen.
[00:02:44] Because here's the truth. I don't want this podcast to just add to the noise of your life. I want it to be a sacred pause, a rhythm that you can look forward to, and something that nourishes you long after the episode ends.
[00:02:59] Hey, hey. Welcome back for another episode of the Poise Powerhouse podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Sita Hood, vision architect, licensed therapist and executive leadership consultant.
[00:03:10] Also, your favorite homegirl, reminding you you do not have to wait until burnout takes you down before you start to make a change.
[00:03:21] Now, girl, I know you hear my voice, right? I know, I know, I know, I know, I know it's because I've been out there hollering and acting a whole fool at my son's football games, and I make no apologies. But I am going to try my best to get this voice together, though. Okay, let's get into the show this week for sips and stillness. I just have a salted caramel protein drink here. I promise. I do still drink coffee, y'. All. It's just the timing, the timing, the timing between when I record and when I'm actually drinking my coffee. Because nine times out of 10, I'm drinking my coffee earlier. But I am feeling hopeful and really reflective today. And I want you to grab your mug if you happen to be drinking your coffee right now. Take a breath, and then I want you to ask yourself, what do I need to release before I receive? For me, I release the pressure to sprint through the rest of the year. This is the time of year when people want to pressure us and be like, oh, finish strong, finish strong. What if finishing strong was resting whole time? It is because stillness is a spiritual warfare strategy. But y' all not ready for that yet. You know, for the longest time, my Sundays after church were what I used to call my reset day. And it's still been so hard for me to release this concept or this mindset. And maybe you can relate, right? I would cram every ounce of recovery into that one day, right? Like, sleep a little bit at the church, run a couple errands, you know, maybe do a face mask, light a candle, convince myself that this was self care, right? But remember, self care is super limiting. We believe in wellness, but here's the truth. Here's the truth about those Sunday resets. It wasn't a rhythm. It was survival. At least in the way that I was doing it. Because by Sunday night, I was not actually restored. Baby, I was barely catching my breath before the next round of Hustle was about to start all over again on Monday. So here's what the process was like. I was pouring everything out all week to everybody else, and I hit a wall by Friday. Crash out on Saturday to the point that you barely want to peel yourself off the sheets and then scramble on Sunday. To try to feel like a human again before you start the work week and do the whole thing all over again.
[00:05:55] Yikes. And then one day, it hit me. I was over here calling survival a rhythm, but it wasn't a rhythm at all. It was me living in a toxic cycle of depletion.
[00:06:06] Ouch. That stings.
[00:06:09] And then I was patching myself up just enough to go right back to the grind. If that shoe let it sink in, boom. Let it sink in. Because the beauty of understanding that is that's when God started to really show me the difference between a Sunday reset and sacred rhythm. A reset is temporary, and it's okay. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just a patch, you know, it's like slapping a band aid on a wound. But a rhythm, a rhythm, honey, we love a good rhythm, okay? Because rhythms are sustainable. Rhythms keep your nervous system calm on a Wednesday afternoon when you check your email and there's 50 million of them piling up. Rhythms let you walk into the holiday season with peace instead of panic. A rhythm is what makes you feel carried by God's grace, not constantly carrying other things. And I knew right then if I ever wanted to thrive, if I ever wanted to move forward and not just survive, then I needed to stop living for Sunday recess and start building a sacred rhythm that works every single day of the week. And I don't know if you all have these things where you notice, like, something, some patterns or habits that you noticed that your parents did that maybe burn them out or, you know, it didn't really end well for them, and you like, I ain't going to do that with my life. And then you fight so hard to not do that with your life. And then you turn around and you're doing that exact thing with your life.
[00:07:40] Yeah, that's what I was doing in this situation. But by the end of this episode, you're going to know exactly how to start building rhythms that protect your capacity and your peace right now, before the holiday rush tries to wipe you out. You ready? Hey, babe, I have to let you in on something special.
[00:08:01] The Hustle Rehab is officially opening its doors October 7th.
