Just Rest: Burnout Tips for Everyday Radicals

Nicole Havelka
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Personal Journals

Just Rest: Burnout Tips for Everyday Radicals, hosted by Nicole Havelka, helps everyday radicals and world-changers who are tired, but not giving up to find connection, support, and soul-deep inspiration to keep resisting grind culture while staying true to their values. Nicole Havelka is a burnout survivor, ordained pastor, yoga teacher, and founder of Defy the Trend. She spent years trying to change the world by working harder, staying later, doing more, but realized that real change doesn't come from depletion—it comes from deep, aligned, joyful living. Now, she coaches others to make rest a non-negotiable part of their resistance. Every week, you'll hear honest, unfiltered conversations about what it takes to build differently and rest radically. Episodes talk about resistance, spiritual practice, failure, boundary-setting, burnout, recovery, and the sacred power of saying, “no more".

  1. 2d ago

    Contact (1997): Faith, Science & My Formative Film (Media/Lit Encore)

    This is my summer playlist of podcasts where I guested this past year. I am really excited to share this podcast with you because it shows a different side of me that rarely gets out in public. (DIdya know I trained to be a film and theater critic in college?) I was invited on Media/Lit where all media gets treated as great works of literature with hosts Randy Allain and Kris Ingersol. I was overjoyed to invite these generous hosts to watch and discuss one of my all-time favorite movies, Contact (1997). You get to hear why this movie was formative in my journey and how it still resonates with me today. We cover everything from interstellar transmissions to a killer performance from Jodie Foster. We compare this piece of media to other important cultural texts, and most importantly, we explore the intersection of science and faith. As always, the panel wraps up the chat with an extra credit section in which we pick our “Bardo Buddies” and take home a prop from the film Want to get in touch? Visit our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ &⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page! Follow us on YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@MediaLitPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@media.lit.pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Bluesky:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@media-lit.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@MediaLitPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Also, hit us with your questions, comments, and episode requests at ⁠⁠⁠media.slash.lit@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠. Chapters 00:00 Nicole's Excitement to be on Media/Lit 01:09 Welcome to Media/Lit (encore) 03:39 Burnout Recovery Coaching in Challenging Times 04:59 Introduction to Contact (1997) 11:32 Insights on Rewatching Contact's Famous Intro 17:46 Personal Connections to the Movie 28:20 Gender Representation in the Film 33:40 The Role of Science and Faith in the Narrative 37:19 Contact as Literature: CGI Corner 43:27 Themes of the Film 55:18 Pop Culture References and their Impact 59:43 Contact Comparatives 01:08:09 Favorite Performance in the Film 01:20:40 Favorite Scenes 01:30:10 Most Quotable Line 01:46:15 Who is your Bardo Buddy? 01:52:21 What prop would you take? 02:00:22 Closing 02:06:07 Nicole's Final Thoughts on Media/Lit CONNECT WITH RANDY, KRIS & MEDIA/LIT: Website: https://mediaslashlit.weebly.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MediaLitPodcast Instagram: @media.lit.pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@media-lit.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@MediaLitPod CONNECT WITH NICOLE HAVELKA: Newsletter LinkedIn Bluesky Work with Nicole Leave a Voice Memo Nicole is going nomadic. No lease. No car. Just one question: how do I actually want to live? Join the Rest Rebel Collective for $7/month or $70/year and get front row seats to her Year of Expansion with exclusive monthly live video — plus you keep Just Rest in your podcast feed. → defythetrend.substack.com The Calm Calendar Club is a brain-friendly planning community for neurodivergent adults, ADHD minds, and sandwich-generation caregivers who are tired of systems that don’t fit real life. We help you build a flexible, values-based calendar that reduces chaos and protects your energy. This low-cost, community-based program is ready for you at defythetrend.com/calm-calendar. Send me a message via Speakpipe. A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

    Contact (1997): Faith, Science & My Formative Film (Media/Lit Encore)

