World Mental Health Day 2025: Boundaries, Burnout & Being Real with Edna & Karina
- theequinoxdigital
- Oct 6
- 10 min read
Why We’re Doing This
Every year in October, the world shines a light on World Mental Health Day. But for us, mental health isn’t something you think about once a year. It’s the quiet battle you carry into work. It’s the Sunday-night anxiety before the week begins. It’s the weight behind the smile when someone asks how you’re doing and you say, “I’m fine.”
Mental health isn’t a trend. It’s messy. It’s layered. It’s deeply personal.
As women entrepreneurs, building a business, navigating identity, and carrying the weight of other people’s brands, we knew we couldn’t just post a pretty quote card as a “take care of yourself” reminder. Instead, we wanted to open up about the tools, well-being practices, and turning points that have shaped us.
So we asked each other the hard questions, the ones we almost never say out loud.
The Questions We Asked Ourselves
We wrote down ten tough questions and answered them as ourselves—Edna and Karina—not as co-founders. Because mental health never looks the same for everyone.
We opened up to share honest reflections, from recovering after a car accident and learning to allow support in, to finding energy resets through dancing, setting boundaries, and even exploring biohacking.
We’re sharing the real gems we’ve learned along the way, insights we hope spark new approaches to self-care and remind you that well-being is a business advantage, not an afterthought.
On this page
What’s been your lowest point, and what helped you through it?
How do you protect your well-being while navigating ambition?
What’s one myth about mental health at work that you want to shut down?
How does your identity as women of colour shape your mental health journey?
How do you define success in a way that protects your well-being?
1. What does mental health mean to you right now?
Edna: Over the years, my definition has shifted. In my early twenties, it meant surviving. Now it’s about creating stillness, setting boundaries, and finding joy in the little things. Mental health for me is permission, permission to rest, to say no, and to choose peace over pressure.
Karina: Mental health is alignment between my mind, body, and purpose. It’s not about just getting through the week. It’s about noticing when I’m in overdrive and giving myself permission to pause. Rest isn’t lazy; it’s productive. When I take a deep breath or step onto my yoga mat, I reconnect with creativity and intuition. That’s what allows me to show up fully in the present moment, both as a co-founder and as a wife, friend, and daughter.
2. What’s been your lowest point, and what helped you through it?
Edna: I’ve walked through burnout that made me question my purpose, my habits, and even my identity. Then came surgery, and for the first time in my adult life, I couldn’t push through it. My body called me out before my mind caught up. For a long time, I thought strength meant staying busy and reliable, believing rest was something earned, not needed. But exhaustion doesn’t signify strength; it disconnects you from yourself.
My way back started with small rituals. Journaling in silence. Praying when I didn’t have the words. Taking long walks with my dog Lily, who somehow knew when I needed to stop and just breathe. But the biggest shift wasn’t in what I did. It was in what I allowed.
I let my husband hold me through the moments when I didn’t have it all together. I let my friends show up for me when I wanted to disappear. I let my family remind me that love doesn’t need me to perform. It just needs me to receive it.
Healing isn’t a glow-up. It’s messy. It’s emotional. It’s learning to be okay with being seen in your lowest moments. It’s realizing that being supported doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.
Karina: A sudden car accident forced me to stop and focus on recovery. It wasn’t easy; I had been moving fast in my career. I leaned into counselling, affirmations, exercise, and journaling. That season taught me resilience doesn’t mean going solo. It means allowing support. My partner, mentors, and friends became my personal board of directors, lifting me when I couldn’t lift myself.
Today, I feel privileged to create a positive impact in my business by mentoring talented women and giving back the kind of support that once helped me rise.
I’ve always been a positive person, and this mindset helped me embrace this transition period with grace. Tending daily to my body and mind created a ripple effect that helped me not only heal physically but also process and move through the trauma of the accident.