[00:08:07] Listen, you know, everything that we do over here is with intention. And seven is the number of completion period. Come on.
[00:08:17] You know, it's no accident because I had thought about launching the Hustle Rehab earlier in the year.
[00:08:24] I have poured out my heart and soul into this program just for you. But it was meant to open October 7th, and this is my eight week signature experience for ambitious women who Are ready to detox from grime mode and finally live in sacred rhythm. No more proving, no more performing. Just alignment, rest and strategy that works for your real life. But here's the part you don't want to miss. The wait list gets the T first on September 27 with an exclusive discount of 15% off. Then the doors officially open to the public on September 29, but not for long. So if you've been waiting for a sign to stop hustling your way through the year, this is it, love. Go ahead and join the wait list today so you are first in line when these doors open. And yes, babe, we got flexible options like afterpay because I don't want to anything standing between you and this sacred reset. The link is in the show notes. Come on. Come on, Ian. Boo. Come and claim your sea lie season. Let's get into the show. Okay, let's keep it a Honda. September is a whole mood because first of all, it's a whole move for me because personally, it's when I got engaged, it's when I got married, it's when both my babies were born. Like, we love September. Okay? Do you remember the 21st? Okay. All right. Why did I just try to sing when my voice is gone? Why?
[00:09:54] Because I don't mind acting a fool with you because you fun. We. We do that anyway. September is a whole mood because it's not quite summer, it's not quite holiday season just yet. But if we're being real, it does carry this weird heaviness. Like the air is shifting, the days are getting shorter, the kids are back at.
[00:10:18] And suddenly your schedule feels like somebody snatched all the margin from under you or snatched and pulled back your edges to the white meat. You know what I'm talking about? You know what I'm talking about. And for my mamas out there, it's lunch packing, it's drop offs, it's homework battles, it's activities every night. Come on with the activities. Come on. Come on. Somebody. Somebody coming out.
[00:10:46] And if you're not a mom, then you still feel the energy shifting because the traffic is heavier. The work calendar starts to fill up and suddenly everybody is like, go, go, go, go, go.
[00:10:58] It's crazy. And then there's the silent pressure of Q4.
[00:11:04] Yeah.
[00:11:05] There's the little voice that says it's only four months left in the year. Did you hit your goals yet?
[00:11:12] Instead of grounding into your own rhythm, you start to sprint towards an imaginary finish line. And you get to trying to prove that you didn't Waste the whole year. Let me drop this truth bomb for you right quick, bookie. You cannot measure your worth by your productivity because God's timeline is not quarter four. He don't care nothing about that. Okay? As the sun sets earlier, you have to be real about the fact that your energy also depletes earlier.
[00:11:41] But instead of honoring this shift, hustle culture teaches us to fight against it, to crank harder, to drink more coffee, to push through. But your body is too smart for that. Because God designed it as an intelligent system, your body starts to invite you to slow down, not to burn out. That's why in the fall, all we want to do is cozy up with blankets. And then we feel the pull, the temptation to sleep, sprint towards the holiday season like it's a marathon. We stack the obligations. We say yes to everybody and they mama. Because we ain't seen them since last year. And before you know it, November and December have completely depleted you. If you don't pause now, you are going to wake up in January feeling like you barely survived the holidays and like you lost yourself in the process. You got to slow down. And here's a check in question for you. Are you setting the pace, or are you letting your season set the pace for you?
[00:12:44] September does not have to be heavy. It can be holy. It can be the month that you shift from Sunday resets to sacred rhythms. All right, boo. Let's talk about why the holidays sneak attack us. Every single year.
[00:12:59] We act surprised in December. Like, dang, how did I get here? What's going on? It was just February. But if we're honest, it's because we've been hustling our way through exhaustion since September or even before September. And here's the truth. The holidays don't just happen.
[00:13:17] November and December is the same every year, Bookie.