  2. Jul 22

    Guide to Resisting Hustle Culture: noseyAF encore

    This is my summer playlist of podcasts where I guested this past year. I am so excited to share this provocative conversation I had with Artist and Activist Stephanie Graham on her podcast, nosey AF.  We talk about what it actually takes to stop running on empty. I share how I went from being a self-described "recovering grind culture addict" to building a whole business around helping high-achievers and everyday radicals reclaim their time and energy. I get to introduce you to the Calm Calendar Club, a program built around planning your life in a way that actually honors your energy — not just squeezes more out of it. If you've ever felt like you're dropping the ball, this conversation will remind you: you're not dropping balls, you're just carrying too many. What We Talk About Okay, so pull up a chair — this one goes places. How Nicole went from overachiever to burnout recovery coach (and what growing up in Omaha, Nebraska had to do with it)Why hustle culture is literally designed for you to fail — and why that's not your faultBurnout in ministry and why being "on call 24/7" is just not humanWhat COVID quietly taught us about the power of saying noThe seven types of rest from Sacred Rest by Sandra Dalton-Smith — sleep is just ONE of themHow planning your calendar with your values first changes everythingWhy ADHD and neurodivergent folks need planning systems that actually work for their brainsThe Calm Calendar Club: what it is, how it works, and who it's forWhy "you're not failing the system — you're just trying to do too much"The radical act of rest as resistance, especially for Black women (shoutout to Tricia Hersey's Rest Is Resistance)Doing your part in activism and community work — without burning yourself all the way downThings We Mentioned Calm Calendar Club: defythetrend.com/calm-calendar Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey (affiliate link) Sacred Rest by Sandra Dalton-Smith (the seven types of rest: physical, mental, sensory, creative, social, emotional, and spiritual) (affiliate link) Artist Admin Hour — Stephanie's weekly co-working session for artists tackling the admin work that makes the work work → artistadminhour.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Summer Playlist 02:11 Welcome to noseyAF 03:16 My Grind Culture Story 09:35 Burnout is Common in Ministry 16:32 The Impact of COVID on Volunteerism and Community Engagement 19:26 Involving more people as volunteers 24:57 Cultural Attitudes Towards Busyness and Rest 27:02 Reducing your judgement of laziness 33:04 Understanding the Time Management Challenge 36:03 Creating Accessible Planning Solutions 39:44 Time Management for Self-Care 42:30 The System is Designed for Failure 50:44 Engaging with the World Without Burnout 01:06:09 Ask Nicole Anything Connect with Stephanie Website: noseyaf.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniegraham?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==Substack: https://substack.com/@noseyafLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniegraham/Connect with Nicole Havelka Newsletter LinkedIn Work with Nicole Leave a Voice Memo Nicole is going nomadic. No lease. No car. Just one question: how do I actually want to live? Join the Rest Rebel Collective for $7/month or $70/year and get front row seats to her Year of Expansion with exclusive monthly live video — plus you keep Just Rest in your podcast feed. → defythetrend.substack.com The Calm Calendar Club is a brain-friendly planning community for neurodivergent adults, ADHD minds, and sandwich-generation caregivers who are tired of systems that don’t fit real life. We help you build a flexible, values-based calendar that reduces chaos and protects your energy. This low-cost, community-based program is ready for you at defythetrend.com/calm-calendar. Send me a message via Speakpipe. A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

    Guide to Resisting Hustle Culture: noseyAF encore

  3. Jul 8

    “You're Not Lazy, You're Depleted: Invisible Labor & the Burnout Epidemic”

