You need to hustle and make hay while the sun shines is a motto I had lived by.

But the desire for more peace was strong. So, while on vacation, I brought along the book Slow Productivity by Cal Newport. In the book, he shares the story of Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food movement. What started as a protest against a McDonald’s opening in Italy became a global movement about honoring meaning, tradition, presence, and pace.

Uh … exactly what I was craving.

This story struck a cord.

Inside Career Alchemy Academy, I teach about capacity—the ability to hold both the hard emotions and the joyful ones. Emotional capacity is about staying present when things fall apart and when things are going really well.

But somewhere along the way…I forgot my own lesson.

Instead of expanding my emotional capacity, I tried to expand my time capacity. I thought capacity meant “see how much more I can handle.” So, I packed my calendar—more calls, more events, more doing.

I remember saying to myself, “Laurie, is this your capacity or can you do more?”

I was in the Crazy Town of Over-Hustle.

And then I noticed something …

I was not making more money as expected. In fact, my income was dropping!

At first, I told myself, “Just push harder. Do more. You must be missing something because this should be working.” But the harder I worked, the tighter everything felt. I was exhausted. My creativity dried up. Opportunities slowed.

It felt like the money faucet had been turned down to a trickle.

That’s when it clicked:

Money is one of the ways that the Universe communicates with us.

When I overfill my calendar, the Universe doesn’t reward me for being productive.

It actually protects me by slowing down the flow.

Not to punish but to get my attention.

The Universe wasn’t saying “give up” or “stop serving.”

It was whispering: Do less. Create space. Come back to what matters.

The Universe, through money, was saying, “Laurie, slow down … so money, ideas, joy, and aligned clients can actually find you.”

Message received.

As soon as I got back from vacation, I began to make changes to leave Crazy Town for good by:

• Clearing my calendar of unnecessary commitments.
• Saying no more often. A perfect example. I was invited to two events on the same day. One went from 4-6 and the other from 5-7. I was getting ready to sign up for both, planning to attend an hour at each rushing several city blocks to do it. Then, I heard Money whisper, “just pick one, Laurie”. I did.
• Focusing on what truly matters (Career Alchemy Academy, deep creative work, powerful teaching, family and friends)
• Blocking out time for my spiritual practices. Walks, meditation, journaling, and pondering stuff.
• Honoring downtime as productive. Read that twice. You are still creating and moving your life forward without being strapped to your desk.
• Prioritizing my self-care. Sleeping well, eating well, scrolling less
• Following what feels the most like fun!
• Releasing anything (or anyone) that creates anxiety. I do not have time for that!

I am over the over-hustle and believing my scarcity mindset.

It took me a while to see it. But now I’m choosing aligned spaciousness. I trust that prosperity flows where my inner peace lives.

Because sometimes money slows down to protect you from burning out … and sometimes money speeds up to encourage you toward what’s aligned.

This week, explore these questions:

• Is money pulling back because you’re saying “yes” to things that drain you?
• Is money trying to nudge you toward something more meaningful?
• Is money delivering a message to be mindful of how you’re spending your energy and time?

Here’s the thing: Money is never just about money.

It’s feedback. It’s guidance. It’s communication.

The BIG question: What is money trying to tell YOU right now?