90 | Pause by Design: A Month Off At 30% Capacity

⚡️Click Here To Text Monique!What happens when you stop pushing through and give yourself permission to pause, reflect, and reset?Reflecting on her recent journey, Monique shares how easy it is to take for granted the practices that support her mental well-being amid the daily demands of motherhood, work, and personal commitments. After recognizing her own tendency to hold tightly to control, she discusses how this summer has become a season of slowing down and creating space to reassess what she needs.Throughout the episode, Monique highlights the struggle many women face in balancing ambition with self-care. She honestly shares her own experiences with burnout and the importance of stepping back to reevaluate priorities. With practical insights, she encourages us to find our own versions of rest and challenge the expectations that keep us constantly pushing.Because true success does not come from constant productivity alone. It also requires the courage to pause, reflect, and care for ourselves.GEMS DROPPED“Sometimes things just feel okay or good because they are. Like, the things on the surface or on paper are looking good. So that means you should be good. You don't feel bad. So therefore, that means you're good. ​And ​it's ​like, ​no. ​Something more ​is ​here. ​Something ​that ​you ​can't ​even ​totally ​predict ​or ​comprehend ​is ​available ​to ​you, ​but ​you​ can't ​conceive ​of ​more ​than ​what ​you ​can ​conceive ​of ​while ​you're ​still ​in ​motion in ​the ​way ​that ​you ​are.”“We busy ourselves with stirring because it makes us feel important, it makes us feel active, it makes us feel like we're doing something. And ​that's ​because ​our ​ego ​needs ​to ​feel ​it, ​not ​because ​there's ​any ​use ​in ​it ​at ​all.”“Just because your identity and the value that you have sort of set an expectation around, just because thus far it has been that of almost unlimited availability and the person who is the fixer, the problem solver, the handler, doesn't mean that it has to remain that way.”“You can rest by design. You can. You can be intentional and shift this proactively, as opposed to reacting to exhaustion and waiting for exhaustion to take you down.”STAY IN TOUCHCome and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to [email protected].