Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs

Dr. Nicole Pertillar

I started this podcast because I kept seeing women with powerful dreams, deep callings, brilliant ideas, and beautiful businesses(or business ideas) quietly burning out behind the scenes. Women who were building, leading, serving, creating, caregiving, praying, planning, and pushing through. Women who loved their work, but were tired, clouded , and stretched thin. And you know what? I get it! I know that place. I know what it feels like to carry a God-given vision while also realizing your capacity has limits. I know what it feels like to want to build something meaningful, but also need space to breathe, heal, pause, and become whole. That’s why I created Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs. I’m Dr. Nic, Wellness Coach, Wholeness Advocate, Founder of The PAUSE Sessions, and Creator of the Journal Brand Wholeness Within Journals. This podcast helps purpose-driven women entrepreneurs prioritize wellness, prevent burnout, regulate their nervous systems, and build sustainable businesses without breaking the builder. This show is for women solopreneurs, creative entrepreneurs, coaches, service providers, and faith-led visionaries who are ready to stop self-abandoning in the name of success and start building from a place of wholeness. This is a place to pause, breathe, tell the truth, and create rhythms that help you protect your spirit, mind, body, creativity, and business. Through personal stories, practical coaching, mindset shifts, guided reflection, and holistic wellness strategies, I’ll help you pause without quitting, shift without shame, and renew your capacity for the dream you’ve been called to build. Because your dream matters. But so do you. This podcast is for you if you’ve ever asked the following questions: How do I avoid burnout as a woman solopreneur?How do I grow my business when I feel overwhelmed?How do I stop feeling guilty for resting as an entrepreneur?How do I prioritize my mental health while running a business?How do I manage stress as a solopreneur?How do I regulate my nervous system when business feels overwhelming?How do I stop self-abandoning while pursuing my dreams?How do I create sustainable business growth without hustle culture?How do I find clarity when I have too many ideas?How do I stay consistent in my business when I’m emotionally exhausted?How do I stop procrastinating on my purpose?How do I pursue my dreams when life keeps interrupting my plans?How do I create better self-care rhythms as a woman entrepreneur?How do I build emotional capacity for my business and calling?How do I overcome business overwhelm and decision fatigue?How do I keep creating when I feel stuck, tired, or uninspired?How do I align my business with my wellness, faith, and purpose?How do I build the dream without breaking the builder? If you’ve been searching for a way to move forward without losing yourself, this space is for you. Here, we are choosing a different rhythm. One rooted in wellness, clarity, capacity, faith, creativity, and sustainable purpose. You do not have to burn out to prove you are called. You do not have to abandon yourself to build something meaningful. Welcome to Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs—where we build the dream without breaking the builder.

  1. 4d ago

    031 The Power of Commitment, Consistency, & Community

    The Power of Commitment, Consistency, and Community: Showing Up for Yourself Without Chasing PerfectionWhat becomes possible when you stop trying to do everything perfectly and simply commit to showing up for yourself? In this special International Self-Care Day conversation, Dr. Nic is joined by Shakari Anderson to reflect on the 30-day Hot Pilates challenge that brought two complete strangers together and became a powerful lesson in commitment, consistency, accountability, and community. After a difficult season of grief, caregiving, and personal transition, Dr. Nic knew she needed something that would help her reconnect with herself and return to the rhythms that supported her holistic wellness. Shakari was also seeking a way to rebuild her confidence, recommit to her health goals, and prove to herself that she could finish what she started. Together, they discovered that self-care is not always about finding more discipline or pushing yourself harder. Sometimes, it is about finding the right people to walk beside you, encourage you when life interrupts your plans, and remind you that one difficult day does not erase your progress. This conversation explores why consistency does not require perfection, how community can make personal goals feel more sustainable, and why honoring your current capacity is one of the most important forms of self-care. In This Episode, You’ll Hear:🔴 Why commitment to yourself is an essential part of holistic self-care 🔴 How consistency helped Dr. Nic and Shakari complete a 30-day Hot Pilates challenge 🔴 Why missing a day does not mean you have failed or need to abandon your goal 🔴 The difference between being persistent and trying to perform perfectly 🔴 How accountability and community can help you keep going when motivation fades 🔴 Why movement can support your emotional wellness, confidence, and mental health 🔴 How grief, caregiving, transitions, and changing responsibilities can affect your capacity 🔴 Why self-care requires regularly checking in with your spirit, mind, body, health, and environment 🔴 The importance of recognizing the difference between self-abandonment and self-sabotage 🔴 How becoming the leading lady of your own life can change the decisions you make for yourself A Powerful ReminderYou do not have to show up perfectly to show up powerfully. There may be days when you cannot complete the entire plan. There may be seasons when your energy, responsibilities, health, or emotional capacity changes. That does not mean you have failed. Sustainable consistency leaves room for real life. The goal is not to criticize yourself every time something interrupts your routine. The goal is to notice what you need, make the necessary adjustment, and return to yourself without shame. Connect with Dr. NicFollow Dr. Nic on Instagram: @thepauseforsolos and on Substack for Email Newsletter Explore additional encouragement, resources, and opportunities to pause, renew, and build without burning out: Subscribe to Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs for more conversations about self-care, burnout prevention, emotional wellness, capacity, community, and pursuing your purpose without breaking the builder. SEO Keywordscommitment and consistency, power of community, accountability and self-care, holistic mental health, women solopreneurs, consistency over perfection, building healthy habits, honoring your capacity, burnout prevention for women, self-care for caregivers, community and mental wellness, movement and mental health, showing up for yourself, sustainable wellness, personal growth and accountability

