July 22, 2025 • 18 mins
✨ How to Reclaim Pleasure and Presence in Your Daily Life | Learn to Love Your Life Again
Are you constantly in motion—checking every box, showing up for everyone—but still feel strangely disconnected from yourself? If you're a high-achieving woman who’s tired of living in overdrive, this episode is for you.
In today’s conversation, we explore how to reclaim pleasure and presence in your everyday life—so you can stop surviving and start truly living. You'll learn:
✅ Why so many women feel numb, overextended, or emotionally disconnected
✅ What’s really standing between you and a life you actually enjoy
✅ Simple, powerful practices to return to your senses and your joy
✅ How to rewire your nervous system to receive pleasure without guilt
✅ What it really means to love your life—on your terms
Pleasure and presence aren’t luxuries. They’re lifelines. And it’s safe to feel good again.
🎧 Tune in to reconnect with your body, your joy, and the beautiful life that’s already here waiting for you.
Joyfully Unstoppable—helping women reconnect with what matters most.
Subscribe so you never miss an episode!
✨ Let’s stay connected
Want more support as you lead with clarity, confidence, and joy? Here’s how we can keep growing together:
📝 Download the Burnout Recovery Checklist!
👩🏽🤝👩🏾 Join the Women Lead Well Community on Facebook!
📋 Join the Waitlist for Frantic to Flourishing!
🌿 Meet Becky – Get to know the heart behind the mic
💼 Coaching for Women Leaders – Ready for personalized support? Explore 1:1 coaching
📚 Free Leadership Resources – Practical tools to help you lead (and live) well
🏡 Explore Women Lead Well – Learn more about Women Lead Well and everything we offer
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:06):
Welcome to Joyfully Unstoppable,the podcast for women who are
ready to lead boldly, livelightly, and reclaim their joy.
Whether you're leading a team, aclassroom, a boardroom, or your
own big, beautiful life, I'm soglad you're with us.
I'm your host, Becky Hamleadership coach, speaker and
(00:27):
founder of Women Lead Well,after years of high level
leadership, I discovered thatsuccess.
Doesn't have to come at the costof your peace, your values, or
your wellbeing.
Each week, we'll explore what itmeans to lead with clarity,
confidence, and authenticity.
Even in a world that tells youhow to hustle harder, and prove
(00:48):
your worth, you carry a lot.
Let's help it feel lighter.
Hello, friends.
I hope you're having a greatweek.
I am starting today with aquestion.
What if your presence and yourpleasure.
Weren't indulgences to beearned.
What if they're actuallyessential to sustainable,
(01:09):
authentic leadership and ameaningful life in a world that
often demands more than we canreasonably give many women drift
into survival mode.
We numb out, we power through,we keep performing, and we
forget what it feels like to befully in our lives.
Not just functioning, but truly.
(01:32):
Being, reclaiming presence andpleasure isn't about abandoning
your responsibilities, it'sabout returning to yourself.
So let's talk about it.
Let's talk about why so many ofus feel disconnected and how to
come back home to our joyourselves and the richness of
(01:55):
right now.
I wanna start by talking aboutthe hidden cost of
disconnection.
Why so many of us feel numb,drained, detached.
And I'll lead with anotherquestion.
How many of you have been livingin overdrive for years?
It probably started before thepandemic, but then the changes
(02:18):
of the pandemic, financialpolitical pressures of the last
few years and the chaos anduncertainty of the world we live
in.
I mean, it's overwhelming and itcan feel like we have to
over-function.
I.
Just to keep up joy.
It ain't even on the radaranymore.
When you add to that, the factthat that many women have been
(02:42):
trained, both explicitly andimplicitly, that our value comes
from what we do, how much wegive, how well we perform, then
of course we're gonna put ourenergy into performing rather
than showing up with our truepresence.
Over time, that creates a subtlebut powerful disconnection
(03:06):
between our mind, our body, andour spirit.
And now I wanna be clear aboutthis, that disconnection doesn't
mean you're doing anythingwrong.
It's a predictable outcome of aculture that teaches women to
over function and under feel.
