The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes

How has your lineage influenced how you rest? In this Poetic Interlude, Jasmine Vallejo-Love shares her poem “My Response When the Instructor Prompted Us to Craft a Poem About Flowers at a Time Like This” and a reflection prompt on rest. Creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest. Settle into the work of Jasmine Vallejo-Love and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.ABOUT JASMINE VALLEJO-LOVEJASMINE VALLEJO-LOVE is a disabled Afro-Puerto Rican American poet and writer raised in the Bronx and living in Los Angeles. Her work explores familial healing, love, and self-discovery, and engages with social issues such as mental illness, domestic violence, addiction, and sexual assault. Jasmine is a Diana Woods Memorial Award finalist, 2025 Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ Voices Fellow, and was selected for workshops with PEN America’s Emerging Voices, VONA, and McCormack. Her work has been anthologized and appears or is forthcoming in journals such as Pinch, Lunch Ticket, and Cholla Needles. Jasmine’s work has also been selected for a Quippy Choice Award.Visit Jasmine at vallejolovelife.com. Say “hello” to Jasmine on Instagram @CafecitowithJas.You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Jasmine's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.Note: “My Response When the Instructor Prompted Us to Craft a Poem About Flowers at a Time Like This” was first published in Pinch.PODCAST TEAMHost, Dana Tenille WeekesProducer, Annabelle OhEditor, Sagheer MuhammadContent Manager, Annabelle OhIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

What happens when our rest is tied up in someone else’s oppression? In this Poetic Interlude, Kira Tucker shares her poem “Off on Holiday” and a reflection prompt on rest. Creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest. Settle into the work of Kira Tucker and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.ABOUT KIRA TUCKERKIRA TUCKER is a Memphis, Tennessee native and winner of the 2025 National Poetry Series, selected by Siwar Masannat. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in English from Northwestern University, where she was the 2024-2025 Artist in Residence. Her work has been published by Poetry, The Academy of American Poets, The Iowa Review, and more. A former managing editor of TriQuarterly, Kira was a finalist for a 2024 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship. Pre-order Kira's debut poetry collection, WILDEST (Akashic Books, 2026).Visit Kira at lnk.bio/kiratucker. Say “hello” to Kira on Instagram @_shedreamsin_technicolor.You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Kira's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.Note: "Off on Holiday" was first published in Poetry.PODCAST TEAMHost, Dana Tenille WeekesProducer, Annabelle OhEditor, Sagheer MuhammadContent Manager, Annabelle OhIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In Part 2 of our "Let the World Catch Up" episode, host Dana Tenille Weekes dives into the remaining three of five mindsets to meet those moments in life when you feel like you’re onto something that you can see (but most people can’t see) or you understand (but most people can’t understand). What You'll Settle IntoThe three remaining mindset shifts that are necessary to let the world catch up: (1) dispel the myth that everyone must understand you; (2) let go of the notion that you've got to be fully ready to get started (you are not all-knowing); and (3) do not create any more villains in your life narrative.Reflection prompts to help us identify and challenge dominant narratives that keep us caught up instead of letting the world catch up to us. Key Quotes / InsightsYou don’t need everyone in this world to understand you. If you’re thinking that everyone must understand, you’re starting with an impossibility.Everything becomes. But to become, to be in the process of becoming, you’ve got to start somewhere; even your beliefs must start from somewhere. First, you have a thought, then an idea, then an understanding, then a knowing, then a belief.When you always create a villain in your life narrative — the one that keeps you stuck in your job, the one that tamps down on every idea, the one where you always take their actions personally and with offense — you are not letting the world catch up to you.PODCAST TEAMHost, Dana Tenille WeekesProducer, Najmah Ahmad Editor, Sagheer MuhammadContent Manager, Annabelle OhIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

The Rest of Us is doing something different for Season Two! Every other week, we will feature two of over 30 poets in a segment we call “Poetic Interlude,” launching during National Poetry Month. In this Poetic Interlude, Susan L. Leary shares her poem “Idle” and a reflection prompt on rest.Creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest. Settle into the work of Susan L. Leary and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.ABOUT SUSAN L. LEARYSusan L. Leary is the author of six poetry collections, including SENTENCE (Nine Syllables Press, fall 2026), selected by Eugenia Leigh to win the Nine Syllables Press Chapbook Contest; More Flowers (Trio House Press, 2026); and Dressing the Bear (Trio House Press, 2024), selected by Kimberly Blaeser to win the Louise Bogan Award. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in such places as North American Review, Indiana Review, Cream City Review, Smartish Pace, Diode Poetry Journal, Third Coast, and Verse Daily. She holds an MFA from the University of Miami and lives in Indianapolis, IN. Visit her at www.susanlleary.com. Say "hello" to Susan on Instagram @susanllearypoet.You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Susan’s poem and reflection prompt, along with a community of other poets. PODCAST TEAMHost, Dana Tenille WeekesProducer, Annabelle OhEditor, Sagheer MuhammadContent Manager, Annabelle OhIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

