Wellness Wednesday Issue #161

🎧 Podcasts that actually boost productivity and focus without putting you to sleep

👉 When employees don’t feel safe speaking up at work, innovation suffers—this training helps change that. [Try it free]

👁️ The annual eye exam you shouldn’t skip, especially if screens dominate your workday.

🧠 What we’re really losing when we work side-by-side with AI.

When was the last time you did something purely because it was enjoyable?

Not useful. Not impressive. Not something you felt obligated to turn into progress.

If nothing comes to mind, play may have quietly slipped out of your routine.

For a lot of adults, this happens gradually. Work expands. Energy narrows. Free time gets optimized, scheduled, or sacrificed. Activities that once felt restorative start to feel optional, then inconvenient, then unnecessary.

But enjoyment isn’t excess. It plays a role in how the brain regulates stress and recovers from sustained effort.

Why play matters

When you engage in activities purely for enjoyment, your brain releases chemicals associated with mood regulation and stress reduction. It also activates regions involved in creativity, emotional regulation, and flexible thinking. This is part of how the brain resets between demands.

Research shows adults who maintain hobbies have lower stress levels, better sleep, and stronger overall mental health. These benefits aren’t tied to mastery or achievement. They come from regular exposure to low-stakes enjoyment.

Play supports the same systems you rely on when work gets heavy.

What happens when it disappears

Play deprivation is linked to higher stress reactivity, decreased emotional flexibility, and increased risk of depression. Without play, the nervous system stays “on” longer than it should.

Play also creates conditions for flow, that state where attention settles, time fades, and effort feels contained instead of draining. Flow is connected to lower anxiety, higher satisfaction, and better focus.

Without opportunities for that kind of engagement, mental fatigue accumulates faster.

How to bring play back without overcomplicating it

Most people don’t struggle to find time. They struggle to justify using it this way.

You don’t need to be good at a hobby. You don’t need a plan. You don’t need to prove it’s “worth it.” The only requirement is that it feels appealing enough to begin.

Start with something small and self-contained. Choose activities that don’t demand improvement or output.

Easy entry points:

• Crafts: Making something tangible without a performance goal
• Knitting or crocheting: Rhythmic, grounding, and finite
• Puzzles: Structured focus without urgency
• Movement: Activities chosen for enjoyment, not optimization
• Collecting: Objects that invite curiosity or nostalgia
• Cooking or baking: Exploration without efficiency pressure
• Gardening: Caring for something external to your workload
• Music: Listening deeply or learning slowly
• Reading: Fiction, chosen for pleasure alone

Avoid turning it into a project. Let interest determine how long you stay with it.

Enjoyment doesn’t need a secondary benefit to be legitimate.

Leadership is a mix of big decisions and everyday tasks. The key is building systems that support your people, protect your time, and grow with you.

Here’s where to start: one task at a time, done right.

💰 Keep your financials clean and current

Use Xero for simple dashboards, real-time visibility, and no messy spreadsheet juggling.

📇 Stay on top of leads and client relationships

Use Salesforce to organize contacts, follow-ups, and sales pipelines in a way that actually makes sense.

📊 Know what’s working (and what’s not)

Use Profit Apps for clear, customizable dashboards that turn business data into real direction.

🎯 Fill your pipeline with the right prospects

Use Apollo.io for targeted outreach and lead tracking that helps your team focus on what moves the needle.

🧾 Make payroll easy and accurate

Use OnPay to pay your team, manage benefits, and stay compliant, all without the usual HR headaches.

🛡️ Get the coverage your business actually needs

Use biBerk for quick quotes, tailored protection, and zero guesswork.

🎙️ Edit your video and audio content in seconds

Use Riverside to automatically cut filler words, generate transcripts, and polish your content with AI—all in just a few clicks.

Set your systems up right, and the rest gets easier.

I’m a mom of two—a boy (10) and a girl (12). I work from home. So does my husband. And like a lot of you, I spend most days trying to hold it all together without totally losing it.

Here’s the short list of things I try to stay on top of:

Cooking homemade meals (because I actually love it… when I’m not exhausted)

Keeping track of school events, homework, activities, permission slips, all of it

Spending real time with my husband; not just sitting next to each other on laptops

Planning occasional family road trips to shake us out of routine

Keeping the house clean and organized enough that I don’t feel like I’m drowning

And when there’s time left? Taking care of me—a workout, a moment to breathe, a podcast that isn’t about parenting or productivity

Some weeks, I feel like I’ve got a good rhythm. Other weeks, it’s survival mode. I’m throwing together whatever’s in the fridge, rescheduling dentist appointments, promising myself I’ll catch up on work over the weekend—and then not doing it, because I’m tapped out.

The pressure to “balance it all” is real. But I’ve stopped thinking of balance as a finish line or a 50/50 split. For me, it’s more like a scale that’s constantly adjusting. Some days tip toward the kids. Some days, toward deadlines. Some days, toward the laundry pile that’s slowly taking over the living room.

It’s not perfect. But it’s mine.

I’ve learned to ask myself a few questions that help me recalibrate:

Where do I actually need to show up today?

What can slide without everything falling apart?

And when’s the last time I sat with my kids without multitasking?

Those moments—the ones where I put my phone down, really listen, or share something that’s been on my mind—are what bring me back to center. They don’t fix the overwhelm, but they remind me why I care so much about trying in the first place.

I still struggle with mom guilt. I don’t think that ever fully goes away. But I’ve stopped trying to eliminate it. Now I just try to make peace with it, knowing it comes from love, not failure.

I’m also learning that balance doesn’t mean doing everything all the time. It means choosing what matters most right now, and trusting that the rest can wait a little.

This is the version of balance that’s working for me right now:

Flexible. Imperfect. Intentional.

And I’m curious: what does your version look like?

What helps you feel grounded when everything’s pulling you in different directions?

What are you proud of lately, even if no one else sees it?

Hit reply. I’d love to hear your take.

Kristel (TA Marketing Ops)

You give everything to everyone — deadlines, dinners, diapers, deliverables. But where’s the space for you?

Learning a language isn’t indulgent.

It’s growth. It’s confidence. It’s a win that’s yours alone.

Promova was built for busy women who want real progress without the pressure. No draining study sessions. No gamified guilt trips. Just quick, flexible lessons you can fit into the nooks of your day:

☕ While the coffee brews

📱 In the school pickup line

🧠 When your brain needs a break, not a scroll

12 languages. Real results. Zero pressure.

This year, stop waiting for the perfect time.

Start learning with Promova.

🌿 The science-backed way to feel better, inside and out.

👉 Klaviyo got every employee personally committed to using AI (you can do it, too). Learn how on 2/4.

🥿 Memory foam slippers that scream, “I’m not doing anything else today.”

🗣 Game night gets loud fast with this.

 Upcoming Events

• Thurs 1/29 @ 9AM PT: Psych Safety
• Thurs 2/12 @ 9AM PT: Dynamic Coaching (SGS Only* | Join the waitlist)

* Smart Girl Society is our private community for women who want deeper conversations, accountability, and tools that actually make life easier. Join the waitlist to get in the next round.

👩‍🍳 Recipe of the Week: Pan-Seared Cod in White Wine Tomato Sauce

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