In the whirlwind of running a business, looking after clients, managing teams, and balancing family life, your own wellbeing and self-care can slip down the priority list.

Here’s the truth: when you’re running on empty, your business feels it too. Burnout, brain fog, decision fatigue, and a lack of creativity are all signs that your self-care needs attention.

By making your wellbeing non-negotiable, you’re not being indulgent; you’re being strategic. When you’re functioning at 100%, your business benefits from your energy, clarity, and vision.

So, where do you start?

Here are five key areas of wellbeing to focus on, with tools and strategies to help you embed self-care into your business life:

 

Your Mindset Is Your Most Powerful Business Tool

Your mindset shapes everything, from how you approach your to-do list to how you bounce back from setbacks and how you speak about your business when you walk into a room. It’s behind your decisions and confidence.

When you operate from a place of calm focus, you’re able to:

• Make clear decisions without feeling overwhelmed.
• Respond thoughtfully to challenges instead of reacting emotionally.
• Stay motivated and grounded, even when the results take time to appear.

But when your mindset is cluttered by stress, comparison, perfectionism, or self-doubt, it’s like trying to run your business while wading through treacle. Everything feels heavier and slower, and your inner critic takes over.

That’s why investing in your mental wellbeing is more than just self-care; it’s an essential business strategy.

A strong, supportive mindset is necessary for consistently showing up at work. It helps you prioritise, have the courage to take action, and build resilience to keep going, especially on the hard days. But mindset isn’t about being positive all the time. It’s about building mental strength so you can navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

So, give your mind the same care and attention you give your business strategy, because it’s your most important asset.

Strategies:

• Start your day mindfully: Even five minutes of journaling or deep breathing can ground you before the chaos kicks in.
• Set boundaries with tech: Try avoiding emails before 9am or after 6pm. Digital detox hours create space for rest and recovery.
• Use positive self-talk: Notice your inner critic. Would you speak to a client the way you speak to yourself?

Tools:

• Journaling prompts
• Meditation apps (like Headspace or Calm)
• Noise-cancelling headphones for focus time

 

You Can’t Pour from an Empty Cup

‘You can’t pour from an empty cup’ is more than just a catchy saying. It’s an important truth for women in business.

You are the engine of your business. Your creativity, energy, decision-making, and leadership are what drive it forward. But if you’re constantly running on caffeine, adrenaline, and sheer willpower, that engine will eventually break down. When it does, it’s not just you who feels it; your business, clients, team, and loved ones will feel it too.

When you’re depleted:

• Your concentration slips.
• Your creativity dries up.
• Your patience wears thin.
• You make short-term decisions instead of long-term strategic ones.

The hype of pushing through and hustling can be appealing, especially in entrepreneurial circles, but working non-stop isn’t a badge of honour. In truth, it’s a fast track to burnout. Rest and nourishment are essential business investments.

Looking after your physical wellbeing ensures you have the energy to show up. A well-rested body supports a sharp mind, a nourished body fuels resilience, and regular movement helps release stress and sharpen focus.

Remember, a thriving business needs a thriving woman behind it!

Strategies:

• Move your body daily: Whether it’s a walk between meetings or a yoga class before work, movement is a natural stress reliever.
• Prioritise rest: Schedule sleep like you would a meeting. Your brain needs it to function well.
• Stay hydrated and nourished: Healthy meals and regular water intake can make a surprising difference to your concentration and stamina.

Tools:

• Fitness trackers
• Meal planning apps

 

Running a Business Is an Emotional Rollercoaster

Let’s be honest, being a woman in business is not for the faint-hearted! One day, you’re riding high on a client win, glowing testimonials, or a burst of creative energy. Next, you’re questioning everything after a quiet sales week, a negative review, or a tech meltdown five minutes before a presentation.

It’s a constant swing between exhilaration and self-doubt, momentum and fatigue, passion and pressure.

This emotional rollercoaster is perfectly normal, but it can be draining if you don’t have the tools to manage the highs and lows. Unlike a 9-to-5 job with defined boundaries, being a business owner often means your emotions are wrapped up in every decision. It’s your name on the line and your ideas out in the world. That vulnerability is powerful, but it also makes you more sensitive to rejection, fear of failure, and imposter syndrome.

Emotional wellbeing doesn’t mean avoiding difficult feelings but learning to navigate them with self-awareness and kindness.

You can:

• Create a safe space to feel and reflect, rather than bottling everything up.
• Speak to a trusted peer, coach, or therapist who can help untangle emotional knots.
• Build emotional resilience through practices like journaling, gratitude, or mindfulness.

