The Reset: What I Changed to Grow Without Burning Out
I didn’t hit a wall.
There was no dramatic breakdown, no medical emergency, no rock-bottom moment.
But something was off, and had been for a while.
My brain was foggy. My patience was thin. My weekends blurred into weekdays, and my workdays never seemed to end.
I wasn’t burned out in the typical sense. But I was running on fumes. And if I didn’t make a change, I knew exactly where I was headed.
That’s why I hit reset over Labor Day weekend.
What started as a “let’s clean up the calendar” moment turned into a complete recalibration: personally and professionally.
In this post, I’m walking you through the exact changes I made in my business and life to get back to clarity, energy, and intentionality.
If you’re feeling the Q4 pressure, this is your sign to pause, realign, and protect your future from burnout.
When Success Starts to Erode Your Sanity
From the outside, things looked great.
The business was thriving. The client roster was full. Revenue was up.
But the reality? I had no white space.
I wasn’t eating real meals. I was working weekends without even noticing it. I was starting Monday already exhausted. And worst of all? I didn’t even realize how far I had drifted from the version of life I set out to build.
Sound familiar?
This happens to more entrepreneurs than we like to admit.
We build businesses that succeed only to find ourselves trapped in the very systems we created.
What I Changed (And Why)
Over the past few weeks, I’ve made a series of intentional changes; big and small, that together helped me reset. These aren’t hacks. They’re lifestyle shifts designed to protect my energy, refocus my time, and align my daily choices with my long-term goals.
Here’s what that looked like:
1. I Outsourced My Meals
This may sound basic, but it was a game-changer.
I realized I was living on protein bars and shakes most days; fueling myself like I was prepping for a post-apocalyptic sprint, not running a multi-layered business with real clients, deliverables, and strategy.
Now?
I get fresh, nutritious meals delivered weekly. It’s one less decision. One less task. And more importantly, I feel sharper, sleep better, and perform better across the board.
📝 Lesson: Don’t underestimate the compound effect of small daily habits, especially when it comes to food, sleep, and movement.
2. I Redefined My Relationship with Slack
Slack is great . . . until it isn’t.
Like many of you, I had trained myself to treat every ping as urgent. I’d respond mid-meeting. I’d check messages while driving. I had essentially created an always-on emergency room in my pocket.
Now?
Slack notifications go OFF at 5 PM every weekday
I stay logged out of client accounts all weekend
The app stays CLOSED on my laptop during meetings
And guess what?
Nothing’s broken.
Clients still get support. Now I show up more focused, more grounded, and more present, because I’m no longer fragmenting my attention 40 times a day.
📝 Lesson: Just because you can be reachable 24/7 doesn’t mean you should.
3. I Rebuilt My Morning Routine (with No Alarm)
I started waking up 30 minutes earlier and without an alarm.
Sounds counterintuitive, right?
Here’s what changed: I go to bed earlier. I wake up naturally. I have 30 precious minutes to ground myself before the chaos begins. Whether it’s planning my top 3 tasks, reading, stretching, or simply sitting in silence; this window makes the rest of my day run smoother.
It’s also when I listen to business podcasts (like The Game with Alex Hormozi, reminding me to delegate more). It’s become a sacred space I actually look forward to.
📝 Lesson: Productivity doesn’t start with a to-do list. It starts with intention.
4. I Put Boundaries Around Weekend Work
This one hurt the most.
I love to work. I genuinely enjoy it. And weekends used to feel like a magical productivity zone where I could finally “catch up.”
That “catch up” mentality cost me real rest. I was never off. Never truly unplugged. And I was entering each Monday mentally fatigued before I even opened my inbox.
Now?
I’ve capped weekend work to 3 hours per day, max. Early morning. Done by the time my kids are up.
And the rest of the weekend? Books. Baseball fields. Walks. Rest.
📝 Lesson: Rest isn’t a reward. It’s a requirement.
5. I Finally Committed to Hiring Help
Here’s a truth I hate to admit: I’ve needed an Executive Assistant for over a year.
I didn’t delay because I couldn’t afford it or didn’t see the value.
I delayed because training and managing someone felt like more work.
And as a high-functioning operator, I didn’t want another thing to manage.
Guess what?
Not hiring someone has cost me more . . . time, energy, opportunity . . . than onboarding ever will.
I’m posting the role this week. If you know a stellar EA in Sonoma County, send them my way.
📝 Lesson: Delay doesn’t protect your time. It drains it.
How It’s All Working Together
Each of these changes: food, Slack, routines, delegation, feeds into a bigger goal:
To build a business that enables the life I want to live.
That means:
Having time with my kids before they leave the nest
Traveling more and working from the places I love
Spending more time in my zone of genius, not in logistics, admin, or chaos
Enjoying the moments I’ve worked so hard to create
Because here’s the truth:
“If you don’t stop to enjoy what you’ve achieved… you’ll just keep moving the finish line.”
And I don’t want to wake up at 80 wondering why I never took the trip. Never read the book. Never just sat still and soaked it in.
What Are You Working Toward?
If this post resonates, let me ask you:
What version of life are you actually building?
Are you working toward it, or away from it?
What boundaries need to be set?
What support do you need to admit you need?
The fallacy is thinking we’ll “get there someday.”
But there keeps changing. And you may already be closer than you realize.
Let this be your sign to reset. Before the crash. Before the fatigue. Before the joy disappears.
Because this season of business can be powerful. Strategic. Grounded. Fulfilling.
But only if you build it that way.
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🎧 Want to go deeper? Listen to the full episode of The Opt-In Podcast:
👉 The Reset: What I Changed to Grow Without Burning Out
Know a brilliant EA who’d thrive in Sonoma County? DM me.
Ready to recalibrate your business strategy?
Book a VIP Day and let’s realign together.