[00:13:21] Somebody has to also in that time frame, plan the meals, buy the gifts, decorate the house, schedule the family visits, make sure that the traditions keep running smoothly, and nine times out of 10, that somebody is you. The invisible labor of the holidays is very real. It's not just cooking or shopping is managing emotions. It's smoothing over family dynamics because, you know, everybody got a little bit of tea honey, and it be piping hot around the holidays. Do we not? Do we not do it? Not. Okay.
[00:13:54] Somebody has to make sure that the kids feel the holiday glow and warmth, and that is labor. And it's invisible because nobody puts it on a holiday to do list. And then let's not even talk about family expectations, because everybody's got an opinion, what dish you need to bring, who you should host, how many stops you need to make on Christmas Day. And the pressure to keep everybody happy just keeps building and building and building and building and whoa, honey, it will snatch your piece if you let it. Sometimes you're not even carrying your own expectations. You too busy carrying everybody else's. Then, then, then, girl, we're not even talking about the financial side, the cost of traveling, the cost of gifts, because, come on, the economy. And also, it's insane what they're pricing these Labuu's and all these other things, the outfits, the holiday pictures, the holiday events, the school holiday events, the work holiday events. Even if you budgeted, the pressure to show up big for everybody else just makes you feel like you are constantly behind money stress and emotional stress is a perfect recipe for burnout. And here's the truth. I have always felt this way. And I would love to offer this perspective to you in case you felt this way. I want to give some voice to this perspective and I don't know, take it or leave it. Traditions are beautiful, but let's be real. They can also be chains, okay?
[00:15:28] Doing things the same way, because that's what we've always done, and it's going to have you exhausted and you're going to resent the people that you're doing the things for, and you will not be joyful and present.
[00:15:40] Sometimes honoring your peace and your capacity means tweaking or even retiring traditions that don't serve you anymore, don't serve your family, don't serve your season anymore. We spend so much time prepping for everybody else that we rarely pause to ask, what do I need to stay grounded for this season? And the holidays sneak attack us because we're so focused on managing everybody else's experience that we forget we are allowed to curate our own holiday experiences as well. That's why inside of the Free Abundant Life Society, I always try to do a Christmas party with my home girls because that's our moment. To pause and connect with one another and to feel loved and valued and cared for. So here is your check in. What would it look like to plan your own rhythm with as much care and enthusiasm as you plan everybody else's holiday? I want you to imagine walking into November and December with ease instead of that sharp edge. That's what a sacred rhythm will make possible for you. Okay, let's zone in and keep it real here for a minute, because how do you actually know when you're slipping back into hustle mode? Because it doesn't always show up with this big old crash. Most of the time it starts with the little things that we ignore. And I should know because I experience hustle triggers all the time. And I have to stop myself from giving into the hustle trigger. So here we go. Very first thing is irritability. You are snapping at your kids or your partner left and right. Baby things that normally wouldn't bother you, like shoes being in the wrong place. Somebody forgot to put the top on some. The thing then fell out the basket. It's like these small things and you suddenly turned mean. You literally are flat out mean. And it's your body waving a red flag saying, hey girl, hey. Hey. Listen, boo, I'm overloaded. I need you to slow down. The next sign. Restless sleep. You lay down tired, but your mind is still scrambling at 2am and you're waking up groggy after eight hours because your nervous system never got permission to settle. Boo. That's not just insomnia. It's your body whispering that we need a rhythm, not a reaction. We need you to slow down, not speed it up. Because it's the end of the year. Another sign. Decision fatigue. You find yourself staring at the refrigerator. You overwhelmed by the thought of even picking dinner. And if somebody asks you, mom, what's for dinner? One more again, you're going to lose it. Or you find yourself scrolling on Amazon for 45 minutes because choosing between two candle scents feels like way too much. It's your brain trying to cue you in and tell you that you have reached your capacity. When you start giving people the scraps of your energy, that's hustle mode creeping back in. It's not that you don't love them. It's that you stretch too thin to show up up fully in those relationships. And that is your cue to pause, not to push. So I want you to understand the warning behind the signs. Here's what I need you to hear. The small signs are not personality flaws. I know you've been told that. I know people say you're making excuses. I know all of those things come up, but it's not true. They are sacred signals. They are warnings from your body, warnings from God, warnings from your nervous system that something is off. And ignoring them does not make you a strong woman. It makes you more susceptible to burnout. Here's another truth bomb. Your body is not actually betraying you. It's protecting you. Those signs are actually invitations, not inconveniences. Invitations to slow down, Invitations to pay attention.
