These Artists Share How They Recover from Holiday Burnout

jessica darrow figgy baby and amy correa bell

It’s that time of the year again when the days get colder, the nights longer, and our to-do list seems endless. For some of us during this season, our schedules may be booked up with family gatherings, parties, holiday pop-ups, and overtime. Exhaustion is the name of the game. Does this sound like you?


Even though we look forward to abuelita’s tamales, pastelitos, and our favorite tia’s coquito, the holidays and into the new year can also be filled with unrealistic demands on our minds, body, and soul. Battling with burnout can result from putting extreme pressure on ourselves and overly committing to things that lead to neglecting our own needs. The signs of burnout can look like overall exhaustion to extreme physical, emotional, and/or mental stress.

This will often trigger coping mechanisms like avoidance or procrastination of work, tasks, and activities that end up making us feel worse. Another sign is reduced performance and lack of concentration or being unable to stick to commitments. In many cases, mental health issues can develop as a result of burnout, such as depression or anxiety.

Rest and restorative practices are ideal for combating burnout. However, what happens when most of us can’t rest or restore due to financial circumstances, a demanding career, job, or over-committing ourselves to family and others, especially during the holidays?

Although we can develop self-care routines and manifesting rituals to help us gain self-awareness and stay grounded during these busy seasons, we may also find ourselves still combating burnout because we may feel like we have no other choice. For Latinas, especially those who come from immigrant households with patriarchal expectations, the pressure to say yes to everything is real. Therefore, many Latinas inherently gain the trait of overworking and never stopping until completely burnt out or sick.

Additionally, American cultural norms uphold and celebrate overworking and toxic work culture because we associate it with wealth and ambitious productivity. It wasn’t that long ago the multi-brand owner and socialite mogul, Kim Kardashian was quoted telling women in business to “Get your fuckin ass up and work.” Even though the comment caused severe backlash on the internet and in several communities. Kim, who was born into extreme economic privilege, was scrutinized for saying it, but the comment itself was often characterized as the right message, wrong messenger.

For many of us who were raised on comments like this by our Latino parents, we may find it triggering and it may even bring up our own internalized trauma. This leads many to compare their own perceived “commitment” to work during a time when the income gap is the largest it’s been in over 30 years to a wealthy CEO who already had wealth, Hollywood connections, and start-up capital.

Does overworking oneself and dealing with burnout pay off or is it just another vicious cycle we create as a result of various trauma? There is no doubt that staying focused and consistent on your execution and achieving your goals will pay off, sometimes in ways not imagined yet, but at what point do you slow down or even stop before the constant burnout leads to more severe health issues?

Finding a balance of work, play and rest can be hard, but with the right practice, it can be done. However, before any practice is put into place there must be a shift in our own mindset to break the cycles and the codependency to burn out.

La Brujita Del Jardin's Manifesting Mindset Guide can help you break down these traumatic cycles before you begin manifesting with rituals and affirmations. An important mindset shift is understanding how our own lifestyle and trauma patterns can lead to burnout. As well as understanding how much taking a simple break can benefit productivity and creativity.

It’s easier said than done to rest, but when you don’t know what rest truly is, where do you start? Go back to the beginning, childhood, and remember what rest truly looked like. Sleeping with no guilt or stress of the day, creative playing or just being outdoors. Nowadays we are so consumed by social media that it can often become another stressor and add to exhaustion. It’s important to go outside and be with nature and see the beauty of the world beyond the internet.

Another important mindset practice is understanding personal boundaries and setting them. This again for many Latinas can be very hard to do especially when we have not committed to setting boundaries with our own families. Establishing and setting boundaries can help tremendously especially when we navigate the holiday season. Saying no to others and yes to yourself when it’s needed is better than saying yes to everyone at the expense of your health.

Burnout Can Cause Creative Blocks

Another result of burnout can be creative block and for many with creative jobs, this can affect work drastically. As I was navigating and unpacking my own burnout recovery after falling victim to severe fatigue, anxiety, a cold, and lack of concentration, I connected with three rising Latinx artists and musicians making waves in their communities to see how they recover from burnout and stay creative during busy seasons.

Sometimes getting your ass up and just working when you are struggling to maintain your mental health and overall emotional well-being may delay the manifesting journey. It’s important to know when to stop working and creating and just surrender. Remember these are practices, they take time to learn and it will get easier to stay consistent the more you practice them. The key to a manifesting mindset is healing instead of reverting back to trauma cycles.