    This is my summer playlist of podcast where I guested this past year. In this appearance on “Burnout, Invisible Labor & the Feminist Fight to Rest” on Feminist Founders, I talk with host Becky Mollenkamp about how women’s invisible labor – caregiving, administration, and housework – contributes to their higher rates of burnout. I’ve alluded to this dynamic all of the first season, but I go into much more depth with Becky Mollenkamp on Feminist Founders about how this impacts women, their relationships, their bodies and we talk about simple, game-changing strategies. Take a listen to my conversation with Becky on Feminist Founders: 💬 Discussed in This Episode What burnout really is (and why it’s more than just being tired)How gendered expectations and invisible labor feed chronic overwhelmThe critical role of embodiment and nervous system work in healingWhy capitalist and white supremacist systems depend on our burnoutThe illusion of spaciousness and what it means to actually restHow meditation doesn’t have to look like sitting still and saying "om"The power of giving yourself permission to not volunteer at the damn PTOHow to plan your schedule to not be a human version of a doctor's waiting roomWhy moms get guilted and dads don’t—and what that says about our systems📚 Resources Mentioned "Burnout" by Emily & Amelia Nagoski "Fair Play" by Eve Rodsky "Sacred Rest" by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith "Essentialism" by Greg McKeown "Rest is Resistance" by Tricia Hersey The Nap Ministry on Instagram 🎧 This show is part of the Feminist Podcast Collective, a community of progressive creators reclaiming media through storytelling and solidarity. 📙 Get "Liberate Your Business" by Becky Mollenkamp at https://liberateyourbusiness.com/ 00:00 Introduction to Summer Playlist Series on Just Rest 01:22 Introduction to Feminist Founder's series on Women's Invisible Labor 02:33 New Awareness of Burnout 03:11 Definition of Burnout 06:11 Invisible Labor and Its Impact on Women 08:25 Cultural Pressures on Women that Contribute to Burnout 14:13 Strategies for Managing Burnout 22:00 Creating Space for Rest and Joy 26:17 The Importance of Mindfulness and Somatic Practices 32:55 Collective Trauma and the Impact of Modern Life 34:58 Strategies for Avoiding Burnout 38:21 Understanding Rest and Its Many Forms 43:30 Creativity, Consumption, and the Need for Spaciousness Connect with Becky Mollenkamp & Feminist Founders Website: https://feministfounders.co/ Threads: https://threads.com/@beckymollenkamp Substack: https://feministfounders.substack.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/feminist-business/ Connect with Nicole Havelka Newsletter LinkedIn Work with Nicole Leave a Voice Memo Nicole is going nomadic. No lease. No car. Just one question: how do I actually want to live? Join the Rest Rebel Collective for $7/month or $70/year and get front row seats to her Year of Expansion with exclusive monthly live video — plus you keep Just Rest in your podcast feed. → defythetrend.substack.com The Calm Calendar Club is a brain-friendly planning community for neurodivergent adults, ADHD minds, and sandwich-generation caregivers who are tired of systems that don’t fit real life. We help you build a flexible, values-based calendar that reduces chaos and protects your energy. This low-cost, community-based program is ready for you at defythetrend.com/calm-calendar. Send me a message via Speakpipe. A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

    “You're Not Lazy, You're Depleted: Invisible Labor & the Burnout Epidemic”

  4. Jul 1 ·  Bonus

    Season 1 is a Wrap. The Expansion Is Just Beginning.

    Season 1 of Just Rest is officially done — and I went live on Substack to celebrate, say thank you, and make some big announcements about what's coming next, including a major life change that starts this fall. (Note: the sound of the episode isn’t the quality I usually have because of being live and some tech issues.) In this live session, we talk about: The Season 1 Cozy Wrap Party highlights — trivia, favorite clips, and community12 episodes, 700+ downloads, and the people who made it happenA reading of every single name who helped crowdfund this podcast into existenceThe summer season: guest appearance episodes dropping every other weekThe Year of Expansion — what it is, where I'm headed first, and why I'm doing itAn invitation for you to help shape Season 2Want to support the Year of Expansion? Here's how: 🎙️ Become a Rest Rebel Collective subscriber — defythetrend.substack.com💛 Become a Founding Member — defythetrend.substack.com🙏 Help fund Radical Dharma Camp — https://square.link/u/Q8yx3Fqq🎧 Suggest a Season 2 guest or topic — defythetrend@gmail.com🎤 Leave a voice memo on SpeakPipe — speakpipe.com/justrest📨 Send a note of encouragement — defythetrend@gmail.comChapters 00:00 Introduction to Just Rest Podcast and Season One Wrap-Up 02:20 Just Rest Summer Playlist 04:12 YOUR suggestions for Season 2 06:43 Life Update: Year of Expansion and Nomadic Living 10:22 Exploring New Places and Networking Opportunities 12:36 Ways to Support the Podcast and Community 14:46 Help Nicole Attend Radical Dharma Camp CONNECT WITH NICOLE HAVELKA: Newsletter LinkedIn Work with Nicole Leave a Voice Memo Nicole is going nomadic. No lease. No car. Just one question: how do I actually want to live? Join the Rest Rebel Collective for $7/month or $70/year and get front row seats to her Year of Expansion with exclusive monthly live video — plus you keep Just Rest in your podcast feed. → defythetrend.substack.com The Calm Calendar Club is a brain-friendly planning community for neurodivergent adults, ADHD minds, and sandwich-generation caregivers who are tired of systems that don’t fit real life. We help you build a flexible, values-based calendar that reduces chaos and protects your energy. This low-cost, community-based program is ready for you at defythetrend.com/calm-calendar. Send me a message via Speakpipe. A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

    Season 1 is a Wrap. The Expansion Is Just Beginning.

