S02 EP02 | Why Hustle is a Trauma Response (and What to Choose Instead)

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Can't stop working? Feeling guilty when you rest? In this episode, Debs Thorpe reveals why constant hustle is often a flight trauma response, and shares what to choose instead. Learn the difference between survival doing and aligned action, discover active relaxation practices (including Debs' personal story of trail running back to wholeness), and understand why rest is revolutionary.

What You'll Learn:

• Why hustle is a flight trauma response (not ambition)
• What you're really running from when you can't stop
• The cost of constant doing: health, relationships, joy, wholeness
• Survival doing vs. aligned action: how to tell the difference
• Active relaxation: rest through rhythmic, embodied movement
• Debs' story: how trail running (without performance pressure) reconnected her with her body and childlike wonder
• Why rest is radical in hustle culture

Perfect for: Burned-out achievers, chronic doers, people who can't rest without guilt, anyone running on empty

Key Topics: burnout recovery, hustle culture, trauma responses, rest, active relaxation, nervous system regulation, flight response, work-life balance, self-care, trail running, embodiment, childlike curiosity

Practice This Week:

1. Notice when you're in survival doing vs. aligned action
2. Choose one form of rest (still or active)
3. Try active relaxation: walk, stretch, explore without goals
4. Journal: "What am I running from when I can't stop?"
5. Mantra: "I am enough without doing anything"

Key Quote: "Running became my place of discovery and adventure, not routine or regime. The second I made it about performance, I hated it."

Resources: Read Debs' full running story at debsthorpe.com/from-zero-to-ultramarathon-in-8-weeks | Free companion guide at whlinstitute.com

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Thank you for being here. Thank you for choosing wholeness. Thank you for having the courage to tell yourself the truth.

Please do share this podcast far and wide to help us reach as many people as possible.

And as our gift to you, Debs has created the Rooted in Wholeness- a collection of grounding practices, journal prompts, and reflections that go deeper into season two's theme of Wholeness and Belonging. It’s completely free, and you can sign up to receive it online at www.whlinstitute.com.

And if you'd like to gift Debs a personal thank you, you can Buy Me A Coffee here, knowing it will fuel many more moments of inspiration.

Thank you for listening, supporting, and most of all, for walking this path of wholehearted living with us.

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