The Steamboat Springs Chamber hosts an annual Women’s conference called Thrive bringing together hundreds of women across neighboring counties for a day of workshops and speakers. I had the honor of providing the closing keynote for the summit for 270 women in attendance. My keynote topic was on rest and joy. The summit focused on professional development and empowerment and my talk provided the permission and validation that rest is a necessary and integral part of their work. Many women have multiple roles in their jobs, home life, volunteerism, boards, and relationships and rest is often the first thing to override in a busy life. Women are often socialized to put others first and care for their communities. Through storytelling and poetry performance, I shared my journey with rest moving from a manager at a hospital on call 24/7 working 50+ hours a week into a space of deep rest and joy as an artist. I emphasized that women must fiercely care for themselves and honor their body’s need for rest. The keynote was a beautiful bookend to a powerful event and left attendees examining their relationship with rest and shifting their perspective on productivity. Attendees shared their appreciation for a talk centered around joy and rest.