Michele breaks down the clash between hustle culture and the soft life, sharing personal stories and practical advice for when to grind and when to rest.
The episode responds to a listener’s dating dilemma—being used and ghosted—and emphasizes boundaries, consistency, and not confusing lust with love.
Ultimately, Michele permits you to redefine success on your terms: hustle when it matters, rest when you need to, and keep your peace.
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Stay tuned for more episodes of Talk to Me Michele—where real talk, laughs, and lessons never stop.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Are you team hustle, grind till you die, or are you just living that soft life
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 where peace is priority number one?
00:00:08 --> 00:00:12 Today we're going to dive into the culture clash of rest versus grind.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:14 And trust me, it's going to get real.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:43 Music.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:32 Talk to me in the shadow on the street lights on the corner,
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 city vibes got a story feel
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 the beat don't know me welcome into
00:00:41 --> 00:00:46 the talk to me michelle podcast and i'm your host michelle and today's conversation
00:00:46 --> 00:00:53 is one a lot of us struggle with soft life versus hustle culture and before
00:00:53 --> 00:00:58 we jump in y'all know i have to remind you about my Color Me Unbothered Adult
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 Coloring Book. It is out right now.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 And this is not just a coloring book.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:08 It's therapy on paper. So it's time to put down the stress and pick up those
00:01:08 --> 00:01:14 colored pencils because it's about unwinding, relaxing, and being unapologetically unbothered.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:20 Now back to the show. This week we're talking about the balance or tug of war
00:01:20 --> 00:01:25 between wanting to grind for success and giving yourself the right to rest.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:29 Let's start with a listener letter that ties perfectly into this conversation.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:39 Dear Michelle, I've been seeing this man for a while.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:44 Here's the problem. He never takes me out. Never wants to do anything thoughtful.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:49 All he wants is sex. And when he doesn't get his way, he ghosts me.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:54 He's fun when he's around, but he's also very overly sexualized.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 I feel like I'm wasting my time. What do you think?
00:01:58 --> 00:02:03 Listen, if all he's giving you is sweat and a disappearing act, he's not a man.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:07 He's pulling magic tricks on you because he disappears when it matters the most.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:11 A man who values you is going to show up.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:16 Dates, time, consistency, that's the currency of real interest.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 You deserve more than being somebody's late night convenience.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:24 Don't confuse lust with love and don't let somebody's lack of effort trick you
00:02:24 --> 00:02:28 into thinking this is all you're worth if he can't respect your time your body
00:02:28 --> 00:02:34 or your peace then he's already told you who you are to him believe him and move on.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:41 And that brings me straight into today's main topic, soft life versus hustle culture.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:46 Because it's just like in dating, we often find ourselves choosing between giving
00:02:46 --> 00:02:52 too much energy to people, projects, or work, and forgetting to give that energy back to ourselves.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:57 I deal with this struggle on a regular basis. I have so much I want to get done.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:01 I also want to rest, but it's a hard choice to make.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:05 Even when I've just finished one project, my brain is like, okay, let's start five more.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:11 I feel free when I'm creating, but the reality is you can only do so much.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:16 Hustle culture makes you feel guilty for resting, while soft life makes you
00:03:16 --> 00:03:20 feel guilty for grinding. So how do you find a balance?
00:03:20 --> 00:03:25 So if we talk hustle culture, society makes it look sexy never to sleep.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 I only got three hours of sleep last night because I was grinding.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:33 That's not impressive. That's insanity. You're not a laptop.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:38 You don't have an unlimited battery life. And the crazy part is folks will clap
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 for you while you're running yourself into the ground.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:46 Meanwhile, your edges are crying out for castor oil and your blood pressure is begging for a nap.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:53 Hustle culture glamorizes burnout, not success. Now let's slide over to this whole soft life thing.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:58 Translation, I am not about to break my back proving my worth to people who
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 wouldn't even water my plants if I was out of town.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:05 The soft life is choosing peace, rest, and joy over unnecessary stress.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:12 It's brunch, it's naps, skincare, and saying no without writing a three-page essay explaining why.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:17 It's not being lazy. It's about knowing when you're depressed and acting accordingly.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:21 But the truth is, both hustle and soft life have value.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:27 You do need to grind to build your dreams, but you also need the downtime to actually enjoy them.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:33 Otherwise, what's the point? The trick is boundaries. Hustle is when it's time
00:04:33 --> 00:04:37 to hustle and rest like it's your job when it's time to rest.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:41 Because listen, if Beyonce can take a break and sip tea in the Hamptons,
00:04:41 --> 00:04:45 you could take a break. Take a Saturday off without feeling guilty.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 I'm going to give you a personal example. I'm going to be real with you.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:54 There have been times I've pushed myself so hard I was running on fumes and
00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 still talking about, let me start another project. For what?
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 I've crashed before, mentally, physically, emotionally.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:07 And guess what? The world kept spinning. On the flip side, I've had moments
00:05:07 --> 00:05:11 where I slowed down, took a nap, meditated, or just colored in my coloring book,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 color me unbothered. Little plug there.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 And ideas did flow better.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 Rest doesn't kill productivity. It fuels it.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:26 So here's your grown woman permission slip. You get to redefine your success by your own standards.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:30 If success for you looks like a million-dollar empire, that's cool.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:35 If it looks like keeping your peace, drinking water, and minding your business, that's also valid.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:40 Don't let the internet fool you. Success is not measured in exhaustion.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:44 It's measured in how much of yourself you still have left after chasing your
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 dreams. But here's the bottom line.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 Hustle culture will have you out here bragging about being tired,
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 broke, and stressed like it's a badge of honor.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 Meanwhile, the soft life is whispering in your ear like, girl,
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 sit down somewhere and drink some water.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:03 But the real grown woman truth, you do need both.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:08 Grind when it matters, rest when it's necessary, and stop apologizing for either one.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:14 Because listen, if rest is laziness, then I'll be lazy with a glowing face mask
00:06:14 --> 00:06:18 on, sipping tea and coloring in my coloring book, and still running circles
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 around folks who never stop to breathe.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:24 So my key takeaway for you redefine
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 success on your own terms not on Instagram's
00:06:27 --> 00:06:31 terms not on hustle culture terms yours if
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 that means six figures go get it if that
00:06:34 --> 00:06:38 means six naps go get that too and while you're at don't forget to grab your
00:06:38 --> 00:06:42 copy of Color Me Unbothered because coloring your stress away is the softest
00:06:42 --> 00:06:46 most gangster thing you can do make sure you follow me on social media at TalkToMeMichelle
00:06:46 --> 00:06:51 because the conversation keeps going so until next time everybody remember to
00:06:51 --> 00:06:52 stay soft when you need to,
00:06:52 --> 00:06:56 hustle when you want to, and above all, stay unbothered. I'm out.
00:06:56 --> 00:07:15 Music.