The Rest of Us is doing something different for Season Two. Every other week, we will feature two of over 30 poets in a segment we call “Poetic Interlude,” launching during National Poetry Month. In this Poetic Interlude, Anastacia-Reneé shares their poem “Stem” and a reflection prompt on rest.Creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest. Settle into the work of Anastacia-Reneé and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.ABOUT ANASTACIA-RENEÉAnastacia-Reneé is a queer writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, playwright, TEDX speaker, and podcaster. She is the author of (v.) (Gramma/Black Ocean), Forget It (Black Radish), Sidenotes from the Archivist (HarperCollins/Amistad), and Here in the (Middle) of Nowhere (HarperCollins/Amistad). Side Notes From The Archivist was selected as one of “NYPL Best Books of 2023” and the American Library Association’s (RUSA) “Notable Books of 2024.” Reneé, a recipient of the James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award, was selected by NBC News as part of the list of "Queer Artist of Color Dominate 2021's Must-See LGBTQ Art Shows," for “(Don’t Be Absurd) Alice in Parts,” an installation at the Frye Art Museum. She served as Seattle Civic Poet (2017-1019) during Seattle’s inaugural year of UNESCO status. Her work has been anthologized and published widely.  You can visit Anastacia-Reneé at anastacia-renee.com/home. Say “hello” to Anastacia-Reneé on Instagram @Anastaciarenee5.You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Anastacia-Reneé’s poem and reflection prompt along with other poets.PODCAST TEAMHost, Dana Tenille WeekesProducer, Annabelle OhEditor, Sagheer MuhammadContent Manager, Annabelle OhIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In the Season Two premiere of The Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes makes the case for embracing the affirmation “let the world catch up” when people cannot see what we see or understand what we understand. Dana opens this two-part episode by sharing that she struggled over the past few months to remain connected to her agency. She also acknowledges that many of us feel unrest in today’s world from sources that are beyond our inner selves. But, Dana says, this is even more reason for us to adopt the mindset of “let the world catch up,” and she explores two of the five mindset shifts to do so.  What You'll Settle IntoTwo mindset shifts that are necessary to let the world catch up: (1) pull yourself out of proving mode; and (2) have a vision of what you want that is so real you’re living it consistently.A reflection prompt to help us identify default narratives we tell ourselves that keep us in proving mode, and what a narrative could be that defaults to a “let the world catch up” mindset.Two other reflection prompts to help us envision and believe in what the world will need to catch up to.  Key Quotes / InsightsLetting the world catch up must be for something that centers your humanity and values and allows you to feel your feelings instead of thinking or masking them. But, in no way, does it center your ego.Proving mode stalls being who you are. You’re not letting the world catch up to you, but you’re constantly chasing the world to prove that you deserve to live in it“When there is something I desire that I know the world will need to catch up to … I envision and believe that what I desire has already happened, it already exists, and it is waiting for me to catch up to it.”What the world needs to catch up to is not an easy responsibility or opportunity to hold. Meeting your moment is celebratory, yes, but it is a responsibility, which is why I often tell folks that not distinguishing between you and your ego will undermine who you are when you meet your moment and undermine the moment itself.PODCAST TEAMHost, Dana Tenille WeekesProducer, Najmah Ahmad Editor, Sagheer MuhammadContent Manager, Annabelle OhIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

It’s the Season 1 Finale of The Rest of Us! But this episode isn’t just a wrap-up or a celebration of this milestone. Host Dana Tenille Weekes invites you to redefine what it means to celebrate yourself in ways that align with your truth, your joy, and your rest. Dana walks through five realizations about what celebration now looks like for her after self-reflection on why she hasn't celebrated her birthdays, milestones, and herself in ways that were "sufficient" to society. She even contends with Merriam-Webster's definition of "celebrate" (although she loves Merriam-Webster and their social media account). This episode reminds you that celebrating yourself shouldn't be performative. This is your permission slip to experience self-recognition, joy, and gratitude in your own way. Dana’s Five Realizations About Celebration:“Notable” moments are small and personal – They are the things about yourself that, if you don't note them, you wouldn't fully appreciate your growth and progress.Celebration is often a private act – Not everything needs to be shared publicly because we're beings and not brands.Community matters – Being seen by people who see your nuances and full humanity is a celebration.No Longer Forgoing Joy or Happiness – You do not have to sacrifice feeling joy when carrying other emotions that feel like the complete opposite.Gratitude is the greatest form of celebration – Gratitude allows you to celebrate yourself (and others) in the present moment without the desire to change anything about who you are.Gratitude Dana ends the episode by thanking a few people who helped her on this podcast journey, including Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever, Sagheer Muhammad (podcast producer and editor), and Eric Ramia (virtual personal trainer).Special Announcements:🎉 That’s a wrap on Season 1! But Dana isn’t going far. Here's how to stay in the loop:🔔 Subscribe to The Rest of Us  (Podcast) on Substack, where Dana will post afterthoughts, writing prompts, community updates, and behind-the-scenes reflections. This is new for the Rest of Us, so you won't see momentum (a single post) for a bit of time! 📱 Follow The Rest of Us on Instagram ➡️ @therestofus.podcast🗓️ Season 2 returns in February or March 2026. Until then, listen or revisit episodes, celebrate yourselves, and rest, friends!If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