If you need a little extra love during the holidays check out the Stop Faking it and Start Manifesting It article that includes a step-by-step Self-Love Replenishing Bath Ritual.

Go M.I.A on Social Media, Rest, and Comfort Yourself

“In this creative industry we give so much that sometimes it’s good to give back to ourselves” — AMY CORREA BELL

Guatemalan and Puerto Rican singer, actress, and songwriter, Amy Correa Bell has an extensive acting background, with roles in popular TV shows like Dexter, That’s So Raven, and more. She also has multiple albums ranging from hip-hop to house dance beats and groovy soothing ballads. Amy recommends taking off a couple of days from social media to eat good comfort food, stretch, go for a relaxing walk, binge-watch your favorite show without guilt, and just simply overall resting.

Reset, Clean, Get Organized, and Implement Structure

“Cleaning and organizing bring me peace and back to center. I essentially do an emotional and mental cleaning out.” — JESSICA DARROW

Cuban-American actress and singer, Jessica Darrow is best known for her role as the voice of Luisa Madrigal in Disney’s Encanto and her top 10 billboard chart hit “Surface Pressure.” Much like her role as the strong sister and taking on all of the family’s burdens, the creative industry can overwork you with demands and set unrealistic standards that essentially deplete you.

Jessica recommends resetting, cleaning out, and organizing things you've been putting off first like your closet or refrigerator. Then assess your personal life and see what areas need to be cleaned out, organized, and restructured emotionally and mentally.

Focus On Creative Hobbies and Passions That Aren't Work-Related

“Hobbies and passions that don’t connect to your career are very important because they have the outlet and the peace without the added pressure.” — FIGGY BABY

Queer Mexican- American artist, rapper, and songwriter, Figgy Baby is not only breaking down the toxic masculinity standards of rap music, but they are bringing lyrical evolution and uplifting healing beats to new generations craving for change. Much like their music is ascending to new heights, Figgy knows in order to stay creative and productive even when you can stop, it's important to find hobbies and passions outside of work that still stimulate and align with your flow. They recommend dance classes, coloring, and finding a healthy and fun workout regime.

a woman giving the side eye to a man

Have you ever met someone who seems overly confident, self-centered, or even downright rude? Maybe they constantly talk about themselves, disregard your feelings, or even manipulate situations to their advantage. And, if you're anything like us and countless other Latinas, you might've thought, is this person just a purebred a**hole, or are they a narcissist?

Keep ReadingShow less
woman surrounded by colorful illustrations
Image by Sayuri Jimenez.

Nathalie Molina Niño has never been one to shy away from breaking barriers, and now, she’s focusing her attention on a new mission: demystifying corporate boardrooms for women, especially Latinas. Molina Niño is the President of Known, an asset management and financial services firm, a veteran tech entrepreneur and builder capitalist, and a board member at the iconic lingerie Brand, Hanky Panky, and others.

Like many corporate boards, Hanky Panky hadn’t publicly disclosed its board composition until recently. After the brand survived the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Molina Niño decided it was time for more women, specifically more Latinas, to know what it means to be on corporate boards.

Coincidentally, the decision to finally be more vocal about this topic aligned with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which served as the perfect kick-off to the work.

"Something that rarely gets talked about and I think almost gets kept opaque by design is boards,” she explains in a recent Instagram announcement. “[This Latinx Heritage Month], that’s what I’ll be talking about.” Her goal? To equip more Latinas with the knowledge they need to navigate onto for-profit boards, where they can thrive and build multi-generational wealth.

For-profit corporate boards often feel like an exclusive club. And in many ways, they are, especially for Latinas, who hold the smallest percentage of board seats in Fortune 500 companies compared to other racial groups. According to the latest report from Latino Board Monitor, while Latinos hold 4.1% of these board seats (compared to 82.5% held by white people), only 1% go to Latinas. Molina Niño, a first-generation American of Ecuadorian and Colombian descent, is part of this boardroom minority.

When asked about her experience as a Latina board member during a recent Zoom interview, she said, “It’s been lonely. There’s not a lot of Latinas on boards.” She went on to explain that even serving on boards of Latina-founded businesses gets lonely because, “A lot of the times, people who serve on their boards represent their investors and, as a result, [...] you still don’t see a lot of Latinas on those boards.”