You've probably internalizedmessages, like, if I'm not
(03:26):
producing, I'm not valuable.
If I enjoy myself too much, Imust be slacking.
If I stop moving, everything'sgonna fall apart, or my personal
favorite, my needs can wait.
Others come first.
When those beliefs become youroperating system, pleasure
starts to feel risky.
(03:46):
Stillness feels unproductive.
Being fully present feels like awaste of time because there's
always more to do and hey, guesswhat?
Yes, there's always more to do.
Before long you're living yourlife in fast forward,
disconnected from your body anddepleted in your spirit.
(04:08):
But here's the thing, when wenumb ourselves to difficulties,
to avoid the uncomfortablemoments, we also numb ourselves
to delight.
When we prioritize control overcuriosity, we lose the capacity
to be surprised by beauty.
We start surviving instead ofthriving.
(04:30):
And by now, you might bewondering why I'm talking about
either of these things on aleadership podcast, and I'll
tell you why.
It's because they are both keysto joyful, sustainable, and
authentic leadership presence ishow we show up in a space.
Are we performing?
Which is inherently inauthentic,or are we showing up as our true
(04:52):
authentic selves?
We hear a lot about executivepresence, and we think it means
we have to act a certain way tobe seen as a serious leader.
I would offer, there are plentyof executives who are crushing
it with informality, goofiness,and not one shred of a
stereotypical executivepresence.
(05:12):
What they have in spades isauthenticity.
Your presence will always bemore important than your
performance and friend.
I'm here to tell you the same istrue of pleasure.
We have internalized these mythsthat work has to be hard to be
meaningful.
And if we're having fun, we mustbe slacking off.
(05:33):
We protect time for pleasure,but if we do it, we're slacker.
We must lack a work ethic.
Now, that's a myth.
It's a popular myth, but it is amyth all the same, and it is
antithetical to joyful andsustainable leadership.
(05:53):
We're humans.
Humans like to enjoy themselves.
Enjoyment is a core part of thehuman experience.
That means there has to be a wayto find enjoyment in leadership,
and when you're able to tap intothat enjoyment, the pleasure
that comes from leading well.
You will find a more sustainableleadership style.
(06:16):
And if you can enjoy leading,you'll be better able to find
ways for your team to enjoytheir work, which boosts morale,
productivity, and outcomes.
All that is to say that presenceand pleasure aren't just nice to
haves.
They are the keys to wholenessand effectiveness.
And the good news is you canstart reclaiming them right
(06:38):
here, right now.
So how do you reclaim pleasurein your daily life?
I'm so glad you asked.
Pleasure isn't about indulgenceor excess.
I mean, it could be, but that'snot what we're talking about
here.
Pleasure is about feelingconnected, alive, and attuned to
what makes life worth living.
(06:59):
It's the humanness of you.
It's that deep breath thatgrounds you.
The feeling of the sun on yourskin.
It's the music that stirs yoursoul, moves you to tears.
You don't need a week longretreat or cleared calendar to
experience pleasure, althoughagain, please have those things.
(07:20):
I want them for you too, but youjust need permission and you
just need a little practice.
One of the simplest ways toreconnect with pleasure is to
return to your senses.
So often we live in our heads,right?
Planning, analyzing, solving.
I do it too.
I'm not immune, but your body iswhere presence lives.
(07:42):
When you notice what you see,what you hear, smell, taste, and
touch, you begin to inhabit yourlife again.
So start small.
Feel the warmth of your coffeemug in the morning.
Listen to the rain outside yourwindow.
Savor the texture of ripe fruit.
(08:04):
These moments aren't trivial,they're transformative.
They remind your nervous systemthat it's safe to slow down,
that it's safe to enjoy.
It's safe to just be.
Another powerful practice is tobegin noticing what feels good,
(08:25):
right?
Our brains are wired to scan fordanger or problems.
That's our survival instinct.
But you can retrain yourawareness at the end of each
day.
Ask yourself, what delighted metoday?
What felt light, what made mesmile?
Even briefly, when you startnaming these moments, you'll
start seeing more of them.
