Burnout Recovery & Creating a Culture of Rest with Nicole Havelka

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In this episode of The Empowered & Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil sit down with burnout recovery coach, yoga and meditation teacher, and ordained pastor Nicole Havelka to explore why slowing down feels so radical in a culture obsessed with doing.

Together, we dive into:

• How burnout shows up differently for each of us, and why it’s not just an individual problem but a collective one
• The pressure to constantly prove our worth through productivity and “being the best”
• Why the word can’t disempowers us, and how to reclaim choice in our lives and work
• The surprising overlaps between burnout, perimenopause, and values misalignment
• Practical ways to create compassionate workplaces, embrace rest, and focus on impact instead of output

If you’ve ever felt buried under the weight of doing it all, this conversation will remind you that rest is not only possible, it’s essential, powerful, and deeply radical.

Key Moments

0:00 – Welcomes and introductions

03:57 – Doing vs. planning: the trap of over-strategy

08:25 – Replacing “proving” energy with body awareness

11:12 – Duality of busyness and rest

13:56 – Redefining “being the best”

22:05 – Pebbles, rocks, and ripple effects

23:28 – Burnout is a collective issue, not individual

26:51 – The exhaustion of being a change agent

32:25 – Awareness as the first step to choice

34:30 – Reclaiming choice instead of saying “can’t”

37:48 – Bodies, yoga, and honoring differences

39:45 – Rethinking work culture and flexibility

41:46 – Final reflections and takeaways

Connect with Nicole Havelka

Nicole started her business, Defy the Trend, in 2018 to support change agents and values-aligned organizations while they embrace a more rested life and create compassionate workplaces through mindful time management, transformative coaching and restorative yoga and meditation. When she’s not working, she is nurturing herself by doing experimental cooking, watching/reading apocalyptic literature and television, traveling to new places and spending time outdoors. Learn more about her at defythetrend.com or subscribe to her Substack, Just Rest. 

https://defythetrend.substack.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-havelka-35762022/

https://www.facebook.com/NicoleHavelkaConsulting

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFkq_yGnNi_JFnTIIzJytNA

https://www.pinterest.com/defythetrend

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