If you’re like most high-capacity women, you’re exceptionally good at handling and carrying a LOT, which leave very little time left over at the end of the day.

You give your time, your energy, your attention, your care, your ideas, your emotional labor, your presence. You pride yourself on being dependable, generous, and capable.

But here’s the question very few of us ever stop to ask ourselves:

How well do you receive? 👐

Not just compliments or gifts — but support. Rest. Love. Help. Joy. Pleasure. Appreciation. Space. Care. Even honoring your own needs and desires.

Many of us have been conditioned to believe our worth comes from how much we do or what we contribute rather than what we’re willing to receive. Somewhere along the way, receiving what would actually energize and nourish ourselves begins to feel uncomfortable, selfish, weak, or worse… like we’ll somehow become a burden.

So we keep giving. And giving. Until there’s no time left at the end of the day or very little left of ourselves.

Over the past 19 years of working with high-capacity women, I’ve come to believe that our inability to receive is one of the quietest forms of self-abandonment.

Why? Because receiving is how we acknowledge that our own needs matter too.

It isn’t passive. It’s courageous.

And, it’s absolutely necessary if we want to break free from any self-abandonment we’ve been operating from.

So what are some of the different ways to receive?

Receiving from yourself might look like honoring your need for rest instead of pushing through exhaustion. It might mean accepting your emotions instead of judging them, nourishing your body well, exercising consistently, saying yes to something you deeply desire, or allowing yourself to experience joy without guilt or needing to earn it first.

Receiving from others might mean letting someone help when they offer it without needing to return the favor. It might be asking for help when you feel overwhelmed or need it instead of always trying to do it all yourself. Accepting a compliment without dismissing it. Allowing someone to love you without feeling guilt or the need to prove you’re worthy of it.

And receiving isn’t just about taking in what others offer. It’s also about allowing your own gifts to be fully expressed and received.

How often have you apologized for existing, minimized your wisdom, discounted your accomplishments, or brushed aside gratitude because it felt uncomfortable to let it land?

Living a life of radical wholeness requires us to both give and receive. ❣️

In fact, one without the other creates imbalance.

Giving without receiving eventually leads to disintegration, disenchantment, or depletion.

Receiving without giving disconnects us from being of service, contribution and connection.

But when both are present, generosity becomes truly sustainable, relationships deepen, and we stop measuring our worth by how much of ourselves we’ve been sacrificing.

This week, I invite you to notice where you’re quick to give but slow to receive in the following ways:

• Pause before saying, “I’m fine.”
• Say “Thank You” and accept the compliment.
• Ask for help when you need it or you’re overwhelmed.
• Rest when your body asks.

You might even take some time to journal all the ways you’re currently giving and receiving to see if there’s an imbalance that needs to be corrected.

Most importantly, consider what would allow you to let yourself take in and actually receive the life you’ve been working so hard to create.

Wholeness isn’t just about what you give and offer to the world. It’s also about what you’re finally willing to let in and receive.

If you’re like to experience what it’s like to receive in a BIG way, I’d love for you to come to Joyful Journey Hot Springs & Spa here in Colorado for my upcoming Radical Wholeness Retreat the first weekend in December.

Together we’ll gently uncover the patterns that cause you to over-give, reconnect with your deepest desires, and learn what it truly means to receive the life you deserve. We’ll also map out a self-rescue plan for all of it.

If you’re ready to receive, here are two special ways to join us:
 
👥 Priority Registration Bonus: Register by September 30 and receive 3 x private 1:1 Self-Rescue Support Sessions after the retreat to help you integrate everything you experience into everyday life.
 
👭 Sisterhood Rate: Coming with a friend, sister, mother, or daughter? When two or more women register together, each receives $198 off their retreat investment.

Learn more and reserve your place below. 👇

www.JessBonasso.com/retreat

And regardless of whether you decide to join us in retreat, I want you to remember this:

Receiving isn’t selfish—it’s the practice that allows you to live, love, lead, and give without losing yourself.

Here’s to you coming home. 🏡

In gratitude…

Jess Bonasso, also known as The Self Rescue Goddess, is the founder & CEO of Brave Life Consulting, a women-led company committed to the growth, healing & evolution of all women.

After experiencing burnout & a midlife crisis in her early 30’s, Jess committed to her own self-rescue and then later developed the Brave-Hearted Way, a simpler, easier way for high-capacity women to break free from self-abandonment and come back home to themselves without everything falling apart.

Today, she lives a deeply fulfilling life and has a thriving business that empowers women who lead to reclaim their time, energy and emotional bandwidth so they can create well-nourished lives and careers they love.

With over 20 years’ worth of expertise in alternative & mind-body healing, Jess has an in-depth knowledge of the Enneagram personality system and is as an accredited practitioner of The Journey Method®, giving her the trauma-informed expertise & therapeutic skills to support you in unraveling the root cause of anything that stands in the way of your happiness, health, or wealth.