You are not what you produce

With summer comes longer days—and with them, the opportunity to pause. To notice. To soften into rest.

It's taken me years to truly relish that.

I grew up tying my worth to performance and productivity. I didn't know where I ended and others began—because who was I if I wasn't managing everyone else's happiness? If I wasn't sprinting to cross the next finish line? If I wasn't juggling the wellbeing of others above my own?

It wasn't until I began a consistent mindfulness practice—and invested in therapy—that I started to untangle that story. I began to believe that my rest mattered. That my worth wasn't tied to output.

Mindfulness gave me the awareness to see the patterns that led me to stress, self-judgment, and disconnection. And science affirms what I've felt: mindfulness helps calm the stress centers of the brain, regulate our emotions, and create space between stimulus and response.

Like a muscle, presence takes practice. And, like many things worth doing, it wasn't always easy. But it has been transformational.

As a mother and nonprofit leader, I often feel inspiration, joy, and exhaustion—all at once. My mindfulness practice helps me appreciate and hold it all. It reminds me to appreciate it in community, not alone. It reminds me that I am more than what I produce. That in choosing rest and connection, I am choosing a different future—for myself, for my family, for the community we serve.

My practice reminds me that I am enough. And you are too.

Below are some beliefs I practicing carrying with me:

You shouldn’t have to burn out to prove you care.
Sacrifice isn’t a qualification for doing good work - it’s a symptom of a broken system.
 

Peace has an ROI.
Rest, stillness, and internal alignment create stronger, more sustainable impact than urgency and over-functioning ever will.
 

Mothers, caregivers, and givers deserve more than survival.
The systems we’ve built were not made for us. But we can build better ones.
 

Being responsible is not the same as being safe.
Many of us were taught that control equals safety. But true safety comes from presence, support, and self-trust - not over-performance.
 

Healing is impact.
There is nothing selfish about taking care of yourself. In fact, it’s the most radical thing many of us will ever do.
 

Generosity shouldn’t be a one-way street.
Those who give the most must also learn to receive - and be supported in that learning.
 

Leadership starts with modeling repair.
You don’t have to be perfect. But you do have to be present. Modeling imperfection, rest, and re-regulation is a form of leadership.
 

We are allowed to rewrite the rules.
What we inherited is not what we have to pass down. Culture is not fixed - it’s made. And we get to make it differently.