#21: You've Been Running on Empty — It's Time to Come Back to Yourself

She didn't end up running on empty because she was ambitious. She ended up there because she was responsible — and life kept asking more of her until she forgot what it felt like to have something left for herself.

If that's you, this episode is for you. And I want you to know upfront: I need this reset too. I'm not talking to you from the other side of this — I'm in it with you. June is our month. Let's take a deep breath together.

This is the first episode of our June series, The Reset — Permission to Take a Deep Breath. Over five weeks we are returning to the simple rhythms that restore us: your body, your soul, your home, your relationships, and your joy.

We start with your body.

In this episode we talk about:
• Why good women end up grinding — and it wasn't ambition, it was responsibility
• What it costs you spiritually and physically when you ignore your body's signals
• The basics — movement, water, sleep, nourishment — and why they matter to God
• How caring for your body is an act of stewardship, not selfishness
• One small thing you can start this week

Key scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:19 — "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?"

This episode also includes a declaration, journal prompts, and a closing prayer.

Grab the free guide mentioned in this episode — 5 Daily Rhythms That Changed Everything — CLICK HERE. It's the practical companion to everything we cover this month.

If this episode encouraged you, share it with a woman who needs permission to slow down. She's probably in your contacts right now.

✨ Next Step:

If you’re ready to continue this journey with support and community, join the Nova Community—a faith-filled space for women learning to live with clarity, peace, and faith-first rhythms

👉 Learn more at https://thenovacompany.org

✨ Private Mentorship Community:

If you are interested in applying to join my private mentorship community, email me: april@thenovacompany.org

✨ novaRetreat: 3rd Annual Dream with God Retreat

A Spirit-led weekend for women ready to abide deeply, align intentionally, & courageously advance as God reveals what’s next.

👉 Learn more at https://www.thenovacompany.org/novaretreat 

Subscribe to The NovaCo Podcast and share this episode with a friend who’s stepping into a new season.

