Doing Business Gently - Online Business, Work From Rest, Midlife Christian Women, Aligned Business

Marta Goertzen - Gentle Business Coach for Women Over 50
  • 5.0 (23)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Doing Business Gently, a podcast for women over 50 who are building a business alongside the real demands of midlife: caregiving seasons, health challenges, big life transitions, and the ever-changing world of entrepreneurship. At some point, many women reach a confusing moment: the business technically works, but something no longer fits. The work feels heavier. The direction feels unclear. What once worked no longer feels aligned. Most business advice says to push harder, scale faster, or start over completely. But there's another way. This podcast explores what it looks like to build a gentle business, one that fits your current season of life, grows from a place of rest, and makes room for the deeper impact you know you're capable of. We talk about finding your voice, reclaiming your clarity, and doing meaningful work without losing yourself in the process. Here we talk about: The messy middle of entrepreneurship Building a business that fits your season of life Finding clarity when direction feels uncertain Doing meaningful work from a place of rest Stepping into deeper impact without the drain of constant hustle If you're a woman over 50 who's ready to stop pushing through and start building something that truly fits who you are right now... you are in the right place. Welcome to Doing Business Gently. Website: https://SelahStudios.co/podcast

  1. 6d ago

    112 | You Are the Asset and Physical Rest Is How You Protect It

    If you've ever felt like physical rest just means "go take a nap," this episode is going to challenge that. Continuing the series on the types of rest entrepreneurs need, you're diving into physical rest: what it actually looks like, why you've likely learned to ignore your body's signals, and how to start listening again, even when it feels a little strange at first. You'll hear about the practice of the body check, the idea of "restivities," and why pacing (not pushing) is the path to sustainable success. Plus, a reminder that you are the asset of your business, and what it means to actually treat yourself like one. What You'll Learn Why physical rest is about more than sleep, and what else your body might be asking for How to do a simple body check to start tuning back in to what you need What "restivities" are and why they matter more than passive downtime like scrolling or TV Why capacity isn't fixed: it's resource dependent How pacing (taking the time, making the space, finding your pace) leads to sustainable success In This Episode, You'll Find Answers To Why do I keep ignoring what my body is trying to tell me? What does physical rest look like beyond "just get more sleep"? How do I actually start listening to my body when it feels unfamiliar or even uncomfortable? What's the difference between rest and restivities? Why does pushing past my limits keep catching up with me? Related Episodes #109 - Rest Isn't a Luxury, It's a Business Strategy (the 5 types you're missing) #110 - You’re not lazy, you’re mentally maxed out #111 - Why You Need Emotional Rest (and what it feels like when you don't get it)  Coming up next: spiritual rest, followed by a special panel discussion on finding the rest you need Resources Mentioned Take the Rest Quiz: https://itstartswithrest.com/quiz

  2. Jul 16

    111 | Why You Need Emotional Rest (and what it feels like when you don't get it)

    You know that feeling when you can't quite put your finger on what's wrong, you're just... off? That restless, angsty feeling that shows up out of nowhere, especially in the middle of a busy season or a caregiving stretch? That's often a sign you're missing emotional rest, and it's easy to miss because we don't always know to look for it. In this episode, part of the ongoing series on the five types of rest, you'll learn what emotional rest actually is, why it's different from mental rest, and how to start building small, doable practices into your life and business to get more of it. What You'll Learn The difference between mental rest and emotional rest, and why they get confused Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith's definition of emotional rest from her book Sacred Rest How setting boundaries with clients, family, and yourself creates space for emotional rest Why journaling by hand works differently than typing, and what the research says How naming your fear can loosen its grip on you Why community and safe spaces to express yourself matter for your emotional health In This Episode, You'll Find Answers To What is emotional rest, and how is it different from mental rest? What does it feel like when you're not getting enough emotional rest? What are simple ways to build emotional rest into a busy season? Why does writing by hand matter for processing emotions? How do boundaries support emotional rest? Related Episodes Episode 109: Rest isn’t a luxury, it’s a business strategy (the 5 types your missing) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/109-rest-isnt-a-luxury-its-a-business-strategy/id1691564245?i=1000775125976 Episode 110: Mental Rest https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/110-youre-not-lazy-youre-mentally-maxed-out/id1691564245?i=1000776091006 Episode 112: Physical Rest (coming next) Links & Resources Mentioned Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith - https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Rest-Recover-Energy-Restore/dp/1478921676 Blog posts about journaling by hand:  Journaling by Hand: https://selahreflections.com/benefits-of-journaling-by-hand/ Journaling for Business: https://selahstudios.co/category/journaling/  Gentle Business Mastermind: https://selahstudios.co/mastermind