We use apps to save time, outsource errands, and even boil water in under a minute, yet we still claim we “don’t have time.” In this second-to-last episode of Season 1, Dana Tenille Weekes challenges our cultural addiction to speed, noise, and endless doing with a simple but powerful invitation: make time to do nothing. Dana explores rest by reclaiming three undervalued states of being:BoredomSilenceSlownessBy the end of the episode, Dana takes us through a five-step reflection exercise to shift our mindset around what it means to “be” and the power it holds.This episode isn’t about escaping or avoiding life. It is about waking up to your own presence.💡 Key TakeawaysBoredom is often the agitation you feel when you can't sit with yourself.Silence is part of the natural rhythm of our lives we tend to erase.Slowness distances us from being reactive beings.✍️ Reflection Exercise (5 Prompts)What narrative do you tell yourself that makes you hesitant to say "yes" to boredom, silence, or slowness?What do you need to unlearn about this narrative?What new narrative can you tell yourself when the old narrative emerges?What action can you take to transform the new narrative into behavior?When are the moments you'll need to take action?📢 Two Special Announcements🎉 This is the second-to-last episode of The Rest of Us. We are wrapping up Season 1 and will return in February or March 2026.✨ The Rest of Us just launched a brand-new Substack, The Rest of Us (Podcast) (@therestofuspodcast), a space for:Afterthoughts and deeper reflections on episodesGuided writing prompts and rest practicesUpdates on future community events and guest appearances📩 Be among the first to subscribe and stay connected during the off-season.If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

Stop and ask yourself this question: What are the rules that I live by that actually do not serve me? In this episode, host Dana Tenille Weekes invites us to question rules around us and our internal scripts that keep us tethered to unrest. Dana shares three categories of rules for listeners to rethink or examine closely that may seem obvious to identify, but not always: (1) "this is how it's always been," (2) unified fronts, and (3) shame or conformity, rather than understanding. By the end of the episode, Dana facilitates a reflection exercise to help us identify one rule that slowly erodes our sense of self and to embrace a new rule or mindset that can lead us to live the life we desire or want to maintain.   🧩 The 3 Rule Categories to Rethink:“This is how it’s always been.”How unchallenged excuses, being incentivized to accommodate, and remaining stuck in perfectionism and binary thinking can make us overlook that we've embraced this rule Unified FrontsHow presenting a unified front without genuine unity or a genuine interest in achieving it prioritizes control instead of leadershipShame and Conformity, Rather than UnderstandingHow shame and conformity center judgment, rather than understanding✍️ Self-Reflection Exercise:To help listeners shift to embracing rules that serve their lives, Dana closes the episode with a journaling prompt:Identify: One rule currently shaping your mindset that is not serving youAsk: What do I actually want to achieve despite this rule?Reflect: What has kept me from realizing this rule doesn’t serve me?Act: What is one practical behavior I can adopt to embrace a new rule that is practical, prioritizes my humanity, and gives me grace? 💬 Memorable Quotes: "The problem arises when the rules governing our mindset do not serve us, and as a result, we have disciplined ourselves not to serve ourselves and our humanity.""Unchallenged excuses will take over your life like a slow boil.""It is often in the mistakes that the real possibilities are planted or where necessary pivots manifest.""Some people believe that judgment is the knowledge and understanding you need. It's not. Judgment will remain regardless of whether you conform." "Accountability should lead us to learn, grow, and understand ourselves with an open and accepting embrace."If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In this special live-recorded episode from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 54th Annual Legislative Conference, host Dana Tenille Weekes sits with Nia Ariel Davis Sigona to explore the relationship between rest and reimagining. Dana and Nia talk about the power and necessity of reimagining in adulthood. How reimagining is a way to world-build and live differently, especially when you have few or no models to reference. As part of the conversation, Dana and Nia delve into how rest helps to cultivate the courage to stay connected to your agency when tested, while making shifts and changing behaviors to live differently.Before ending the conversation, Dana shares a guided writing practice with listeners to help us start reimagining and world-building our lives, allowing us to take one step toward our freedom and liberation. With deep wisdom, poetic reflection, and practical insight, Dana and Nia show us how reclaiming imagination isn’t naïve—it’s necessary. WATCH the recording from the CBCF ALC on YouTube.✍️ Reflection & Writing Prompt (from the episode):Dana shares a transformative writing exercise with two options:The Values Prompt – Write about a value you say you hold, but are afraid to live.The Dreams Prompt – Write about the moment when you've popped your dream cloud, and you're fully living in it. Listeners are then guided through a five-step revisioning process to bring their writing to life. Dana also challenges them to take just one small step toward making their written word real.📍 About Nia Ariel Davis SigonaNia Ariel Davis Sigona is the executive coach and advisor behind Root + Bloom Strategies, a social impact agency helping leaders break down silos and collaborate for systems change.An attorney by training and advocate at heart, Nia brings over 15 years of experience in executive leadership, policy, and advocacy across nonprofits and government. With her expertise in gathering changemakers to translate their good intent into collective impact, she helps mission-driven leaders develop skills, strategies, and systems to drive meaningful change.If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

