Los Angeles coach pushes rest, not resilience, for burned-out women

As National Wellness Month spotlights burnout, Los Angeles life coach Arecia Hester is calling on Black women and women of color to trade constant resilience for rest and healing. She is hosting a September workshop in Los Angeles to help women reset with practical tools and community support.

Why it matters: - Burnout is hitting women harder than men, and the gap is widest for women in leadership. - For Black women and women of color, the pressure to appear endlessly strong can delay rest, hide exhaustion and deepen stress. - Hester's message cuts against a culture that rewards overwork and treats recovery as optional.

What happened: - August is National Wellness Month, and Los Angeles life coach Arecia Hester used the moment to focus attention on burnout among women. - Hester said Black women and women of color need rest and healing, not more pressure to prove resilience. - Hester is hosting A Woman's Worth on Saturday, September 26, at Crenshaw Yoga and Dance in Los Angeles from 2 to 5 p.m. - The in-person workshop is open to women 21 and older, with doors opening at 1:50 p.m. - Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

The details: - Gallup's late-2025 workforce data found 31% of women said they feel burned out very often or always, compared with 23% of men. - Among women in leadership, 29% reported frequent burnout, versus 19% of men in leadership. - A 2025 report from Mind Share Partners and Qualtrics found that half of U.S. workers are living with moderate to severe burnout, depression or anxiety. - The same report found nearly half of workers would worry about losing their job if they spoke openly about mental health at work. - Researchers describe a "Strong Black Woman" schema, a belief that can frame Black women as naturally able to carry more. - Hester said the women she works with are not fragile, but depleted. - Hester said many of those women have been rewarded for pushing through and need a different question: what would it look like to stop pushing and start healing? - Hester said rest is not a reward after the work is done and can be part of the work itself. - Hester said women often gain clarity about what they want only after they stop performing strength. - A Woman's Worth is designed to include group exercises, a creative project and shared conversation. - The workshop is meant to quiet negative self-talk, set short-term goals with action plans and build sisterhood support. - Hester described the workshop as "a journey toward knowing your worth so you can name what you actually want and go after it." - Taking First is Hester's Los Angeles-based coaching practice focused on burnout, self-doubt, boundaries and life transitions. - Taking First offers a free consultation at takingfirst.com.

Between the lines: - The timing reflects a broader shift in wellness conversations toward recovery, not just productivity. - Hester is positioning rest as a practical intervention, not a luxury, especially for women expected to carry emotional and professional labor without complaint. - The workshop model suggests that community and structure may matter as much as individual self-care when burnout is tied to culture and workplace expectations.

What's next: - Hester's September workshop will test demand for in-person, community-based support centered on rest and self-worth. - The broader conversation around burnout is likely to keep expanding as workers remain under mental health and workplace pressure. - Hester's coaching practice will continue offering support to women navigating burnout, boundaries and major life transitions.

The bottom line: - Hester's core message is blunt: for many women, especially Black women and women of color, healing starts when the pressure to keep proving strength finally ends.