Edna Batengas, Co-founder
Karina Perez, Co-founder
3. How do you protect your well-being while navigating ambition?
Edna: Ambition used to be my whole identity. I thought if I wasn’t working toward something, I was falling behind. But the truth is, ambition without balance is just burnout wearing lipstick.
I’ve learned that rest and success are not opposites. They depend on each other. Protecting my well-being now looks like saying no more often, keeping my mornings slow, and choosing peace over pressure.
I used to think I had to prove I could handle everything. Now I realize real strength is knowing when to pause, ask for help, and protect your time like it is sacred. Because it is.
Your goals will always wait for you. Your health, your peace, and your joy will not.
Karina: As women, we often feel the pressure to do it all. Growing up as an overachiever, I pushed myself to meet every standard. Over time, I’ve learned that ambition without well-being isn’t sustainable.
Reading Boundary Boss by Terri Cole reframed boundaries for me, not as walls, but as a way of honouring my needs so I can show up fully. Tony Robbins, a coach and motivational speaker, says quality time is one of the six human needs.
Protecting your time to create space for joy and connection is just as important as chasing goals.
Balance for me now looks like simplicity: fewer but more intentional actions.
Less is more, and the right actions at the right time move me further than trying to juggle everything at once.
4. What’s your self-check when you feel overwhelmed?
Edna: When I feel overwhelmed, I try to get really honest with myself. I pause and ask, “Okay, what’s actually going on here?” Sometimes it is exhaustion, sometimes it is overthinking, and sometimes it is just me trying to control too much at once.
When that happens, I unplug and take my dog, Lily, for a walk. There is something about fresh air and movement that brings me back to my body and helps me breathe again. If my mind still feels heavy, I open my Notes app and write everything down, just a messy brain dump. Seeing it in front of me helps me let go of what I am holding onto.
And then I pray. That is the part that grounds me the most. It reminds me that I am supported, that I do not have to carry everything by myself, and that it is okay to slow down.
Karina: Journaling, gratitude lists, and dance are my reset buttons. Dancing is my joy therapy, I always leave energized. Sometimes it’s not about fixing the overwhelm, just letting my body move through it. It’s my energy reset button that gives me a boost to stay present and sharp. Research shows that dancing can improve neuroplasticity, coordination, and even cognitive health.
5. What role does community play in your mental health?
Edna: Community is medicine. I would not be who I am without the people who hold space for me. My chosen family, my global circle, and the women I have met through entrepreneurship remind me that I am not walking this path alone.
There have been moments where I have felt completely drained or lost in my own head, and it was community that pulled me back. Sometimes it is a phone call with a friend who just gets it. Sometimes it is sitting with women who are also building, healing, and trying to figure life out in real time. There is something powerful about being seen and understood by people who share your values, your struggles, and your dreams.
Karina: Community is everything. Whether it’s friends from Zumba or clients who show up authentically, being surrounded by people who show up as themselves makes it easier for me to do the same. Mental health isn’t just solo self-care. It’s relationships.
6. What’s one myth about mental health at work that you want to shut down?
Edna: That productivity equals worth. Burnout is not a badge of honour. You’re not more valuable just because you’re exhausted.
Karina: That boundaries make you difficult. Boundaries are what allow you to show up as your best, most creative, most empowered self.
7. What tools or rituals keep you steady?
Edna: I’ve found peace in the small things. Setting phone boundaries, starting my mornings with prayer, and ending the day tech-free with my husband Paul. Those quiet moments have become the anchors in my week.
Peace is not just emotional, it is physical too. I take my vitamins, eat whole foods that make me feel good, and pay attention to my gut health. I have learned that inflammation and stress are deeply connected, and when I take care of one, the other softens.
Movement has become medicine for me. Sometimes that looks like Pilates, yoga, or just a long walk with Lily.
I have replaced mindless scrolling with mindset podcasts or soft background music while cooking dinner. Those little swaps remind me to slow down and be present. Wellness for me is no longer about perfection or routines that look pretty on paper. It is about self-awareness and the small, quiet choices that keep me grounded.