This episode is Part 2 of Dana Tenille Weekes’ raw and resonant conversation with Sullivan Summer, a poet, essayist, literary critic, and dear friend of Dana's. Picking up where they left off, Dana and Sullivan's conversation deepens on societal conditioning, particularly how feelings such as guilt can undermine rest as liberation.Sullivan also holds space for Dana to share the story behind her deep embrace of the question, "Whose mountain am I climbing?" Dana recounts the moment during her year-long journey of rest when she decided to take accountability for her role in her own suffering ... and it involves the phenomenal and beloved poet Patricia Smith. And before the episode ends, Sullivan asks Dana to focus on her fears. ⭐ About Sullivan SummerSullivan Summer is a poet, essayist, and literary critic. Her first poetry chapbook, Performance Anxiety, was published in 2025 through Black Sunflowers Poetry Press.  Sullivan is a host for the New Books Network and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle, as well as the African American Intellectual History Society. Her Substack, Additions to the Archives, is a space for conversation with authors, academics, readers, and thinkers committed to the preservation and expansion of the Black collective archive.  You can find Sullivan's work on her website, sullivansummer.com, on Substack @sullivansummer, and on Instagram @thesullivansummer. If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In Part 1 of this two-part, intimate and thought-provoking conversation, Dana Tenille Weekes is joined by a dear friend and listener, Sullivan Summer, a poet, essayist, and literary critic. Together, they explore the layers of personal transformation, ancestral wisdom, and how societal and familial conditioning undermine the vivid details of who we truly are.Opening with the first two lines of Audre Lorde's poem, "Change of Season," Sullivan asks Dana, "Were you once someone else?" Sullivan also raises the question of whether Dana's definition of rest is meme-worthy, leading into a dialogue about the power of reimagining during times when people feel compelled to resist. And, before the first part of their conversation ends, Sullivan asks Dana to deeply explore rest as liberation with the question, "To be liberated, must you first be imprisoned?"Marking the 20th episode of The Rest of Us, this conversation between dear friends explores self-trust, unlearning, and learning to let the world catch up with you—a kind of rest that reaches far beyond self-care.⭐ About Sullivan SummerSullivan Summer is a poet, essayist, and literary critic. Her first poetry chapbook, Performance Anxiety, was published in 2025 through Black Sunflowers Poetry Press.  Sullivan is a host for the New Books Network and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle, as well as the African American Intellectual History Society. Her Substack, Additions to the Archives, is a space for conversation with authors, academics, readers, and thinkers committed to the preservation and expansion of the Black collective archive.  You can find Sullivan's work on her website, sullivansummer.com, on Substack @sullivansummer, and on Instagram @thesullivansummer. If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In this important episode, host Dana Tenille Weekes questions the non-stop exhaustion that we call ambition: What are you chasing, and is it even meant for you? Through thoughtful reflection, storytelling, and three main points, Dana unpacks why so many of us are trapped in the "chase" (striving, following, and supporting - yes, even supporting) that steals our agency to live a life of expectations ... a life that was never yours. As a complement to the popular episode, Whose Mountain Are You Climbing? (Episode 5), this episode calls for you to stop running, settle in, and engage in radical self-honesty.🔍 What You’ll Learn:Why chasing doesn't center you How many societal systems or practices make you think you've taken hold of your life when you haven'tHow chasing requires you to believe in your expectations, rather than your beingHow living a life of "should" is taking away your agency and causing unrest Why chasing begs the question: What are you really running from?💭 Reflection Prompts:How much do you use chasing-like language in your life to pursue and prepare for blessings and real opportunities?How much of your life and decision-making is defined by systems or conditioning? If you keep chasing, what are you really running from?If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In this motivational episode, Dana Tenille Weekes speaks to the tension between knowing what you're meant to do and avoiding doing it. Her message? Just do the thing. Whether you're stuck in the loop of overthinking, waiting on the perfect sign, drowning in comparisons, or buried under the weight of others' expectations, this episode calls you out (with love) and invites you to stop planning and start acting.If you've been waiting for clarity, certainty, or permission, this is your sign! (Although, as you'll learn, you don't really need another sign.)💡 In This Episode:Why rest doesn’t mean avoidance or delayHow overthinking masquerades as productivityThe problem of waiting for a “sign” that fits your fantasyWhy other people doing “your thing” is proof there’s room for you tooWhat happens when you live under the weight of others’ fears or approvalWhy being stuck is often more effort than trying something new🔑 Key Quotes:“You don’t need a sign. You need to decide.” - Christopher Griffin (@plantkween) "Don't wake up to watch other people." - Momma Weekes “There’s so much unrest in hiding ourselves from ourselves.” “Somebody out there is waiting on your way.” “Sometimes staying stuck is the riskiest move you can make.”✨ Reflection Prompts:What is “the thing” that keeps calling to you, even if you call it nagging?Where are you pretending to act by overthinking or re-planning something you already know how to start?Whose approval are you waiting for—and is it really yours to wait on?What version of “risk” have you normalized in your life that is keeping you stuck?What’s one action you can start today to just do the thing?If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In this episode, Dana Tenille Weekes challenges the commonly overlooked confusion between niceness and professionalism and how that confusion can create a work culture of unrest.Dana explores how avoiding the truth under the guise of being "polite" or “professional” leads to unrest for you and your colleagues. She offers a retake on the definition of professionalism: "Owning your responsibilities and the truths and realities of your work with a deep sense of care, requisite skills (and competency), and required pace."Drawing on her experiences as a lawyer in Big Law and now an organizational health advisor, and incorporating a powerful excerpt from her article on professionalism, which was picked up by Business Insider in 2020, Dana also makes the case that etiquette is often prioritized over equity, which comes at a significant cost.💡 In This Episode:Why “being nice” absolves accountability, builds workarounds for addressing real problems, and discourages problem-solvingDana’s definition of professionalism: care, skills, and required paceHow truth, not etiquette, should define professional behaviorThe understanding that niceness and compassion are not the same thingA reading from Dana’s revised article "Want to Do Something to Enact Equity? Quit Being Nice at Work," picked by Business Insider in 2020🛠️ Key Concepts:Care: Calling people IN (not out) with the intention to problem-solve and maintain respectSkills: Possessing the skills and experience to apply them (competency) to make informed decisions and manage complexitiesPace: Being conscious of time, resources, and the necessary skills and competencies required to progress✍️ Reflection Prompts:When do you default to being nice to avoid, ignore, or distort a situation at work that requires the truth to be addressed? Why?How can you shift from being nice to being compassionate in your work relationships?Think of a truth you must take responsibility for. How do you deliver it with care, skills, and at the pace it demands?📲 Resources Mentioned:🔗 Business Insider Article or Instagram — “Want to Do Something to Enact Equity? Quit Being Nice at Work”If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In this urgent episode, Dana Tenille Weekes speaks to the global unrest that is happening around us and what it means for rest as self-liberation. She talks directly to listeners who are opting to "rest" to avoid and disengage from the world's realities or those listeners who are refusing to rest for the "sake of the movement." Dana continues to build on the past two episodes, which focus on rest in the context of comfort, peace, and liberation. She also revisits the rest continuum and how people must cultivate spaces for the continuum's three forms of rest to sustain themselves and, in turn, any movement that progresses humanity forward.  Dana shares:Why ignoring global unrest for the sake of “comfort” isn’t rest at allHow your silence and inaction can deepen unrest for othersWhy truth is the undercurrent of her definition of restThe rest continuum - doing nothing/being, restoring, and liberating – and practical ways to incorporate these three forms of rest into your life todayHow sustained movements for justice require sustained people who are grounded in their agency and belongingShe reminds us that rest is not a retreat from reality, but a way to remain strong, conscious, and present in it.✨ Key reflection prompts:Are you living in comfort at the expense of truth and others’ humanity?How can you protect and uphold truth using your strengths?What rest do you need right now to reconnect with your agency and belonging?If anything in this episode feels like a message or a mirror, share it with someone ready to think about rest differently.If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In this thought-provoking follow-up to “A Love Letter - To Folks Afraid of Their Liberation,” host Dana Tenille Weekes challenges listeners to more closely examine the differences of living a life of comfort, peace, and liberation, and why mistaking one for the other may be holding us back from true rest.She defines comfort, peace, and liberation as:Comfort: your familiar that avoids, ignores, or distorts truthPeace: your ability to recognize truth but not act on itLiberation: your willingness and readiness to protect and act on truth over and over againDana also reintroduces her powerful definition of rest, a liberating form of self-acceptance rooted in agency, belonging, and truth. In doing so, she challenges us to think about how we risk living passive lives (curated by others) when we do not embrace our truth (even when uncomfortable). This episode of The Rest of Us explores comfort, peace, and liberation, and offers reflection questions or prompts for each, including:What aspects of your life are you afraid to say out loud that no longer serve you?What spaces or relationships ask you to abandon truth for the sake of peace or comfort?How often do you find it difficult to stand up for the truth, but easily maintain the lie?This episode is an invitation to pause, confront the familiar, and start reclaiming the parts of ourselves we hide that keep us from our liberation.If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

