The Birth of Work Play Namaste: A Seed Planted in the Storm

It was the peak of hurricane season in Florida. The winds howled, the alerts blared, and our family was in a mandatory evacuation zone in Tampa. My husband and I packed up the kids, the dogs, and everything we could fit into the car, heading south to Sarasota in search of safety. But as storms often do, this one shifted. And instead of escaping the danger, we found ourselves right back in the path of uncertainty.

As soon as we were settled back at home, and I knew my husband, the kids, and even the dogs were safe, I grabbed my laptop and went out into the gusting wind and rain, making my way to a relative’s house to find Wi-Fi for a mandatory work call. My other co-workers were doing the same. A colleague sat on her apartment pool deck, laptop open, while the storm loomed and her family hunkered down inside. Like the rest of us, she was scrambling to connect to the mandatory call, trying to protect her job in the middle of a hurricane. Not long after that, she left the role, perhaps realizing, as I would come to, that no job should demand we sacrifice our safety and our families. 

As I dialed into the call, it hit me, something was deeply off. Why were we required to be online during a mandatory evacuation? Why were so many of us—professional women—logging in, prioritizing job security over our own safety? In that moment, I realized the real turbulence wasn’t outside; it was within me. Years of overwork, endless deadlines, and the unspoken expectation to always be available had become my own internal storm.

That call didn’t change everything overnight, but it cracked something open. If I was willing to walk through a hurricane just to prove I was present for work, what else was I sacrificing without even noticing? The awareness alone made me pause. For the first time, I admitted to myself that my patterns were unsustainable, and that living in survival mode was not truly living.

That moment planted the seed for what would eventually grow into Work Play Namaste. What began as a personal promise—to step away from burnout and choose differently—grew into a vision much larger than myself: a reminder for busy professional women that the storms outside often mirror the ones within us. That storm revealed what I had been missing: life is not meant to be only work or survival. It is meant to hold balance, play, and mindful space for ease, relief, and joy. And just as renewal follows every storm, I began to believe this life was possible, not only for me, but for all women.

In the end, it started with one moment of awareness, and the courage to take the first step.

Ready to step off the path of burnout and rediscover balance, play, and mindful space in your life? At Work Play Namaste, we offer yoga, meditation, wellness coaching, and a supportive community of women who are walking the same journey. Join our community today and take your first step toward ease, relief, and joy.

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Work Play Namaste isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about creating space to breathe, reset, and keep going together.

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