I used to avoid emotions. Push through. Just keep going.

"Pull up your big girl pants and get it done."

To the outside world, I was dependable. Reliable. Someone you could always count on. No matter the cost to me, I showed up.

If you needed help on a hard day, support through a divorce, or someone to pack boxes and move, I was there. If you needed a meal, a listening ear, or someone to believe in your business idea, I was all in—sometimes even putting my own dreams on pause to make yours happen.

At work, I wasn’t just hitting my sales goals—I was exceeding them. I was supporting the team, leading book clubs, volunteering for extra projects. I needed to be seen as essential.

And yes, these qualities are good. Being there for others is meaningful. But is it really giving when it comes with overwhelming anxiety and resentment?

If I was constantly running on empty, questioning why no one showed up for me the way I showed up for them, was I really offering love—or was I chasing validation?

I had to be honest with myself. My relentless giving and striving weren’t coming from a pure place. They were driven by something deeper: a fear of being unworthy if I wasn’t useful. A fear that my value was measured by what I could do for others.

Until I couldn’t anymore.

The Breaking Point

Nine years ago, I hit rock bottom.

I was done. The version of me that had worked so hard to hold it all together shattered.

Every emotion I had pushed down for years came pouring out.

And I am so thankful for that day.

Because that was the day, I realized I couldn’t keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

So, I took an opposite action.

Instead of pushing through, I got curious.

I started paying attention—to my thoughts, my emotions, and my body signals. I traced my beliefs back to their origins—where they started, why I had accepted them as truth, and whether they were actually serving me.

And then, I realized something that changed everything: I had the power to choose differently.

Rewriting the Story

For so long, I thought my worth was in how much I could do for others. That if I wasn’t constantly proving my value, I would be forgotten.

But when I stepped back and examined these beliefs, I saw how they were shaped—not by truth, but by past experiences, expectations, and deeply ingrained survival patterns.

I forgave.

Not because everything that happened was okay, but because I recognized that the people who had shaped these beliefs in me weren’t trying to harm me. They were operating from their own programming, doing the best they could with what they knew.

That realization changed me.

When we hold on to past hurts, they take up space in our minds, bodies, and hearts. They become the filter through which we see ourselves and the world. But when we get curious instead of staying trapped in old narratives, we give ourselves the opportunity to release. To let go of what no longer serves us.

And in doing that, we open ourselves up to something new.

Healing is a Daily Practice

This journey doesn’t have an endpoint. Every day, I commit to staying curious—letting my thoughts, feelings, and reactions be my teachers.

Healing isn’t a straight line. It’s a process of uncovering layers, examining them, and choosing how to move forward. Each new realization increases my capacity—not just for personal growth, but for showing up in a way that is truly sustainable.

For so long, I was fueled by urgency. By the belief that I had to be everything for everyone, all the time. But now, I am learning something new: slowing down.

Not so I lose momentum, but so I can bring others along..

Not so I do less, but so I create deeper, more lasting impact.

Not so I become passive, but so I can be intentional about where my energy is going.

When Strength Becomes a Weakness

I am a big dreamer with a big heart for others.

I see patterns quickly, find solutions where others see obstacles, and take action with precision.

But I also know that our greatest strengths, when unexamined, can become our greatest weaknesses.

When the drive to help turns into self-neglect.
When the ability to push through turns into chronic burnout.
When high standards become unrealistic expectations.

The key isn’t to stop being who we are. The key is to allow our strengths to be refined. To learn when to step forward and when to pause. To recognize that true impact doesn’t come from running ourselves into the ground—it comes from showing up with clarity, intention, and balance.

From Burnout to Breakthrough

So, if you are someone who gives endlessly, who shows up no matter what, who keeps pushing through exhaustion—pause.

Ask yourself:

• Am I giving from a full cup, or am I running on fumes?
• Am I saying yes out of love, or out of fear of letting someone down?
• Am I attached to proving my worth through what I do?

The shift from burnout to breakthrough doesn’t happen all at once. It happens in small moments of self-awareness. In tiny decisions to rest, to set a boundary, to say no without guilt.

And in those moments, we begin to reclaim ourselves.

We learn that our worth isn’t tied to productivity.

That we can support others without sacrificing ourselves.

That true fulfillment comes not from constantly doing, but from being deeply present in the things that matter most.

The Invitation

You are not here to burn out.

You are here to thrive.

To give, but also to receive.
To serve, but also to rest.
To help others, but also to honor your own needs.

Breakthrough begins the moment you decide to stop proving and start being.

So, if you are feeling the pull to slow down, listen. If you are questioning old patterns, stay curious. If you are exhausted from carrying more than your share, release.

There is a different way to move through the world.

A way that is lighter. More aligned. More sustainable.

And it begins the moment you let go of the need to be everything for everyone and step fully into who you are meant to be.