What if comfort is not meant to serve you?What if the life you’ve built is actually a quiet form of unrest?In this special episode, host Dana Tenille Weekes reads a deeply personal love letter, “To Folks Afraid of Their Liberation,” she has written to listeners. After witnessing loved ones and strangers alike disassociate from their agency and belonging during these times, Dana shares this letter as both a message and mirror on whether we embrace comfort, peace, or liberation. The three are not the same nor synonyms. In doing so, Dana navigates issues of silent compliance and convenient toxicity that disconnect us from ourselves. All of this, including the emotional and physical toll, stems from suppressing our truths, which leads to unrest, as defined by Dana.Through powerful storytelling, including an unforgettable moment in law school and a sacred gathering with esteemed poet Patricia Smith, Dana explores what it really means to disrupt comfort, embody truth, and walk boldly in liberation.If you’ve ever been afraid of letting go of the familiar or questioned if peace and liberation are truly the same, this episode of The Rest of Us podcast is for you.🛠️ Key Messages:Liberation is not comfort. It is not peacekeeping. It is being willing and ready to disrupt to uphold the truth and save it over and over again, when necessary. Comfort can be the very thing that undermines you, because what is familiar to you can be the very thing that is toxic to you. Community requires truth, not compliance. If you cannot give or receive the truth in your community, you're in a club (or cult).You cannot outsource your liberation—not to accolades, titles, wealth, or rest-themed aesthetics. Your liberation exists in your being, not your brand.You were imagined in such detail that you were created. Living those details is your liberation. It requires a strength that comfort and peace cannot create.If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In part two of this powerful episode, host Dana Tenille Weekes completes her conversation on the three mindset shifts that can reframe how we think about asking for help.Dana talks about the third and most actionable shift: “actually tell people how you want to be helped.” She calls in (not calls out) listeners to think about some of the default ways we navigate life “independently,” like assuming people are mind readers and refusing to define the accountability line for how we want to be respected.Before ending this episode of The Rest of Us podcast, Dana offers a reflection exercise that partly involves these three questions:What is something that you feel you must bear alone (because it would be a burden or bother to others) and cannot ask for help with?What reason do you tell yourself to keep feeling like a burden or bother, and how do you reinforce this feeling through behavior?How can you actually be helped and by whom?If you struggle with letting people support you or feel resentment when others don’t know how to show up for you, this episode offers clarity and ways to shift from silent strength to unapologetic self-advocacy.If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