[00:19:49] Invitations to get it right. To fix what is off. So if you've noticed yourself in any of these signs, first of all, babe, breathe. Take a deep breath. Seriously, right now.
[00:20:07] You are not broken.
[00:20:10] You've just been called back into rhythm.
[00:20:13] And that's exactly where we're headed next. The rhythm reset framework. Let's start here. Before you build anything new, you need to pause. In the scripture, selah means to pause, to reflect, to take it in. It's a holy interruption, a breath in the middle of a song. And your life deserves those sila moments. Sacred pauses where you put your phone down, where you unclench your jaw, where you drop your shoulders, where you remember, you are not God. You're human.
[00:20:49] Yeah. You're not God, babe.
[00:20:52] And thank God you're not God. Thank God that you're human. And God built rest into your natural design. I want you to understand that sacred pauses do not have to be long, but they are intentional. Two minutes to breathe, pray, stretch, sip tea. A moment to reset your mind.
[00:21:13] Instead of reacting, I want you to start to incorporate AM and PM anchors. Okay? I want you to think of your day like bookends. You don't gotta rescript every hour, but I want you to start with just anchoring. The beginning and the end of your day. I teach this a bit more in depth inside of the hustle rehab, but the basics are your morning anchor.
[00:21:39] One nourishing action that signals to your spirit that you're starting in alignment. This could be scripture, this could be prayer. It could be journaling, drinking water before coffee, something to anchor you and prepare you to start the day. Some signal to your brain. Okay, we're ready.
[00:21:57] The evening anchor is one ritual that tells your body that it's safe to rest. Because so many times you're scared to rest. You don't feel safe enough to actually put everything down and rest. And that signal could be a cancer candle, a gratitude list using some sea life spray, putting your phone down for five minutes and just sitting and quiet. Anchors create rhythms, not rigidity. And the anchors could shift based on what your needs are, but they tell your nervous system that we have a flow that is safe. We have a flow that's safe. We can pause, we can rest. And the next thing is the pivot principle. And this right here is one of my absolute favorites, because life happens. Life happens, Life happens. And a lot of times you stay stuck in your circumstances because you haven't given yourself permission to pivot. You need permission to pivot. A lot of times it's like, oh, by 35. I should be a millionaire. I should have seven kids and a car and all these other things. And the reason why you're still where you were seven years ago is because you haven't given yourself permission to release what you originally saw and imagine a new beginning. And so the pivot principle allows you to do that. You get to accomplish 10 times more and imagine a new future. And a lot of times imagining a new future is much greater than anything that was part of the original vision. Like, the original vision is still there, but it's got upgrades and layers and all these other facets that get to come in because you gave yourself permission to pivot. And why do you need to pivot? Because life will shift. Your kids are going to get sick, your meetings are going to run long, your energy is going to dip and hustle is going to tell you to keep pushing through. When rhythm says it's time to pivot, it's time to pivot. We need to pause right here and give ourselves permission. So instead of judging yourself for missing a workout or skipping journaling, ask, what is the minimum effective dosage that I can do today? Maybe it's two deep breaths in your car before the next thing. Maybe it's a five minute stretch instead of a 30 minute class.
[00:24:18] Pivoting helps you to stay consistent without chaining you to perfectionism. Because perfectionism doesn't exist anyway. That's the real tea. Next, I want you to think about rest as obedience. And here's the truth. Your reset is not just a productivity hack. It is obedience. God calls you to rest not because he needs it, but because he knows you do. Rest is holy. And when you honor it, you are not falling behind. You're giving yourself permission to trust God, to make up the slack to work. You're surrendering your will to him and you are aligning with his divine order. How do I know that it's his divine order? Because our bodies get tired every day.
