Rest as a Leadership Strategy

There was a time when I believed the best leaders were the ones who never stopped. Who showed up no matter what. Who burned bright—even when they were burning out. You know the ones—our culture lifts them up. The CEOs who never sleep, the founders who grind 24/7, the parents who never sit down. Maybe it’s our parents who said, “I’ll rest when I’m dead,” or maybe it’s us now saying it with a smirk—treating rest like it’s only allowed after we collapse.

Sometimes it only takes a moment—just a breath—to notice what's really going on beneath the surface. A pause not out of luxury, but necessity. And in that pause, a possibility opens.

I was praised for my hustle, admired for my consistency, applauded for my energy. But behind the scenes, I was running on fumes. And the more I performed strength, the weaker I felt.

Until one day, I couldn’t anymore.

The turning point wasn’t dramatic. It was quiet. A pause I didn’t choose but finally surrendered to. And in that stillness, something surprising emerged:

Rest isn’t weakness. Rest is a leadership strategy.

The Myth of Rest as Weakness

We live in a culture that equates rest with laziness. As if rest is something you earn after you've proven your worth. As if the only valuable hours are the ones that produce, perform, or provide for others. Those who sees it as indulgent or selfish. Many of us even joke, “Rest? I don’t even know her.” And so we brush off the idea of resting until we’re absolutely depleted—treating it like a last resort.

We've internalized the idea that resting is only acceptable when we’re completely exhausted—when we’ve “earned it” by running ourselves into the ground. May you have heard some of these or even said them:

Playful (but still self-denying):

• “I’m powered by caffeine and chaos.”

• “Downtime is for people without ambition.”

Self-sacrificing / martyr mindset:

• “I just have too many people counting on me.”

• “It’s fine—I’ll catch up on sleep someday.”

• “If I stop, everything will fall apart.”

Subtly self-critical or perfectionist:

• “I haven’t earned a break yet.”

• “There’s always something else I should be doing.”

• “Other people are doing more with less—I need to keep up.”

We don’t gracefully choose rest—we crash into it.

We faceplant onto the couch, not because we’re practicing radical self-care, but because our limits have been screaming through megaphones and we’ve been pretending it’s background noise.

We dismiss the signs like:

• “I’ll rest after this next thing.”

• “Just a little more coffee and I’m good.”

• “I’ll feel better once I cross this off my list.”

But truthfully? We’re chasing productivity with the energy of a half-charged phone—swapping clarity for caffeine and calling it commitment.

We wear exhaustion like a badge. Hustle like it’s holy.

And underneath it all?

• Burnout disguised as ambition: You're praised for your dedication, but secretly Googling "how to quit everything and live in a yurt."

• A gradual erosion of clarity: You can’t remember why you started, just that you can’t seem to stop.

• A deepening disconnection from self: You’re present in every room—except your own inner world.

This isn’t leadership. It’s leaking energy in the name of being needed.

And the worst part? We convince ourselves this is normal. That collapse is just part of the climb.

But what if it’s not? What if the pause isn’t the breakdown… it’s the breakthrough?

Redefining Rest Through the Lens of CAI

Creative Adaptive Intelligence (CAI) is the practice of responding to change without abandoning yourself. A healthier way to navigate uncertainity.

• It’s not about performance—it’s about presence.

• It’s not about hustle—it’s about honoring what’s true in the moment—even when what’s true is, "I need to stop."

• And rest? It’s the heart of it.

Rest as it is define with CAI:

• Regenerative preparation, not just a pause

• A decision rooted in clarity, not collapse

• An act of adaptability and agency

• A commitment to sustainable momentum

You don’t need to be running on empty to deserve a pause. You don’t need to collapse to justify stillness.

Let’s make it real: Imagine you’re juggling a growing to-do list, a sick kid at home, and a deadline at work. You already feel behind, but instead of pushing through the fog, you take 15 minutes alone with your coffee, your calendar, and your breath. That one conscious pause? It helps you reset. You reorder your priorities. You make one honest call and release three tasks. Suddenly, the day shifts.

That’s CAI in action. A simple pause gives you the chance to:

• Reorient around what truly matters

• Reconnect with what you need, not just what’s expected

• Regulate emotions and reset nervous system overwhelm

• Restore capacity and clear space for aligned choices

And it helps you see how rest supports the C.A.L.M. Framework:

• Clarity needs rest to clear the noise and reconnect with what’s true—not what’s loudest.

• Adaptability needs rest to shift without splintering, to flex with grace.

• Leadership needs rest to model sustainability and build trust—starting with yourself.

• Momentum needs rest to stay rooted, so progress doesn’t uproot your well-being.

This isn’t about slowing down for the sake of it. It’s about creating space so your energy can move with purpose—not pressure.

Rest isn’t a side note.
It’s part of the strategy.

What Leadership Without Rest Looks Like

In 2019, I looked like a leader. My calendar was full, my platforms were thriving, my energy seemed unstoppable. But inside, I was empty.

I wasn’t leading—I was over-functioning.

That’s the thing about implicatory denial:

You know something is misaligned. Your body whispers. Your instincts tug. But instead of adjusting, you keep performing. You try to make it work. You dismiss the signs, power through the fatigue, rationalize the red flags.

You might say:

• “I’ll slow down after this launch.”

• “It’s just a busy season.”

• “If I don’t do it, who will?”

• “Rest feels unproductive.”

• “I can’t afford to pause right now.”

Meanwhile, the internal erosion continues.

Implicatory denial is knowing a shift is needed—but denying yourself the space, energy, or tools to make it. It’s not ignorance. It’s performance in place of presence.

Rest as a Leadership Act

Let’s shift the idea that rest isn’t just for healing—rest is a leadership strategy. Because when we rest, we:

• Recalibrate priorities before urgency decides for us

• Renew purpose without needing crisis to force clarity

• Reclaim the ability to respond rather than react

When we rest, we model what it means to lead with integrity—not depletion.

Rest looks like:

• Saying no without guilt

• Protecting your calendar like it holds your peace

• Walking away from urgency culture—even if everyone else is sprinting

• Taking 15 minutes to reflect before replying to a stressful message

• Letting your kids see you sit down for no reason but to breathe

• Building quiet into your creative process so the insight can rise

Rest builds trust—with yourself, your team, your vision. And when leaders rest, they ripple that possibility into their families, teams, and communities.