(08:47):
And I wanna encourage you toreally do this.
DM me your insights.
What delighted you, what madeyou smile?
I'm at, AT Women Lead Well onInstagram.
I'm at At Women Lead Well on allthe social platforms.
You can find me anywhere.
I would love to learn whatlights you up.
It also helps to expand yourdefinition of pleasure.
(09:08):
It's not limited to spa days orbubble baths, although those are
lovely.
Pleasure can be quiet andsimple.
It might be a deep stretch aftera long meeting, a meaningful
conversation with a friend,moving your body to your
favorite song, reading somethingthat stirs your heart, walking
(09:28):
barefoot on grass.
Pleasure is anything thatreconnects you to your humanity.
One of the biggest barriers topleasure is this belief that it
has to be earned.
I mentioned this myth a fewminutes ago that you only get to
rest or enjoy after everythingelse is done.
But that is a lie that keeps usdepleted.
(09:50):
You do not have to deservepleasure.
You do not have to earn joy.
It belongs to you because you'realive.
Because you are a human.
And enjoyment and joy is part ofthe human experience.
It just is.
So try this, pause for fiveseconds.
We're gonna do it right now, andlet yourself feel something
(10:10):
good.
The breath in your lungs, thestillness in the room.
The possibility of reclaimingyour own aliveness, even these
micro moments of pleasure canreset your body and your spirit.
So I'm gonna give you the fiveseconds right here on the
podcast.
Five seconds of dead hair.
Ah, here we go.
(10:39):
The more you practice pleasurein small everyday ways.
The more your life begins tofeel like your own.
Again, it's important and youcan do it.
So that was pleasure.
Now let's talk about how you canreturn to presence when life
pulls you away.
Presence is simply the act ofbeing where you are, not where
(11:03):
you were, not where you'regoing, just here, but there are
plenty of times when beingpresent can feel elusive, even
unsafe.
We're used to anticipatingneeds, managing outcomes,
staying 10 steps ahead, right?
I mean, this is our lifepresence asks us to soften, to
(11:24):
notice, to receive.
The good news is that you don'thave to meditate for an hour or
become an monk to accesspresence.
Although, again, go right ahead.
If that's on your heart,presence is available in the
most ordinary moments.
If you're willing to return toyourself right now, your breath
(11:47):
is one of the quickest pathwaysback to now.
When your thoughts are racing oryour body feels tight, try this
simple reset.
Inhale for four counts throughyour nose.
Hold for four, and then exhalefor six through your mouth.
(12:11):
Do this three or four times,those long exhales signal safety
to your nervous system, and thathelps you shift from reactivity
into grounded awareness.
It brings you back into yourbody, back into presence.
You can also practice presencethrough body check-ins several
times a day.
(12:31):
Just pause and ask yourself,what sensations am I feeling
right now?
No need to fix or changeanything.
Just notice is your jawclenched?
Are your feet grounded?
Are you holding your breath?
This kind of awareness helps youreturn to your body, which
anchors you in the presentmoment.
(12:54):
Another helpful practice is toslow down your transitions, and
this is the one that I need themost.
So many of us rush from one taskto the next.
Without even taking a breath,it's back to back to back
meetings, right?
But even 30 seconds ofintentional pause can change
your whole energy betweenmeetings, between checking
(13:17):
things off the to-do list.
Take a moment to close youreyes, stretch, drink some water.
Ask yourself, what do I needright now?
The small pauses create spacefor presence to reenter.
(13:37):
You can also anchor yourself inthe sacredness of the ordinary.
Wash your hands with attention.
Listen to the sound of yourfootsteps.
Eat your lunch withoutscrolling.
These may seem like smallthings, but presence is often
found in what we usuallyoverlook.
Some of you may know that Iattended seminary, Wesley
(14:00):
Theological Seminary inWashington dc.
I loved it.
It has been such an importantpart of my own personal journey,
and it was at seminary that Iwas introduced to Brother
Lawrence, a Carmelite brother inthe 16 hundreds who wrote the
practice of the presence of God.
His purpose was to reflect onhow anything we do from big,
like preaching in prayer forBrother Lawrence to small.