  5. Jun 24

    Your Rest Affirmation for Hard Days (Save This One)

    Season one ends the way it began — with radical permission. In this final episode, Nicole compiles the "Dear Rest Rebels" messages from every guest this season, and the result is something you'll want to save, return to, and play on repeat. Hear wisdom from Dana Tenille Weekes, Jordan Maney, Jacki Hayes, Taina Brown, Elaina Ramsey, Ixchel Lunar, Becky Mollenkamp, Malik Turley, and Catharine Montgomery — each offering their own unique reminder that you are enough, you are worthy, and it is safe to rest. And Anna DeShawn gets the final word, because honestly? She earned it. Bookmark this one. Come back to it when the world is loud and your body is tired. This is your permission slip, on repeat. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Dear Rest Rebels Compilation Episode 02:39 Dear Rest Rebels Notes 07:13 Season Wrap-Up and Future Plans CONNECT WITH GUESTS Dana Tennille Weekes: https://therestofuspodcast.com/ Jordan Maney: https://substack.com/@thejordanmaney Jacki Hayes: https://www.jackihayes.co/ Taina Brown: info@tainambrown.com Ixchel Lunar: https://ixchellunar.com/ Malik Turley: https://tapasmovement.com Catharine Montgomery: https://thebettertogetheragency.com Becky Mollenkamp: https://beckymollenkamp.com/ Elaina Ramsey: https://www.faithchoiceohio.org Anna DeShawn: https://queernewspod.substack.com CONNECT WITH NICOLE HAVELKA: Newsletter LinkedIn Work with Nicole Nicole is going nomadic. No lease. No car. Just one question: how do I actually want to live? Join the Rest Rebel Collective for $7/month or $70/year and get front row seats to her Year of Expansion with exclusive monthly live video — plus you keep Just Rest in your podcast feed. → defythetrend.substack.com Send me a message via Speakpipe. A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

    Your Rest Affirmation for Hard Days (Save This One)

  6. Jun 10

    The Messy Truth about Indie Podcasting & Burnout with Guest Interviewer Taina Brown

    What happens when the host gets interviewed? In this special episode, Nicole hands the mic to friend, coaching colleague, and Messy Liberation podcast co-host Taina Brown — and the result is one of the most honest, wide-ranging conversations yet. From the behind-the-scenes chaos of launching a podcast to the theological roots of rest as resistance, Nicole opens up about what she's learned, what's surprised her, and what's coming next for Just Rest and for her own life. If you've ever wondered what a burnout coach actually believes about rest — and whether she walks her own talk — this one's for you. What we talked about in this episode: What it actually felt like to finally launch a podcast years in the makingThe messy, imperfect reality of building workflows behind the scenesWhy irregular release cadence hasn't hurt the showHow guests have expanded Nicole's own understanding of burnoutThe surprising double-edged sword of doing work you're passionate aboutThe role of COVID in reshaping how people think about work and burnoutHow Nicole's background as a clergy person and interfaith practitioner informs her approach to restRest practices Nicole has adopted — or deepened — from her guestsWhy burnout is not a personal failure — it's a systemic oneThe invisible labor carried by people socialized as women and how it compounds burnoutWhy you cannot productivity hack your way out of exhaustionNicole's Friday screen-free practice and the joy of staring out a window while it snowsWhat's coming in Season 2Nicole's upcoming year of nomadic living — and why she's doing itOrganization(s) doing good in the world: New American Welcome Center (Champaign-Urbana): https://nawc.universityymca.org/ Amica Center for Immigrant Rights: https://amicacenter.org Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Just Rest and Taina Brown 04:27 Grounding breath 05:26 The Journey of Podcasting: From Idea to Reality 08:54 The Messy Start to Just Rest 13:40 Letting Go of Perfectionism in Podcasting 17:39 Expanding Ideas about Burnout 19:53 The Dual Nature of Passion: A Double-Edged Sword 22:21 Theological Perspectives on Burnout and Rest 25:29 The Radical Nature of Rest 30:38 Seasonal Rhythms and Personal Practices 36:25 Understanding Burnout: It's Not Your Fault 42:44 Naming Priorities in Planning 45:14 The Weight of Perfectionism 47:43 Embracing Rest in Nature 50:58 Supporting Immigrant Rights Groups 52:46 Plans for the Pod and Nomadic Living CONNECT WITH GUEST INTERVIEWER TAINA BROWN: Website: https://www.ifthenand.org/ Messy Liberation Podcast: https://messyliberation.com/ CONNECT WITH NICOLE HAVELKA Newsletter LinkedIn Work with Nicole Nicole is going nomadic. No lease. No car. Just one question: how do I actually want to live? Join the Rest Rebel Collective for $7/month or $70/year and get front row seats to her Year of Expansion with exclusive monthly live video — plus you keep Just Rest in your podcast feed. → defythetrend.substack.com The Calm Calendar Club is a brain-friendly planning community for neurodivergent adults, ADHD minds, and sandwich-generation caregivers who are tired of systems that don’t fit real life. We help you build a flexible, values-based calendar that reduces chaos and protects your energy. This low-cost, community-based program is ready for you at defythetrend.com/calm-calendar. Send me a message via Speakpipe. A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

