Some mornings expose the holes in the ship. The calendar shifts, a studio call sneaks up, a big project is staging today, and there’s an hour to be two places at once. Jaclyn scanned the schedule, texted Sam from across the house—“we’ve got to go”—and they pivoted. No spiraling. No blame. Just a deep breath, shoes on, and forward.

That’s the point of their recipe: not a perfectly balanced life, but a resilient one—where capacity expands, energy stays generous, and joy doesn’t get crowded out by the hustle. They’re entrepreneurs, parents, makers. They love to test their limits. They also refuse to miss their son’s childhood or trade peace for productivity. So they’ve been “battening down the hatches,” plugging leaks, and choosing a pace that lets them go hard and rest well.

Why the Recipe for Increasing Your Capacity Without Burning Out Matters

Life has seasons. Since getting together, launching businesses, and growing a family, their default was “go, go, go.” It worked—until it didn’t. Lately, they’ve been neck-deep in tightening systems, cleaning up leaks, and finding the groove that lets them feel energized instead of depleted. It isn’t about having it all at once; it’s about steering their ship on purpose.

Pillar 1: Know Your Baseline

Before capacity can grow, baseline needs clarity. For Jaclyn, data is a kind mirror. Her Oura Ring tracks sleep quality, readiness, HRV—simple signals that help her pace the day instead of overriding her body with sheer will. She’s lived enough cycles of burnout to recognize when “push through” is a lie. Now she honors thirst, hunger, fatigue, and those subtle thyroid whispers—before they turn into a shout.

Sam runs on feel—and he’ll admit his default is to press until the wall presses back. He’s had seasons where the only stop sign was his body flat on the floor with back and leg pain after too much stress and not enough space. Together, they’ve learned a gentle truth: rest isn’t a reward; it’s infrastructure. Below is what baseline looks like (for them)

Sleep & Recovery

Sleep isn’t optional. It’s the charger. When the numbers (or the body) say “ease up,” they listen and adjust the day.

Fuel & Movement

Food that supports energy. Walks. A sweat when it serves. Movement as a kindness, not a punishment.

Soul Input

Quiet before the day. Prayer or meditation. A few pages in a journal. A moment of sunlight. Small rituals that say, “You matter.”

Pillar 2: Tools & Rituals That Work

They love biohacking—but keep it grounded.

Sauna & Cold

Sam lives for the sauna. Jaclyn loves a good cold shower. Heat for release, cold for clarity.

PEMF & Red Light

Her PEMF mat is a five-days-a-week staple—grounding, anti-inflammatory, mood-steadying. Red light therapy supports cellular health, brain clarity, thyroid care, and recovery.

Jaclyn uses

Nature Is a Free Biohack

Bare feet on grass. Morning and evening light to set circadian rhythm. Fresh air. It’s not about the gear; it’s about the nervous system exhaling.

Small, Loving Rituals

Dry brushing for lymph. Sunday facials. A little gua sha. Nightly hand cream on the PEMF mat. Music while cooking. Walks. Silence. Pool time as a family. None of it is dramatic, all of it is nourishing. These micro-moments keep the tank full so they can pour from overflow, not from fumes.

Check out our Shop My Fave for wellness and skincare tools that Jaclyn and Sam love.

And if you’re craving more permission to simplify, you’ll love The Power of Planning for Peace — Financially and Otherwise — Jaclyn’and Sams tender guide to creating the rhythms and margins that breathe clarity into even the busiest seasons.

Pillar 3: Boundaries Are the Sexiest Thing You’ll Ever Create

Jaclyn’s heart is wide open—people feel that, and they come close. She loves them back. But she also knows the cost of leaky boundaries: too many houseguests, too many yeses, not enough space to recover. So this season, she’s practicing a beautiful sentence: “I’m in a season of no.”

Not never. Just not right now. Before saying yes, she checks the calendar—and her capacity. Back-to-back visits? Probably not. Extra dinners on a loaded week? Maybe next month. Her inner circle is still generous—just tighter. As Sam says, people are drawn to her because she speaks to their hearts. Boundaries let her keep doing that—without abandoning her own. A few boundary shifts that changed everything:

Default to Pause

“I’d love to; let me check our week.” Space before yes.

Protect the Calendar

Limit back-to-back commitments. Build recovery into busy weeks.

Tighten the Inner Circle

Invest deeply in the few so you can stay present with the many.

Generous Yes / Sacred No

If it costs your peace, it’s too expensive.

And when the days feel stretched, How to Cultivate Positive Thinking is your soul’s soft reminder that even just one shift in mindset can change the entire tone of your day.

Pillar 4: “This Week Will Be Successful If…”

Every Sunday, they ask one simple question and write the answer at the top of the page: “This week will be successful if…” Then they list the few outcomes that actually matter. (When she drafted this very plan, it was: floors finished at Via Secreta, doors and windows set, podcast episodes recorded, writing outline underway.) Did every box get checked? Mostly—and the ones that didn’t still moved forward.

Sam loves this because it creates a stopping point. With a clear finish line, he doesn’t have to invent more work just to keep working. When the list is done, they can shift into presence—family, laughter, quiet.

Small caveat from Jaclyn: Don’t let soul-filling be the last thing on your list. Build it in. Always.

Pillar 5: Make Time for Joy (and Put the Phone Down)

Joy is a discipline. It’s five minutes of sunlight, a walk with their son, a favorite song while stirring dinner, a quick meditation before the next task. It’s also Do Not Disturb from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.—no reactive scrolling at wake-up, no late-night doom loops. Mornings begin with presence, not notifications. When the phone isn’t in charge of the day, they are.

Imagine living from a filled-up heart—work still humming, family still first, and your nervous system whispering “we’re okay.”

To dive even deeper into reclaiming your time and energy online, we shared practical ways to make time for joy in Taking Back Your Time: Mastering Social Media Boundaries — a heartfelt guide to setting limits that protect your mental health and keep you grounded in real life.

Gentle Reminders They Keep Close

The Golden Gate Bridge Rule: by the time you finish painting one end, it’s time to repaint the other. Life maintenance never ends. That’s not failure; that’s rhythm.
Batten Down the Hatches: plug one leak at a time. Fewer leaks = more speed with less stress.
Bounce-Back Rate: they used to spiral when plans shifted. Now they pivot fast and keep moving.
Boundaries with Self: work blocks, family blocks, me-time blocks. The recipe needs the right amount of each, daily.

Final Thought: A Reflection

Capacity doesn’t expand by cramming more in. It expands when your foundation is loved—when sleep is honored, rituals are small and steady, boundaries are brave, your week has a finish line, and joy isn’t an afterthought.

Jaclyn would tell you this with a smile and a hand to your shoulder: you’re allowed to pace yourself. You’re allowed to say no. You’re allowed to build a life that runs on overflow. And when the calendar gets loud and the plan changes at the last minute, you’re allowed to breathe, pivot, and keep your peace.

Live on purpose. Live on frequency.

Ien Araneta - editor of The Freq Show & The Beckon Times

The Recipe for Increasing Your Capacity Without Burning Out