(14:23):
Like washing dishes.
Also something Brother Lawrencedid at the monastery that these
become spiritual encounters whenwe bring in openness to
experiencing God in them.
For example, if I approachchanging my daughter's diaper as
an opportunity to connect withthe miracle of the human body
and a healthy digestive system,I show up in that space in an
(14:45):
entirely different way.
You certainly don't have to bereligious to get the point.
When you slow down enough toreally notice your life, all of
the layers of it, you begin toinhabit your life more fully,
and perhaps most importantly,offer yourself presence first.
(15:07):
As women, we're taught to bepresent for other people, our
teams, our families, ourcommunities.
I just talked about changingdiapers, right?
Being present for our children.
But the most sustainableleadership comes with self
connection.
So before you pour into otherpeople, take time to connect
inward, check in on your body,budget, on how you're feeling,
(15:28):
on what you're wanting.
Presence isn't about beingperfectly calm or mindful all
the time.
It is about returning again andagain and again to yourself,
wherever you are, and know likeyou're gonna drift.
That's human.
(15:50):
You just also can always comeback.
And as we wrap up, I want you toknow that you were not meant to
live on autopilot.
You weren't made to endure yourlife.
You were made to live it.
Fully richly honestly.
And yeah, joyfully reclaimingpleasure and presence isn't a
(16:14):
betrayal of your ambition.
It's a restoration of yourhumanity.
It's how you remember what youlove.
It's how you become a betterleader, a better partner friend,
and a whole person.
Because when you're anchored inyour body and connected to the
moment.
You lead from a place of wisdominstead of weariness.
(16:37):
So let me ask you, what is onesmall pleasure you can welcome
today?
What's one ordinary moment youcan meet with presence?
You don't have to wait for theperfect conditions.
You can start right now with onebreath, one pause.
(16:59):
One decision to come home toyourself.
You carry a lot, but you don'thave to carry it all in a rush.
Let's make space for joy again.
Let's slow down.
Let's feel it.
If this episode spoke to you, Iwould love for you to share it
with a friend who's running onempty.
(17:20):
We need more women leading fromalignment, not adrenaline.
And if you're ready to beginyour burnout recovery journey,
my new program, frantic toFlourishing, is coming later
this summer.
You can join the wait list andunlock the lowest price it will
ever be at at Women Leadwell.net/flourishing.
Make sure you're on the emaillist so you don't miss the
(17:41):
launch.
You can also grab one of ourfree resources like the Mental
Load Reset or the Weekly Resetroutine@womenleadwell.net and
LinkedIn the show notes below.
They're a gentle, powerful wayto begin reclaiming your
capacity.
Remember, joyful, sustainable,and authentic leadership is
possible.
(18:02):
You deserve to enjoy everyminute of it.
Until next time, I'm Becky Ham,and this is joyfully,
unstoppable.
Welcome to Joyfully Unstoppable,the podcast for women who are
ready to lead boldly, livelightly, and reclaim their joy.
Whether you're leading a team, aclassroom, a boardroom, or your
own big, beautiful life, I'm soglad you're with us.
I'm your host, Becky Hamleadership coach, speaker and
(00:27):
founder of Women Lead Well,after years of high level
leadership, I discovered thatsuccess.
Doesn't have to come at the costof your peace, your values, or
your wellbeing.
Each week, we'll explore what itmeans to lead with clarity,
confidence, and authenticity.
Even in a world that tells youhow to hustle harder, and prove
(00:48):
your worth, you carry a lot.
Let's help it feel lighter.
Hello, friends.
I hope you're having a greatweek.
I am starting today with aquestion.
What if your presence and yourpleasure.
Weren't indulgences to beearned.
What if they're actuallyessential to sustainable,
(01:09):
authentic leadership and ameaningful life in a world that
often demands more than we canreasonably give many women drift
into survival mode.
We numb out, we power through,we keep performing, and we
forget what it feels like to befully in our lives.
Not just functioning, but truly.
(01:32):
Being, reclaiming presence andpleasure isn't about abandoning
your responsibilities, it'sabout returning to yourself.