    The Messy Truth about Indie Podcasting & Burnout with Guest Interviewer Taina Brown

  7. May 27

    Grounding in Joy: Choosing Rest, Faith, and Radical Purpose with Anna DeShawn

    What does it look like to stay in the fight — week after week, story after story — without losing yourself in the process? In this episode, Nicole sits down with Anna DeShawn, founder of E3 Radio and The Qube, and host of the Ambie Award-winning Queer News podcast, for a rich conversation about burnout, joy as a practice, faith as a foundation, and what it really means to build something that sustains you. Anna's journey from corporate burnout to full-time entrepreneur and queer media powerhouse is a case study in trusting the pivot — and in taking care of yourself first so you can keep advocating for your community. In this episode: How COVID pushed Anna from corporate burnout to full-time entrepreneurshipWhat it felt like to relearn how to work on her own termsThe sacred meditation corner in Anna's home that grounds her before every episode of Queer NewsWhy reporting the good news is just as important as bearing witness to the hard stuffThe difference between battles and wars — and why showing up matters even when you lose a roundAnna's deeply rooted faith background (Black Lutheran and Baptist — yes, both)Joy as a choice and a commitment — and why Anna quits the moment joy leavesThe new relaunch of The Qube: building the largest searchable database of Black and Brown podcasts, and why discoverability is an equity issueWhy podcasters are the storytellers and public record-keepers of our timeOrganizations you should support: Affinity Community Services — serving Black queer women on the South Side of Chicago for 30 years. affinitycommunityservices.orgSisters in Cinema — a nonprofit supporting Black women, girls, and gender-expansive media makers with free programming and a 35-seat brick-and-mortar theater on the South Side. sistersincinema.comP.S. Become part of the joy in Anna’s new community on Substack! CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Just Rest and Anna Deshawn 02:45 Moment for a Deep Breath 03:55 Burnout, Leaving Corporate American in COVID 06:33 Redefining Work and Success 09:34 Wellbeing in Entrepreneurship 12:07 Authenticity in Podcast 17:14 Staying Grounded Amidst the Bad News 19:37 Seeing the Big Picture in Activism 20:47 Faith and Identity in Activism 26:33 The Intersection of Faith and Identity 28:03 Faith and the Podcasting Journey 30:51 Letting Go of Control in the Journey 32:19 The Importance of Self-Care 34:09 Finding Joy in Work 39:01 Relaunching The Cube 42:55 Creating Access in Podcasting 44:51 Ways to Rest and Resist 49:41 Dear Rest Rebels 50:22 Highlighting Organizations Doing Good in the World CONNECT WITH ANNA DESHAWN Website:https://e3radio.fm Substack:https://queernewspod.substack.com Instagram:https://instagram.com/annadeshawn Facebook: https://facebook.com/annadeshawn LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/annadeshawn CONNECT WITH NICOLE HAVELKA: Newsletter LinkedIn Work with Nicole Nicole is going nomadic. No lease. No car. Just one question: how do I actually want to live? Join the Rest Rebel Collective for $7/month or $70/year and get front row seats to her Year of Expansion with exclusive monthly live video — plus you keep Just Rest in your podcast feed. → defythetrend.substack.com The Calm Calendar Club is a brain-friendly planning community for neurodivergent adults, ADHD minds, and sandwich-generation caregivers who are tired of systems that don’t fit real life. We help you build a flexible, values-based calendar that reduces chaos and protects your energy. This low-cost, community-based program is ready for you at defythetrend.com/calm-calendar. Send me a message via Speakpipe. A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