🎸 Intro music produced by Cory Valjien. https://spotify.link/Ot87eEITRDb

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

When we are depleted, we have less capacity to hear God, less margin for the Holy Spirit to speak, less patience for the people we love, less creativity for the work we're called to do. You cannot pour from an empty cup. And I know that sounds so motivational, like some motivational poster, but it is spiritually true. A depleted woman is not able to fully steward the assignment God gave her. I'm so glad that you're hanging out with me today. Welcome not just to the podcast, but welcome to the community. If you are brand new, make sure to click on the link in the show notes of this episode and join Nova Community. It is a space where we hang out, we go deeper into topics that we talk about on the podcast, and we are really building community centered around God's word. There is room and space for you. So make sure to join Nova Community today. I'm excited that we are starting a brand new series today. But before I jump into that, I have to tell you something. I want you to know that today, I am not talking to you from the other side of what we're talking about today. I am in this with you. Okay, you're probably like, okay, what are we talking about? We're talking about reset. Y'all, I need a reset. I'm just letting y'all know. June is our month. We are going to take a deep breath together. I need this. I bet you need this. It is going to be a good month. This series is called the reset, and we're giving ourselves permission to go ahead and take that deep breath. And over the next five weeks, we're going to do something a little different. Instead of adding more to your plate, we're going to dial it back. We're going to return to the simple things, the basics, the rhythms that actually restore us. Your body, your soul, your home, your relationships, your joy. All five are getting some attention this month. And today we start with your body. First Corinthians 6.19. It says, Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. We're going to come back to this verse, but first, I want to talk to the woman who has been grinding, not because she wanted to, but because life asked her to. So they showed up. There were things that had to get done. So they did them. There were roles to fill. Mother, wife, daughter, employee, leader, friend. And she filled every single one of them again and again. Until she looked up one day and realized she had been pouring out for so long she couldn't remember the last time she got poured back into. That's not ambition, that's faithfulness under pressure. And I want to honor that before I say anything else. You showed up, you kept going, you carried what you were asked to carry. And now it's time to put some of that weight down. Not because you failed, but because even the most faithful woman needs to be restored. It says, He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leaves me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. Did you catch that? He makes me lie down. Sometimes God has to make us rest because we won't do it ourselves. We've been so trained to keep going that stopping feels like failure. It's not failure, it is wisdom. And June is your invitation. Let's talk about what actually happens when we ignore what our bodies are telling us because most of us we are very good at overriding the signals. The tiredness, we push through it. The brain fog, we drink more coffee. The tension in our shoulders, the ache in our back, the skin that's breaking out, the sleep that isn't restoring us anymore. We notice it, we just don't stop. But here's what I've learned: your body is not complaining, it's communicating. And if you don't listen now, it will find a way to make you listen later. I remember years ago when I was working as a school administrator. There was a season that I started breaking out in hives, and I was so confused. I was like, what am I eating? What am I allergic to? I started writing down everything I ate and just trying to figure out what is it that is causing me to have all of these hives. Nothing I was eating was causing the hives. How do I know this? Because there came to a point where I was like, okay, I'm not gonna eat for a few days. Let me just do a whole fasting reset situation, okay? And still, y'all, the hives did not go away. It wasn't until later that I found out that the hives were caused by stress. Like our bodies, you guys, they give us a clue. And beyond the physical cost of ignoring our bodies, I want you to talk. I want I want to talk to you about the spiritual cost, okay? Because there is one. When we are depleted, we have less capacity to hear God. I need to say this again. Y'all, look again, I am talking I'm not just talking to you. I am in this with you. When we are depleted, we have less capacity to hear God, less margin for the Holy Spirit to speak, less patience for the people we love, less creativity for the work we're called to do. You cannot pour from an empty cup. And I know that sounds so motivational, like some motivational poster, but it is spiritually true. A depleted woman is not able to fully steward the assignment God gave her. Isaiah 40, verse 31. It says, But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Renewing your strength is not optional. It is part of the assignment, and it starts with your body. Okay, so we've established that you've been grinding, we've talked about what it costs you now. Let's talk about what coming back to yourself actually looks like. And I want to start here. Taking care of your body is not selfish, it is stewardship. Let's go back to the verse from the beginning of this episode. 1 Corinthians 6 19. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. Your body is a temple, not a machine, not a tool to be used up in service of everyone else's needs. It is a temple. That is something sacred. That is something that is meant to be cared for. And the basics, we're not talking about anything complicated here. We are talking about the fundamentals, the things your body was designed for. Movement, water, sleep, nourishment, rest. Let's think about this. Okay, movement. Your body was made to move. Not to punish yourself, not to achieve a certain look, just to move. A 30-minute walk three times a week. That's it. It doesn't have to be intense, it just has to be intentional. And I'll tell you, I run, okay. I love to train for 5Ks. I'm training for my first half marathon. Not because I have to, but I get to. My body is mine, and I get to give myself a goal to work toward showing up for myself, keeping myself in shape and healthy. Find what your goal is. It doesn't have to match mine. I'm just asking you to have a vision for your body where you are moving. Water. Okay, I'm stepping on my toes today more than your toes because I know, I know, I need to be drinking half of my body weight in ounces per day. And y'all, some days I don't even come close to that. But guess what? We are giving ourselves permission to reset and breathe. But what we're gonna, we're gonna start small, okay? Okay, I'm talking to me. We're gonna start with a a bottle of water before you do anything in the morning, before you touch your phone, before you grab your tea, April Nova Scipio, just one bottle of water or one glass of water, and build from there. And I think this is gonna help me too. I know this is gonna help me too because some of you may be thinking, oh my goodness, that's a lot of ounces. How am I gonna do this? We are going to do this because we're gonna, we are going to build upon a small intentional action. So we know that we need to be drinking half of our body weight in ounces every single day. We're going to do that. We're gonna start each day with that one glass and build throughout our day. We can do this. All right, sleep. I told y'all I'm preaching to myself this month, but I'm excited about this because we are gonna be so restored. It's gonna be so awesome. I need you to protect your sleep like it's sacred, because it is. Your body restores during sleep, your mind processes during sleep. God speaks during sleep. Remember all those dreams in the Bible? Okay, so we are not gonna sacrifice this beautiful thing that restores our body. We're not gonna sacrifice it to the scrolling, to the staying up late, to the doing one more thing on the on the to-do list. We are going to protect our sleep because it is important. Nourishment. Pay attention to how food makes you feel, not just how it tastes. Now, I am not here to tell you what to eat by any means. I am just here to ask you, are