So let's talk about it.
Let's talk about why so many ofus feel disconnected and how to
come back home to our joyourselves and the richness of
(01:55):
right now.
I wanna start by talking aboutthe hidden cost of
disconnection.
Why so many of us feel numb,drained, detached.
And I'll lead with anotherquestion.
How many of you have been livingin overdrive for years?
It probably started before thepandemic, but then the changes
(02:18):
of the pandemic, financialpolitical pressures of the last
few years and the chaos anduncertainty of the world we live
in.
I mean, it's overwhelming and itcan feel like we have to
over-function.
I.
Just to keep up joy.
It ain't even on the radaranymore.
When you add to that, the factthat that many women have been
(02:42):
trained, both explicitly andimplicitly, that our value comes
from what we do, how much wegive, how well we perform, then
of course we're gonna put ourenergy into performing rather
than showing up with our truepresence.
Over time, that creates a subtlebut powerful disconnection
(03:06):
between our mind, our body, andour spirit.
And now I wanna be clear aboutthis, that disconnection doesn't
mean you're doing anythingwrong.
It's a predictable outcome of aculture that teaches women to
over function and under feel.
You've probably internalizedmessages, like, if I'm not
(03:26):
producing, I'm not valuable.
If I enjoy myself too much, Imust be slacking.
If I stop moving, everything'sgonna fall apart, or my personal
favorite, my needs can wait.
Others come first.
When those beliefs become youroperating system, pleasure
starts to feel risky.
(03:46):
Stillness feels unproductive.
Being fully present feels like awaste of time because there's
always more to do and hey, guesswhat?
Yes, there's always more to do.
Before long you're living yourlife in fast forward,
disconnected from your body anddepleted in your spirit.
(04:08):
But here's the thing, when wenumb ourselves to difficulties,
to avoid the uncomfortablemoments, we also numb ourselves
to delight.
When we prioritize control overcuriosity, we lose the capacity
to be surprised by beauty.
We start surviving instead ofthriving.
(04:30):
And by now, you might bewondering why I'm talking about
either of these things on aleadership podcast, and I'll
tell you why.
It's because they are both keysto joyful, sustainable, and
authentic leadership presence ishow we show up in a space.
Are we performing?
Which is inherently inauthentic,or are we showing up as our true
(04:52):
authentic selves?
We hear a lot about executivepresence, and we think it means
we have to act a certain way tobe seen as a serious leader.
I would offer, there are plentyof executives who are crushing
it with informality, goofiness,and not one shred of a
stereotypical executivepresence.
(05:12):
What they have in spades isauthenticity.
Your presence will always bemore important than your
performance and friend.
I'm here to tell you the same istrue of pleasure.
We have internalized these mythsthat work has to be hard to be
meaningful.
And if we're having fun, we mustbe slacking off.
(05:33):
We protect time for pleasure,but if we do it, we're slacker.
We must lack a work ethic.
Now, that's a myth.
It's a popular myth, but it is amyth all the same, and it is
antithetical to joyful andsustainable leadership.
(05:53):
We're humans.
Humans like to enjoy themselves.
Enjoyment is a core part of thehuman experience.
That means there has to be a wayto find enjoyment in leadership,
and when you're able to tap intothat enjoyment, the pleasure
that comes from leading well.
You will find a more sustainableleadership style.
(06:16):
And if you can enjoy leading,you'll be better able to find
ways for your team to enjoytheir work, which boosts morale,
productivity, and outcomes.
All that is to say that presenceand pleasure aren't just nice to
haves.
They are the keys to wholenessand effectiveness.
And the good news is you canstart reclaiming them right
(06:38):
here, right now.
So how do you reclaim pleasurein your daily life?
I'm so glad you asked.
Pleasure isn't about indulgenceor excess.
I mean, it could be, but that'snot what we're talking about
here.
Pleasure is about feelingconnected, alive, and attuned to
what makes life worth living.
(06:59):
It's the humanness of you.
It's that deep breath thatgrounds you.
The feeling of the sun on yourskin.