Do you struggle to ask for help, even when you're overwhelmed? Do you find yourself quietly hoping others will understand what you need without ever having to say it out loud?In this powerful two-part episode of The Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes opens up about her own journey from silent strength to unapologetic self-advocacy. She explores how independence, when misapplied, can become a mask—one that isolates and quietly demands that we carry everything alone.Dana unpacks two of three mindset shifts that can help reframe the way you think about asking for help, not as a weakness, but as an act of self-respect. They are: Redefine Respect as an Action of MutualityBelieve that People Want to Help You, which includes three takeaways:Help and accommodation are not the same thingYou may be surrounded by many people who need accommodating, so you have a distorted definition of helpYou are more concerned about your brand than your beingAlongside powerful storytelling, cultural critique, and actionable reflection, Dana invites listeners to pause, to reconsider the ego behind “doing it alone,” and to start naming how they want to be held, seen, and heard.This episode closes with a full reading of “Grandma tells a story about forgiveness” by Zia Wang, originally featured in the last episode, but experienced technical difficulties. Dana reads Zia’s poem again to fully honor her work. If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In the second episode honoring National Poetry Month, host Dana Tenille Weekes shares the remaining two life lessons she’s learned from her poetry practice. These are lessons about life, not writing, that continue to shape how Dana defines rest, agency, and belonging. The two lessons are:When You Confront a Constraint, Lean into Your Freedom. What are some constraints in your life that are really opportunities to break through and return to yourself? What superpower can you lean into where your details are free?Gratitude is a Boundary. How does your present life fully respect the things you are grateful for? What is one thing you are grateful for that you can put into practice, so that you’re telling the world how you want to be respected?To celebrate the power of poetry and close out April as National Poetry Month, Dana reads three influential works from poets she considers family."Grandma tells a story about forgiveness" by Zia Wang, first published in KTB.“Scientists Say Crows Can Hold Grudges for 17 Years” by Sullivan Summer, first published in Dead End Zine."If We Make Our Breath a Poem” by Rosa Castellano, published in her debut book All Is The Telling.Dana also recognizes Torch Literary Arts for its work in amplifying Black women writers. Even if poetry isn’t your thing, this episode is for you because living in your liberation is. If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In honor of National Poetry Month, host Dana Tenille Weekes shares three life lessons on self-liberation she’s learned from writing poetry. In this two-part episode of The Rest of Us podcast, Dana opens up about her recent struggles with overthinking, overstimulation, and emotional exhaustion to make space for a grounding conversation about lessons from writing poetry that go beyond the page and into our everyday lives. Dana cultivates this episode to return to these lessons as she shares them with the listeners. Three of the five lessons are:Living a Life in Seasons Uplifts Consistency. Where in your life are you ignoring your natural seasons because you’ve been conditioned to push through?Live Without the Gaze. Do you feel like you must perform and prove in life? How can you start living without the gaze?Your Imagination Must Pour Concreteness. Are your dreams vivid and concrete, or so abstract and general that you’re distant from them? You can’t recognize them as yours.This episode is filled with honest storytelling and grounded reflection, and features a powerful poem, “Dance to Keep from Crying,” by poet Corey Barron, first published in Shō Poetry. If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

