My hobby = the podcast.
I took a two month break this Fall from the show but I didn’t stop running and lifting!
I did a handful of half marathons, got a full marathon PR, a time based ultra, also some virtual races.
It was a really good running year for me and in the motherhood side of things, life was busy.
I went from being a stay at home mom to a working mom over the summer, also alongside a move to the NC coast and transition out of the military for my Husband.
It is a big transition for our family!
In my first month of working that new job, we moved our household from Fayetteville to Ocean Isle beach, North Carolina.
I took the break from the podcast really just because I was crying uncle and something needed to go.
That said, now that I’m reflecting about it, I know that taking a couple of. Offering the show was absolutely the best thing I could have done for the show. Not only did it reduce my stress levels, it also helped me redefine the reason I do it.
And then guys, it inspired creativity.
I’m excited about doing the podcast again, so this episode is part update, but then also part light bulb moment about that break.
I know that you might not necessarily be a podcaster, but if I know the type of person that listens to the show, I know you’ve probably got a lot on your plate.
I know that you are multi-passionate and I want to encourage you to take a break as needed. To get these benefits as well. So why should you take a break? Let’s roll into these three things, improving your health, redefining your why, and then inspiring creativity.
Improve your health
Why should you take a break number one to improve your health? I’m talking stress reduction here. Real talk. The body is designed to respond to short bursts of stress.
All stress is not necessarily bad stress.
The problem occurs when the stress is prolonged and the stress response is triggered repeatedly, then your situation is chronic stress- you could get frequent headaches, GI issues, high blood pressure, and more.
…and before you go thinking all these things are normal, consider the idea that most of us are usually under more stress than necessary!
When your overall level of stress accumulates to a certain level, stress can snowball because you’re constantly in a state of reactivity at this point!
So even positive events can feel overwhelming because they take energy to respond to- you’re responding to this fabulous thing from a place of anxiety (or maybe even worse autopilot!).
(re)Define your “why”
Look, as much as I loved the Simon Sinek book Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, I actually think “finding your why” is a little played out these days.
I blame Instagram life coaches.
May I suggest your reason for doing something has probably changed?
Especially if you’ve been involved in your hobby for a long time.
Let’s use running as an example:
A lot of people get involved with running because they want to get healthy, maybe lose some weight, maybe even to complete in a specific race, a one-time event or a run the year style goal.
What happens when that goal is over or if the original goal simply doesn’t inspire you anymore?
It could be that you still love the activity but you’re doing it for a different reason.
Ask yourself why– just start with a clean slate rather than maybe what you originally identified.
Inspire creativity
When I started Run Lift Mom, I was involved in a direct sales company. I wanted a way to go deeper with my customers without forming a traditional Facebook VIP. I only ever thought a handful of people would listen to this show.
When the show started making top 20 lists and getting four digit download numbers per episode, I was as surprised as anyone.
Side note: starting a podcast in early 2019 was a lot different than it is now. As with any kind of media, things constantly evolve and it’s advantageous to get in early.
I started to get some really neat brand deals as a result of the podcast’s early success so I pulled back from direct sales. As in, I stopped completely.
Here’s the thing about a passion project turning into a business: the passion part dwindles.
I’m ashamed to say this, but I started making decisions from a place of downloads, as opposed to the original goal for run lift mom podcast: to uplift others in the area of running, lifting, and mother.
When you make decisions based on the wrong thing, you lose some of the creativity and some of the spark that made it special in the first place.
When I took the break, I started having ideas again about show topics guests I wanted to have on. I started getting excited about doing this podcast again- I know it’s because of the break!
The time off inspired creativity and is the sole reason I’ll have season four in 2022!
Connect with me
Until next time, I hope you’ll drop me a line or come hang with me on Instagram.
