Hi Community,
Confession: I tend to be pretty bad at taking my own advice.
I am a huge advocate of rest, relaxation, and self-care, but I seem to wriggle out of applying any of those principles to my own life.
But this past week I took five glorious days off. It was absolutely wonderful! I had told myself that I needed to take a break so I could show up BETTER and do MORE but frankly, that is a load of capitalist bullsh*t.
While on vacay, I simultaneously read Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown and Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener. The first is about the politics of healing and happiness, and the second is a memoir about a woman's career in the startup tech industry. They couldn't be more different.
In reading these two books, I saw two very different modes of living represented. One I resonated with and felt deeply awakened by, and another that I realized I had unwittingly subscribed to as tech startup culture, capitalism, and productivity optimization has oozed across industries and into every area of our lives – whether we work in tech or not.
As we reckon with "the way things have always been," I'm also turning an eye to the ways in which these institutions of white supremacy culture infiltrate and mess with our innate ability to rest and pursue pleasure.
There are many reasons why we might feel like we can't rest (and real reasons like being oppressed, making ends meet, raising kids, etc). But not all of them belong to us.
I try to lean on my wellness practices to figure out the difference. Check out this week's virtual events below, and join us on July 25th from 11 am - 12:30 pm for Breathwork + Yin to honor the body as home with Danielle Kurtz.
xo,
