We often think of rest as sleep. Eight hours, blackout curtains, maybe a magnesium supplement and a prayer. But what if your exhaustion has nothing to do with how long you slept… and everything to do with the type of rest you’re missing?
In this powerful episode of Everyday Epigenetics: Raw. Real. Relatable., Susan sits down with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, physician, bestselling author of Sacred Rest, and the creator of the groundbreaking Seven Types of Rest Framework, to unpack the real reasons we feel drained, disconnected, or burnt out.
This episode picks up where our Sleep Series left off, adding a crucial layer to the conversation: sleep is just one form of rest… and it cannot restore everything you use up.
Why Sleep Alone Isn’t Enough
You can sleep 7–8 hours and still wake up feeling exhausted, and for most people, that’s not a sleep problem. It’s a rest deficit.
Dr. Dalton-Smith explains that every area of your life uses a different kind of energy: mental, emotional, creative, physical, sensory, social, and spiritual. When one of these buckets hits empty, you feel tired in ways sleep simply can’t touch.
This is why you can feel mentally wiped after a day of Zoom calls… creatively drained after scrolling… or emotionally exhausted even if your body feels fine.
The Seven Types of Rest
Dr. Dalton-Smith breaks down each type of rest and the signs you’re missing it:
- Physical Rest: more than sleep — includes stretching, alignment, and body fluidity
- Mental Rest: quieting the racing mind, reducing cognitive overload
- Emotional Rest: being honest about your feelings; not performing or people-pleasing
- Social Rest: spending time with life-giving people who replenish you
- Sensory Rest: relief from noise, screens, touch, overstimulation
- Creative Rest: being inspired by beauty, nature, art, ideas
- Spiritual Rest: meaning, belonging, and connection to something larger
Understanding these types is like putting language to what your body has been trying to tell you for years.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
Burnout doesn’t happen overnight, it happens slowly, through tiny rest deficits that pile up until we can’t ignore them anymore. Dr. Dalton-Smith reveals how this framework helps us rebuild energy, improve relationships, create boundaries, and show up fully in our lives again.
Rest isn’t about doing nothing. It’s about restoration. It’s about learning what you actually need, and giving yourself permission to take it.
RESOURCES:
Connect with : Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDaltonSmith
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSaundraDaltonSmith
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdaltonsmith/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drdaltonsmith/
Connect with Susan:
- Check out Susan’s NEW E-book! Download it FREE here: https://healthyawakening.co/ebook-signup
- Contact me for your DNA testing or epigenetic coaching! To schedule a FREE consultation, send an email to susan@healthyawakening.co
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanrobbinshealthyawakening
Instagram: @susanrobbins_epigeneticcoach - Susan’s LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/susanrobbins
Connect with Kate King:
- Kate’s Website: https://TheRadiantLifeProject.com
- Kate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theradiantlifeproject
Kate’s Books:
- Stay tuned for Kate’s newest book “Mend or Move On” that will be available early 2026!
- The Radiant Life Project (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538181874/The-Radiant-Life-Project-Awaken-Your-Purpose-Heal-Your-Past-and-Transform-Your-Future)
- Use code RLFANDF30 at checkout for 30% OFF “The Radiant Life Project”!
- The Authentic Mother – Kate King https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Mother-Creative-Engagement-Support/dp/098983414X/
- Mend or Move On – Kate King: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1421453479?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_2R3BGMCJAVY744SE9D3E_9&bestFormat=true
Learn more about our guest Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a Board-Certified internal medicine physician, speaker, and award-winning author. She is an international well-being thought-leader featured in numerous media outlets including Prevention, MSNBC, Women’s Day, FOX, Fast Company, Psychology Today, INC, CNN Health, and TED.com. She is the author of numerous books including her bestseller Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, including insight on the seven types of rest needed to optimize your productivity, increase your overall happiness, overcome burnout, and live your best life. Over 250,000 people have discovered their personal rest deficits using her free assessment at RestQuiz.com. Learn more about Dr. Saundra at DrDaltonSmith.com.
Learn More about Kate King:
Kate brings nearly two decades of experience as a licensed psychotherapist and board certified art therapist, combined with her work as a Radiant Life coach to the table. She is also the multi-award-winning author of three powerful self-help psychology books. Kate’s work integrates epigenetics through a relational, behavioral, and intergenerational family trauma lens. She also incorporates brain and nervous system science with psychology, spirituality, and creativity for a dynamic approach to deep inner work and personal healing.
Learn More about Susan Robbins:
Susan is a retired law enforcement officer and an accomplished Certified Epigenetic Human Performance Coach with a diverse and extensive background in wellness. She began her wellness career in 2015 as a holistic health and stress management coach. Her passion for helping others led her to expand her expertise into epigenetics in 2019, where she discovered the missing piece of the health optimization puzzle: Personalized health.
As a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Certified Level 2 Apeiron Zoh Epigenetic Human Performance Coach (DNA), and Certified PH360 Coach through Precision Health Alliance, Susan has developed a unique approach to health and wellness through completely personalized health. She is the proud recipient of the 2023 Precision Health Alliance Coach of the Year award. Susan works with clients to elevate their health and overall quality of life by understanding their unique needs based on their genetic makeup, taking out the guesswork, and getting results.
Their Synergy
Susan and Kate come from two very different, but perfectly complementary, worlds in the health and wellness space. Together, their synergy is magnetic. Think: science meets soul, strategy meets intuition, real talk meets radical transformation.
