Choosing Rest: What Season 2 Taught Me

When I started Season 2 of Working Girl, I planned to release ten episodes.

Instead, I'm ending the season after six.

In this special solo episode, I'm sharing why.

Over the past several months, I've had the privilege of interviewing women leading movements across housing, immigration, climate justice, criminal justice reform, gun violence prevention, and reproductive access. While each conversation explored a different issue, they all returned to the same unexpected lesson: meaningful change can only be sustained when we also care for ourselves.

As my pregnancy has progressed, I've realized it's time to take the very advice my guests have been offering all season.

This isn't a story about falling short.

It's a story about redefining success, trusting your body, embracing rest, and recognizing that sometimes the bravest thing we can do is change the plan.

In this episode:
• Why I'm ending Season 2 earlier than planned

• The lesson every guest unknowingly taught me

• My biggest takeaways from six incredible conversations

• My own answer to the question I ask every guest: "What does hope look like right now?"

Thank you for being part of this season. I'll see you in Season 3.

Listen now and subscribe.

Transcript

Welcome And Show Mission

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Working Girl, the podcast where we pull back the curtain on the real work of building a more just world. I'm your host, Rachel and Paula. Each episode, I sit down with women who are on the front lines of change, organizing, advocating, healing, and challenging the systems that shape our lives. Together we talk honestly about the victories, the setbacks, and the deeply human stories behind the fight for justice. Because in a world where change can feel painfully slow, these are the women who refuse to give up.

Why The Season Ends Early

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Welcome to a special episode where I reflect on the season and explain why it's ending a little earlier than planned. When I started planning this season of Working Girl, I had a goal of releasing 10 episodes. I had a list of incredible guests, important causes, and so many conversations I wanted to bring to this community. But as you might know, I'm also preparing to welcome my first child into the world. And as my pregnancy has progressed, I've had to face a reality that I wasn't quite ready for. My body has been asking me to slow down. If I'm being honest, I've spent the last few weeks trying to negotiate with that reality, trying to figure out how I can push through? Can I squeeze in just one more interview? Can I keep going until I hit the number I originally set for myself? And then I realized something. This entire season has been filled with women reminding me not to do exactly

The Season’s Hidden Theme Of Rest

SPEAKER_00 1:31

that. Over the last several months, I've had the privilege of talking with women working on the front lines of some of the biggest challenges facing our communities today. We've talked about housing insecurity, immigration, climate justice, criminal justice reform, gun violence prevention, reproductive access, and so much more. But underneath all of those conversations, there was another theme that kept showing up again and again. The importance of listening to ourselves, the importance of sustainability, and the importance of rest. Also, recognizing that we cannot continue showing up for others if we never make space to care for ourselves. Almost every guest talked about burnout in some way. Almost every guest talked about finding joy, protecting their peace, setting boundaries, or creating practices that allowed them to continue doing difficult work without losing themselves in the process. And somewhere along the way, I realized I needed to take their advice. So while this season may be ending a little earlier than I had originally planned, I'm choosing to see this not as a failure, but as a lesson. One of the things I've learned from these women is that success isn't always about doing more. Sometimes success is recognizing when it's time to pause. Sometimes it's about trusting your body. And sometimes it's about giving yourself permission to change the plan. And honestly, that can be harder than just pushing

Three Lessons I’m Taking Forward

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through. Before I close, I wanted to share a few of the biggest things I'll be carrying with me from this season. First, change happens because ordinary people decide to show up. Every guest on this show reminded me that movements are built by people, not superheroes, not perfect leaders, just people who care enough to keep going. Second, hope is not the absence of hard things. Many of the women I interviewed are working on issues that can feel overwhelming, and yet they continue to find reasons to believe that progress is possible. Hope isn't pretending everything is okay. Hope is choosing to keep showing up anyway. And finally, none of us are meant to do this alone. Whether we're talking about advocacy, motherhood, career growth, healing, or simply navigating life, community matters. We need each other. To every guest who trusted me with your story, thank you. To every listener who spent part of your day with us this season, thank you. And to everyone who has supported Working Girl, shared an episode, left a review, sent a message, or recommended a guest, thank

What Hope Looks Like Right Now

SPEAKER_00 4:11

you. I end every interview by asking my guests what hope looks like to them right now. So I thought it was only fair that I answer that question myself. Right now, hope looks like trust. Trusting that rest is productive. Trusting that stepping back doesn't erase the work that's already been done. Trusting that seasons can end before we expected them to and still be complete. And trusting that when the time is right, there will be more stories to tell. Thank you for being part of this journey, and I'll see you next season.

Thanks And How To Support

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Thank you for listening to Working Girl. If this conversation resonated with you, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with someone who cares about building a more just world. You can learn more about today's guests and find additional resources in the show notes. Until next time, stay curious, stay compassionate, and keep doing the work.