you eating in a way that gives you energy or just eating to get through the day? I remember a few years ago I started doing this. I started paying attention to how food made me feel. And my diet today is completely different than it was a few years ago. But I feel so much better. So I want you to just start paying attention, start reading the labels. It wasn't until I started reading the labels on food, and I was like, I'm not putting this in my body. It's crazy. All the things they add to food nowadays. Let's just be a good steward of our bodies and just pay attention. Remember again, remember, this is not about eat this, don't eat this. We are all we are all different. Our bodies respond to food differently. What I'm just saying today is just pay attention to what you put in your body and how it makes you feel. I know for me, if I put sugar in my body, I feel awful. I get headaches, I feel low energy. I feel like the absolute worst when I'm eating sugar, which is why I'm like, okay, so I need to stay away from sugar because it just makes me feel better. I'm just choosing that for myself. Whatever you have to do, choose to take care of you. And then rest. I mean true rest, not just sleep, but sabbath white space, time with no agenda, time that feels like a deep breath. That's what June is. It is a big old deep breath. I'm so excited about it. A few weekends ago, I was just taking a Sabbath at home. I made the decision I am not getting out of my pajamas today. It is a day with no agenda, and it was so good. And my sister, she texted me and she was telling me that her and my niece were going to the nail salon. And she was like, Do you want to come with us? And although that would have been so amazing to go and get my nails done, get a pedicure, get a massage, like having that feel-good moment. I was like, No, I'm not leaving the house today. I need it that day, and I'm so glad I chose that. I want you to choose days of rest for you. I'm so excited about this month of June because we are, we're gonna take this deep breath together. We see in Genesis 2 that on the seventh day, God he finished his work and he rested from all of his work. So when we think about the fact that God rested, okay, the creator of the universe built rest into his own rhythm. What makes us think that we can skip it? We're not gonna skip it. Taking care of your body is such an act of worship. It is you saying to God, I honor what you gave me, I will steward it well, I will take care of this temple so I can keep doing the work that you have assigned me. Before we say our declaration for the day and pray, I want to give you an assignment, and it's so simple. This week, I want you to choose one thing, just one. From everything we talked about today, just pick one thing. Maybe it's drinking your water, maybe it's going to bed 30 minutes earlier, maybe it's taking a walk on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. I don't know. Um, maybe it's making yourself something warm in the morning and just sitting with it instead of rushing past it. One thing, not five, okay, not a complete overhaul. One small faithful act of stewardship toward the body God gave you. Do it this week, and I want you to notice what shifts. In fact, I want you to share with us in Nova Community what God's saying to you and what he's doing, and just all the amazing things that are happening as you take this one intentional step. All right, here's our declaration. We're gonna declare this together. I'm gonna say a part of it and you repeat after me. Say it out loud with me if you can. All right, here's our here's our declaration today. I am not a machine, I am a temple. My body was made to be cared for, not just used. Taking care of myself is not selfish, it is stewardship. I give myself permission to slow down. I give myself permission to rest. I give myself permission to come back to myself. God restores me as I return to Him. That's our declaration today. And I have a few journal prompts for you this week. If you are driving, save these for later. If you are somewhere where you can write, I want you to write these down so you can go back and sit with them. And you may have to pause this episode as you're writing them down, but get these in your journal. All right, number one. What has my body been trying to tell me that I've been ignoring? What has my body been trying to tell me that I've been ignoring? What signals have I been overriding? What signals have I been overriding? Okay. Journal prompt two. And I know that was like two questions. I guess I have like two questions for each of the prompts. Okay, prompt two. Here we go. Where in my life have I confused grinding with faithfulness? Where in my life have I confused grinding with faithfulness? What responsibilities have I taken on that were never mine to carry alone? What responsibilities have I taken on that were never mine to carry alone? In journal prompt three, here's the last one. What is one small act of stewardship I can offer my body this week? What is one small act of stewardship I can offer my body this week? What would it feel like to actually do it? What would it feel like to actually do it? I'm excited for you to sit with these questions this week. I believe that as we, because remember, I am in this with you, I believe the Holy Spirit is gonna speak to us in such a powerful way. And there's gonna be so much restoring that happens this week because we are taking intentional action. I want to pray for us today. I'm just believing that God is gonna do something amazing this week. And I cannot wait to hear. I can't wait to hear about it. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for. Today. Thank you for every single person that's listening to this podcast. Thank you that they showed up today, even though they may have been tired or stretched thin or carrying more than they should have to carry alone. And Lord, I ask that today you meet them right here in the middle of the grind, in the middle of the exhaustion, and remind them that they are seen. Lord, you know what each of us have been carrying. Things that we need to give to you, cares that we've tried to hold on to and fix. And God, today you're just giving us permission to cast every care on you to slow down, to rest, to come back to ourselves and not feel guilty, reminding us today, Father, the importance of taking care of our bodies and how that's not selfish. God, thank you, Lord. We recognize that taking care of our bodies is such an act of worship. God, I'm asking you this month to lead us beside quiet waters, restore our souls, show us the one small step that we can take this week to just begin. And God, I just pray for this community that this month, Lord, let June be a deep breath, a real one. Let it be just an opportunity, Father, for a refreshing. Thank you for times of refreshing this month, Lord. We love you, we honor you, we praise you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen, you guys. Receive that for yourself today. Just be refreshed today, be refreshed this week so we can be refreshed and restored as we reset this month. Before you go, I have something for you. I created a five, just a guide. It's five daily rhythms that change everything. And I want you to download this. It is free to you. Just click on the link in the show notes of this episode, but it covers the five rhythms I personally use to stay grounded. I talk about my morning anchor, the faith method when I'm reading scripture, my prayer rhythm, the wellness rhythm we talked about today, my productivity rhythm. It's simple, it's practical. You can grab it again, no cost to you. It's in the link in the show notes. Make sure you download that today. And if this episode resonated with you in any way, if it inspired you, I would love for you to share it with a woman who needs to hear it. You probably know someone who's been running on empty. Send it to her right now. That's how we take care of each other. We send each other resources to help. Thank you so much for being here. Don't forget, if you haven't already subscribed to the podcast, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss an episode. We're going to continue this series next month. We're going to talk about your soul, specifically what to do when God's voice feels distant. Um, that's a conversation I can't wait to have with you. Until then, take your deep breath. I love you so much with the love of Christ. Thanks for hanging out with me. I'll see you inside Nova Community. This is April Nova Sipio, and this is how we live faith first rhythm always. Be blessed. Love you guys.