Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Erayna Sargent of Cascade Area

We recently had the chance to connect with Erayna Sargent and have shared our conversation below.

Erayna , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
My mornings usually start with stretching, journaling, a shower, and getting our toddler off to school. It’s a mix of movement, mindfulness, and a little bit of chaos. I try to start the day grounded, so I often do Morning Pages from The Artist’s Way — three pages of unfiltered writing to clear my head before the day starts filling it back up again.

Recently, I joined a 30-day journaling challenge for accountability, largely because these darker mornings make it harder to get up early (lol). But even on the days I don’t feel like it, that quiet time helps me reset. It’s my reminder that how I start my day shapes how I show up for everything, and everyone else.

It’s also a way of practicing what I teach through Hooky Wellness. Building small, consistent moments into everyday life so relief becomes a rhythm and a part of the routine.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
8 years ago, I reached a point where working harder was no longer working. I had the MBA, the credentials, and years of experience leading brands and innovation at companies like Nestlé and Intuit, but burnout wasn’t something I ever saw covered on a syllabus, in a strategy meeting or even in a training. What I’ve come to learn is that like so many millennial leaders, I knew how to push through, but not how to pause.

That realization led me to create Hooky Wellness, a burnout relief company helping professionals and organizations protect their resilience, reset their rhythm, and build plans for more sustainable success. We fuse design thinking, leadership, and mental wellness to make burnout prevention practical, actionable, and culturally relevant — especially for high-achieving millennial leaders and their teams. We’ve supported over 5000 professionals and teams across leading organizations including Netflix, Microsoft, Estee Lauder and more.

Our signature Navigating Burnout ® Program blends education with real relief, helping people understand burnout, identify early warning signs, and create personalized protection plans. We also design relief-centered experiences like our Hooky Day events, which gives the community a collective pause, and Catch Your Breath™, our program for entrepreneurs who want to build without burning out.

The past five years of this journey have been about building the tools and resources I wish I had when I was navigating burnout myself. As Hooky Wellness continues to grow, I’m excited for what’s next — expanding our community and creating more spaces where high-impact millennial leaders can learn, recharge, and lead differently. My mission is to help them take better care of themselves and the teams who depend on them.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
In kindergarten, I was chosen to recite Shel Silverstein’s poem “Invention” in front of over 400 students and teachers at Mason Elementary in Detroit. Standing on that stage, I felt both terrified and completely alive and apparently confident enough that I told my mom that she didn’t need to join me on stage. That moment planted the seed for who I’d later become: a speaker, storyteller, and someone who believes in the power of using your voice.

That love of expression eventually led me back to writing, and most recently, to publishing my first book, Go L#ve Yourself — an illustrated poem about burnout and the journey back to “well.” It’s a story for adults, but simple enough to start the conversation early with kids. It makes me proud that it’s now part of the bedtime rotation for my 3-year-old, who already understands how important it is — just like Tony the lightbulb in the book — to reach out for help when your light starts to dim.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering showed me where I was out of alignment. Success had me moving fast chasing goals, titles, and milestones, but burnout made me stop long enough to ask if any of it actually felt good anymore. It forced me to face the truth that I was living in achievement mode, not alignment.

What I’m most thankful for is that I had a support system that helped me figure it out. People who reminded me that I didn’t have to fix it alone. That community kept me grounded when I was running on fumes and gave me the guidance and space to rebuild at a more sustainable pace. It’s also why I make sure Hooky Wellness programs include building a Burnout Battle Team — a personal network of people who can help you spot & manage your warning signs, hold you accountable, and remind you who you are when you forget.

Overall, suffering taught me that relief isn’t a solo mission. It takes clarity, courage, and connection and having the right people in your corner can make all the difference.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies my industry tells itself is that leadership development and mental health are separate conversations. They’re not. Leaders set the emotional pace for their teams, and how they manage energy, empathy, and example directly shapes whether their people burn out or thrive.

Another lie is “We don’t have time for that right now.” But we always make time for what we value. If well-being isn’t part of the plan, it eventually becomes part of the problem. I hear the same version of this lie from individuals too, “I don’t have time to take care of myself.” Both come from the same scarcity mindset that treats relief as optional instead of essential.

There’s also this belief that burnout doesn’t require training. There’s a belief that people will just “figure it out” once they slow down. First, people are resistant to slowing down and burnout isn’t fixed by rest alone. It takes skills, systems, and support to prevent it from coming back. Too many people and companies stay reactive, waiting for a crisis instead of learning how to build relief in from the start.

And finally, the myth that burnout is a one-time, personal problem. It’s not. Burnout is a pattern. A cycle that keeps repeating until you understand what’s driving it. That’s why I built Hooky Wellness: to help people and organizations recognize those cycles early and build a plan for more sustainable rhythms before burnout becomes their norm.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
If I laid down my name, role, and possessions, what would remain is impact. Not in the flashy sense, but in the ripple effect of people who learned to treat themselves with more care, patience, and permission.

Through Hooky Wellness, I’ve helped people rewrite their relationship with rest and eliminate the guilt that so often comes with taking a break. Because that guilt is heavy, it keeps people stuck in survival mode, even when they’re exhausted. Seeing leaders, teams, and individuals realize that relief isn’t selfish, it’s strategic, has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my work.

At the end of the day, I want to be remembered for helping people take better care of themselves and each other. My vision of reaching five million leaders isn’t just about numbers; it’s about creating a culture where sustainable performance and genuine well-being coexist. Where caring for yourself becomes the standard, not the exception.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hookywellness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_chillsargent
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eraynasargent

Image Credits
Credit: Hooky Wellness