We were not created to produce. We were created to exist freely and thoroughly in our details.In this rich and deeply personal episode of The Rest of Us podcast, Dana Tenille Weekes invites us to pause the production line of life and answer a powerful call: the call to create. Not for performance, not for praise, but for freedom, joy, and ourselves.Dana unpacks the difference between "producing," which we often do for others at our own expense, and "creating," which centers and celebrates the very core of who we are. She also talks about how consumption is the offspring of producing, and how it contributes to unrest. Dana calls for us to think about “how to cultivate space to create instead of only living a life of producing?” In doing so, she offers and explores in detail three reflection questions:What can I create?When can I create?How can I create?At the end of the episode, Dana invites listeners to take the Seven-Day Call to Create Journey. Over the next seven days, there will be posts on Instagram and LinkedIn with prompts and reminders for how each of you can hold space to create for just 10 minutes. Through stories, reflection, and a challenge, this episode shifts our focus from outputs to the origin of our liberation … creativity.If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

It’s time to unpack the myth that we’re indispensable at work. (‘Cause we’re not!)In this episode of The Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes talks about how we unintentionally contribute to unsustainable work environments by making ourselves irreplaceable.  Through personal anecdotes and a reality check on “work-life balance,” this episode challenges the conventional wisdom of hustle culture and invites listeners to rethink their relationship with professional identity and rest as liberation.In doing so, Dana asks and explores five thought-provoking questions to examine how you create unrest by making yourself indispensable at work. They are:Do you still believe you’re in survival mode when you no longer need to be?Are you creating structures that must accommodate you at the center of it to show your value?Is your health dispensable?Is it hard for you to say, “no,” or “no thank you,” when it is necessary, because you feel like you’re not honoring commitments?Do you confuse sacrifice for service?If you have greater loyalty or obligation to your job than your career, loved ones, and, of course, yourself, then listen to this episode and begin to settle into who you truly are.If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

Friend, stop. Let’s lean into the power of the pause. In this episode of The Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes names five life moments that call for us to pause: (1) when worrying; (2) when your body says so; (3) when you should celebrate; (4) when in the midst of change; and (5) when you are stuck in the familiar. (There’s also a sixth moment Dana sneaks in.) In discussing each of these moments, Dana emphasizes the importance of the relationship between her definition of rest and the necessity of pausing to fully embrace yourself. As part of the episode, Dana shares a story about how few people, specifically her friend Mia, understood the true pause she needed after resigning from the firm. How Mia understood what Dana was searching for was in the pause.Are you looking for how to make meaningful progress in your life? Maybe it’s time to settle into this episode and learn that there’s progress in the pause. If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In this episode of the Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes calls us to stand in our truth and reclaim our power after conversations with friends, mentees, and clients who feel robbed of their truth by societal pressures and the current political climate. In doing so, she emphasizes that these societal constructs are intentionally designed to undermine our humanity, often causing us to question our existence and self-worth.Dana shares a personal story of a recent road rage incident laced with racist hate speech to illustrate how largely orchestrated and everyday events are all attempts to rearrange our sense of self. In this powerful episode, Dana reminds listeners about the importance of identifying and embracing our truths, protecting our inner selves from external rearrangement, and seeking liberatory activities that reconnect us to our agency and belonging. As a call-to-action, Dana outlines three key strategies for standing in our truth: (1) recognizing the internal source of power, (2) understanding how people avoid accountability, and (3) practicing liberatory rest.00:00 Introduction to Rest and Self-Liberation00:26 Understanding the Struggle to Stand in Your Truth01:21 The Reality of Societal Systems04:03 Defining Truth and Its Importance09:11 Personal Story: Confronting Bigotry14:08 Reclaiming Your Power and Setting Boundaries20:15 The Importance of Liberatory Rest26:16 Conclusion and Community EngagementIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

