Hustle culture has infiltrated nearly every aspect of our lives. It doesn’t just shape how we work; it also shows up in the way we scroll on YouTube, check social media, and even plan our free time. The message is everywhere: be more productive, stay efficient, perform at your best all the time. Of course, hard work and commitment are sometimes needed. But hustle culture has pushed this too far. It has become a way of life, and that says a lot about how disconnected we are from the Earth, from natural rhythms, and from the feminine.

The cost of hustle culture

The downsides of hustle culture are readily apparent: exhaustion, stress, a lack of purpose, burnout, and a decline in creativity. But it is not just about being tired from time to time. It has changed how we see ourselves.

We have started treating our lives like products that constantly need upgrading and optimising.

In terms of energy, hustle culture puts all its value on doing and performing. It appears to be masculine energy, but it isn’t the genuine healthy masculine energy. True masculine energy has focus, clarity, and direction. Hustle culture is often more like endless busyness without purpose, producing for the sake of producing. And while it exaggerates this distorted version of masculinity, it completely shuts out feminine energy. Rest, regeneration, and nourishment are ignored or even mocked. The result? A society running on empty, where so many people live right on the edge of burnout.

Forgetting feminine energy

Feminine energy isn’t about gender; it lives in everyone. But when it’s dismissed in society, we lose our ability to feel nourished and whole. Without it, our energy and creativity fade.

Our culture often accepts only the “easy” side of the feminine: softness without strength, beauty without depth. The wilder, more powerful aspects are feared or trivialised. Many men struggle to meet strong feminine energy with stability, and many women have learned to fear their own power. From a young age, we are taught to tone it down, to make it comfortable for others. But the feminine is also meant to be untamed;  creative, destructive, nourishing, and challenging. When it is denied, society loses its ability to heal and renew itself.

Losing touch with cycles and nature

Working hard isn’t the problem. Humans have always had seasons of intense activity, like harvest time. What is new is the pressure to stay in that mode all the time. In the past, nature itself created pauses. Without electricity, evenings were slower. Without instant emails, communication had natural breaks. Farming had busy seasons and quiet seasons. These cycles gave balance.

Hustle culture erases those rhythms. It tells us that constant motion is the only way, and in doing so, it disconnects us from nature. Just as the Earth’s cycles are undervalued, so are women’s natural cycles. The menstrual cycle, with its physical and spiritual intelligence, reflects the deep wisdom of the feminine. Ignoring it — and expecting constant productivity instead — is another way society denies both the body and the Earth. No wonder so many women feel drained in a world that refuses to honour cycles. I have created a comprehensive article about the menstrual cycle and how to navigate it in terms of energy and spirituality, which can be found here. Additionally, I have an article that explores how to embrace our cycles in business and work; you can read it here.

Women as guardians of the feminine

When women lose touch with their own feminine energy, they can’t fully live it or protect it. And when that happens, society as a whole suffers. Without the feminine — in women, in men, and in our connection to the Earth — we lose our ability to feel nourished, rejuvenated and renewed. Life becomes all output, no nourishment.

What we need is balance. The feminine has been pushed aside for too long, and it is time to bring it back into the centre. Honouring feminine energy — in ourselves, in women, in cycles, and in nature — is not just a personal choice, but a collective act of healing. It is how we restore creativity, vitality, and balance, both for ourselves and for the world. If you feel called to embrace and nourish your feminine energy in both your personal life and business but aren’t sure where to start, I invite you to check out my free ebook. It includes five beautiful and gentle somatic practices, along with a variety of journaling prompts designed to help you connect with your feminine essence. Click on the picture below to download your free guide.

You might also like:

Sacred feminine: a journey through your cycle's archetypes

How to use feminine energy at work - and why you should not work like a man

What does it mean to lead with feminine energy?