It's the music that stirs yoursoul, moves you to tears.
You don't need a week longretreat or cleared calendar to
experience pleasure, althoughagain, please have those things.
(07:20):
I want them for you too, but youjust need permission and you
just need a little practice.
One of the simplest ways toreconnect with pleasure is to
return to your senses.
So often we live in our heads,right?
Planning, analyzing, solving.
I do it too.
I'm not immune, but your body iswhere presence lives.
(07:42):
When you notice what you see,what you hear, smell, taste, and
touch, you begin to inhabit yourlife again.
So start small.
Feel the warmth of your coffeemug in the morning.
Listen to the rain outside yourwindow.
Savor the texture of ripe fruit.
(08:04):
These moments aren't trivial,they're transformative.
They remind your nervous systemthat it's safe to slow down,
that it's safe to enjoy.
It's safe to just be.
Another powerful practice is tobegin noticing what feels good,
(08:25):
right?
Our brains are wired to scan fordanger or problems.
That's our survival instinct.
But you can retrain yourawareness at the end of each
day.
Ask yourself, what delighted metoday?
What felt light, what made mesmile?
Even briefly, when you startnaming these moments, you'll
start seeing more of them.
(08:47):
And I wanna encourage you toreally do this.
DM me your insights.
What delighted you, what madeyou smile?
I'm at, AT Women Lead Well onInstagram.
I'm at At Women Lead Well on allthe social platforms.
You can find me anywhere.
I would love to learn whatlights you up.
It also helps to expand yourdefinition of pleasure.
(09:08):
It's not limited to spa days orbubble baths, although those are
lovely.
Pleasure can be quiet andsimple.
It might be a deep stretch aftera long meeting, a meaningful
conversation with a friend,moving your body to your
favorite song, reading somethingthat stirs your heart, walking
(09:28):
barefoot on grass.
Pleasure is anything thatreconnects you to your humanity.
One of the biggest barriers topleasure is this belief that it
has to be earned.
I mentioned this myth a fewminutes ago that you only get to
rest or enjoy after everythingelse is done.
But that is a lie that keeps usdepleted.
(09:50):
You do not have to deservepleasure.
You do not have to earn joy.
It belongs to you because you'realive.
Because you are a human.
And enjoyment and joy is part ofthe human experience.
It just is.
So try this, pause for fiveseconds.
We're gonna do it right now, andlet yourself feel something
(10:10):
good.
The breath in your lungs, thestillness in the room.
The possibility of reclaimingyour own aliveness, even these
micro moments of pleasure canreset your body and your spirit.
So I'm gonna give you the fiveseconds right here on the
podcast.
Five seconds of dead hair.
Ah, here we go.
(10:39):
The more you practice pleasurein small everyday ways.
The more your life begins tofeel like your own.
Again, it's important and youcan do it.
So that was pleasure.
Now let's talk about how you canreturn to presence when life
pulls you away.
Presence is simply the act ofbeing where you are, not where
(11:03):
you were, not where you'regoing, just here, but there are
plenty of times when beingpresent can feel elusive, even
unsafe.
We're used to anticipatingneeds, managing outcomes,
staying 10 steps ahead, right?
I mean, this is our lifepresence asks us to soften, to
(11:24):
notice, to receive.
The good news is that you don'thave to meditate for an hour or
become an monk to accesspresence.
Although, again, go right ahead.
If that's on your heart,presence is available in the
most ordinary moments.
If you're willing to return toyourself right now, your breath
(11:47):
is one of the quickest pathwaysback to now.
When your thoughts are racing oryour body feels tight, try this
simple reset.
Inhale for four counts throughyour nose.
Hold for four, and then exhalefor six through your mouth.
(12:11):
Do this three or four times,those long exhales signal safety
to your nervous system, and thathelps you shift from reactivity
into grounded awareness.
It brings you back into yourbody, back into presence.
You can also practice presencethrough body check-ins several
times a day.
(12:31):
Just pause and ask yourself,what sensations am I feeling
right now?
No need to fix or changeanything.
Just notice is your jawclenched?
Are your feet grounded?
Are you holding your breath?
