It all started with a Britney Spears-level meltdown.
One year ago, I sat down to write my very first Weekly Recharge. And I'll let you in on the profound, life-changing topic I chose to kick things off...
Technology making me want to pull a Britney circa 2007. And compared my nervous system shitting the bed like a Nanna with c.diff and dementia... I guess I haven't changed *that* much.
Feel free to read it here if you're curious → When tech makes you want to pull a Britney 2007
I was trying to figure out how to use a new email platform, which apparently required the technological expertise of a NASA engineer, the patience of a saint, and perhaps a small sacrifice to the internet gods.
I just wanted to send a damn email.
But in typical Renae fashion, I took that frustrating experience and started picking it apart. What was happening in my body? Why was I getting so worked up? How could I approach it differently?
And thus, The Weekly Recharge was born. I had no idea what this little weekly email would turn into.
Hell, I was just proud I figured out how to send the first one. But a lot can change in 365 days.
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When I started writing these newsletters, my business looked very different.
I was primarily working with individuals navigating burnout and trying to understand how their nervous systems were responding to the demands of their lives.
And while I still believe that work is incredibly important, something started shifting.
The more conversations I had, the more I realized how often I was asking people to become better at surviving environments that were making them miserable in the first place.
I was teaching people how to regulate their stress without always questioning why they were under so much of it. And I started asking a bigger question:
What if we stopped putting all the responsibility for burnout on the individual and started looking at the systems, expectations, and workplace cultures contributing to it?
That question has changed the direction of my business.
It's led me toward working with organizations and leadership, having conversations about workplace culture, and helping create leaders people actually want to follow.
Somewhere along the way, the Hustle Rebels podcast was born, too.
And here we are. Different direction. Bigger conversations. And still occasionally wanting to throw technology out a window... Some things never change.
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And now there's 200 of you. This part genuinely means a lot to me. Because at the beginning of this year, I set a goal to reach 200 newsletter subscribers by December 31st.
Well, it's October.
And we've officially passed 200 subscribers.
WHAT?!
I know that in a world where people are chasing thousands and millions of followers, 200 might not sound like a big deal.
But it is to me. Especially when this had never been my plan. So I've started from scratch with everything.
Because that's over 200 people who have voluntarily invited me into their inbox and into their lives.
People who read my ridiculous stories, tolerate my Massachusetts first responder swearing, and hopefully walk away questioning something about the way they've been living, working, or showing up in the world.
Some of you have been here since the very beginning. Some of you just joined the rebellion.
But every single one of you has helped make this possible. And I want to thank you, genuinely, from the bottom of my heart.
For reading. For sharing. For replying. For supporting the podcast, the business, and this constantly evolving little adventure. And honestly making me feel like a fucking rockstar.
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I appreciate you more than you know. So, I made you a little somethin'.
I couldn't celebrate a whole year of The Weekly Recharge and hitting my subscriber goal without giving something back.
And no, it's not another 37-step morning routine that's going to require you to wake up at 4 AM, meditate for an hour, and drink celery juice while manifesting your future.
You're welcome.
Instead, I created something that's actually useful.
THE ENERGY LEAK FINDER: A free, three-page guide to help you figure out where the hell your energy is going.
Because here's something I've learned over the past year... Sometimes the solution to burnout isn't finding more ways to recharge.
It's recognizing where you're unnecessarily draining yourself in the first place.
Maybe you're taking responsibility for everyone else's problems. Or you're constantly rushing through things that aren't actually urgent.
Maybe you're working twice as hard because you haven't stopped to consider whether there's an easier way. Or maybe the workplace you're in has created expectations that no amount of deep breathing is going to fix.
This little audit will help you recognize those leaks, question what's keeping them open, and figure out one thing you can do differently.
No massive life overhaul required.
[GRAB YOUR FREE ENERGY LEAK FINDER HERE]
My anniversary gift to you.
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This Week’s Practice: Look Back Before You Look Ahead
I'm going to change things up this week.
Instead of giving you another exercise or challenge, I want you to think about where you were one year ago.
Not where you thought you'd be by now or what you haven't accomplished yet.
Where you actually were.
- What were you worried about?
- What were you working toward?
- What were you convinced you needed to have figured out?
- And how much has changed since then?
Maybe you've accomplished something you never expected. Perhaps you've changed your mind about something you used to believe wholeheartedly.
You could even still be figuring things out, but you're making different decisions than you would have a year ago.
That counts, too.
Growth doesn't always look like reaching the destination you originally had in mind. Sometimes it looks like realizing you want to go somewhere entirely different.
And that's okay. You don't owe the person you were a year ago the life they thought they wanted.
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🎧 This Week on the Hustle Rebels Podcast
🎙️ In Case You Missed It...Ever feel like you've read all the books, taken all the courses, and become painfully aware of your own patterns... yet you keep doing the same damn things?
Last week, I sat down with Melissa "Mel" Guyett to talk about overthinking, self-improvement burnout, and why understanding your patterns doesn't necessarily mean you've changed them.
Because sometimes personal growth becomes just another exhausting job we've assigned ourselves.
Mel also guides us through a 9D breathwork experience at the end of the episode, so if you're curious, save that portion for when you're somewhere safe and can give it your full attention. Definitely not while driving!
Watch on YouTube:
Listen Here: [Why You Feel Stuck Despite Doing the Work: Plus Breathwork w/ Melisa Guyett]
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If you've made it this far, thank you again.
I have no idea exactly what the next year will bring. If this past year has taught me anything, it's that whatever I think I have planned will probably change about 47 times.
But I'm excited to find out. And I'm glad you're here for it.
Here's to another year of questioning the bullshit, challenging the status quo, and figuring out how to build lives and workplaces that don't require us to sacrifice ourselves just to be successful.
Happy one-year anniversary, my friends.
With gratitude and a healthy dose of "Fuck that",
- Renae
Hustle Rebels
Hustle Rebels Podcast
New here? Or feeling nostalgic?
Want to read previous newsletters?
Check em out here: [Read Previous Editions of The Weekly Recharge]
