The High Cost of Hustle for Black Women: Overwork, Shame & the Path to Healing

🎙️Carrie On!Hustle culture tells us we’re either not doing enough… or we should stop doing everything. But what if the real question isn’t whether you hustle, it’s what the hustle is costing you?In this episode of Carrie On!, I sit down with Dr. Portia Preston—2x TEDx speaker, public health expert, and author of Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go?: A Guide to Shame-Free Wellness That Honors Your Reality and Gives You Life (Revell, Aug 5, 2025). We dig into what sustainable wellness actually looks like, especially for women, Black women, caregivers, and neurodivergent folks who are tired of “perfect” wellness culture and just want something that feels real and doable.Portia shares her SANE framework, talks openly about late-in-life ADHD + autism diagnosis, and gives us language for navigating shame, overwork, and the pressure to be everything to everyone. If you’ve ever thought, “I know I need to slow down… but how?” this episode is your permission slip.In this episode, we cover:Why hustle itself isn’t the villain—how to know when it’s costing you too muchThe SANE framework:S – Slow down and reflectA – Acknowledge your reality (resources, support, and thoughts)N – Navigate with intention (values, integrity, how you want to show up)E – Evaluate and adaptThe shame spiral: why shame is the easiest fuel to grab… and the worst one to run onHow identity (gender, race, role) shapes our relationship to hustle, worthiness, and restThe biological “weathering” Black women experience and why access alone doesn’t fix health inequities.About Dr. Portia Preston:Dr. Portia Preston (Long Beach, CA) is a 2x TEDx Speaker, Author of Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go? (Revell, Aug 5, 2025), CEO/Founder of Empowered to Exhale, Associate Professor of Public Health at California State University, Fullerton, and a Certified Executive Coach.She’s spent her career helping individuals and organizations create sustainable, inclusive wellness, drawing on experience with organizations like Procter & Gamble, the CDC, Deloitte Consulting, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.At Cal State Fullerton, Portia teaches stress management, promoting health in diverse populations, and public health administration, while designing innovative wellness programming for students, faculty, and staff. She holds degrees from Stanford (BA in cultural & social anthropology), University of Michigan (MPH), and UCLA (DrPH).Website: portiapreston.comInstagram & socials: @drportiaprestonBook: Hustle, Flow, or Let It Go?: A Guide to Shame-Free Wellness That Honors Your Reality and Gives You Life (Revell, Aug 5, 2025) – available through your favorite online retailer or by request at your local bookstore.