    Grounding in Joy: Choosing Rest, Faith, and Radical Purpose with Anna DeShawn

  8. Apr 29

    Built on Purpose, Running on Empty: Values, Burnout, and the Theology of Hard Times with Catharine Montgomery

    What happens when the mission that fuels you becomes the thing that depletes you? In this episode, Nicole sits down with Catharine Montgomery, founder of The Better Together Agency, a communications firm built to amplify organizations doing good in the world. Catharine has rebuilt her business — and herself — more than once, and she doesn't hold back about what that actually costs. This is a wide-ranging conversation about purpose-driven entrepreneurship, the burnout that hides inside your passion, and what faith traditions have always known about rest that hustle culture refuses to teach us. If you're a values-driven founder, a woman of faith navigating hard seasons, or someone who has quietly wondered whether your sense of purpose is sustaining you or slowly burning you out — this episode is for you. Here's what's in the episode: What it really looks like to build a business around your valuesThe shadow side of purpose-driven work: how caring deeply can quietly become the reason you stop taking care of yourselfBias in AI, and why Catharine built her own toolThe theology of hard times: does God have a plan, does it have to be detailed, and what do you do when you've stopped believing it?Simple, unglamorous rest practices that are actually working for her right nowChapters: 00:00 Introduction to Just Rest and Catharine Montgomery 02:09 Taking a Deep Breath 03:17 Catharine's Burnout Stories 05:13 The Birth of Better Together Agency 08:37 Navigating Racism and Burnout 11:20 Building in Everyday Self-Care 14:23 Spirituality and Personal Growth 16:57 The Nature of Divine Planning 19:19 Understanding Suffering and Divine Presence 21:49 Evolving Values-Alignment in the Second Start-Up 24:37 Navigating Change and Maintaining Mission 28:48 Innovating with AI for Social Good 32:50 Addressing Bias in AI Technology 35:28 The Impact of AI on Racial Wealth Gap 37:42 Perfectionism and Its Challenges 41:08 Balancing Passion and Burnout 44:31 The Importance of Rest and Creativity 48:47 Highlighting Positive Change: Red Rabbit CONNECT WITH CATHARINE MONTGOMERY: Website: https://thebettertogetheragency.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cnmontgomery The Better Together Agency on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thebettertogetheragency Organization highlighted: Red Rabbit — providing culturally relevant meals to children in schools across New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. redrabbitlunch.com CONNECT WITH NICOLE HAVELKA: Newsletter: https://defythetrend.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-havelka-35762022/ Work with Nicole: https://defythetrend.com/contact/ Nicole is going nomadic. No lease. No car. Just one question: how do I actually want to live? Join the Rest Rebel Collective for $7/month or $70/year and get front row seats to her Year of Expansion with exclusive monthly live video — plus you keep Just Rest in your podcast feed. → defythetrend.substack.com The Calm Calendar Club is a brain-friendly planning community for neurodivergent adults, ADHD minds, and sandwich-generation caregivers who are tired of systems that don’t fit real life. We help you build a flexible, values-based calendar that reduces chaos and protects your energy. This low-cost, community-based program is ready for you at defythetrend.com/calm-calendar. Send me a message via Speakpipe. A proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

    Built on Purpose, Running on Empty: Values, Burnout, and the Theology of Hard Times with Catharine Montgomery
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About

Just Rest: Burnout Tips for Everyday Radicals, hosted by Nicole Havelka, helps everyday radicals and world-changers who are tired, but not giving up to find connection, support, and soul-deep inspiration to keep resisting grind culture while staying true to their values. Nicole Havelka is a burnout survivor, ordained pastor, yoga teacher, and founder of Defy the Trend. She spent years trying to change the world by working harder, staying later, doing more, but realized that real change doesn't come from depletion—it comes from deep, aligned, joyful living. Now, she coaches others to make rest a non-negotiable part of their resistance. Every week, you'll hear honest, unfiltered conversations about what it takes to build differently and rest radically. Episodes talk about resistance, spiritual practice, failure, boundary-setting, burnout, recovery, and the sacred power of saying, “no more".

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