Episode 54: Rest Isn’t Sleep: The Seven Types You’re Ignoring with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith
This episode will challenge everything you've come to believe about rest. Dr. Katie chats with physician, researcher, and bestselling author Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith to explore what it really means to rest—and why most of us are getting it wrong.
Dr. Saundra shares her groundbreaking framework of the Seven Types of Rest—physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, social, sensory, and creative—and explains why sleep alone isn’t enough to truly restore us. Together, they unpack how our culture’s obsession with productivity leaves us depleted and disconnected, and what it looks like to build a new “ethic of rest” that honors our humanity, energy, and wholeness.
You’ll learn:
The critical difference between cessation and restoration
How to identify your personal rest deficits using Dr. Saundra’s Rest Quiz
Why burnout often persists even after sleep or vacation
Simple, science-based ways to refill your energy across all seven dimensions of rest
How leaders can foster restoration and resilience within their teams
Dr. Saundra’s insights challenge hustle culture and invite us to reclaim a version of success that actually feels good. As she says, “Don’t just make the honey—stop and taste its sweetness.”
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Connect with Dr. Saundra on LinkedIn
Take the Rest Quiz
Explore more Dr. Saundra's website
Get a copy of "Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity" by Dr. Saundra
GUEST BIO:
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a Board-Certified internal medicine physician and work-life integration researcher. She is the founder of Restorasis, a professional development agency dedicated to restoring wellbeing in the workplace through its proprietary 7 Types of Rest Framework™ to help companies support their employees with work-life integration and burnout prevention strategies. As a busy physician, author, and mom, she understands that life's demands can leave you feeling mentally overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and physically tired. Daily she helps high-achievers deal with their work-rest imbalance and find actionable answers to the thriving lifestyle they desire.
