RHYTHMS OF REST℠ Leadership Podcast

Kent Murawski

Kent Murawski is an executive coach, author, and speaker who helps business owners, executives, and leaders to grow their companies without it costing them their health, their families, or themselves. He is the creator of the RHYTHMS OF REST℠ framework, newsletter, and leadership podcast. Like a heart where all four chambers must work together for proper blood flow, your life depends on four key rhythms working in harmony: Relational, Emotional, Spiritual (faith or a philosophy of life), and Tangible. His own breakdown at 27, and another near miss at 39, built the framework years before he taught it to anyone else. Kent has led or founded three organizations, written two books, and spoken on four continents. His third book, built around the same four rhythms, is forthcoming in early 2027. Learn more about coaching and resources at https://KentMurawski.com.

  1. 3d ago

    Episode 15: The Friends You Need (Why Every Leader Needs Two Close Friends)

    Leaders have plenty of people around them and very few they can say the hard stuff to. When something goes sideways, it all lands at home, and your family ends up getting the scraps of you. In this episode, I share the hardest two weeks of my life as a parent, the two friends who showed up almost daily, and why the friends who carry you through your worst week have to be built before that week shows up. Content note: This episode includes a brief, non-graphic mention of my daughter's past suicidality. If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 (US): https://988lifeline.org What you'll learn Name the two people you would call if something went sideways this week, and why two is enoughStop asking one person, even a great spouse, to carry the full weight of your emotional needsTell real friends from deal friends, and why leaders end up with plenty of the second kindGain an edge few others will have as more people try to fill the friendship gap with AISend the one text that starts rebuilding your inner circle in the next 24 hoursKey quote from the episode "Most leaders think that they need more people around them, but actually what they need most is people who will love them for who they are and not what they've accomplished, and people that aren't impressed by them." Episode highlights The two-week stretch after my daughter's second hospitalization, and the two closest friends who reached out almost daily for weeks.Why those friends showed up: the friendship was already there before I ever sent that text.Why friendship disappears first for leaders, even in groups where it could form.Arthur Brooks on real friends vs. deal friends, and why leaders get seen as dispensers of power, information, and money.The friendship edge: because friends want nothing from you, they can be frank with you.Take the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT The RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you which of your four rhythms is breaking down and give you one move to make this week. Not next quarter. This week. Three minutes. Free. 👉 https://restassessment.scoreapp.com/ Subscribe to the Newsletter If the calendar is full but the energy is not, the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you exactly which of your four rhythms is most out of sync and give you the order of operations to fix it. Three minutes. Free. Results in your inbox. 👉 https://kentmurawski.com/newsletter Connect on Social Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentmurawski Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentmurawski X: https://x.com/kentmurawski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentmurawski YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KentMurawski Sources and support Birditt, K. S., & Antonucci, T. C. (2007). Relationship quality profiles and well-being among married adults. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(4), 595–604. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.21.4.595 Brooks, A. C. (2022). From strength to strength: Finding success, happiness, and deep purpose in the second half of life (p. 123). Portfolio.

  2. Oct 11

    Episode 14: It Wasn’t the Hours (What Actually Breaks High-Performing Leaders)

    If you've tried everything the wellness and balance menu has to offer and ended up right back where you started, I know what it feels like. I lived in that loop for more than 12 years, trading home for work and work for home, until I learned that effort was never what I was missing. This is the origin story of the RHYTHMS OF REST℠ framework and the shift that finally got me out. What you'll learn Why you can't dig your way out of a hole by working harder, and what to point your discipline at insteadHow letting go of the illusion of control over every outcome breaks the burnout loop (without letting go of responsibility)The four rhythms (Relational, Emotional, Spiritual, Tangible) and why they work in harmony, not equalityWhy better scheduling won't fix a rhythm problemHow to find which rhythm needs your attention most, in under three minutesKey quote from the episode "Most people think burnout is a workload problem, but it's actually a control problem, and even more precisely a rhythm problem." Kent Murawski Episode highlights A garden hose, a bridge, and the grip I trusted for the first half of my lifeThe kitchen floor at 27, and the twelve mediocre years that followedThe epiphany at 39: you don't have to understand or control everything to live from a place of peace and restWhat living in rhythm changed: a marriage from a 5 to an 8, 15 pounds lost, a weekly day of restThe rule of life, an ancient structure tested by everyone from high-ranking government officials to monksTake the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT The RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you which of your four rhythms is breaking down and give you one move to make this week. Not next quarter. This week. Three minutes. Free. 👉 https://restassessment.scoreapp.com/ Subscribe to the newsletter If the calendar is full but the energy is not, the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you exactly which of your four rhythms is most out of sync and give you the next step to fix it. Three minutes. Free. Results in your inbox. 👉 kentmurawski.com/newsletter Connect on social LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentmurawski YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KentMurawski Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentmurawski Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentmurawski X: https://x.com/kentmurawski

  3. Sep 20

    Episode 13: Why Working Less Made These Two Business Owners Grow Faster

    Every time Jesh thought about taking Friday off, his chest would tighten. He was afraid one day off would cost him revenue, the same assumption almost every business owner runs on. Two business owners tested that assumption as a reversible experiment instead of a permanent change, and neither one lost a dollar. What you'll learn Why cutting a day from your work week can increase revenue instead of costing youHow to test a belief instead of defending it, using a reversible experimentWhy the Emotional rhythm, not the number of hours worked, is usually the real problemWhat the 80/20 principle reveals about which hours are actually producing your resultsA 24-48 hour action step for building margin without redesigning your businessKey quote from the episode "Most people think this is about revenue. It's actually about whether you're willing to challenge a belief you've never questioned." Episode highlights Jesh took Fridays off as a "summer experiment," and within two months his revenue was up 20 percentHe hit his yearly revenue goal six months early, and a year later he still takes Fridays offJames, who owns a trucking and land development company in Florida, made the same trade during a revenue downturn and landed a major new job within monthsParkinson's Law explains why the work that felt urgent simply stopped needing to happenKent shares what happened the few months he abandoned his own Friday rhythm, and what it cost him Take the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT The RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you which of your four rhythms is breaking down and give you one move to make this week. Not next quarter. This week. Three minutes. Free. 👉 https://restassessment.scoreapp.com/ Subscribe to the newsletter If the calendar is full but the energy is not, the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you exactly which of your four rhythms is most out of sync and give you the order of operations to fix it. Three minutes. Free. Results in your inbox. 👉 kentmurawski.com/newsletter Connect on social Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentmurawski Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentmurawski X: https://x.com/kentmurawski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentmurawski YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KentMurawski

  4. Sep 6

    Episode 12: Leadership Burnout Isn't a Self-Awareness Problem (Most Leaders Already Have That)

    I used to believe that saying "I'm burned out" was most of the work. It's not — it's the starting line. In this episode, I trace my own breakdown at 27 and a near-repeat at 39 to show why insight alone never held, and what finally did: rhythms built to flex instead of a routine built to resist. What You'll LearnWhy naming your burnout out loud hasn't moved the needle — and what actually willWhich of your four rhythms (Relational, Emotional, Spiritual, Tangible) is quietly running you into the groundWhy the vulnerability you've already mastered is the opening move, not the winWhat shifted for one CTO's entire team once his own rhythm changedWhy fixing your own rhythms carries more weight than you think, even if you don't run the whole organizationKey Quote from the Episode"Burnout isn't a feelings problem you talk your way out of. It's a structural problem you build your way out of." Episode HighlightsI trace my burnout at 27 and a near-miss at 39 to show why insight alone didn't protect me the second timeThe skyscraper metaphor: rhythms built to flex hold weight that rigid ones can'tNew Vistage data shows CEO burnout climbing to 70% occasional, 28% frequent or dailyCliff's story: how one CTO's entire team shifted once his relational rhythm didWhy "fix your own rhythms first" isn't a small answer — it's the leverage point (Maxwell's Law of the Lid)Take the RHYTHMS OF REST AssessmentThe RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you which of your four rhythms is breaking down and give you one move to make this week. Not next quarter. This week. Five minutes. Free. 👉 kentmurawski.com/rest-assessment Subscribe to the NewsletterJoin hundreds of other high achievers who receive honest, inspiring, and practical insights every other Sunday to help you live and lead from internal rest instead of burnout. No fluff—just simple and tangible RHYTHMS OF REST ℠ that help you slow down without losing momentum. 👉 kentmurawski.com/newsletter Connect on SocialInstagram: https://instagram.com/kentmurawski Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentmurawski X: https://x.com/kentmurawski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentmurawski YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KentMurawski

