In this episode of Beyond Trauma, I sit down with award-winning trauma-informed educator, author, yoga trainer, and founder of Transcending Trauma Through Yoga, Zabie Yamasaki, for a conversation about burnout, boundaries, rest, and nervous system healing.

Many of us know we're exhausted, but instead of addressing the deeper causes of burnout, we reach for quick fixes: a day off, a vacation, a self-care ritual squeezed into an already packed schedule. Zabie invites us to look beyond temporary relief and explore the patterns that keep us living at a deficit.

Together, we discuss how we often borrow energy from tomorrow to get through today, waking up already depleted. We explore the role urgency plays in our lives, relationships, and healing journeys, and why learning to distinguish between our capability and our capacity is essential for long-term well-being.

Zabie shares how to recognize when a person, environment, or commitment may not be healthy for you, questions to ask yourself before taking on more, and why so many of us collapse at the end of the day rather than truly restore.

We also talk about creating spaces that support regulation, the ways we unintentionally bring the same frantic energy into our self-care practices, and why our nervous systems often need less—not more—to heal.

Perhaps most importantly, this conversation is a reminder that rest is not something we earn once we've reached our breaking point. We are worthy of rest before we're exhausted. We are worthy of celebrating ourselves in the middle of the process, not just at the finish line. And joy, as Zabie reminds us, is a practice.

Be sure to stay until the end for a beautiful compassion practice led by Zabie.

Zabie's new book, Protect Your Energy: A Gentle Guide to Nurture Your Nervous System, Cultivate Rest, and Honor Your Needs, is out now.

Learn more about Zabie's offerings on her website and Instagram.

This episode is sponsored by My Therapy Flow. Therapy Flow transforms therapy practices with HIPAA-compliant marketing services and a custom CRM that tracks and follows up with leads automatically. Mention Beyond Trauma when you book your call and receive 50% your first three months with the Therapy Flow CRM.

Beyond Trauma is hosted by Lara Land-Wittich, MHC. Lara is an integrative Mental Health Counselor specializing in trauma recovery, anxiety disorders, and life transitions. She works with adult individuals and couples in New York State.