  3. Jul 9

    110 | You’re not lazy, you’re mentally maxed out

    You know that feeling of being tired without quite knowing why? Not physically tired, just... foggy, unfocused, maxed out, even when nothing on your calendar looks that demanding? In this episode, Marta continues the series on rest for entrepreneurs by digging into mental rest: the type of rest that gets skipped most often because it doesn't look like anything on the outside. As a "chronically capable" entrepreneur, you're used to over-leveraging your mind: troubleshooting, coaching, creating, deciding, all day long, without ever seeing how much energy that actually takes. Marta shares her own history as a self-taught workaholic, what changed when she started treating mental rest as a business necessity instead of a someday/maybe, and practical, doable ways to build intentional mental breaks into your schedule, including a simple practice she uses before every coaching and mastermind call. What You'll Learn: >> Why mental rest gets overlooked even by entrepreneurs who take rest seriously in other areas >> The signs your brain is overleveraged: indecision, irritability, spinning in circles, staring at your laptop >> Why capacity is resource dependent, not fixed, and what that means when you feel like you've hit your limit >> Simple, low effort ways to build in mental rest: margin between calls, brain dumps, a capture system, gratitude practice >> The ADMAR practice Marta uses to help herself and clients release mental tension before diving into deep work In This Episode, You'll Find Answers To: >> Why am I so tired when I haven't done anything that looks physically demanding? >> What's the difference between self-care and actual rest? >> How do I know if I'm mentally maxed out versus just having an off day? >> What's a quick way to give my brain a break without taking a whole day off? >> Why does capacity feel like it shrinks some days and not others? Related Episodes:  >> EP 109: Rest and the Chronically Capable Entrepreneur https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/109-your-business-plan-needs-to-include-rest-its-not-a-luxury/id1691564245?i=1000775125976 Links & Resources: >> Take the rest quiz: https://itstartswithrest.com/quiz >> Learn the ADMAR practice: EP 27: You need a simple weekly business examen review practice: https://selahstudios.co/27 >> Gentle Business Mastermind: https://selahstudios.co/mastermind

  4. Jul 2

    109 | Rest Isn't a Luxury, It's a Business Strategy (the 5 types you're missing)

    Rest… too often we view it as something we have to earn in our businesses. It’s time we change that.  We’re kicking off a new series on rest for what I call “the chronically capable entrepreneur”: the ones who show up for everyone else and in the process forget to show up for themselves. I’m sharing five types of rest every entrepreneur needs: mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, and rest from work itself. What You'll Learn: Why "just getting more sleep" rarely solves burnout The five types of rest, and why most of us only think about one Why you are the most valuable asset in your business, not just the person running it How to build rest into your week as an action step, not an afterthought Related Episodes: Episode 1: Why we need to work from a place of rest: https://selahstudios.co/1 Episode 53: Tired? Learn to rest, not quit your business: https://selahstudios.co/53 Links & Resources: Take the What Type of Rest Do You Need quiz: https://itstartswithrest.com/quiz Sacred Rest by Dr. Sandra Dalton-Smith: https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Rest-Recover-Energy-Restore/dp/1478921676 Gentle Business Mastermind: https://selahstudios.co/mastermind

  5. Jun 25

    108 | Why Asking "Why" Is the Most Powerful Thing You Can Do for Your Business Right Now

    Why Asking "Why" Is the Most Powerful Thing You Can Do for Your Business Right Now You've built your business. You've shown up, served your clients, done the work. But somewhere along the way, you may have stopped asking one of the most important questions of all: why? In this episode, Marta shares why asking "why" isn't just a reflective exercise... it's one of the most intentional, purposeful things you can do as a business owner. She gets personal about her own season of questioning, and why not having all the answers right now is actually okay. In this episode, you'll find answers to: Why regularly asking "why" protects you from burnout and misalignment How to apply the "why" question to your products, services, and marketing channels Why your original reason for starting your business may no longer fit, and what to do about it How community and safe spaces can help you dig deeper than you can alone Why you are the most important asset in your business, and how asking "why" helps you protect that RELATED EPISODES:  The Reason You Feel Disconnected From Your Business - EP 104 Disconnected From Your Business? You’re Not Alone - EP 105 Do You Need to Know the WHY Behind Your Business? Maybe, Maybe Not! WORK WITH MARTA:  Gentle Business Mastermind: https://selahstudios.co/mastermind Selah Strategy Sessions: https://selahstudios.co/private-coaching/  MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:  Business Alignment Audit: selahstudios.co/alignmentaudit

  6. Jun 18

    107 | There's a Reason You Keep Losing Your Business Voice (here's what actually helped me)

