The Relaxed Woman

Reclaim Rest and Live an Empowered, Joy-Filled Life

By: Nicola Jane Hobbs

Have you ever met a relaxed woman? Would you like to become one?

Psychologist Nicola Jane Hobbs draws on the latest science and extensive therapeutic experience to dispel the myth that relaxing is lazy and show women how to reclaim rest as a path to healing, freedom, and joy.

We have become a society of rushing women, overburdened women, exhausted women. Women whose lives are plagued with stress, guilt, and burnout. We try so hard to do it all—to be the perfect partners, mothers, daughters, colleagues, friends—only to end up feeling not good enough, unappreciated, and lonely. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

In The Relaxed Woman, psychologist Nicola Jane Hobbs explores how stress negatively impacts our minds, bodies and relationships, and illuminates a path towards reclaiming relaxation as a form of liberation. Weaving together neuroscience and psychology with inspirational stories from women who are discovering the transformational power of rest for themselves, Nicola guides us on a journey to becoming relaxed women: women who have untangled their sense of worth from their productivity, who can rest without guilt and anxiety, who trust their intuitions, honor their needs, and live by their deepest values.

Filled with simple rest rituals we can weave into our busy lives, healing practices to help regulate our nervous systems, and practical strategies to support us in navigating the unavoidable stressors of life, The Relaxed Woman is an empowering, restful guide for all of us who long to live more joyful, authentic lives. Because we deserve more than being constantly exhausted. We deserve to be relaxed women, women who know our worth and our power­—women who, together, can change the world.©2025 Nicola Jane Hobbs (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The Relaxed Woman is not just a book; it's a manifesto. It's a wake-up call. It's a rallying cry not to do more, be more, or have more, but to actually relax into yourself and your life. Nicola’s words are a balm. Every woman needs to read this book!" —Jamie Varon, bestselling author of Radically Content: Being Satisfied in an Endlessly Dissatisfied World

"As a distinctly not-relaxed woman, this book was a great reminder of what we must consider on our journey to becoming calm and content. Hobbs calls into question philosophies and cultural expectations that keep women from being relaxed, and provides helpful questions for personal reflection along the way. If you are unfamiliar with factors keeping women from a calm life, this book is a great place to build your understanding." —Emily Ballesteros, bestselling author of The Cure for Burnout: How to Find Balance and Reclaim Your Life

“From the first page of Nicola Jane Hobbs’ The Relaxed Woman, I felt my shoulders soften, my breathing slow, and my mind expand. Revelatory, genuinely empowering, and deeply compassionate, this book is sure to help any woman who has felt stretched thin, burned out, or disconnected from feelings of awe and joy. I walked away convinced that relaxation can indeed be a feminist act—a hidden source of liberation that, until now, has been largely untapped. Let the relaxed woman revolution begin!” —Danielle Friedman, author of Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World

"In a world that glorifies hustle and overwhelm, The Relaxed Woman is a refreshing invitation to embrace softness, self-compassion, and ease in your daily routine. It is a thought-provoking read for any woman navigating the tightrope of modern femininity, and struggling to balancing ambition with well-being, who desires to move through life with confidence and calm, free from the pressures of constant striving." —Melissa Petro, author of Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification

“[An] uplifting guide…Drawing from her own therapeutic work and neuroscientific models…psychologist Hobbs (Daily Awakening) outlines how readers can recover a relaxation impulse stamped out by “stress, trauma, and cultural conditioning.”…Interspersing the account with frequent reminders to take brief moments to relax, Hobbs provides readers with practical strategies for self-care while clarifying that resting need not mean ignoring obligations but rather doing away with unproductive stress to preserve energy for one’s priorities. Those in need of a vacation will find this the next best thing.” —Publishers Weekly