Taking a month off saved my business

Last July I truly wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue Viable Wellbeing.

A month ago, I found myself resenting my business. I was frustrated by the amount of work I had put in without getting the results I desired. I felt exhausted and stopped wanting to do any work. Simply put, I was burnt out.

And now, you know ya girl is an expert in burnout. So how did this happen? I don’t overwork myself like I used to. I’m careful not to overexert myself. So how in the world did I end up burnt out like I always do?

While I wasn’t overworking myself, I also hadn’t taken a real break in months. I was stuck in the same routines and annoyed with my own messaging. I needed to not only step away, but put myself in a totally different environment to gain real perspective.

So I gave myself 1 month off to travel. I’ve been affectionately calling it the Home Tour, where I visited all the places I call home. And I’m lucky to have quite a few in such beautiful places! I went to Vermont where I lived for almost a decade, then Türkiye to visit my dad’s side of the family and stay at his beautiful house on the Mediterranean, and then Cape Cod where I grew up to visit my mom. This weekend, I return to St. John USVI and am so excited to get back to my (current) home and settle in.

Giving myself permission to step away (and not even think about Viable Wellbeing) was huge. And so so hard as a business owner.

It’s hard not to let those thoughts creep in. Like, what if I lose points on the dumb Instagram algorithm? What if all the hard work I’ve put in to create a community falls apart? What if people forget about me and the importance of the work I do?

But let me tell you, if I hadn’t done it I wouldn’t have had the energy to keep moving forward.

Perspective truly changes everything. I realized that I didn’t actually want to burn everything down, it was that I needed to reset and do things differently. Being a business owner is the wildest ride and one of the hardest things I have done. It is completely normal to resent your business, AND it’s important to listen to what that feeling is trying to tell you. For me, it was that I needed a break AND a change.

Now tell, me why did we decide to be business owners? Oh right, cause we’re passionate rebels who like to shake up the system and be our own bosses while seeing out OUR vision.

It’s hard work, but boy when we reap the benefits of what we’ve sown it is so worth it.

Today I am diving back into all things Viable Wellbeing. I eased in gently by doing small tasks like cleaning up my inbox, reviewing inspirational newsletters and podcasts from my favorite business mentors to get in the right mindset, and then reflecting and visioning for the future. I even caught up on bookkeeping, which is ALWAYS huge win.

Now, I am ready to start looking towards the future. And let me tell you, the creative juices are FLOWING because I’ve got a lot of new ideas brewing!

I’m so grateful to embark on this journey with you because I know the business owner struggle! Running a business AND being the best leader for your employees that you can possibly be? Please, you’re basically a superhero. And if I can play a small role in helping you along the way? What an honor that is.

If there’s one thing I can impart on you it’s this: take a break. And better yet, travel. Put yourself in a new environment to help change your perspective. Even with a proper break, it can be too easy to stay settled in the same old processes that might be harming your business and how you lead. Learning new ideas, experiencing new places, and being around new people are brilliant ways to give you new perspective and insight.

And what a gift it is to be able to gain a new perspective to help our business reach its fullest potential.