This kind of awareness helps youreturn to your body, which
anchors you in the presentmoment.
(12:54):
Another helpful practice is toslow down your transitions, and
this is the one that I need themost.
So many of us rush from one taskto the next.
Without even taking a breath,it's back to back to back
meetings, right?
But even 30 seconds ofintentional pause can change
your whole energy betweenmeetings, between checking
(13:17):
things off the to-do list.
Take a moment to close youreyes, stretch, drink some water.
Ask yourself, what do I needright now?
The small pauses create spacefor presence to reenter.
(13:37):
You can also anchor yourself inthe sacredness of the ordinary.
Wash your hands with attention.
Listen to the sound of yourfootsteps.
Eat your lunch withoutscrolling.
These may seem like smallthings, but presence is often
found in what we usuallyoverlook.
Some of you may know that Iattended seminary, Wesley
(14:00):
Theological Seminary inWashington dc.
I loved it.
It has been such an importantpart of my own personal journey,
and it was at seminary that Iwas introduced to Brother
Lawrence, a Carmelite brother inthe 16 hundreds who wrote the
practice of the presence of God.
His purpose was to reflect onhow anything we do from big,
like preaching in prayer forBrother Lawrence to small.
(14:23):
Like washing dishes.
Also something Brother Lawrencedid at the monastery that these
become spiritual encounters whenwe bring in openness to
experiencing God in them.
For example, if I approachchanging my daughter's diaper as
an opportunity to connect withthe miracle of the human body
and a healthy digestive system,I show up in that space in an
(14:45):
entirely different way.
You certainly don't have to bereligious to get the point.
When you slow down enough toreally notice your life, all of
the layers of it, you begin toinhabit your life more fully,
and perhaps most importantly,offer yourself presence first.
(15:07):
As women, we're taught to bepresent for other people, our
teams, our families, ourcommunities.
I just talked about changingdiapers, right?
Being present for our children.
But the most sustainableleadership comes with self
connection.
So before you pour into otherpeople, take time to connect
inward, check in on your body,budget, on how you're feeling,
(15:28):
on what you're wanting.
Presence isn't about beingperfectly calm or mindful all
the time.
It is about returning again andagain and again to yourself,
wherever you are, and know likeyou're gonna drift.
That's human.
(15:50):
You just also can always comeback.
And as we wrap up, I want you toknow that you were not meant to
live on autopilot.
You weren't made to endure yourlife.
You were made to live it.
Fully richly honestly.
And yeah, joyfully reclaimingpleasure and presence isn't a
(16:14):
betrayal of your ambition.
It's a restoration of yourhumanity.
It's how you remember what youlove.
It's how you become a betterleader, a better partner friend,
and a whole person.
Because when you're anchored inyour body and connected to the
moment.
You lead from a place of wisdominstead of weariness.
(16:37):
So let me ask you, what is onesmall pleasure you can welcome
today?
What's one ordinary moment youcan meet with presence?
You don't have to wait for theperfect conditions.
You can start right now with onebreath, one pause.
(16:59):
One decision to come home toyourself.
You carry a lot, but you don'thave to carry it all in a rush.
Let's make space for joy again.
Let's slow down.
Let's feel it.
If this episode spoke to you, Iwould love for you to share it
with a friend who's running onempty.
(17:20):
We need more women leading fromalignment, not adrenaline.
And if you're ready to beginyour burnout recovery journey,
my new program, frantic toFlourishing, is coming later
this summer.
You can join the wait list andunlock the lowest price it will
ever be at at Women Leadwell.net/flourishing.
Make sure you're on the emaillist so you don't miss the
(17:41):
launch.
You can also grab one of ourfree resources like the Mental
Load Reset or the Weekly Resetroutine@womenleadwell.net and
LinkedIn the show notes below.
They're a gentle, powerful wayto begin reclaiming your
capacity.
Remember, joyful, sustainable,and authentic leadership is
possible.
(18:02):
You deserve to enjoy everyminute of it.
Until next time, I'm Becky Ham,and this is joyfully,
unstoppable.
Popular Podcasts
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com