Rest, Resistance, and the Art of Letting Go with Jordan Maney

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In episode 161 of The Empowered & Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil are joined by Jordan Maney, Radical Joy Coach and founder of The Rest Lab. What unfolds is a spacious, heart-deep conversation about rest, not as a luxury, but as a radical act of remembrance, resistance, and return.

Together, we explore what it really means to soften when you're used to holding on tightly, to be held when support feels foreign, and to allow joy even in a world full of pain. Through both metaphor and lived experience, Jordan invites us into the water... not to swim perfectly, but to float, to release, to remember we are held.

"People think rest is passive. It’s not. It’s active resistance. It’s remembering who you are beyond the frenzy." - Jordan Maney

Key Takeaways:

• Rest isn’t something you earn—it’s something you return to.
• Letting go is not a loss of control; it’s an act of trust.
• Floating, like healing, doesn’t require effort, just a willingness to soften.
• We're not meant to navigate this life alone; community isn't optional, it's essential.
• True support begins when we’re willing to receive, not just give.
• Control is not the same as safety.
• Allowing is deeply personal. It’s about reclaiming what softening looks like for you.

Key Moments:

00:00 – Welcome 
01:45 – Jordan’s intro
04:20 – “We were made for such a time as this…”: Purpose in dark times
06:01 – Sponge vs. flow: Feeling grief without being consumed
07:59 – The difference between drinking the water and swimming in it
09:40 – What happens when we don’t know how to swim?
12:53 – “If you can’t relax, you’ll never learn to trust yourself in the water”
15:58 – Why control is mistaken for safety—and what it actually costs
17:52 – Floating as self-support: Can you let yourself be held?
19:10 – The frenzy of service vs. the practice of settling
21:21 – How community quietly fills the cup when you’re depleted
24:31 – Military childhood, mutual aid, and the longing for connection
29:55 – What holds us back from resting in community?
35:21 – Stitch & Bitch, hiking, AquaZumba: Finding joy in collective care
38:42 – Creating containers where people can peek out and be themselves
41:25 – Jordan’s definition of rest: Returning energy, attention, and time to self
47:09 – “Allowing” as a portal to healing—on your own terms
49:10 – Where to find Jordan and more of her brilliant work

Connect With Jordan:

Website: https://www.jordanmaney.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanmaney/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejordanmaney/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJordanManey/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thejor

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