#47: Rest Is Our Birthright with Tovi Scruggs-Hussein

Aug 01, 2023

In this episode…

Tovi Scruggs-Hussein joins us for a timely conversation! Tovi is an inspiring leader and educator in self-healing and transformation, and it was an honor to chat about what it means to rest - and the power behind allowing yourself to rest.

Tovi is a leader of leaders and an award-winning urban educator with almost 30 years of leadership and transformation experience. She is internationally recognized for her signature approach of moving from Leadership DO-ing to Leadership BE-ing and Emotionally Intelligent Equity & Inclusion.

Our guest has been recognized by Mindful Magazine as one of the Powerful Women Leaders of 2021 who are igniting the world with courage and wisdom. She walks her talk (I can attest to that) of courageous leadership being cultivated by meditation, resilience and self-mastery.

Tovi is on a mission to heal our leaders and organizations through SELF-transformation for School & Systemic Transformation. Tovi is a certified coach and has been personally trained by Brene Brown as a Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator to train others in courageous leadership with a lens of inclusion and belonging. Yet, the very best leadership training she ever received has been the 17 years she spent as a high school principal. Tovi cultivates conscious, connected, and courageous leaders world-wide.

The Power of Rest

Tovi expresses that rest is way more than self-care in the traditional sense. It is intentionally doing something to support and nourish oneself, even if that means taking a moment to do nothing. Together we discuss the benefits of properly giving ourselves the chance to rest.

It is when we’re not pushing and forcing ourselves that things naturally emerge. It restores our creativity and self-alignment.

Reprogramming Ourselves

Tovi stresses the importance of reprogramming ourselves in a society where we are taught grind culture and where rest is frowned upon. Such a mentality is unhealthy and unsustainable, as it kills us physically, mentally, and spiritually.

As a result, Tovi advises us to go against the norm and focus on performance rather than productivity. She also shares that healing is within oneself. In her own life, whether it’s through being present during meditation or living a more healthy lifestyle, she has found new ways to heal.

Transformation is a Slow Process

Because our environment is constantly telling us to work, Tovi explains that your rest and healing journey will be a continuous one. She also emphasizes that this transformation is not a fast process and that it can’t be rushed. For example, she explains how it took her over six months to not feel tired anymore after she closed down the private school she co-owned. In addition, Tovi emphasizes pace over pressure.

Three Steps You Can Take

As we wrapped up our conversation, Tovi shared three steps we can take to start giving ourselves permission to rest:

The first is to be courageous and have an intentional mindset to decide what lifestyle you want for yourself.

The second step is to plan your rest. Allow yourself a chance to have nothing scheduled and be free to think about what you feel like doing.

The third step Tovi offers is to explore the books Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey and Grind Culture Detox by Heather Archer.

Let us know how you are incorporating rest in your life! We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment on Instagram or Facebook and/or share your feedback by email at [email protected].

Highlights of this episode:

Tovi gets personal about her email inbox.
We learn one of Tovi’s definitions for rest: Restoratively Embracing Self Today.
We discuss our ancestry and how it has enabled us to claim rest as our birthright.
Tovi shares tips on how to get started on your healing journey today.

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✨ Click here to watch this episode on YouTube. ✨

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