Navigating burnout and finding joy is a huge part of being a business owner. It requires leadership, which we all have different definitions of especially as business owners.

There are so many ins and outs to running a business. Nobody does being business owner better than my good friend Kelsey. She is the owner of Steel Threads Boutique. Her goal is to help women feel confident and comfortable in the clothes she sells.

Let’s dive into her story!

Kelsey’s dream to build a store/business started in college. She worked at a women’s clothing store after graduating college when she got the itch to start something on her own… then COVID hit and she was forced to put a pause on her dreams. 

The pause didn’t last long because in January 2021 she hit the ground running and launched her online boutique in April 2021. Since then Kelsey’s boutique has been online and pop ups until this past week when she opened her first storefront!

In the early days, she had some limiting beliefs that easily could have held her back. She worked hard and long. Grinding for so long and so hard she eventually fell into burnout. 

Kelsey describes burnout being the hardest thing she’s ever gone through. She was so depressed and felt numb to life. It started as exhaustion around the holiday season but everyone is tired at that time, right?

She had started isolating herself and didn’t leave the house unless absolutely necessary. That’s when her husband, Dylan, caught on. She was then encouraged by her best friend to get some help from a mental health therapist. This wasn’t just your typical burnout, this was burnout to the extreme. 

Unfortunately, this is something that happens to business owners often. We grind hard for long periods and then comes burnout. 

Kelsey learned some great lessons through her experience with burnout and feeling overwhelmed in their business. When asked if she could tell someone experiencing something similar she said “Take a break. It can make or break you and/or your business. Ask for help. HIRE HELP. It doesn’t mean you have to quit.”

Burnout is real.

It’s something we can all experience if we aren’t careful. It doesn’t matter if you’re a business owner, a mom, or working full-time. 

The work may be tedious and challenging but there is so much joy all at the same time. Lean into that joy!

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW

Listen & subscribe on your favorite platform: Apple Podcast | Spotify

Connect with Kelsey on Instagram

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