Host Dana Tenille Weekes asks a profound question she believes every person must answer truthfully to reclaim their right to rest: “Whose mountain are you climbing?” This episode of The Rest of Us podcast distinguishes between succeeding and thriving and reveals how succeeding keeps us mountaineering for others. Through storytelling, Dana shares five types of encounters that contributed to unrest in her life and redirected her to climbing other people’s mountains. They are encounters with the: (1) Dream Decision-Makers; (2) Breadcrumbers; (3) Well-Intentioned Fearfuls; and (5) Inner Narrator (that isn’t your voice).Dana ends the episode by prompting listeners to envision their mountaintop through a reflection exercise in which we name and embrace how we want to navigate this world to thrive instead of succeed. If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

Host Dana Tenille Weekes closes out the three-part episode on the rest continuum by exploring the third form of rest: liberating rest. After settling in with listeners on doing nothing/being and restoring as two forms of rest, this The Rest of Us podcast episode focuses on the importance of holding sacred space in your life to engage in liberating activities—activities in which you are enlivened by your own details. Dana discusses how liberating rest is often sourced from creative and nature-based activities. She also encourages listeners to start thinking about what could be our liberating activities and how to incorporate them into our lives. This episode ends with reflective questions to help listeners embrace and protect our liberating rest.00:00 Introduction to the Rest Continuum00:13 Recap of Previous Episodes01:05 Understanding Liberating Rest03:06 The Role of Creativity in Liberating Rest04:00 Personal Examples of Liberating Activities04:34 Challenges and Encouragement for Liberating Rest05:18 Reflection Prompts for Liberating Rest08:45 Capitalism and Creativity11:07 Practical Tips for Incorporating Liberating Rest13:28 Conclusion and Community BuildingIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In this episode of the Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes delves further into the concept of the rest continuum, focusing specifically on two forms of rest: doing nothing/being and restoring. Dana explains the importance of cultivating space for rest (in addition to living in a rest mindset) by illustrating how each form of rest can help us reconnect with our agency and sense of belonging. The episode concludes with reflective questions to help listeners incorporate and embrace these forms of rest into our everyday lives.00:00 Introduction to the Rest Continuum00:12 Recap of Part One01:19 Exploring the Rest Continuum02:10 Understanding Agency and Belonging05:24 Doing Nothing and Being06:34 Challenges of Doing Nothing10:02 Questions for Reflection on Doing Nothing10:46 Restoring Rest13:37 Questions for Reflection on Restoring14:18 Conclusion and Community BuildingIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

Host Dana Tenille Weekes kicks off a three-part episode on the rest continuum, three forms of rest to incorporate into our everyday lives. In this episode of The Rest of Us podcast, Dana guides listeners to reflect on how we rest and introduces the rest continuum as a way to cultivate space for doing nothing/being, restoring, and liberating. 00:00 Introduction to the Rest of Us Podcast01:05 Defining Rest and Its Importance01:55 Reflection Exercise: Identifying Your Rest Activities04:44 Categorizing Your Rest Activities08:01 Analyzing Patterns and Themes in Your Rest09:37 Conclusion and Next StepsIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

In the inaugural episode of The Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes explores rest as a form of self-liberation and introduces listeners to her definition of rest. Dana delves into the fundamentals of her definition, including self-acceptance, agency, and belonging, and why rest is a mindset and not simply a self-care practice. In doing so, Dana reads a poem by Nikki Giovanni titled “Revolutionary Dreams.”Released on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the day of the U.S. presidential inauguration, Dana invites listeners to join a community committed to making rest a revolutionary act.00:00 Welcome to The Rest of Us Podcast00:26 Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Inauguration Day00:55 The Importance of Rest as Liberation02:46 Defining Rest as Liberation03:24 Nikki Giovanni's Revolutionary Dreams06:00 Self-Acceptance and Conscious Living08:46 Agency and Belonging10:46 Survival Mode vs. Rest13:52 Personal Journey of Rest19:51 Reflection and Closing ThoughtsIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes

Welcome to The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille WeekesEmbracing Rest as Self-LiberationOn the Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes discusses the importance of self-care and rest as a form of self-liberation. By challenging societal norms and finding humor in the process, the podcast aims to help listeners reclaim their lives and prioritize their own well-being despite the demands of work and others.Subscribe to get new episodes in your feed. :) If this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes