Rebekah Streeter woke up in the middle of the night so dizzy she didn't know what was happening. She was helping run two bed and breakfasts with young kids at home, and her body had finally decided she couldn't keep pushing through. In this episode of Unstoppable at Any Age, I talk with Rebekah, founder of Voda Retreats, about burnout, rest, and building a life you don't need to escape from. We talk a lot on this show about moving and training, but your nervous system is part of that picture too, and this conversation is about giving it some tools. Before COVID, Rebekah's days were built around other people: guests, kids, family, and a business that never closed. The stress showed up in her body first, as pain, inflammation, exhaustion, and anxiety, and then as vertigo that made it hard to drive, look at a screen, or sometimes even walk from room to room. She had a head start from years of dance training, studying kinesiology and anatomy, and learning breathing practices, and she built her recovery from there with help from a team of practitioners. What worked was small and repeatable: a ten-minute walk, chair yoga when pushing made things worse, short weighted workouts, and breaks scheduled into the day on purpose. She turned what she learned into Voda Retreats, which makes aromatherapy nasal wands, a meditation candle, and wellness kits designed as physical cues to pause. The wands carry a QR code to a 60-second guided breathing exercise, using the connection between scent and memory to turn a pause into a habit. She also hosts a micro podcast called Calm Currents. Toward the end, she walks us through one of her favourite resets, and you can try it right along with her: breathe in through your nose for four, out through your mouth for six, for about a minute. Only do it somewhere safe, and not with your eyes closed if you're driving. In this episode, we discuss: The night vertigo forced her to stop, and what had been building in her body beforehand How she rebuilt movement from a ten-minute walk, chair yoga, and short strength sessions, and why she respects her limits now Why her biggest advice is to do less, not to add more to your wellness routine What a 60-second break actually does for your nervous system: changing position, getting outside, and slow breathing Her case for giving everyone the equivalent of a smoke break, without the cigarettes How she uses scent as a physical cue to turn a pause into a habit Why she designed her products for different kinds of learners What "a life you don't need to escape from" means to her: a small house, good food, good friends Why saying no to just one thing today can change how the whole week feels Asking for help, and why the generation above us often finds it hardest to rest A simple breathing practice you can do along with us What unstoppable at any age means to someone who has learned to take breaks One of my favourite moments from this conversation was when Rebekah said: "You don't actually have to do more. I think you just need to do less." Rebekah Streeter She doesn't mean you need to stop caring for the people in your life. She means that if you can't find an hour, find five minutes, and if you can't find five minutes, find sixty seconds. If you're the person everyone else leans on, try her challenge before you press play on anything else today: pick one thing to say no to, and give yourself sixty seconds. 💜 Join my free community, #WomenWhoMove: drshawnadarou.com/start-here 📖 Download my free guide, Fueling for Hormones & Metabolic Health: drshawnadarou.com/fueling-for-health 🌿 Explore Voda Retreats: vodaretreats.com (also available on well.ca and at select Halifax-area shops) 📲 Follow Voda Retreats: @thevodaexperience
