Episode 8: The Myth that Productivity = Worth: what being forced to rest teaches about internalized capitalism.

In this episode, Kari challenges the deeply ingrained belief that our worth is tied to productivity, a mindset rooted in internalized capitalism, where value is measured by hustle, output, and efficiency. She shares a personal story about a physical breaking point that forced her to face her chronic illness and reevaluate the drive to constantly “push through.”

Kari explores how this mindset leads to guilt around rest, toxic work cultures, and burnout, both for individuals and within systems that reward overwork. She dismantles the idea that “rest is laziness,” redefining it as a regulation strategy, essential maintenance for the mind and body, not something to be earned.

Kari also calls out how this affects therapists and their clients: when helpers model exhaustion, they perpetuate the very systems that harm them. She urges both therapists and listeners to embrace rest as rebellion, a way to reclaim worth beyond output and to model balance, peace, and humanity.