In this episode of Black Girl Burnout, Kelley invites you to rethink what discipline can feel like. Instead of viewing structure as a restriction, she shares how to make discipline delicious by weaving in joy and pleasure through a practice called dopamine anchoring. This gentle, neuroscience-backed approach helps you stay consistent without relying on willpower or burnout cycles—proving that pleasure isn’t a distraction from your goals, it’s the fuel that enables you to reach them.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Joy isn’t a reward—it’s the engine that makes meaningful work possible.
• Discipline becomes sustainable when it’s paired with consistent pleasure and sensory anchors.
• Small rituals like scent, music, or sunlight can rewire your brain to associate joy with effort.
• You don’t have to earn rest or play—integrating them into your routines leads to lasting change.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

00:58 — Why “work hard, play later” doesn’t work for your nervous system

04:53 — How dopamine anchoring transforms chores and routines into joyful rituals

08:29 — Kelley’s personal journey from hustle and burnout to rhythm and ease

15:22 — Simple ways to create your own sensory and movement anchors for daily joy

A GENTLE INVITATION

Start small: choose one daily task and pair it with a simple pleasure—a favorite scent, a song, or a five-minute stretch. Notice how that shift changes your energy.

Then, share your experience with us on Instagram @blackgirlburnout or tag us using #OptIntoJoy.

If this episode helped you reimagine what discipline can feel like, follow Black Girl Burnout on your favorite podcast platform and leave a gentle 5-star review to help more women find this community of rest, joy, and abundance.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Are you experimenting with new ways to rest? Whether it’s saying no to one more obligation, shutting your laptop at 5 p.m., or taking a slow walk with no agenda, capture that moment of ease. Share it with us:

@blackgirlburnout

Subscribe to our newsletter: blackgirlburnout.com

Watch the episode on YouTube

Drop a review—help us spread the word that rest is not weakness.

STAY IN TOUCH

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