244. The Politics of Protecting the Asset

Do you ever feel guilty for prioritising yourself, even when you know it’s necessary? Protecting your capacity — what I call “protecting the asset” — isn’t just about avoiding burnout. It’s about power, socialisation, and whose needs get met while others are expected to keep giving. When you start prioritising yourself, you aren’t just changing your own life; you’re disrupting systems that have long benefited from women’s invisible labour and challenging the social rules that reward overfunctioning while punishing boundaries.

In this episode, I explore why taking care of yourself can feel indulgent or selfish and how that guilt was strategically taught to keep you useful to everyone but yourself. We unpack how being socialised as female encourages self-erasure, how workplaces and families rely on invisible labour, and why the people around you are trained to expect you to smooth over tensions. I also cover how to protect your capacity without inadvertently shifting burdens onto others and why doing this work is a political act that models new possibilities for collective care.

Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://maisiehill.com/244