Real-World Insights for Brave Workplaces: Beyond Disability Compliance
The Backyard
For those new to my newsletter, The Backyard is the space where I share something more personal—a look behind the work, in the hope that it resonates. As we often do in November, I’ve been reflecting on the things I’m thankful for, and what I want to make room for (or release) as I look toward 2026.
What follows is something I haven’t shared with many people. It’s deeply personal, but it’s also where the seed of my own balance began.
In late 2019, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder: relapsing polychondritis (RP). I was having severe symptoms, and specialists warned that the disease, which was attacking my healthy cartilage, could eventually damage my heart and other organs. By early 2020 they were preparing to start me on immunosuppressants.
I found a rare-disease specialist who told me something that stopped me cold: My lifestyle—the constant travel, sleeplessness, and 80-hour work weeks—was likely contributing to my decline. But even if I changed everything, he said, it might not be enough.
For the 10 years prior, I was living the definition of “hustle.” I was up at 4 a.m., driving nearly 800 miles a week to client sites, routinely working 12- to 16-hour days. I couldn’t see another way. My identity was wrapped in productivity.
Then COVID hit.
Overnight the travel ended. The 16-hour days became 9. Meetings moved to phone and then video. My doctors canceled my medication plan—suppressing my immune system in the midst of a pandemic was too risky. I assumed I’d start treatment again in a few months when the world reopened. We all know how that turned out.
At first I panicked—about my business, my health, my kids, my clients. But as spring turned to summer, my oldest friend (who also happens to be my older brother, a fire captain) sat me down and said, “You have to sleep.” He’d seen what chronic fatigue did to his crew and believed that rest, not just medicine, could be part of my recovery.
That conversation changed everything.
I started searching for help and eventually found Emily Lentz Jenkins, whose primary work is career coaching but who agreed to take me on for both health and leadership. With her guidance, I focused on something I could control: my sleep.
Within weeks of consistently getting eight hours a night, I felt like a different person. My mind was clearer, my decisions sharper. I began reading again, not for work but for pleasure. I took one weekend day completely off (a small miracle at the time). Slowly everything recalibrated. My sleep. My nutrition. My family time. By February 2021, my last RP flare was behind me.
Here’s what I want you to know: Your best does not come from long hours. It comes from meaningful work done from a fulfilled place.
I was raised—as many of us were—to believe that success requires sacrifice, that if it hurts you must be doing it right. I now know that isn’t true. It is never too late to choose a more balanced, more joyful way.
As you close out 2025 and look toward 2026, ask yourself: What would I do differently if I believed there was a different way?
The Gifts You Give Yourself
This holiday season, instead of chasing the newest gadget or sale, I want to invite you to think about gifts that help you step into your next phase of life, health, or career.
Here are a few that continue to change mine.
1. The Gift of Coaching
A good coach helps you bridge the space between where you are and where you want to go. When you invest in structure and reflection, you invest in alignment.
Studies show that 80% of coaching clients report higher self-confidence and 70% see improved performance and fulfillment (PwC).
Start simple: Commit to 90 days of coaching. Block the time weekly. Treat it as foundational, not optional. (And if you’re looking for someone remarkable, I cannot recommend Emily Lentz Jenkins highly enough.)
2. The Gift of Professional Development—and an Extra Day
Attend that conference or training, and give yourself space on either side. Arrive a day early or stay a day late to let your learning settle and your energy restore.
Professional development isn’t just information—it’s inspiration. Studies show that professionals who engage in regular learning are 92% more likely to innovate and report greater satisfaction (LinkedIn Learning 2024).
If you’re attending Boot Camp in 2026, consider adding a “Day Four” for yourself: spa, nature walk, more sleep, whatever helps you reconnect before you return.
3. The Gift of Time Away
Book the trip you’ve been deferring. Two weeks. Three days to transition in, seven days away, three days to reenter life gently.
The American Psychological Association reports that 63% of employees who take meaningful time off return more productive and engaged. Rest is not absence from your work; it’s an investment in your capacity to keep doing it well.
Plan it now. Put it on your calendar. Protect it like any other critical meeting.
4. The Gift of Boundaries and Rest
If I could give one gift to every leader I know, it would be permission to rest.
For me, good sleep changed everything—and science backs it up. Chronic sleep loss increases the risk of heart disease, depression, and autoimmune flare-ups (NIH).
Try one new ritual: Set a consistent bedtime, read for pleasure, or make your phone sleep outside the bedroom. And establish one boundary—no email after 6 p.m. or a protected Saturday morning.
Don’t think of these rules as a sacrifice; they’re bridges to better work.
My Voice
Here’s where I’ve been showing up lately:
- Forbes | Performative Professionalism: When authenticity meets ambition.
- Newsweek | Redefining Workplace Culture for inclusion and belonging.
- Podcast | Bossed Up with Emilie Arias on disability inclusion done right.
And: Early-bird registration is open for Boot Camp 2026 (March 17–19). These three days are built to help you bridge the space between leadership and your team, between values and outcomes, between meaningful work and a balanced life.
We’re already five sold-out events in—and I can’t wait to see who joins next.
Final Words
This holiday season, give yourself something that cannot be bought:
- Time to think instead of just react.
- Permission to rest in order to lead.
- Structure to grow in alignment with your purpose.
- Boundaries to protect what fuels you so you can pour from a full cup.
Because the message I keep returning to is simple: You matter. Your work matters.
You can do hard and important work—and still have time for connection, rest, play, and joy.
Let me know what you do for yourself this holiday season. I can’t wait to hear!
Imagine. Plan. Achieve.
With gratitude,
Rachel Shaw
📧 Email me at rachel@rachelshaw.com
📅 Or grab a time that works for you: Book a discovery call
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