[00:25:04] There is a natural rhythm or cadence that is built in. It's a built in mechanism to invite us to trust God. Here's another truth bomb, and you've heard me say it before. If you listen to this podcast, your obedience to rest is just as powerful as your work. So your rest, your reset, your rhythm is not optional. It is sacred. And it is the very thing that sustains your calling. So when you think about resetting your rhythm, it's not about adding more things to your list. It's about pausing with intention, anchoring your days, pivoting with grace. And honoring rest as obedience. That's how you build rhythms that carry you through every season, not just for a weekend, not just for a holiday season, but truly for life. You do not have to wait till January to start feeling new. You can reset your rhythm now. Rest is not weakness. It's wisdom. Okay. All right, y', all, it's time for one of my favorite parts of the show, our you did that Suga segment where we celebrate wins from our abundant life society. Babes.
[00:26:18] This week, I have got to shout out Latina. We were talking about this concept of being so afraid to let the ball drop because we think nobody's gonna pick it up. And that fear will keep us juggling forever, exhausted and overwhelmed. But here's the truth. If you never let it drop, you will never know what God or other people might do with it. And so Latina shared in the comments that she finally gave herself permission to let the ball drop, to release, to step back. And, y', all, that made me so proud. Because how can God come through for us if we always standing in a way gripping everything like it depends solely on us? Latina, Boo, you did that. Thank you for modeling what it looks like to release with faith. Keep showing out, keep trusting, and keep giving yourself permission. We see you and we celebrate you, girl.
[00:27:17] So here's what I want you to take away from today. You don't have to wait till January to reset your rhythm. You don't even have to wait for the holidays to knock you down before you decide to change something. You can start right now with sacred pauses, simple AM And PM anchors. Permission to pivot, and obedience to rest. Because, boo, this is how you go from surviving your schedule to actually living in rhythm with your life, your purpose and everything that God has called you to. Your irritability, your restless nights, that decision fatigue that you're feeling. That is not failure. It's feedback. Your body, your spirit, even God himself, girl, is trying to tell you, come back to me. Come back to the rhythm that I established for you. So here's my challenge for you this week. Journal. One small shift that you can make to reset your rhythm. Maybe it's drinking water before coffee. Maybe it's turning off your phone at 9pm Maybe it's 2 deep breaths before you step into a meeting. Write it down, name it, and then, more importantly, do it. And if you're listening to this episode and you're thinking, okay, Dr. Sita, okay, I need a little bit more than these few tips. I need an actual system to detox from Hustle and build rhythms that last. Then you already know what I'm about to say.
[00:28:37] This is why I created the Hustle Rehab. This eight week signature experience is for ambitious women who are ready to stop grinding themselves to the ground and finally live in sacred rhythm. No more proving, no more performing. Just alignment, rest and strategy that actually works with your real life. Now listen, the door is officially open on October 7th. And again. Seven, the number of completion. Come on, come on, come on, come on. That's no accident. But here's the part that I don't want you to miss. If you're on the waiting list, you get early access on September 27th plus 15% off. Then the public gets access starting September 29th. But the doors are not going to stay open for too long. So if you've been waiting for a sign to stop hustling your way through the year, this is it. Join the waitlist today so that you are the first in line for early access. And yes, love, we've got flexible payment options like afterpay because I didn't want to want anything to stand in the way of your reset. I want you to remember that your obedience to rest is just as powerful as your work. God is not asking you to do it all. You assigned yourself to that mission. He's inviting you to trust that he already did it.
[00:29:59] So let's reset, let's breathe, let's step into October, ready for our Selah season. The link to join the wait list is in the show notes and I want you to screenshot this episode, share it on Instagram, Tag me Hestlerehab with your biggest takeaway. I cannot wait to cheer you on. And you already know what I'm about to say. If you enjoyed today's episode, share the love. Share with your mama, share with your auntie, share with your best friend, then head on over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a five star review. Reviews help the podcast to grow. Well, that's all I have for you this week. I'll see you on these social media streets. Bye.