  2. Aug 10

    030 Self-Care, Money, Motherhood, and the Power of the Pause

    What if self-care is not just about what you do for yourself, but how deeply you understand yourself? In this episode of Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs, Dr. Nic is joined by Janeica Davis for a powerful conversation in honor of International Self-Care Day. Together, they explore why self-care has to go deeper than beauty routines, bubble baths, and surface-level practices — and how women can begin creating lives rooted in alignment, healing, holistic wealth, self-awareness, and sustainable wellness. Janeica shares her 5M Self-Mastery Model, which includes mindset, mission, meaningful relationships, meaningful work, and money. This framework helps women understand that wealth is not only financial. True holistic wealth includes emotional wellness, healthy relationships, purpose, self-leadership, financial empowerment, and the ability to live in alignment with who you are and where you are going. Dr. Nic and Janeica also talk about mom guilt, religious conditioning, family systems, first-generation women, financial independence, emotional triggers, women’s leadership, friendship grief, generational narratives, and why pausing gives us space to move from reaction into curiosity. This episode is an invitation to look beneath the surface, examine the patterns shaping your life, and ask: What do I really need in this season — in my spirit, mind, body, relationships, work, and finances? IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: Why a simple breath practice can help reset your nervous system How pausing helps calm the emotional brain and bring the thinking brain back online Why International Self-Care Day reminds us that self-care is a 24/7 lifestyle Why holistic self-care is about honoring your capacity, your season, and where you are headed How cloudiness, decision fatigue, and stuckness can keep women from moving forward Why self-care must go deeper than nails, lashes, hair, massages, or outside appearances Janaica’s 5M Self-Mastery Model Why mindset is the first step in self-mastery How religious conditioning and societal conditioning can teach women to sacrifice themselves Why your mission helps fuel your motivation and sense of fulfillment How meaningful relationships shape your growth, healing, and ability to thrive Why some family relationships may need distance when they do not support your vision Why meaningful work is part of holistic wealth How money affects mental health, freedom, and self-care Why financial wellness is a major part of holistic mental health How women can heal their relationship with money Why women are whole people beneath every role they carry How motherhood, leadership, entrepreneurship, marriage, and family can trigger unhealed patterns Why self-awareness matters in leadership and relationships How Dr. Nic’s mosaic leadership lens helps women understand the many pieces they bring to every role Why curiosity is essential for healing family narratives, friendship wounds, and emotional triggers How emotions can be viewed as data Why the pause helps us move from judgment to curiosity How financial independence can create more freedom and relief in the body Why women need to redesign their lives with self-mastery, healing, and alignment in mind

