Ep 20. The Human Side of Entrepreneurship: Recognizing Emotional Exhaustion

Speaker A: 00:00:00

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you wonder if it's even worth it anymore? Like maybe you should just quit this whole thing, close the laptop, walk away? Yes, me too.

If you've been feeling heavy in your business or just stretched thin in life, this episode is for you. I want to talk about what to do when you hit that wall, when you feel like giving up.

Because the truth is, entrepreneurship isn't just highlight reels. It's messy. It's human. And I think we need to normalize talking about that.

So today I'm sharing what I've been moving through personally these past couple of weeks, why it's so important not to make big decisions for your business during these specific times when you're emotionally or physically drained, and how to give yourself grace while staying connected to your vision. So grab your cup of coffee, your tea, whatever's keeping you grounded, and and let's dive into today's episode.

Welcome to Heart Led CEO, the podcast for women wellness entrepreneurs who are ready to build, scale and automate their businesses without sacrificing their soul, sanity or authenticity.

I'm Anacani Walters, a nurse turned entrepreneur, military spouse, first time mama in my 40s, and a recovering burnout survivor who's making it a mission to help Heart Led women just like you create thriving businesses that really feel good, do good, and give you the freedom that we all deserve. Because here's the thing. You don't have to hustle harder to succeed. You don't have to drown in tech overwhelm or try to do everything alone.

And I'm here to give you the strategies, automation tools and mindset shifts that will help you step fully into that leader, CEO and impact maker that you are meant to be. If you're ready to grow your business in a way that aligns with your values and your life, you are in the right place. Let's get into today's episode.

Hello. Hello my beautiful friend. It's Anacani and I know I missed a few episodes and I wanted to just sit today.

I didn't want to really do any big strategy session or heavy training. I just wanted to have this conversation about the truth of really being for me, what a Heart Led CEO is.

And the last couple of weeks have been a lot for me personally. I unfortunately had a family member pass away this week and as you can probably imagine, that emotional roller coaster took most of my energy.

I tried my hardest to keep things together, to keep things mainly going in my business.

And I had so much on my plate because it's almost like that ball was just already going and I couldn't figure out, like, where to pull the lever to get things to stop. Should I make things stop?

That space of where you're not sure what's going to happen, but you know it's going to happen and you're trying to be there, but then realizing that I was expecting everything to operate like this machine. And in reality, I'm a human and I don't function that way anymore.

I may have before when I was emotionally congested and I call myself emotionally constipated. And I didn't know how to deal with my emotions, I bottled them up. I didn't hated crying in public. I did not like dealing with emotions.

Anything that made me emotional was like a no, no. If you made me cry, especially in public, I would probably punch you in the face. Like, you were on my, like, I hate you list. And I was. I'm a Scorpio.

So, yeah, it took me a really long time to learn how to, like, let go of grudges and forgive people, because that was not my strong suit before. And, yeah, it. I still feel. It's pretty. Still pretty new. And the loss. And I feel like everybody keeps asking, how are you? How are you? How are you?

And I keep saying, I'm fine, I don't think. And my rest response is, I don't think it's hit me yet. Like, I think I'm in the denial stage of grief.

And I feel like it's because I'm so far away, like, oceans away, hundreds and thousands of miles away.

And I think if I had to walk into that person's house and feel the emptiness of knowing they're not there anymore, it might hit me a little bit different. But I'm still processing all of it.

And it's just been a lot of showing up, trying to be there, trying to show up for the business and getting those, like, gut punches of hosting webinars and having no one show up and just faking it until I make it. And maybe you've been there, too.

Those moments where life just pulls you in literally 10,000 directions, and suddenly you're questioning if you can really keep doing this. And the truth is, is that I've been sitting with it's it the question of whether it's time to quit, Is it time to pause? Is this the right thing?

And this feeling of like, I don't know what I'm doing, and this curiosity of, is there something else that I should be doing? Am I on the right path. Is this really my life's calling? Is this what I want? Is this what I should be doing?

But it's also this time to give myself grace. Giving you permission to do the same, to give yourself grace.

Because when you are in these emotionally drained positions, it is not the best time to make big business decisions. It is so easy to let our self saboteur take over and run with this fire and light everything inside of us on fire. And it feels like, yep, this is it.

This is the clarity that I need. But it is not clarity that is literally your body running on fumes and it's just trying to survive.

So do not make big decisions when you're emotionally drained. That survival energy will have you literally tossing out beautiful visions that actually just need space to breathe.

Clarity comes in some of the weirdest places. And I was reminded of this when I was teaching yoga this week and today specifically.

I had signed up already a month ago to teach a unit PT to a big group of Marines. And I showed up. I mean, I'm here, it's only been a few days since we found out of my loss.

And I decided to show up because that my family member, the past would have wanted me to finish what I started. And at the end of my class, I dedicated my practice to, you know, my family member.

And I disclosed that at the end of the practice and the theme for the yoga class was how you do one thing. Something is how you do everything.

Now, not knowing that the room was actually full of medics, I went into my like brief history because I know that it's really hard to teach Marines and I know this was a unit pt, meaning that somebody in their unit organized it and they were forced to show up. If they didn't show up, they got in trouble.

And so I know going into those rooms that a lot of them, this is their first time doing yoga, they don't have a very good relationship or like they think yoga is dumb. It's all like, woo, woo. And so I really am like, look, I get that some of you don't want to be here, but you're here.

