News from the Room
I’ve been sick most of this week. Just a cold, but enough to knock me around. I’ve had a heap of work to get through — sponsorship outreach, editing podcasts, training for the Guinness World Record, promoting the campaign. All important stuff.
But I’ve had zero energy.
Most days I’ve ended up on the couch while the kids were at daycare, watching TV and feeling like I was falling behind.
That’s when the guilt and anxiety creeps in. I kept thinking: “If I do nothing, I get nothing.”
So I figured if I write about it in this week’s newsletter, at least I’ll feel like I’ve accomplished something. It kind of helped. But the truth is, pushing through when you’re completely drained doesn’t help much either. You just sit in front of a laptop, clicking between tabs, pretending to work while nothing actually gets done. And somehow, you feel even worse.
It’s a trap I think a lot of us fall into. Especially when you’re working for yourself or building something that really matters to you. The pressure to keep going never really switches off, even when your body’s clearly asking you to slow down.
But rest isn’t slacking off. It’s part of the cycle. You don’t have to be productive every single day to make progress overall. Some days are just about getting through it so you’re ready to go again tomorrow.
That last paragraph? I still don’t fully believe it. I know next time I get sick, I’ll probably try to push through again, thinking I can soldier on — and I’ll probably end up feeling worse.
I guess I’m writing this more for me than anyone else this week. But if you’re in the same place: it’s okay to hit pause. The work will still be there. And you’ll be better at it once your body and brain have had a chance to catch up.
The 411
This Week at Room Eleven
Absolutely nothing
Well, technically not nothing, but if productivity was a sport, I’d be benched with a sprained everything. I sent a few emails, tinkered with the podcast edit for about 47 seconds, then promptly decided I was too sick to pretend I was doing more than the bare minimum.
Recovery mode. That’s what I’m calling it. Sounds more noble than “laying around in trackies watching my to-do list age like milk.”
Sponsor a Kilometre. Power the Ride. Fund Real Change.
As mentioned last week, but leaving it in as a reminder. We launched a new way to get behind Scooting for Hope — and it’s perfect for people and businesses who want to be part of the record-breaking ride, without, you know, riding 270 km on a scooter.
We’re inviting 135–270 individuals and businesses to sponsor 1 or 2 kilometres of this world record attempt.
1 km = $150
Includes a certificate of appreciation, your name on our sponsor wall and official tracker, plus an invite to the private event at Calder Park.2 km (1+ lap) = $250
Everything above — plus a feature in the livestream, event materials, and across our socials.
This isn’t just a donation. It’s a purpose-driven partnership.
Support helps cover the infrastructure and broadcast costs, so every dollar from public donations can go straight to the Pregnancy After Loss Service at the Royal Women’s.
Room Eleven takes no profit. Just heart, wheels and momentum.
Weekly Musings
Special Moments: Family Time
We stayed at Crown Metropol on Thursday night, my wife managed to score a free night. The room was nice. Comfy pillows, great view. Bit of an odd setup though… the bathroom kind of bleeds into the rest of the room. The bench doubles as a kitchen area, and the toilet has glass doors. Not exactly ideal if you’re staying with someone you don’t know that well. Would definitely recommend an upgrade if privacy is important.
The kids loved it. Big fans of the pool and wandering around Crown pretending we were rich. Our son was especially pumped — we took him on his first ever train ride. Walked to Flinders Street Station, jumped on the city loop, and stopped at Melbourne Central.
Had a bit of a strange, quiet moment standing under that big clock. I’ve got so many memories of our dad taking me and my sister there when we were kids. Weird how places can feel exactly the same and completely different at the same time.
We grabbed sushi train for lunch, then headed home. Was a short staycation, and I wish I had of felt better but seeing the smile on the kids faces makes it all worth it.
What I’m Watching: Thunderbolts*
Marvel’s been a bit of a chore lately. Everything feels like setup for something else you’re meant to care about later. But Thunderbolts actually surprised me. It was solid. A self-contained story about a bunch of messy, reluctant heroes trying to do one decent thing. Everyone’s a bit broken. Everyone gets their moment. No multiverse charts required.
What’s funny is, nearly all the characters are from Marvel stuff most people didn’t watch or didn’t care to remember. Florence Pugh’s character and Red Guardian (David Harbour) came from Black Widow, which kind of flopped. Wyatt Russell — Kurt Russell’s son — was in the Captain America Disney+ show that didn’t land well either. And Ava Starr was from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which… yeah. Not their best. Bucky’s the only familiar face people actually connected with, and even then he’s pretty far from his Winter Soldier days now.
So I went in with low expectations, and maybe that helped, but it ended up being way better than I thought it’d be. After the last couple of years of scattered, forgettable Marvel stuff, it was nice to watch something that actually felt like a complete story.
This week didn’t go to plan. I got sick, barely worked, and spent most of it on the couch feeling like I was falling behind. But we keep going, next week will be more productive!
If anything in this week’s email hit home, here’s one way you can help me with the Scooting for Hope Fundraising campaign:
Follow and share my posts on social media.
That’s it.
I’m not asking you to donate, I’m trying to build momentum. The more engagement and the more followers I can grow, the more leverage I’ll have to get big corporations to donate to the campaign. Because the reality is, as I said on the podcast, babyloss isn’t as marketable as something like cancer, so corporates don’t go near it. But it matters. And it needs attention.
If you have not yet, I would love for you to listen to the Room Eleven Podcast. And if there is someone in your life who might need to hear one of these stories, please share it with them.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
See you next week!
Rob
Giving Back
Donate a Still Billie Box
Our care packages for families who’ve lost their baby, named after our baby daughter Billie. Offering comfort during what should be a special, happy time.
Your donation can make a real difference in allowing us to provide free Still Billie Boxes to hospitals across Australia and fund our Scooting for Hope $100k Campaign.
Room Eleven is a social enterprise business and does not qualify for DGR status.