Want to strengthen a woman’s belief in herself, the power of her values, and the grit to manage the unexpected? Give her five minutes.

Because even if all you have is five minutes, you can make it the best five minutes that ever was. All you have to do is give yourself permission to take them. 

It breaks my heart when my favorite clients—founders and high-performing women driven to deliver—’should’ all over themselves, and steeped in guilt and shame for taking a Time Out. Even though it’s the very best thing they could do for their own efficacy and entrepreneurial spirit, sometimes even the most high-performing woman simply cannot give themselves permission to take time for rest. 

It’s easy to see how this epidemic of relentless sacrifice comes about: Capitalist value systems have drilled down on the idea that you’re only as valuable as you are productive. Even if you’re not “work-working,” you’re always ‘shoulding’—I should clean the house, I should call my mom, I should update my LinkedIn profile / clean the gutters / do my own taxes.

I implore all of my driven and resourceful friends out there to stop ‘shoulding’ on yourself. Rest isn’t failure, it’s freedom. 

By giving yourself even five minutes to center yourself, you can reset your regulation and feel less overwhelmed, anxious, and isolated.

We are all seeking fulfillment and balance; I can promise you that you won’t find either of those things pushing harder while sacrificing your own well-being. That’s a lie we tell ourselves to avoid doing the uncomfortable thing, like deconstructing the idea that it’s not ok to do absolutely nothing, even for five minutes. 

I believe that simply existing is the most valuable thing you can ever do.  

Maxine Waters gets it: Reclaim your time.

No matter what’s happening outside the doors of “You Time,” life is too short to let it take everything you’ve got. If you truly want to feel successful, you’ll need to define what success looks like in your life. 

No fulfilled and balanced woman I know has defined success as feeling crippling guilt and shame when she reclaims her time and protects her peace. And she wouldn’t want that for you either. 

Give yourself permission to prioritize making time truly for you, no matter how small the increments. Your resilience will thank you. 

 Intimate conversations and self-reflection—because you deserve it.