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Rest Without Guilt: Boundaries, Burnout & Trusting God with Julie Hawkes

Do you ever feel guilty for resting—or find yourself saying yes when you’re already stretched too thin?

In this episode of The Joyful Path Podcast, Kira and Shalese sit down with Christian mentor, speaker, and energy coach Julie Hawkes for an honest conversation about rest, boundaries, and releasing the pressure to do it all.

Julie shares her journey from burnout and constantly proving her worth through productivity to learning how to slow down, trust God, and say no. Together, we explore the difference between serving from love and serving from FOG—fear, obligation, and guilt—and how recognizing that difference can help us find more peace.

In this conversation, we talk about:
✨ Why resting can feel so uncomfortable
✨ Remembering that your worth isn’t based on what you accomplish
✨ Asking, “Whose responsibility is this?”
✨ Having empathy without taking on everyone else’s problems
✨ Setting small boundaries and allowing others to feel disappointed
✨ Making space for spiritual guidance, creativity, and joy
✨ Recognizing and developing your spiritual gifts

If you’ve been running on empty, this episode is an invitation to pause, reconnect with God, and consider what you might need to put down.

What’s one small boundary you could set this week? Share with us in the comments—we’d love to hear from you.

CHAPTERS
00:00 – Welcome and meet Julie Hawkes
01:45 – From workaholic to burnout
03:14 – Learning to rest, one small step at a time
05:28 – The April naps and the surprising results
06:30 – The fruits of rest: energy, revelation, connection
07:32 – What rest really looks like (physical vs. mental rest)
10:19 – Why rest is so hard: charity vs. fear, obligation, and guilt
12:30 – The babysitting story: saying yes out of guilt
15:25 – Resentment, and serving from love (bringing dinner)
17:34 – Two questions: whose responsibility is this, and why am I doing it?
18:46 – The school-ride story: when it’s not your responsibility
22:30 – People’s needs will always exceed our ability to give
23:11 – Enabling, empathy, and “savioritis”
25:52 – How busyness and hurry disconnect us
27:57 – Your worth is inherent, not earned
29:02 – Creativity as a fruit of rest
30:09 – Proving your worthiness: when the lesson keeps repeating
31:12 – Shifting your identity through core values
34:00 – Listening to your body
35:07 – Handling pushback when you set boundaries
36:17 – How Jesus modeled rest and saying no
39:30 – Learning to “just be”
43:12 – Getting present before you plow ahead
45:23 – Where to start: “What if you were dead?”
47:00 – Small first steps to saying no
48:51 – Helping a loved one who’s drowning
49:55 – Wrap-up takeaways
51:43 – Spiritual gifts: seeing and naming them
54:00 – How to discover your own gifts
55:38 – Following promptings and sorting good from better
58:35 – The joyful path: what boundaries changed
59:36 – Where to find Julie and closing