So all I'm asking is that you give me 100% and keep an open mind. And at the end I told them about my loss and I told them what the theme was of the class.

And then I asked them to myself reflect on what they actually did. Did they really give me a hundred percent? And to think about that, because what how they do one thing, something is how they do everything.

And if they Couldn't even give me a hundred percent or two hundred percent like I asked in this yoga class then most likely that's also leaking into their regular day to day. And they ended up giving me like a little seated ovation, clapping and cheering. The first time ever. That's never happened to me.

And I've been teaching since: 2017

It's really about how you show up in moments when you're in a space that is, is uncomfortable or sad or whatever, but you show up any anyways because you have the, the energy to try to do it. And that I think is enough. And that's what I want to say to you, that what you're doing right now, even if it feels small, is enough.

When I teach pre and postnatal yoga, especially postpartum yoga, when I was teaching like my baby and me yoga classes, one of the biggest things that I always ended with is my love, you are doing the best you can and that is always enough. And I have like shirts that even say that because when you're parenting, sometimes it feels like you suck. You are the worst parent ever.

You have no idea what you're doing. It is like fly by your seat kind of situation.

But I truly believe that parenting is so much relatable to so many things in life and is totally related back to entrepreneurship because we sometimes don't know what we're doing in the beginning and it sometimes feel like it's a guessing game and it just feels like you're making all the wrong decisions and you start to get into that comparison syndrome and then you start asking yourself, should I quit? And here's what I have to ask you instead. What do I need right now to feel grounded again?

What do you need to feel grounded again when you're starting to feel that way? So when you start asking yourself that, think of me whispering in your ear, what do you need right now to feel grounded?

And for me I have to come back to my rituals. The things that are anchoring me when everything feels shaky and all over the place. My breath work, my hot water in the morning to reset.

Doing some little qigong to wake up the doors of life. A quick yoga flow. Even if it's just five or 10 minutes because I have my alliance, a ritual app and that's been my lifeline for me.

Just even to like get through my day to day, like just go through my CEO checklist of what I need to do because it reminds me drink my water. And I was like, oh, shoot, I have not drank any water. I am, you know, dehydration leads to brain frog. And have I been sleeping? And did I do my yoga?

Did I do my movement? You know, giving me that excuse, but like asking my son, do you want to go for a walk?

Even if it's just 10 minutes, 20 minutes, going to the park and moving my body and playing and it's holding me accountable to actually, like, pause again, reset before I go back into my work.

And even if I feel like I am trying my hardest, but I just cannot be productive, it just helps me rest and allowing me to remind myself that rest is being productive, reflection is power, and that this alignment will always be this adrenaline that I'm feeling about trying to, like, move forward and find success and not getting into this feast or famine desperate mode. Because it is then when I feel like I make the worst decisions.

So if you're in this season of really starting to question literally everything, let me normalize this by saying that you do not have to do it all right now. You don't have to have the answers today. You don't have to be on every second, every of every day.

You might just need space to feel and breathe and reconnect with yourself before you start making decisions, especially about your business.

And if that means pausing your content for a week or rescheduling a workshop or a class, or simply choosing to care for your nervous system first, remember that this is not failure. That is actually power. Awareness is power. And that, my friend, is wisdom.

So let's refrain giving up, because sometimes what looks like giving up is actually just giving ourselves grace. What sometimes can look like slowing down is actually protecting your bigger vision.

And know that I am here, that the struggle is real, and this is the type of conversations and support that I want to make sure are inside of my communities and that I am being very forthcoming, open, honest, and normalizing. So if this resonated with you, I'd love for you to come and join my free Facebook community. This is where I go.

We talk about the real side of entrepreneurship and not just the polished stuff.

And if you're really craving that gentle structure to help you stay grounded on the days when, of course, business or life feels super heavy, you can always check the alliance, your ritual app, because it's been really helping me reset and it might be exactly what you need to. The links will be in the show notes. And again, there's no action today.

I just want you to listen to me before you go back into hustle mode and ask yourself, what's one thing I can do to take care of me before I take care of my business? Do that first, because your business is meant to take care of you two. And then if you need to, take a break and then come back with refreshed energy.

All right, beautiful. That is all I have.

I wanted to just give a little bit of me to you to just speak on this while it's still fresh, while I'm still vulnerable, while I'm feeling this defeat and this pool of a bunch of emotions. And as always, continue to be you. Continue to be beautiful. Continue leading from the heart and I will catch you in the next episode.

All right, beautiful, that's a wrap on today's episode. But before you go, let's talk about something really important. You are not just another entrepreneur trying to figure things out alone.

You are a wave leader. Someone whose work is meant to create real impact, touch the lives of others and make this world better.

And I want you to know you don't have to do it alone. If today's conversation resonated with you, I'd love to keep this energy going inside of my free Facebook community. Empower Her Biz Collective.

It's where we take these conversations deeper with live trainings, tech walkthroughs and real heart centered support from other women wellness entrepreneurs who really get it. So if you're ready for community, clarity and support as you build your own business with heart and ease, I'd invite you to come and join us.

You'll find the link in the show notes.

And hey, if you love today's episode, make sure to subscribe, leave a review if you feel inclined, and share this with a fellow heart led women entrepreneur so that we can build this movement together. Until next time, keep leading with heart.