<p>Y’all. Empress Theadora here. I’m gonna keep this honest because that’s the only way I know how to deliver it: <em>I need a break, bitch.</em></p><p>That’s the episode. That’s the announcement. Everything else is just context.</p><p>Here’s the practical part first, because I know some of you scroll. I’m dropping my Substack subscription from $55.55 a month down to $8.88. If you’ve been circling, watching, lurking, waiting — this is your sign. Lock in at $8.88 and that’s your price forever, no matter what I do with pricing later.</p><p>Now let me tell you why.</p><p>If you’ve been with me since the days of The Mediocre Black Woman, you know that whole project was born from exhaustion. I built it for the women who were tired. The ones who’d been performing <em>fine</em> for too long. The ones whose “I’m okay” had become a reflex instead of a truth. That was the original DNA. That was the whole point.</p><p>Fast forward. I’m in the middle of a full rebrand I did not plan for. New astrology certifications I did not plan for. A business architecture I did not plan for. 2026 has not been the year I designed — it’s been the year that’s been designing me.</p><p>And somewhere in all of it, I caught myself doing the thing I literally built this brand to interrupt. Performing fullness I didn’t have. Measuring my worth in output. Spirit tapping me on the shoulder like — ma’am. <em>Ma’am.</em> You teach this lesson. So I’m taking my own medicine.</p><p><em>I need a break, bitch.</em> And if we’re being real, some of you do too.</p><p>So here’s what’s actually happening: monthly sound healing with <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/profile/46518166-lamakhosi-la-mar">LaMakhosi (La Mar)</a> on Substack stays. And I’ll pop in here and there. But I’m pulling all the way back on producing for a few months while I get myself back to whole.</p><p>In the meantime — and this is genuinely the gift — go through the archive. I have two hundred and thirty-five published posts on Substack. It’s all there for you to wade through, and sit with.</p><p>The lesson I’ll leave you with is this: rest isn’t the pause between the work. Rest is part of the work. The hustle gospel was sold to people who needed us tired. You are not behind. You are not falling off. You are a human being, and the cup gets refilled by being set down — not by being held out longer.</p><p>So join me. Take the break with me.</p><p>I love you. I’ll see you soon.</p><p>...<em>I need a break, bitch.</em> 🤍</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://draggedndivine.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2">draggedndivine.substack.com/subscribe</a>