{"id":1149,"date":"2025-08-27T22:05:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T22:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/?p=1149"},"modified":"2025-08-28T15:15:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T15:15:56","slug":"porsha-ellis-on-why-let-it-break-is-the-reset-women-need-burnout-isnt-the-goal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/27\/porsha-ellis-on-why-let-it-break-is-the-reset-women-need-burnout-isnt-the-goal\/","title":{"rendered":"Porsha Ellis On Why Let It Break Is The Reset Women Need: \u201cBurnout Isn\u2019t The Goal\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As women, navigating the complexities of life<\/a> can often feel like running on a hamster wheel \u2014 constantly moving, yet never quite able to pause and catch your breath<\/a>. Wearing multiple hats every day can be exhausting, especially when it\u2019s layered with the challenge of tending to personal needs, nurturing dreams<\/a>, and healing old wounds.<\/p>\n

But with organizations like Let It Break, the mold is shifting. They\u2019re creating a community of like-minded women who are both vulnerable and strong \u2014 a space where honesty is met with support, and where transformation feels not only possible, but sustainable. Savannah James, April McDaniel and Porsha Ellis <\/a>are the three women behind the scenes creating a safe space for women that is more than a membership \u2014 it\u2019s a movement. <\/p>\n

Ellis serves as the CEO<\/a> and put it best when speaking with Unbothered<\/em>, that at its core, the real heart of Let It Break is about creating room to stop, breathe and remind yourself that you don\u2019t have to hold it all alone. Like so many of us, as she put it: \u201cDespite the highs of my career as a marketing executive, I yearned for more\u2014alignment, growth, and the courage to be the most authentic version of myself.\u201d <\/p>\n

As ambitious, career-centric women striving to achieve excellence and live up to high standards, it becomes less about the next milestone and more about the cost of time, intentionality, personal growth and fulfillment. So instead of only discussing it in the group chat, the trio decided to create something meaningful and worthwhile, designed to interrupt the cycle of burnout<\/a> and remind women that success and softness can coexist. During our chat, Ellis dropped personal gems while sharing insights and honest reflections. And if you\u2019re wondering what\u2019s next for the brand, keep reading to learn more. <\/p>\n

Unbothered: What is something that you had to unlearn either personally or professionally? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Porsha Ellis: At Let It Break, we talk a lot about unlearning and about shedding. The journey of personal growth is not a linear process. It\u2019s not something that we arrive at. That\u2019s what people sometimes think: \u2018Okay, I\u2019ve done this and I\u2019ve made it here, and now everything is fixed.\u2019 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a constant journey that I find myself on. I\u2019ve been on [this journey] for a while, and I think for me, the journey started with motherhood and having two daughters, and wanting to think about how I can give them the tools earlier than what I had, and how I can have conversations with them earlier than I had as a kid. For me, the things I\u2019m unlearning are really about surrendering and letting go of the things I can\u2019t control. I have a tendency to hold on to things longer than I need to.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve learned this through the process of being a part of Let It Break that I don\u2019t sit still with myself very much. So when life starts, lifing, I like to stay busy doing all the things, but it\u2019s a distraction from actually being in touch with my feelings, and understanding what I need in the moment. The other thing I\u2019m unlearning is the idea that I should always be busy. I\u2019m learning to sit still and process whatever I\u2019m going through, which is a significant learning lesson that I\u2019m still working through.<\/p>\n

What kind of energy do April and Savannah bring into the space in terms of how your team has shaped the culture you\u2019re creating?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PE: It\u2019s such an interesting dynamic. The backstory with the three of us is that April and I have worked together for the last 10 years, and have built a friendship <\/a>outside of our working relationship. Through that relationship, I worked at her agency, Crown + Conquer<\/a>, for six and a half years, and we\u2019ve had a long-standing working relationship, which has also allowed us to develop a personal connection. And April and Savannah <\/a>were friends outside of the workplace as well, and then, all these things came together. The energy of the three of us is interesting. April is the fiery person. She\u2019s not shy about expressing her feelings or thoughts, and people love and respect her for that. <\/p>\n

Savannah<\/a> is on the other end of the spectrum, bringing a sense of calmness and peace, and is very mellow in terms of her personality and how she presents herself. If you\u2019ve watched their podcast before, they play off of each other really well, and they balance each other out. Then I fit in right in the middle. I can be a little bit more like April, and then I can be a little bit more like Savannah, and it depends on the situation that we\u2019re in. If you\u2019re into astrology, I\u2019m a Libra. I\u2019m a balancer, so I find the sweet spot between the two of them, and I think it all works really well together when we\u2019re coming into a situation of presenting, Let It Break<\/a> to people, because you really do see the differences in our personality, and that allows a lot of people to connect differently to us. <\/p>\n

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It\u2019s not realistic to say, \u2018don\u2019t push through anything,\u2019 but I do think in the times when you have to push through, how are you tending to yourself outside of that? <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Although we are three African American women, we share many similar concerns, but we also have different interests, which complement each other, allowing us to connect with a wide range of women. And I love it. The dynamic is really cool, especially when we all come together for what we\u2019re building and what our community will eventually look like. <\/p>\n