  5. Aug 30

    Episode 11: If You Feel Like You're Winning at Work and Losing at Home… This Episode Is for You

    Burnout isn't new for high-capacity leaders — it's been quietly wrecking us for years, and it just keeps finding a new decade to show up in. In this episode, I get honest about the second time it nearly took me down, right as I was heading into my 40s, and the one shift in posture — not a system, not a hack — that finally broke the cycle. If your calendar is full but you're still running on fumes, this one's for you. What You'll Learn: Why the fix for burnout was never "try harder" — and what actually broke the cycle for meHow to tell the difference between releasing control and abdicating responsibilityWhy your brain may be getting sharper, not slower, past 40 — and what to do with thatWhy one of my coaching clients scaled her company the same season she cut her work nights in halfThe one question to ask yourself the next time anxiety starts building"Work is a priority. It is not the priority." Episode Highlights: The CEO story that proves burnout isn't a new problem — it's an old one leaders are finally naming out loudThe ordinary Wednesday afternoon that changed how I think about rest for goodWhy the "illusion of control" might be running your calendar right nowWhat the research on fluid vs. crystallized intelligence means for leaders past 40Valeria's story: fewer work nights, more revenue — not lessThe RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you which of your four rhythms is breaking down and give you one move to make this week. Not next quarter. This week. Five minutes. Free. 👉 kentmurawski.com/restassessment If the calendar is full but the energy is not, the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you exactly which of your four rhythms is most out of sync and give you the order of operations to fix it. Five minutes. Free. Results in your inbox. KentMurawski.com/assessment. 👉 kentmurawski.com/newsletter Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentmurawski Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentmurawski X: https://x.com/kentmurawski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentmurawski YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KentMurawski

  6. Aug 23

    Episode 10: Balance Won't Fix Your Burnout (These Four Rhythms Will)

    I had two breakdowns twelve years apart — the second one while I was doing everything the wellness industry told me to do. In this episode, I break down why six trillion dollars in global wellness spending hasn't moved the burnout numbers in over a decade, and I introduce the four-chamber framework, Rhythms of Rest, that finally did. What you'll learnWhy "balance" is a physics metaphor that was never built for a human life, and the perspective that actually works insteadThe four rhythms behind sustainable leadership: Relational, Emotional, Spiritual, and TangibleHow to name the one rhythm quietly driving your burnout, without a twelve-step auditThe "keystone rhythm," borrowed from the psychology of keystone habits, and how to pick yours this weekWhy "self-care" language keeps you stuck, and the words that actually holdKey quote from the episode"Most people think they're burned out from too much work. They're actually burned out from the wrong rhythms." Episode highlightsI relive the morning I ended up face down on my kitchen floor at twenty-seven, and the second breakdown at thirty-nine that scared me moreWhy six trillion dollars in global wellness spending hasn't made a dent in executive burnoutThe Rhythms of Rest framework, explained through the four chambers of a heartbeatBrandon's story: a founder who cut his hours from 12–15 a day, seven days a week, to 2–4 hours a day, six days a week — a seventy percent dropThe ancient story of Daniel in Babylon, and what a ten-day trial period proves about keeping your own rhythm inside someone else's systemTake the Rhythms of Rest assessmentThe RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you which of your four rhythms is breaking down and give you one move to make this week. Not next quarter. This week. Five minutes. Free. 👉 kentmurawski.com/rest-assessment Subscribe to the newsletterIf the calendar is full but the energy is not, the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you exactly which of your four rhythms is most out of sync and give you the order of operations to fix it. Five minutes. Free. Results in your inbox. KentMurawski.com/assessment. 👉 kentmurawski.com/newsletter Connect on socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/kentmurawski Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentmurawski X: https://x.com/kentmurawski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentmurawski YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KentMurawski editor/social media manager: Instagram @murawskifilms

  7. Season 2 Trailer

    Season 2 Teaser: 3 Arguments I'm About to Make That the Wellness Industry Never Will

