The Cost of Pushing Through: Why Hustle Culture is Failing Creatives

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"I USED TO THINK PUSHING THROUGH WAS THE ANSWER. IT TURNS OUT, IT'S A TRAP. ONE THAT TOO MANY CREATIVES FALL INTO."

For the longest time, if my kids needed something, I was on it. No hesitation. “Mom, can you—” and I was already moving. Dinner, drinks, lost toys, you name it. It was like my nervous system was on call 24/7. And honestly?

I didn’t even question it.

Until my body did.

First, it was little things—chest pain that made me pause for a second. Then, a couple of months ago, I got hit with a rare eye disease that took me out. Two weeks of excruciating pain, barely able to care for myself, let alone my kids.

I couldn’t work.

I couldn’t look at a screen.

And for the first time, I was forced to ask… What happens if I actually can’t keep going?

I used to think pushing through was the answer. It turns out, it’s a trap. One that too many creatives fall into.

Because let’s be real—when you run your own business, it feels like stopping isn’t an option. You’re always on. And with everything going on in the world (seriously, everything), it’s easy to feel like you need to:

Do more.

Be more.

Prove more.

But what if, instead of pushing through, you got clear on your actual strengths—the thing that makes you unique, undeniable, irreplaceable? So when burnout tries to creep in, you’re not spinning out trying to prove yourself. You’re already rooted in what you bring to the table.

Where to start?

Slow down. You can't hear yourself with all the busywork distracting you. Start with calming the nervous system [without making it a task]. Let's start with some mental shifts:

1️⃣ Rest isn’t wasted time—it’s creative fuel.
Believing rest is a waste of time gets us in major trouble. Even when we see all the social media posts about how beneficial rest is ~and we nod our heads in agreement~, if we're not making the minset shift, we stay stuck in hustling through.

2️⃣ Your best ideas don’t come when you’re forcing them.
Whether you're pushing through life ignoring your needs or forcing an idea fart out of your brain to complete a client project—it gets you further and further separated from your creative potential.

3️⃣ Learning to pause before burnout is the real power move. You might subconsciously be waiting for the debilitating symptoms of burnout to "save" you so you have no choice but to rest. But that takes away your ability to stand up for you. The real flex is enforcing boundaries around your time and energy. You'll be proud that you can do this for yourself.

the SELF CARE REFLECTION QUESTION

Here's some helpful journal prompts that come from today's share:

Where have you been pushing through in ways that don’t serve you? And how can you slow down before your body forces you to?

And once you slow down a bit, get clear on your actual strengths—the thing that makes you unique, undeniable, irreplaceable. Make a list and include strengths from your work and personal life.

Take a quiet moment and write the answers as they intuitively come up. Share in the comments if this was a helpful practice ♡

the NURTURING POWER MOVE

Here's this week simple self-care action. A tiny nurturing step that'll take you and your creativity far...

Stretch Away Tech Tension: The 5-Min Hand Reset

Your hands work hard—give them a break! Tap play below to do these quick, simple stretches & relieve wrist tension, ease thumb cramping, and prevent carpal tunnel from endless scrolling and typing. Perfect for creatives glued to their screens, this easy self-care ritual will have your hands (and mind) feeling refreshed in just 5 minutes!

Stretch Away Tech Tension: 5-Minute Hand Reset

Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments!

the CREATIVE ENERGY FORECAST

Here's this week's insight for creative flow this week.

Let's see what's good ↓:

Week of March 30:

We're in the last week of Mercury Retrograde so don't worry if what you planned/scheduled this week gets a major unexpected shift. Be nimble my creative compadre, and allow the chips to fall how they may. Simply look at how they fell and do what you do best and transform that sh*t into your most passionate art expression.
Neptune moves into Aries today (March 30) and will be there for the next 14 years, ushering a new age. The way we see things will majorly shift and new paradigms and beliefs will arise. It's up to the visionary creatives of the world to bring in thought leadership, art, and even activism in a way that ensures these new shifts operate for the greater good. So now's a good time to get clear on your purpose and what change you want to see in the world so that your next actions follow suit.

INSIDE the STUDIO

Creative Biz & Life updates to keep you in the know.

do you really want to hustle harder?

Are you exhausted from pushing through your business life like a boulder up a hill? Consider putting into practice a 4-pronged self-care for business strategy that will have you thinking "why haven't I done this sooner!" If you want in on all the deets plus a live walkthrough of how to put your self-care strategy into practice, join me on April 22 for my workshop, The Missing Piece: Make Self-Care Part of Your Business Plan.

SAVE YOUR SPOT!

the S.U.N.D.A.E. CREATIVE podcast

Have you checked out the recent podcast episode: Creative Success Is Not About More Hustle? In this episode, I'm breaking down why self-care isn't just a personal indulgence—it's a business strategy. You'll learn how shifting your mindset around rest and replenishment can actually make you more productive, focused, and creatively free. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify and Buzzsprout.

That’s it. That’s the news. See ya next Sunday Sundae.

LOVE THIS? KNOW A FELLOW CREATIVE WHO NEEDS THIS KIND OF ENERGY IN THEIR INBOX? FORWARD THIS LINK—BECAUSE REAL ONES DON'T GATEKEEP THE GOOD STUFF.

**FEELING THIS WEEK'S SUNDAE'S BEST? IF YOU'RE READY TO TAKE IT DEEPER, ME TIME, MADE SIMPLE IS WHERE WE WORK TOGETHER TO PUT ALL THIS INSIGHT INTO ACTION—WITHOUT THE BURNOUT. CHECK IT OUT!**