This lack of representation drives Molina Niño’s determination to increase Latina presence in corporate boardrooms. By sharing her insights, she hopes to give Latinas a roadmap to claim their seats at the table. “If you don’t know where to go, it’s impossible to figure out how to get there,” she says.

The Road to the Boardroom

Getting onto a for-profit corporate board isn’t an overnight achievement, but it’s not an unattainable dream either. People often think you need to be a CEO or have a certain type of background, but that’s one of the biggest myths about boards in Molina Niño’s experience. What they’re really looking for is expertise — whether that’s in finance, marketing, sustainability, or even technology. If you have that expertise, you’re already an asset. It’s simply a matter of which road you should take.

Understanding what boards are and how they operate is key to unlocking opportunities. For-profit boards serve as the governing body for companies, overseeing direction and financial stability, and guiding CEOs and executives in decision-making. But Molina Niño emphasizes that not all for-profit boards are created equal.

“There are two kinds [of for-profit boards] [...]. There’s the publicly traded business board and then, on the privately held side, there are, I would argue, two types of boards [...] the traditional business board and the venture-backed business board,” explains Molina Niño. Traditional businesses are often family-owned or long-established and may only form boards to meet requirements, like securing financing or transitioning through an ESOP. Venture-backed boards, on the other hand, are typically filled by investors who hold major stakes in the company.

According to Molina Niño, understanding the difference between them is how you can create a successful strategy. With publicly traded business boards, the whole world is privy to them, so, “The way that you get in there is a little bit more transparent. Sometimes those publicly traded companies will hire a recruiter to help them find new board members,” explains Molina Niño. For private companies, on the other hand, there’s no legal requirement to make announcements. As a result, most people don’t know anything about them or their inner workings.

“Usually what happens in traditional businesses that don’t have venture-capital investments is that the Founders, Executives, or the board members, if one existed already, they usually go to their friends,” and people they deem experienced to fill board seats. In other words, it’s the founder’s decision, and that’s an entirely different approach than hiring recruiters. When it comes to venture-backed business boards, the seats on the board are filled by whichever investor writes the biggest check.

This is why an understanding of the different types of boards and acknowledgment of their own strengths is what will help Latinas define a sound strategy. Whether that’s working with a recruiter, networking and connecting with founders to build trust, or making the biggest investment.

The Path for Latinas

For Molina Niño, the key to getting more Latinas into corporate boardrooms is education. Knowing what a board looks like and how it functions is how you can position yourself to get on it. In openly talking about this, without the mystique it’s usually shrouded in, Molina Niño is providing women, especially Latinas, with invaluable insights. “If we had Latinas understanding what are the three types of for-profit boards I think that, on their own, they would be able to figure out what their best chance is and adjust their careers to make themselves more competitive,” states Molina Niño.

When asked about the impact of increased Latina representation in boardrooms, Molina Niño flips the narrative. “Boards don’t help Latinas by offering them seats; Latinas help businesses thrive by being on their boards,” she says. “The whole point of sitting on a board is that you have experience and expertise, and as Latinas, you also have some cultural experience that everyone wants. [...] At the end of the day, we [Latinas] have to realize that we have a ton to offer and we have to be selective about where we put that expertise,” she explains.

As demand for access to the Latina consumer rises, Molina Niño predicts that more Latinas will find themselves recruited into boardrooms. But she’s not content to sit back and wait for that moment. By openly sharing her journey and insights, she’s making sure other Latinas know their worth and have the tools to claim their place at the table. “I realized that quietly being on boards that helped me personally is not helping other Latinas. [...] I was lucky enough to have friends who could advise me and share their experiences, so that’s why I’m doing this,” she stated.

With Hispanic Heritage Month as the backdrop, Nathalie Molina Niño’s mission is clear: “My goal is just to give Latinas enough information so they can make a plan for how to eventually get on a board that they’re paid to be on and that will eventually help them build generational wealth.”

flags of latin american countries fly behind performers wearing culturally traditional clothing

Ever noticed how September in Latin America is just one big celebration? As we wave goodbye to summer and avoid winter as long as we can, the streets come alive with parades, music, and festivities. Many Latin American countries celebrate their freedom this month, commemorating their hard-fought battles for independence from colonial domination. Let’s dive into these significant days and understand what makes each unique.

Keep ReadingShow less