Peace comes when I treat my body like a home instead of a project.
Karina: I lean on journaling, my meditation practice, financial check-ins with tools like Koho, Otter.ai, an automated note-taker, and even biohacking.
To my fellow founders, biohacking involves small lifestyle tweaks designed to improve energy and focus. From heat therapy and morning sunlight to reset my circadian rhythm, to rebounding on a mini-trampoline.
I came across research showing it can support the lymphatic system and help restore tone and vitality, so I decided to try it myself. In my busy schedule, even three minutes of bouncing is fun.
8. How does your identity as women of colour shape your mental health journey?
Edna: Growing up African and now living in Canada, I carry cultural expectations, resilience, and representation. Sometimes it’s heavy, but it’s also what fuels my strength. Protecting my peace means rewriting old narratives and choosing authenticity over pressure.
Karina: As a Latina, I’ve often walked into rooms where no one looked like me. That came with pressure and pride. Over time, I’ve learned that authenticity is my superpower. My voice has value, and protecting my mental health means not compromising that truth.
9. What would you tell your younger self?
Edna: You don’t have to carry it all. Asking for help doesn’t make you weak. Rest will take you further than overwork ever will. You can be soft and still be strong, ambitious and still need a break. Trust the timing of your life because what is meant for you will never need you to lose yourself to have it.
Karina: You don’t have to do it all to be enough. You can ask for help. You can say no. Rest isn’t weakness, it’s wisdom. I’d tell her not to listen to that inner critic, the ego that always wants to find something wrong. That voice doesn’t define you, and it doesn’t stop you from moving forward. Focus on building a life, a career, and relationships that truly matter.
10. How do you define success in a way that protects your well-being?
Edna: Success is freedom: time freedom, creative freedom, and emotional freedom. I used to chase success through constant motion, thinking if I worked harder, pushed more, or filled every hour, I would finally make it. But now, I define success by how peaceful I feel when I wake up in the morning.
If I can grow my career, build impact, and still have the space to breathe, laugh, and nurture the relationships that matter, that’s real success to me. It’s being able to say no without guilt. It’s choosing alignment over approval. It’s working in ways that expand me, not drain me.
Success isn’t about the title or the recognition anymore; it’s about the quality of my life and the energy I bring into every space I enter. If I can evolve, contribute meaningfully, and still feel grounded, that’s when I know I’ve truly won.
Karina: Success for me isn’t about constant hustle anymore; it’s about alignment. I define it by the quality of my energy, the creativity I get to express, and the relationships I get to nurture along the way. I feel fulfilled building a business that creates impact and community, without costing my health.
At Equinox, we’re all about helping our clients reach peak performance. My hope is that these conversations spark new ideas for self-care and remind you that well-being isn’t a luxury, it’s what sustains us.
Closing Words
Mental health isn’t a trend. It isn’t something you remember on October 10. It’s the choices we make every day, to rest, to ask for help, to admit we’re not okay.
Answering these questions wasn’t easy. Some answers were messy, some uncomfortable. But that’s the point.
Now it’s your turn. Take one question—any question—and answer it for yourself. Keep it in your notes app or voice note where no one will see it. Or tell someone you trust.
And if you’re ready, share it with us. Post it. DM us. Tag us.
Because the more of us that get honest, the lighter this weight becomes.
At Equinox Digital, balance isn’t a buzzword. It’s the work.
Our Commitment
At Equinox Digital, we believe mental health, accessibility, and equity are non-negotiable. We are committed to creating spaces that honour neurodiverse thinking, reduce stigma, and support fairness, diversity, and inclusion, including the rights and representation of 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
We also acknowledge that we operate on the unceded, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, whose stewardship of this land continues.
Mental Health Resources
If you or someone you know is in crisis, support is available 24/7. If you’re in immediate danger or need urgent medical support, call 911. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 988.
Navigate B.C.’s Help Starts Here tool to find support near you.