It’s also important to celebrate your wins, however big or small. That’s exactly what the Woman Who Achieves & Solopreneur Awards are all about. Acknowledging your progress keeps you emotionally fuelled. On tough days, reminding yourself why you started can help you feel steady.

Embrace the emotional side of business! It doesn’t make you less professional. In fact, it makes you more human, more connected, and ultimately, more impactful.

Strategies:

• Find your support circle: Whether it’s a business buddy, a coach, or the Let’s Get Visible Community, don’t try to do it all alone.
• Practice emotional check-ins: Ask yourself each day, “How am I really feeling?”
• Celebrate small wins: Recognition builds confidence and motivation.

Tools:

• Gratitude journals
• Therapy or coaching sessions

 

Humans Are Wired for Connection

We thrive in a community. From ancient tribes to modern-day teams, connection has always been central to our wellbeing and success. As human beings, we need connection. It gives us a sense of belonging, purpose, and support.

But when you’re running your own business, especially as a solopreneur, it’s easy for isolation to creep in without you even realising. You spend long hours working from home, making decisions alone, and shouldering the entire weight of your business. Even if you love what you do, it can get lonely. You might find yourself second-guessing your ideas, talking yourself out of taking risks, or missing out on the motivation that comes from bouncing ideas off others.

That’s why social wellbeing is just as important as any business strategy.

Surrounding yourself with the right people who get what it means to run a business, ride the rollercoaster, and still show up daily is invaluable. These are the people who remind you that you’re not alone, that your goals are valid, and that tough days are just part of the journey.

Here’s how to nurture your social wellbeing as a woman in business:

• Build your support network: Connect with other women in business who can cheer you on and lift you up.
• Join networking communities like Woman Who, where you can share your challenges and celebrate your wins in a safe, supportive space.
• Schedule regular connection time for a coffee chat, co-working session, or a voice note to a business buddy. Make connection part of your working week.
• Collaborate when possible. Co-host events, run workshops together, or exchange services.

Running a business doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone. The strongest entrepreneurs know how to look inside, collaborate, and grow together.

Strategies:

• Schedule connection time: Meet a fellow entrepreneur for coffee or attend a networking event just to chat, not pitch.
• Join communities: Online or offline, be around like-minded women who ‘get it’.
• Delegate and collaborate: You don’t have to do everything alone.

Tools:

• Co-working spaces
• Community platforms (like Woman Who)
• Group masterminds or peer-led accountability groups

 

Your ‘Why’ Matters

In the hustle of running a business, it’s easy to lose sight of why you started in the first place. But your ‘why’ is much more than just a motivational quote or a line on your website. It’s the anchor that keeps you steady when things get tough.

Your why is your purpose, your passion and your reason for being… your Ikigai. It’s the deeper reason behind what you do, the passion, the drive, and the impact you want to make. When you’re connected to that sense of purpose, you’re no longer just running a business but building something meaningful. That clarity becomes a strong force for resilience, especially on difficult days.

When you’re rooted in your values:

• Business decisions become easier because they align with what truly matters to you.
• You’re more confident in your messaging because it comes from a place of authenticity.
• You bounce back quicker from challenges because you have a deeper reason to keep going.
• You attract clients and customers who know, like and trust you.

Spiritual wellbeing is about feeling grounded in something bigger than the day-to-day. It’s about asking what impact you want to have through your work and how your business reflects your core values.

Here are a few ways to reconnect with your ‘why’:

• Revisit your vision: Set aside time to reflect on the bigger picture. What do you want your business to stand for?
• Create a vision board: Visual cues can reignite your passion and clarify your direction.
• Schedule white space in your calendar for thinking, dreaming, and reconnecting with your mission, away from emails and tasks.

Even on the hard days, that inner sense of meaning will carry you through. Because knowing your why gives every action more direction, more depth, and more heart.

Strategies:

• Reflect on your mission regularly and think about what impact you want your business to have.
• Take solo time to unplug and realign with your bigger picture.
• Trust your intuition. Your gut often knows before your logic catches up!

Tools:

• Vision boards
• Quiet reflection walks
• Mindful practices like yoga or nature retreats

When you prioritise self-care, you don’t just feel better; you perform better. Your creativity flows, your resilience builds, and you start to lead from a place of balance instead of burnout.

This is your invitation to take a moment out of your day to ask yourself what your mind, body, and spirit need, and to give yourself full permission to honour that. Your business will thank you for it.

Woman Who Inspires Network

Each month, Woman Who hosts the Woman Who Inspires Online Network, and tickets to our July event are now live.

Monday 7^th July 2025, 9.30am – 10.30am

With Woman Who events, networking, inspirational speakers, and learning will be included with this month’s theme, Wellbeing and Self-Care.