Dr. Rebecca Hubbard
Three areas of self-reflection to unlearn the grind
Hustle culture teaches a specific path to success: constant grind, endless pursuit of more, hyper-focus on outcomes, and ideas that we must work ourselves into exhaustion to be valued and feel successful. Hustle culture is a collection of expectations of overwork, productivity, effort, and success which are informed by exploitative capitalism, patriarchal hierarchies, ableism, and white supremacy. For many BIPOC women, these messages about overworking are not just a personal struggle, but a societal expectation intensified by historical inequities, systemic barriers, and cultural pressures (McCurn, 2020). In a world where you are taught that your worth is tied to your productivity, stepping away from the hustle is an act of rebellion. That rebellion is not only against the messaging and systems around us that got us here but also against the way those systems infiltrate your personal beliefs and how you see yourself.