    The wellness industry made six trillion dollars last year telling you how to fix your burnout. And burnout among leaders like you hasn't gone down — it's climbing. This trailer opens three weeks of arguments that industry would rather you never heard, starting with the one hiding in plain sight. What You'll Learn The specific dollar figure behind the wellness industry, and why it matters that burnout keeps climbing despite itWhy "I did everything right" is often the exact sentence right before someone burns out a second timeThe reason behind the three-week schedule break, and why it's happening now instead of laterA free way to see, in under three minutes, exactly which of your four rhythms needs attention firstKey Quote "Most of us think we're burned out from too much work. We're actually burned out from the wrong rhythms." Episode Highlights The real distinction this season draws between too much work and the wrong rhythms, and why the difference changes everythingThree previews land over the next three weeks: doing everything "right" and still breaking, the grind that built a career becoming the grind ending it, and why performing vulnerability isn't the same as real changeWhy this trailer breaks the usual every-other-week rhythm, and what that says about how seriously this argument is meant to be takenA direct prompt to notice which of the three previews lands hardest — that's the one to listen to firstTake the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT The RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you which of your four rhythms is breaking down and give you one move to make this week. Not next quarter. This week. Five minutes. Free. 👉 kentmurawski.com/restassessment Subscribe to the Newsletter If the calendar is full but the energy is not, the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you exactly which of your four rhythms is most out of sync and give you the order of operations to fix it. Five minutes. Free. Results in your inbox. KentMurawski.com/assessment. 👉 kentmurawski.com/newsletter Connect on Social Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentmurawski Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentmurawski X: https://x.com/kentmurawski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentmurawski YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KentMurawski Editor: @murawskifilms on instagram

  8. Jun 21

    Episode 9: You're Not Burned Out From Too Much Work (You're Burned Out From the Wrong Rhythm)

    You've tried the menu. Exercise. Meditation. The morning routine. More time off. And somehow you keep ending up back on the same floor. This episode is about why — and what the last twenty years finally taught Kent that no one in the wellness industry has been willing to say out loud. What You'll Learn: Why "balance" is a borrowed physics metaphor that has never described how a human life actually worksHow to identify which of the four rhythms — Relational, Emotional, Spiritual, or Tangible — is dragging the other three down right nowThe one keystone change that moves everything else downstream (without a five-pillar overhaul)Why most burnout isn't caused by too much work — and what it's actually caused byWhy calling it "self-care" keeps you stuck inside the frame that already failed youKey Quote: "Most people think they're burned out from too much work. They're actually burned out from the wrong rhythm." Episode Highlights: Kent's nervous breakdown at 27 — face down on the kitchen floor, supposed to be heading to a leadership conference, no idea why it was happeningThe trillion-dollar wellness industry data point that lands like a gut punch: more investment, more burnoutThe "close your eyes" exercise that exposes exactly why balance will never workThe story of a business owner who went from 12–15 hour days to 1–2 hours — without sacrificing resultsDaniel in Babylon: a 2,500-year-old case study in keeping your own rhythms under pressureTake the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT The RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you which of your four rhythms is breaking down and give you one move to make this week. Not next quarter. This week. Five minutes. Free.  👉 kentmurawski.com/restassessment  Subscribe to the Newsletter If the calendar is full but the energy is not, the RHYTHMS OF REST ASSESSMENT will tell you exactly which of your four rhythms is most out of sync and give you the order of operations to fix it. Five minutes. Free. Results in your inbox. KentMurawski.com/assessment.  👉 kentmurawski.com/newsletter  Connect on Social  Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentmurawski  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kentmurawski  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentmurawski  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KentMurawski Podcast/social media editor: @murawskifilms on instagram

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About

Kent Murawski is an executive coach, author, and speaker who helps business owners, executives, and leaders to grow their companies without it costing them their health, their families, or themselves. He is the creator of the RHYTHMS OF REST℠ framework, newsletter, and leadership podcast. Like a heart where all four chambers must work together for proper blood flow, your life depends on four key rhythms working in harmony: Relational, Emotional, Spiritual (faith or a philosophy of life), and Tangible. His own breakdown at 27, and another near miss at 39, built the framework years before he taught it to anyone else. Kent has led or founded three organizations, written two books, and spoken on four continents. His third book, built around the same four rhythms, is forthcoming in early 2027. Learn more about coaching and resources at https://KentMurawski.com.

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