‘Capitalism treats rest as a reward for burn-out, not a basic right.’
A conversation with Stephanie MacKinnon about how we can reclaim our humanity under capitalism
‘The simple things are very powerful. Capitalism teaches us we need to be the solo hero. But small actions by many are actually what topple unequal systems.’
- Stephanie MacKinnon
Speaking to Stephanie always sparks ‘aha!’ moments for me. I hadn’t realised, until I met her, how many of the beliefs and behaviours I was holding onto were not my fault, or a sign I was broken, but actually symptoms of internalised capitalism. You may recognise many of these in yourself:
perfectionism
focusing on achievement to feel ‘enough’
always feeling I have to present myself as happy/successful/having everything together
rarely feeling able to relax and rest
believing rest must be earned
a fear of being left behind/missing out if I slow down or don’t say ‘yes’ to everything
trying to ‘heal’ myself by aiming for a state where I will be ‘fixed’ rather than accepting the messiness and contradictions of being a human
believing that if I just do enough/achieve enough/buy enough I will eventually achieve a state of peace and equilibrium and happiness
right/wrong, black and white thinking
This is not incidental! When we believe all this on an individual level the system sustains. The system thrives.
‘Coming back to our humanity, in a system that squashes our humanity, is one of the biggest things.’
- Stephanie MacKinnon
In this video, Stephanie and I explore how we can find greater care and freedom in gentle and realistic ways. Acknowledging that we live within a capitalist system AND, with a spirit of curiosity and compassion, we can each find what helps us feel safer, more connected to nature, to each other, and to ourselves.
About Stephanie MacKinnon
Stephanie MacKinnon is a Certified Life and Liberatory Leadership Coach with an MA in Adult Education and over a decade of community facilitation experience. She supports change-makers and business owners in understanding the oppressive nature of capitalism, reclaiming joy, and embracing pathways of resistance and change.
Her work invites curiosity, compassion, and imperfect action aligned with values that move us toward a world we want to live in and a future we can believe in. Originally from Atlantic Canada, Stephanie now lives in the West of Ireland. Outside her work, she finds grounding and inspiration by the ocean, which connects her two homes.
Website: www.stephaniemackinnon.com
Instagram: @StephMiloMack
In this episode we discuss…
Stephanie’s MA in Adult Education, how this informed her understanding of capitalism and her journey to becoming a Life and Liberatory Leadership Coach.
How we can take care of ourselves and find greater freedom within the capitalist system. The importance of connection, care and creativity.
How asking for help, even with something small, help reduce feelings of isolation created by capitalism.
Capitalism isolates and exhausts us then sells us the solution to this suffering.
Creating manageable change, within this system, in a way that we have capacity for.
What capitalism is: an economic system that is not natural or inevitable, that is is built on the extraction of resources and labour for profit, where the few benefit from the work of the many.
How it’s deeply entwined with all other systems of oppression.
Why internalised capitalism means we feel we have to be constantly productive in order to ‘win’ at capitalism.
How it impacts our healing as we try to optimise our way out of our pain rather than be in the mess of being human, and treating ourselves with compassion.
Why so many of us don’t feel safe resting and slowing down.
Welcoming all parts of ourselves and holding contradictions within ourselves in our feelings and thoughts.
Finding safety in rest: consider who, what or where can help us to feel that we can just be? e.g. being in the ocean, being with a friend you can fully be yourself around, a creative practice .
Letting go of perfectionism when trying out what feels safe and restful, and when quitting alcohol.
Reconnecting to nature and coming home to your body.
How capitalism creates the conditions that make alcohol use more likely and how people use alcohol to survive the capitalist system.
How an approach of gentle curiosity and compassion can help us in all aspects of our life, including relationships and parenting.
How we might move towards collective liberation from capitalism.
Some key quotes from Stephanie…
‘Coming back to our humanity, in a system that squashes our humanity, is one of the biggest things.’
‘There’s three tangible things I consistently reconnect to and try and centre for people, and that’s: connection, care and creativity.’
‘Capitalism isolates us. It exhausts us, and then sells us solutions - like alcohol, like social media, like Amazon, like the very material idea of self-care that further perpetuates that isolation and further deepens our dependency on more money, more work, and the cycle continues.’
‘All of these other systems [of oppression] seek to justify that it is really natural and normal that a small minority of people hoard all the resources. [These systems] teach us, that instead of trying to challenge or topple the system […] so that everyone has access to what they need, they squash us and tell us that if we’re good enough participants in capitalism we too may someday become billionaires. Just play along, do it right - and you won’t fix the system, but you’ll become one of the winners.’
‘Capitalism infiltrates every aspect of our society and our day to day lives. It shapes the way we feel about productivity - because if there’s a sense of ‘you’re going to be left behind, or you’re going to become a billionaire’ you better hustle harder to not get left behind. Because the system’s not going to change. But if you work hard enough, you won’t get left behind.’
‘[Internalised capitalism] sounds like ‘I should be doing more, I haven’t earned rest, I shouldn’t slow down or I’ll fall behind.’ A sense of guilt or shame that creeps in when we’re not being productive enough because we’ve really really connected it to our sense of worth.’
‘[Internalised capitalism] can really creep into our healing. It convinces us we should optimise our way out of our pain rather than sit in the mess of what it is to be human.’
‘Capitalism treats rest as a reward for burn-out, not a basic right.’
‘Capitalism teaches us that it’s supposed to be all or nothing: so, ‘I’m either bad at resting or I’m good at resting. I did it right or I did it wrong.’’
‘If the safety of rest is feeling hardest, think about who or where or what supports you to feel like you can just be.’
‘We are of nature. It is capitalism that taught us we are above it. To disconnect our relationship from it, so that we feel more comfortable extracting and hoarding resources.’
‘Capitalism creates the conditions that make alcohol [use] more likely. It’s disconnecting us. It's overworking us. It's stressing us out. It's creating a sense of scarcity, a fear of falling behind, an isolation, and then also, you named it, then sells it to us to make a massive profit. The numbing agent to survive it. So not only is it making money off of that, it's making sure that people are numbed out and would never unite to challenge the system.’
‘The people who have been doing liberatory work forever, the ones I always look back to learn from, are women of colour. They’ve been doing it. They’ve been showing us the way.’
‘The simple things are very powerful. Capitalism teaches us we need to be the solo hero. […] But small actions by many are actually what topple unequal systems.’
‘It is the radical work of coming home to your humanity. It is centering your humanity, because if we are in our humanity, we are open to being connected to other people who are, and that creates a massive ripple of change. It means we can build collaboration. It means we can build community, and when we’re building community we're less reliant on systems of oppression.’
Mentioned in the interview:
Naomi Klein - author of several books including Doppleganger and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate
Tricia Hersey - founder of The Nap Ministry and author of Rest is Resistance
‘If you’ve come here to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come here because your liberation is bound up in mine, let us work together.’
This quote is credited to Lilla Watson, an Indigenous Australian woman who is an activist, artist, and academic. However, Watson says that because her words arose from a collective process, she wants them to be credited as “Aboriginal activists group, Queensland, 1970s.”
Over to you…
How do you think internalised capitalism shows up in your life?
Do you recognise any of these as linking to your use of alcohol or other addictions?
Whats small, gentle acts of exploration would bring you a greater sense of freedom?
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