10/07/2026
❤️❤️The starting line. The horn blares.
I’m feeling fresh from my morning pre-race routine—wake early, stretch, eat, breathe.
And we’re off.
I’m sticking with the pack, the women leaders, right next to “Streamers,” my friendly adversary.
I push through the burn in my lungs, the ache in my legs, my body on the brink of giving up.
But I can’t stop.
If I don’t make it to the single track with this group, the race is already over. I know I’ll never catch up if I fall behind.
So I stay.
I push through the pain for the pleasure I know is waiting for me at the end.
A podium, I hope.
Yeah, sometimes we need to push through the feedback from our body that says, stop, please, no.
Sometimes I let myself override all other sensations in pursuit of a goal—like when I used to race mountain bikes.
Or the other weekend when I had three days of childcare to move my entire life from one spot to another and deep clean the old place in hopes of getting some deposit back.
I put myself in overdrive and got s**t done.
And when it was over?
Hell yeah, I collapsed.
I could barely make it out of bed the next day.
When I raced, there was also time put aside for recovery after a hard, dirty ride.
The push, the overworking to exhaustion, the drive all the way to the breaking point—it isn’t sustainable as a way of life, for me or any body
And yet, as women, it has become normalized to kick ass and take names.
Work the 9–5, then come home as mother, caregiver, cleaner, confidante, and five-star chef.
We’ve learned to do it all, all day, every day.
When this becomes a normal mode of operating, body wisdom gets sidetracked and muted.
We stop hearing the sweet whispers throughout the day:
Take a seat.
Have a bath.
Walk outside.
Say no.
So yes, there has to be discernment when it comes to overriding our body’s limits.
There are times when the push and hustle make sense. It’s necessary, desired, and true to the moment.
But hustle all the time doesn’t have to be your culture.
Let your body lead.
Give her a say.
Maybe she loves the hustle too.
But maybe, just maybe, she’s asking for that seat.
Or saying no thank you to that work event.
It doesn’t hurt to ask.