  3. Jul 27

    028 International Self-Care Day: Why Self-Care Is More Than Rest

    Self-Care is about more than nails, hair, bubble baths, and massages. It's more than REST. EPISODE DESCRIPTION Did you know International Self-Care Day is observed on July 24th — 7/24 — as a reminder that self-care is not just an occasional event, but something we are invited to practice 24/7? In this episode of Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs, Dr. Nic opens her countdown to International Self-Care Day with a powerful conversation about what self-care really means, why so many women struggle to prioritize it, and how pausing can help us reconnect with our needs, capacity, wellness, and purpose. Self-care is more than getting your nails done, taking a bubble bath, or scheduling a nap, even though those things can absolutely matter. True self-care asks us to look more deeply at how we are designing our lives, honoring our boundaries, managing stress, accessing mental and physical healthcare, caring for our bodies, and creating rhythms that support our spirit, mind, and body. Dr. Nic also shares why self-care is a major part of her work as a mental health coach, especially with people seeking support for anxiety management, stress management, burnout prevention, business overwhelm, and finding their next aligned step. This episode is an invitation to pause, examine your life holistically, and ask: Am I creating a life that cares for me or a life I constantly have to recover from? IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: Why International Self-Care Day is celebrated on July 24th The meaning of 7/24 as a reminder that self-care is a 24/7 way of life Why self-care is not just an event, activity, or luxury How self-care connects to stress management, anxiety management, and mental health Why many women struggle to identify what they enjoy or what fills them back up The importance of slowing down enough to reconnect with yourself How overextending, people-pleasing, and poor boundaries can affect your well-being Why “love your neighbor as yourself” also invites us to examine how we love ourselves How self-care connects to faith, purpose, service, and honoring the body as a vessel Why self-care requires more than rest — it includes access, agency, healthcare, boundaries, money, time, and holistic support KEY TAKEAWAYS Self-care is not just something you schedule. It is a way of thinking, living, and arranging your life. International Self-Care Day on July 24th reminds us that self-care matters 24/7. Self-care includes rest, but it also includes boundaries, healthcare, mental health, capacity, access, agency, and holistic wellness. Many women do not know what they need because they have not paused long enough to listen to themselves. Taking care of yourself is not selfish. It helps you serve, love, lead, parent, create, and build from a fuller place. The pause is powerful because it gives you space to examine your needs, your patterns, your body, your schedule, and your life. Self-care does not have to start with a full day off. Sometimes it starts with one intentional minute. Women solopreneurs need self-care rhythms that align with their actual capacity, not just their ambition. You do not need to build a life that constantly drains you and then call recovery self-care.

  4. Jun 29

    025 How to Handle A Business Plateau

    In this episode of Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs, Dr. Nic shares a vulnerable reflection on feeling stuck in her weight loss journey and navigating a frustrating plateau. This Episode Is For You If:You feel stuck in your weight loss journey or wellness routine You are navigating a plateau in your business, creativity, or consistency You are comparing your body, business, pace, or process to others online You feel like what used to work no longer works the same way You are in a season of grief, stress, transition, or midlife change You are trying to rebuild healthy rhythms after disruption You want to stop shaming yourself and start listening with compassion You are a woman solopreneur who wants to build a sustainable business without burning out What do you do when what used to work stops working?In this vulnerable and reflective episode, Dr. Nic shares honestly about feeling stuck in her weight loss journey, navigating a frustrating plateau, and trying to understand what her body needs in this current season of life. After being away from her normal rhythms for two months, carrying stress, processing grief after the loss of one of her dearest friends, and navigating the realities of age, hormones, and perimenopause, Dr. Nic began to recognize that her plateau was not just a physical issue. It was an invitation to pause. This episode explores the connection between weight loss plateaus, business plateaus, creative blocks, comparison, and the need for recalibration. Dr. Nic invites women solopreneurs to stop shaming themselves when old systems stop working and instead use the pause to reset, reevaluate, and recalibrate their next aligned step. Because sometimes a plateau is not proof that you are failing. Sometimes it is information. In This Episode, Dr. Nic Shares:🔴 Why plateaus can feel so discouraging when you are trying to become a healthier version of yourself 🔴 How stress, grief, disrupted routines, age, hormones, and perimenopause can impact your body and your capacity 🔴 Why comparison with fitness influencers and online business voices can disconnect you from your own wisdom 🔴 How weight loss plateaus and business plateaus often bring up the same emotions: frustration, shame, urgency, and self-doubt 🔴 Why what used to work may not work the same way in a new season 🔴 How to pause before you panic, quit, or copy someone else’s process 🔴 The importance of resetting, reevaluating, and recalibrating your systems 🔴 Why solopreneurs need aligned systems that honor their current capacity, not fantasy versions of their lives 🔴 How to stop interpreting every plateau as failure and start seeing it as information weight loss plateau business plateau women solopreneurs holistic mental health perimenopause and weight loss midlife wellness women over 40 wellness burnout prevention nervous system regulation sustainable business