I love how you can bring your individuality into a collective space so that it merges and complements each other in the end. Now the wellness industry can be noisy, commercialized, and sometimes performative. So what does integrity look like for you as a CEO in this particular space?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PE: Integrity is really about knowing who we are, as a brand, as a community. What world are we really serving for women, and how are we supporting women and staying true to that, no matter what. I\u2019ve learned from some advisors that we brought on, who have built other women\u2019s membership communities<\/a>, some of which still exist, some of which don\u2019t, is that to build and keep the integrity of a community, it\u2019s a little counterintuitive to have this desire to want to be 20,000 members. <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve really taken a slow and steady approach to our growth because we want to create something that is sustainable and lasts a long time. When you\u2019re building community, you have to do that. You have to keep the intentionality of what the purpose is, of what you want to do. So, if our purpose is to create space for women to be seen, to have a vulnerable space where they can be real and be themselves, and to be in community with other women on a more human level, it\u2019s not, \u2018What can you do for me?\u2019 or \u2018What can I do for you?\u2019 We want to support each other, but it\u2019s not from a transactional level. It is a more deeply rooted connection. We have to stay true to how we build that community and what type of offerings we have. Everything we do stems from this high-level pillar. For me, integrity is knowing who we are, what space we are taking up, and staying true to that truth. <\/p>\n

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Several reports have indicated that women, in particular, feel like they are constantly burned out. I know for Black women, that number is even higher and less often discussed, and I feel this is the perfect platform to discuss it. So what\u2019s one thing you wish more women knew about the difference between pushing through and healing through?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PE: This is something we talk a good amount about. The biggest thing for me is knowing when to push through and knowing when to pause. There are times in all of our lives when we have to put our heads down and get through whatever it is that\u2019s happening or whatever season we\u2019re in. But sometimes we push through and push through and push through, and then it\u2019s not until we\u2019ve built up all of these unprocessed emotions that we then implode. <\/p>\n

I believe that what we\u2019re creating with Let It Break<\/a> is an opportunity to take inventory of ourselves and where we are at different points and stages of our lives, so that we don\u2019t continue to push through, push through, push through, and then come out and say, \u2018Oh, I have no idea who I am. I have no idea what I want right now.\u2019 It is the constant checking in with ourselves and the maintenance, what I like to call the maintenance work of our personal growth and evolution. It\u2019s really important to make space to process things, to sit with ourselves, and to take inventory of what a situation looks like for us. I would say, as often as you can pause and reflect. <\/p>\n

For me, I\u2019m a big journaler. I write a lot. It helps me process my thoughts and my feelings. It also helps me think about the things I want for my future and manifest them into existence. So, again, it\u2019s not realistic to say, \u2018don\u2019t push through anything,\u2019 but I do think in the times when you have to push through, how are you tending to yourself outside of that? Pushing through is necessary for all of us at certain phases or times in our lives. But it\u2019s not healthy to push through without any light at the end of the tunnel. <\/p>\n

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The things I\u2019m unlearning are really about surrendering and letting go of the things I can\u2019t control. I have a tendency to hold on to things longer than I need to.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Healing is very personal. Some people seek therapy, some meditate, and others have hobbies, which serve as their outlet. I think it\u2019s very personal to what you need and what you\u2019re going through, and as long as you are in touch with that and are figuring out what that looks like for you, and constantly and intentionally making time to say, \u2018Okay, let me actually take a step back for a second. I\u2019ve been heads down for the last month. Do I feel good? How does my body feel?\u2019 Check in with yourself because that\u2019s a really important part of it that some of us miss often, and then we end up in worse situations than if we had just checked in with ourselves along the way.<\/p>\n

What would be a piece of advice you offer someone who is currently feeling stuck, burned out, or unsure of what\u2019s next, and they say, \u2018I don\u2019t know what to do\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PE: The first thing is going back to the pause to take a second. And actually carve out time to take a second and think about what it is that I\u2019m really struggling with, what it is that I\u2019m really dealing with? Sometimes it\u2019s not just about what you think. It\u2019s about how you actually feel and being in touch with your feelings. If you don\u2019t feel like you know what to do, pause and make space to sit, think, and assess what is at the core of what you\u2019re dealing with that\u2019s really bothering you, because when you think about the layers of something, a lot of people can get to the root of what it might be. Maybe you don\u2019t know for sure, and in that case, I would say, seek counsel, or seek guidance from somebody that you trust, and get another opinion. Or if it\u2019s something you can identify for yourself, then actively make changes. <\/p>\n

Many of us sit and ruminate on things that we know are not healthy, but we try to push through, or we feel like there is something we have to get through to reach the other side. Even when we reach the other side, that thing still exists. It depends on what it is, too, like feeling burnt out. Some of it is a product of feeling like you have to be in a job or feeling like you have to be doing something to prove your worthiness. That\u2019s a more deeply rooted issue that you have to take the time to work through, to understand where it comes from and how to move and navigate outside of it. <\/p>\n

Lastly, what\u2019s next for the brand? Can you discuss any upcoming ideas or projects on the horizon?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PE: There\u2019s a lot that we\u2019re working on, and for us, we do want to figure out a way to expand to another market. We\u2019re prioritizing LA and New York because we have physical presence in those cities. The goal is for people to convene in person. Whether we\u2019re doing educational pieces or on the community side, we are exploring other ways to connect with people outside of our membership. There may be some things that we roll out in the future that allow external members to be a part of what we\u2019re doing, in some way, shape, or form. I\u2019m excited about some partnerships we are working on, which I can\u2019t name just yet. However, for us, connecting with mission-aligned brands that truly value supporting women in this way is really important to us. <\/p>\n

We just hit our one-year mark, so we\u2019re continuing to lay the foundation for what we\u2019re building. We\u2019re considering another market where we can establish a presence and grow, while expanding our community in the process. Additionally, we have some exciting developments in store, so stay tuned. <\/p>\n

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Going To Therapy Doesn't Heal Everyone Around You<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As women, navigating the complexities of life can often feel like running on a hamster wheel \u2014 constantly moving, yet never quite able to pause and catch your breath. Wearing multiple hats every day can be exhausting, especially when it\u2019s layered with the challenge of tending to personal needs, nurturing dreams, and healing old wounds. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ecotech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1149"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1154,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1149\/revisions\/1154"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cncurc.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}