I’m about to write a “I went to a yoga retreat and this is what it taught me about business” post.
Bear with me :D

So I went to my first “real” vacation since I’ve started being self-employed.
I used to romanticise the founder path.
And six months in, I can tell you for sure: the reality is a bit different.

There are plenty of statistics about founders experiencing burnout and major mental health impacts. Nearly 1 in 3 business owners reportedly end up divorced.

I can see why.

If you don’t just play the founder game, but truly live it with 100% skin in the game, it changes everything.

And at the end of the day, taxes, making money, building connections... none of that has been the hardest part.
It’s been tough, of course. But it’s doable, especially if you throw in some courage and a little belief in yourself.

You know what has been much harder?

Keeping peace at home.
Dealing with old friends who ridicule your self-exposure and tell you that you’re playing a role.
And the deadliest challenge of all: self-regulation.
Boundaries. Rest. Taking care of yourself.

Stop working even if it's so much fun and you keep on getting better.

In the months 5 and 6 I dropped the ball on proper rest.

So, right before my vacation, I found myself with lower back pain, a relationship falling apart and a nervous system so strung out that I could barely enjoy all the wins.

And I reasonably thought: What’s the point of success if you’re sitting there sick and lonely, unable to actually disconnect?

So I’m coming back into the game revamping HOW I work. Less draining stuff, more work that energises me, less of “quick calls” and spreading myself too thin. 

Also, I’m getting myself into couples counselling and burnout counselling! That should be fun. 

I LOVE what I do so much that I want to make sure that I'm doing it sustainably: the pivots, the experiments, the partnerships, the freelance work - I love all of it and I want to continue. 

But apparently, there is one thing I still have to learn:

How to work for myself without working myself into the ground.
Because as it turns out...
I am my own worst boss.

p.s. The yoga retreat was fantastic. I could only truly get into the mood on day 4, day 6 we had to leave already. I'm sure that by the time for next retreat, I will be able to disconnect from work faster and not go there to assemble myself back to a semi-functioning human being again 😅