  5. Jun 22

    024 The Nervous System Truths Every Solopreneur Should Know

    What if the reason you keep starting, stopping, scrolling, overthinking, or struggling to follow through is not because you lack discipline — but because your nervous system is overwhelmed? In this episode of Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs, Dr. Nic explores the powerful connection between nervous system regulation, burnout, creativity, decision-making, and sustainable business building. Building a business while emotionally flooded, overwhelmed, grieving, exhausted, or stuck in survival mode is not sustainable. Your body was never designed to carry vision, leadership, creativity, and impact while constantly living in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Dr. Nic shares a vulnerable story from her doctoral journey, reflecting on how emotional overwhelm almost led her to make a panic-based decision to quit. With time, training, and deeper self-awareness, she now understands that what she needed was not more pressure or more discipline — she needed regulation. This episode is an invitation for women solopreneurs to stop judging themselves for what looks like inconsistency and begin noticing what may actually be dysregulation. Because you are not lazy. You are not incapable. You may simply be trying to build from a body that does not yet feel safe. In This Episode, We Talk About:Why you cannot sustainably build from dysregulationHow emotional overwhelm impacts creativity, clarity, and follow-throughThe difference between laziness and survival modeHow fight, flight, freeze, and fawn show up in business-buildingWhy your nervous system may interpret burnout, comparison, pressure, and uncertainty as threatHow dysregulation affects decision-making for women solopreneursWhy regulation is foundational to sustainable impactHow grounding yourself can help your creativity returnThe importance of noticing your personal triggers and patternsWhy self-regulation is part of nurturing the wholeness withinKey TakeawayYou cannot shift what you have not named. And for many women solopreneurs, what has been labeled as procrastination, inconsistency, lack of discipline, or failure may actually be a dysregulated nervous system trying to protect them. Powerful Quotes from the Episode“You cannot sustainably build from dysregulation.” “Your body was never designed to stay in survival mode long-term while simultaneously carrying the weight of vision, leadership, creativity, and impact.” “Regulation is a strength. Regulation is a superpower. It is foundational.” “Your nervous system is not your enemy. It has been trying to protect you.” Reflection QuestionsTake a few minutes after listening and ask yourself: Where have I been calling myself lazy when I may actually be overwhelmed?What situations tend to push me into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn?How does dysregulation show up in the way I build, create, lead, or make decisions?What helps my body feel safe enough to think clearly again?What would it look like to build from regulation instead of survival?CTAIf this episode resonated with you, screenshot it wherever you’re listening and share your biggest takeaway on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or wherever you hang out most. Tag me or send me a DM. Everyone who shares will be entered into a drawing to receive one of my hand-painted notebooks — because writing, doodling, sketching, and painting can all be powerful practices for regulation. And if you haven’t listened to last week’s episode, What Burnout Taught Me About Self-Care, go back and listen. These two episodes are connected.

About

I started this podcast because I kept seeing women with powerful dreams, deep callings, brilliant ideas, and beautiful businesses(or business ideas) quietly burning out behind the scenes. Women who were building, leading, serving, creating, caregiving, praying, planning, and pushing through. Women who loved their work, but were tired, clouded , and stretched thin. And you know what? I get it! I know that place. I know what it feels like to carry a God-given vision while also realizing your capacity has limits. I know what it feels like to want to build something meaningful, but also need space to breathe, heal, pause, and become whole. That’s why I created Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs. I’m Dr. Nic, Wellness Coach, Wholeness Advocate, Founder of The PAUSE Sessions, and Creator of the Journal Brand Wholeness Within Journals. This podcast helps purpose-driven women entrepreneurs prioritize wellness, prevent burnout, regulate their nervous systems, and build sustainable businesses without breaking the builder. This show is for women solopreneurs, creative entrepreneurs, coaches, service providers, and faith-led visionaries who are ready to stop self-abandoning in the name of success and start building from a place of wholeness. This is a place to pause, breathe, tell the truth, and create rhythms that help you protect your spirit, mind, body, creativity, and business. Through personal stories, practical coaching, mindset shifts, guided reflection, and holistic wellness strategies, I’ll help you pause without quitting, shift without shame, and renew your capacity for the dream you’ve been called to build. Because your dream matters. But so do you. This podcast is for you if you’ve ever asked the following questions: How do I avoid burnout as a woman solopreneur?How do I grow my business when I feel overwhelmed?How do I stop feeling guilty for resting as an entrepreneur?How do I prioritize my mental health while running a business?How do I manage stress as a solopreneur?How do I regulate my nervous system when business feels overwhelming?How do I stop self-abandoning while pursuing my dreams?How do I create sustainable business growth without hustle culture?How do I find clarity when I have too many ideas?How do I stay consistent in my business when I’m emotionally exhausted?How do I stop procrastinating on my purpose?How do I pursue my dreams when life keeps interrupting my plans?How do I create better self-care rhythms as a woman entrepreneur?How do I build emotional capacity for my business and calling?How do I overcome business overwhelm and decision fatigue?How do I keep creating when I feel stuck, tired, or uninspired?How do I align my business with my wellness, faith, and purpose?How do I build the dream without breaking the builder? If you’ve been searching for a way to move forward without losing yourself, this space is for you. Here, we are choosing a different rhythm. One rooted in wellness, clarity, capacity, faith, creativity, and sustainable purpose. You do not have to burn out to prove you are called. You do not have to abandon yourself to build something meaningful. Welcome to Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs—where we build the dream without breaking the builder.