The Permission I Wish Someone Had Given Me Sooner
Embrace Your Real
Julie Ledbetter
5.0 • 982 Ratings
🗓️ 5 March 2026
⏱️ 10 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For years, I believed rest was something you earned. I thought I had to work hard enough, prove I was disciplined enough, and hit the next goal before I was "allowed" to slow down. In this bonus episode, I'm sharing the permission I wish someone had given me sooner and the lesson I had to learn the hard way when my body finally forced me to stop.
This conversation is personal and honest. I talk about how hustle culture shaped my relationship with rest, what happened when I kept pushing through exhaustion, and how everything shifted when I finally gave myself permission to slow down. If you have been waiting to feel ready before resting, eating more, saying no, or prioritizing yourself, this episode is your reminder that you do not need to wait.
Here is what I share in this episode:
• Why I believed rest had to be earned
• How constantly pushing started impacting my energy, mood, and cycle
• The mindset shift that changed how I see recovery
• Why rest supports progress instead of slowing it down
• The question you need to ask yourself about permission
• Practical steps to start giving yourself permission today
If this episode gave you something you needed to hear, make sure you are following the podcast so you do not miss future episodes. And if someone in your life needs this reminder, send it to her.
If you are ready to build strength in a way that supports your body instead of breaking it down, you can learn more about Movement With Julie at movementwithjulie.com.
If you want more from me, be sure to check out…
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Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
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Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
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Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Labbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace a real, let's get it. |
| 0:22.5 | Let's go. |
| 0:31.8 | Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Real podcast. |
| 0:36.0 | This episode is going to be a little bit different. It's going to be more personal, more vulnerable. And honestly, the kind of conversation that I wish I could go back to and have with my younger self, my 20-year-old self, my 23-year-old self, because for years, you guys, and I mean years, I was waiting. I was waiting to feel like I deserved it, waiting for someone else to tell me that it was okay. and the thing that I was waiting for I was waiting to feel ready, waiting to feel like I deserved it, waiting for |
| 0:54.7 | someone else to tell me that it was okay. And the thing that I was waiting for permission to do, |
| 0:58.7 | that was rest. Not just taking a day off here, there, but actually resting, slowing down, |
| 1:04.4 | letting my body recover, saying no to things that didn't serve me, releasing the pressure to do more, |
| 1:09.8 | be more, prove more. And nobody gave |
| 1:12.1 | me that permission. So I just kept pushing. I kept going. I kept telling myself that rest was something |
| 1:16.7 | that I would earn later. And after I hit the next goal, after I proved that I was disciplined enough, |
| 1:21.6 | after I had done enough to deserve it. But enough never came because I kept moving the finish line. It wasn't until my body |
| 1:29.3 | literally forced me to stop until I was so burnt out and depleted that I physically could not |
| 1:34.7 | keep going that I finally gave myself permission to rest. And that's the permission I wish that |
| 1:39.9 | someone else had given me sooner. Before we go any further, though, I want to share this review. |
| 1:44.6 | It honestly brought tears to my eyes to give a five-star review and said practical and inspiring. |
| 1:49.4 | My favorite part of the Embrace Real podcast is the variety yet consistency of every episode. |
| 1:54.3 | There's a great variety of very practical tips and information that can be used to grow in |
| 1:58.6 | physical and mental health, but also many episodes |
| 2:01.0 | focus on mindset or inspiration. This podcast is a great place to come for both physical and |
| 2:06.6 | mental tips and easily implemented hacks, as well as more long-term work. Julie melts all |
| 2:12.7 | aspects of health and happiness beautifully. Regardless of the episode topic, I always finish listening |
| 2:19.1 | with a sense of peace, as well as a little fire under my booty to keep progressing and grow. |
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