Why do so many of us feel guilty when we rest—and why has being busy become a badge of honour?

Alexandra Stevens speaks with researcher, digital anthropologist and bestselling author Rahaf Harfoush about the ideas behind Hustle & Float. They explore how the Protestant work ethic helped fuse productivity with morality, why many of us learn to earn love and belonging through achievement, and how work can become inseparable from identity and self-worth.

Rahaf also discusses self-sabotage as a protective response, the hidden rules we inherit about success, the unpaid “second shift” still carried by many women, and why hard work alone cannot explain who becomes wealthy or successful. The conversation moves towards a more humane approach to productivity—one shaped around our actual bodies, lives, responsibilities and energy rather than somebody else’s morning routine.

They also explore workaholism as a way of outrunning difficult emotions, why grief must eventually be felt, and the striking connection Rahaf draws between burnout and climate breakdown: both are consequences of treating living systems as though they can be endlessly extracted from.

Guest

Rahaf Harfoush
🌐 https://www.rahafharfoush.com
📖 Hustle & Float: https://www.rahafharfoush.com/books

Host

Alexandra Stevens
🌐 https://alexandrastevenstherapy.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandrastevensgold
🎙️ Podcast: You Don't Have to Abandon Yourself to Belong