    In this episode of Doing Business Gently, Marta shares what it really looks like to lose your voice in business, not once, but twice, and the concrete steps she took to find it again. She gets honest about what survival mode did to her business during the hardest season of her life, why leaning too hard on outside voices (yes, including AI tools) contributed to the disconnect, and how she rebuilt from there. This episode is part of an ongoing series on reconnecting with your business, and it sets the stage for the upcoming "Confidently Connected" workshop at the end of June. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why losing your voice and losing connection with your business are directly linked The negative cycle that keeps established entrepreneurs stuck, and how to break it The three core practices Marta used to find her voice How AI tools can help or hurt your reconnection process, and how to use them without losing yourself Why better input always leads to better output, from AI tools and from yourself What to expect inside the "Confidently Connected" workshop on June 26, 2026 LINKS:  Confidently Connected Workshop - June 26, 2026 https://selahstudios.co/confidently-connected/  Episode 106: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-a-gentle-business-actually-looks-like-feat-kim/id1691564245?i=1000772176723 The listener survey: https://forms.gle/FHYroAQR61djquN87 My favorite Podcasting tool: https://www.descript.com   TIMESTAMPS [00:00:00] Welcome and series overview: reconnecting with your business  [00:01:20] How voices get buried: busyness, fear, and survival mode  [00:02:00] Marta's story: "I've outgrown my business" and what that realization changed [00:04:30] The survey that reshaped this series and the upcoming workshop  [00:05:45] Step 1: Journaling... getting below the surface to what's really going on  [00:07:00] Step 2: Conversations and manual analysis, finding themes and patterns  [00:08:30] The second season of survival mode: caregiving, loss, and rebuilding  [00:11:30] Step 3: Recording yourself, and why it works differently than writing  [00:13:00] Using AI tools with your voice as the input, not theirs  [00:17:00] What "Confidently Connected" will cover and how to join

  7. Jun 11

    106 | What a Gentle Business Actually Looks Like (feat. Kim Steadman & Shelby DellaRosa)

    In this special conversation, I’m sitting down with two members of the Gentle Business Mastermind, Shelby DellaRosa and Kim Steadman, to talk honestly about what building a gentle business actually looks and feels like from the inside. Shelby is a coach and mentor for women who have walked through caregiving and loss and are figuring out what comes next. Kim is an inspirational author and writer coach who helps other authors get true to their why. Together, they bring candor, humor, and hard-won wisdom to a conversation about voice, boundaries, focus, and the freedom that comes when you stop trying to be everything to everyone. What You'll Learn in This Episode What "a gentle business" means to each of them, and why that definition matters more than any strategy How setting boundaries around who you market to, where you show up, and whose voices you let in has changed their businesses Why narrowing your focus is a mental health decision as much as a business one How caregiving seasons, health challenges, and major life transitions shaped the businesses they're building today The role of community in keeping you on track, off the comparison treadmill, and connected to your own voice Why rest is not the opposite of growth... it's what makes growth sustainable Learn More About the Gentle Business Mastermind at https://GentleBusinessMastermind.com Let's connect:  Website: https://SelahStudios.co Business Alignment Audit:  https://selahstudios.co/alignmentaudit

  8. Jun 4

    105 | Disconnected from Your Business? You're Not Alone. Here's the Data

    Something feels off, and it's not your strategy. In this episode, Marta shares early results from a listener survey that stopped her in her tracks: over 80% of respondents said they feel disconnected from their business, even while rating their satisfaction a six or higher. The data confirmed what she's been hearing in conversations and experiencing herself: for a lot of women entrepreneurs, the voice isn't gone... it's buried under noise, AI tools, marketplace confusion, and years of trying everything. Marta shares what the survey revealed, why she pivoted this miniseries based on those results, and why finding your voice and reconnecting with your business is the foundation every strategy has to be built on. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why over 80% of women entrepreneurs feel disconnected from their business, even when they're somewhat satisfied with it The three areas where disconnection shows up most: sales and revenue, health and energy, and a website that no longer reflects who you are Why a buried voice and business disconnection are the same problem showing up in different places How women are actually processing and working through these questions, and what's helping Why feeling disconnected is a starting point, not a dead end, and what to do next Links & Resources: → The Business Alignment and Connectedness Survey: https://forms.gle/RdU8DB7Hkv7jGH5V6 → The Business Alignment Assessment: https://selahstudios.co/audit-optin.html

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Welcome to Doing Business Gently, a podcast for women over 50 who are building a business alongside the real demands of midlife: caregiving seasons, health challenges, big life transitions, and the ever-changing world of entrepreneurship. At some point, many women reach a confusing moment: the business technically works, but something no longer fits. The work feels heavier. The direction feels unclear. What once worked no longer feels aligned. Most business advice says to push harder, scale faster, or start over completely. But there's another way. This podcast explores what it looks like to build a gentle business, one that fits your current season of life, grows from a place of rest, and makes room for the deeper impact you know you're capable of. We talk about finding your voice, reclaiming your clarity, and doing meaningful work without losing yourself in the process. Here we talk about: The messy middle of entrepreneurship Building a business that fits your season of life Finding clarity when direction feels uncertain Doing meaningful work from a place of rest Stepping into deeper impact without the drain of constant hustle If you're a woman over 50 who's ready to stop pushing through and start building something that truly fits who you are right now... you are in the right place. Welcome to Doing Business Gently. Website: https://SelahStudios.co/podcast

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