I have found myself reflecting on something unexpected from a beach chair on my Brazilian Christmas Vacation: how differently the holiday season feels outside of hustle culture, especially in another country entirely.

The holidays in Brazil are not quiet, cold, or productivity-adjacent. There are no undertones of “push through until the new year.” There’s no pressure to optimize the holidays or turn rest into another performance metric.

It made me think about hustle culture and how it shows up in vet med.

The Holidays Without the Hustle

The holiday season in Brazil is alive & colorful. It’s truly merry and bright. I am enjoying my holiday break here to meet my boyfriend's family. Lucky for me, despite my nerves and not speaking Portuguese, I have gotten 5/5 stars all around.  (Yay!)

It’s loud laughter, long meals, music drifting through open windows, kids running barefoot, and conversations that stretch late into the night. It’s less about schedules and more about presence. Less about doing and more about being together.

And what struck me most was this: no one is in a rush. People show up and stay late because presence with the people you love is the most important part. They literally start the tradition of Christmas at midnight. 

There’s no glorification of exhaustion. No subtle competition about who worked the hardest or sacrificed the most before the holidays. People pause. They gather. They savor. They make space for joy without apology.

In veterinary medicine, we often treat rest like a reward, something earned only after depletion. But watching Brazilian holiday traditions unfold reminded me that rest can also be a rhythm. A value. A way of living. True flow. 

Here, connection comes first. Family meals last hours. Stories repeat year after year. There’s no urgency to “get back to work” because work was never meant to replace life. 

It made me wonder how much of our burnout isn’t just about the job, but about the culture surrounding it.

Hustle culture tells us that slowing down is dangerous. That rest makes us lazy. That joy must be justified. But cultures like this quietly prove the opposite: when people feel connected, nourished, and supported, they actually return to their lives more grounded, more generous, and more alive.

I found a dose of this support before taking off on my trip. Leaders a Veg reminding me to take time off to enjoy this moment meeting my boyfriend’s family, my family sending me off and wishing me well despite knowing they will miss me at their holiday celebration, support from my team and peers in vet med. It felt like ABUNDANT support from all areas to prioritize the things that matter the most. 

And isn’t that what you want for all of veterinary medicine?

Not doctors who survive December, but humans who end the holiday season feeling whole in January.
Not leaders who drag themselves forward, but ones who move with intention at a regulated pace.
Not a culture that glorifies sacrifice, but one that honors sustainability and enjoying life inside and outside of work.

This season reminded me that life doesn’t need to be rushed to be meaningful. That you can show up as a leader that support people prioritizing their lives outside of work, and that the same loving energy will come back to you. That success doesn’t have to cost your nervous system. That joy doesn’t dilute purpose, it fuels it. 

So as you move through the holidays, here’s your gentle invitation:
- Slow one thing down. If you’re late, who cares.
- Stay at the table a little longer. Prioritize your loved ones.
- Put your phone away. Be present. Laugh louder.
- Let rest be deserved and not earned.

Because there is another way to live.
And it doesn’t require exhaustion to be worthy.

Wishing you a holiday filled with warmth, connection, peace and presence, wherever you are in the world. <3