Holistic Mental Health for Women Solopreneurs

Dr. Nicole Pertillar
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship

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. 1h ago

    026 The Power of Showing Up Together

    Dr. Nic shares business lessons learned from her journey through a 30-day Hot Pilates challenge, emphasizing the power of community, committed decisions, and support in building sustainable habits and businesses. Stay Connect with Dr. Nic: The Pause for Solos Newsletter - https://nicolepertillar.substack.com/subscribe Check Out the Community Dr. Nic Loves: Hot Works Little Rock on HWY 10 - https://www.hotworx.net/studio/littlerock-hwy10?source=DriveSearch&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21987217577&gbraid=0AAAAA-kEjsdJW96mabLUd5VSgZA7UrgAp&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3qLSBhDaARIsAFTiVh71c_FB97IE6dVYJy1gDn55Fbiz9iV1W9UIk-_q2Bxuj29NnLBWEPwaAjlwEALw_wcB Key topics The importance of community and accountability in achieving goals How committed decisions drive consistency and momentum The role of support systems in mental and physical health Lessons learned from a 30-day Hot Pilates challenge Strategies for building sustainable habits in business and life

    24 min

  2. 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

    35 min

  3. 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.

    18 min

  4. Jun 15

    023 What Burnout Taught Me About Pausing & Self-Care

    🔴 Episode SummaryWhat happens when the woman building the dream never stops long enough to care for herself? In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Nic shares why she started pausing, what it cost her when she didn’t, and how the pause became one of the most transformational parts of her wellness and entrepreneurial journey. This is not just a conversation about rest. It’s a conversation about burnout, emotional exhaustion, self-abandonment, survival mode, and the sacred power of slowing down long enough to reconnect with yourself, your purpose, and your vision. If you’re a woman solopreneur, creative, or visionary who has been carrying too much for too long, this episode will invite you to stop, breathe, and reflect on what your spirit, mind, and body may be trying to tell you. 🔑 Key TakeawayPausing is not weakness. Sometimes the pause is the very thing that reconnects you to yourself, your clarity, your creativity, and the deeper vision for your life. 🔴 Power Pause ReflectionWhen is the last time you truly paused? Not scrolled. Not planned. Not worked ahead. But actually stopped long enough to listen to yourself? 🔴 This Episode Is For You If:You feel emotionally exhaustedYou’ve been functioning in survival modeYou struggle to rest without guiltYou feel disconnected from yourself or your visionYou’ve been building while burned outYou know you need to slow down, but don’t know how 🎧 Stay Connected: Newsletter, The Pause for Solos on Substack

    16 min

  5. Jun 8

    022 How to Rest Without Guilt as a Solopreneur

    🔴 Episode SummaryRest sounds good…until it’s time to actually do it. Then suddenly: you feel behindyou feel unproductiveyou feel like you should be doing something elseAnd guilt creeps in. In this episode, I’m unpacking the internal tension so many women solopreneurs and creatives carry when it comes to rest—and why rest often feels harder than doing the work. This is not just about taking a break. It’s about understanding why rest feels uncomfortable, what’s driving the guilt, and how to begin creating a rhythm of rest that actually supports your life, your wellness, and your dream pursuit. If you’ve ever struggled to slow down without feeling like you’re falling behind, this episode will meet you right where you are. 🔴 In This Episode, I Share:Why rest can feel uncomfortable—even when you know you need itThe hidden beliefs that create guilt around slowing downHow productivity culture and internal pressure shape your relationship with restWhat I’ve learned about rest through seasons of forced pauseThe difference between avoidance and intentional restWhy rest is not a reward—it’s a rhythmHow guilt-free rest actually supports clarity, creativity, and sustainabilityA simple way to begin practicing rest without overthinking it🔑 Key TakeawayRest is not something you have to earn. It’s something you need in order to continue building without breaking yourself. When you begin to see rest as part of your leadership rhythm—not a disruption to it—you move differently. 🔴 Power Pause MomentTake a moment and ask yourself: What belief is making it hard for me to rest right now? Is it: “I don’t have time”“I’ll fall behind”“I should be doing more”“I haven’t done enough yet”Now gently ask: What would it look like to rest anyway? 🔴For the Woman Who Feels Like She Can’t Slow DownIf you are: constantly thinking about what needs to get donestruggling to disconnect from your workfeeling guilty when you try to restpushing through exhaustion to stay productive This episode is your invitation to pause a necessary part of how you build well. 💌 Stay ConnectedIf this episode resonated with you, I’d love to invite you to stay connected with me beyond the podcast. Over on Substack, I share deeper reflections, encouragement, and real conversations about wellness, wholeness, and what it looks like to pursue your dreams without abandoning yourself in the process. 👉 Subscribe here: [https://substack.com/@nicolepertillar 🎧 Share This EpisodeIf this episode spoke to you, share it with another woman who needs permission to rest without guilt. Sometimes the reminder we need is simply knowing we’re not the only one navigating this tension. 🔴 Final ReminderYou don’t have to run yourself into the ground to prove you’re committed. You can build your dream… And still give yourself permission to pause.

    18 min

  6. Jun 1

    021 Solopreneur Skill: How to Stay Grounded When Life Feels Out of Control

    How to Stay Grounded When Life Feels Out of Control 🔴 Episode SummaryIn this episode, I mentioned HOTWORX, my new favorite place and promised to share a LINK When life feels like it’s spiraling, the instinct is often to try to control everything. But what if the path back to peace…is actually found in focusing on just one thing? In this episode, I’m sharing how an intense caregiving season forced me into a place where almost everything in my life felt out of my control—and how I found grounding in the most unexpected place: my nutrition and movement. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, unsteady, or like life is happening faster than you can process, this episode will help you shift your focus from trying to control everything…to anchoring yourself in what you can control. 🔴In This Episode, I Share:What it really feels like when life is out of your controlWhy trying to manage everything can actually increase overwhelmThe one thing I chose to stay consistent with during a hard seasonHow nutrition and movement became a grounding rhythm for meWhy caring for your body is not superficial—it’s foundationalHow physical stewardship can create space for mental and emotional clarityThe surprising way clarity about my business began to returnHow to identify one stabilizing rhythm in your own life 🔑 Key TakeawayWhen life feels chaotic, you don’t need to control everything to feel grounded again. You just need one thing you can return to. One rhythm. One act of care. One place where you remind yourself—you are still here, and you still matter. 🔴 Power Pause MomentTake a moment and ask yourself: What is one thing I can consistently steward well in this season? Not everything. Just one thing. What would help you feel more grounded, more present, and more connected to yourself right now? 🔴 For the Woman Building While Carrying a LotIf you are navigating: caregivingburnoutemotional overwhelmunexpected life transitionsor a season where your capacity has shiftedThis episode is your reminder that grounding doesn’t come from doing more… It comes from returning to yourself. 💌 Stay ConnectedIf this episode resonated with you, I’d love to invite you to stay connected with me beyond the podcast. I share deeper reflections, encouragement, and honest conversations about wellness, wholeness, and pursuing your dreams without abandoning yourself over on Substack. 👉 Subscribe here: The Pause for Solos! 🎧 Share This EpisodeIf this episode spoke to you, share it with another woman who may be trying to hold everything together right now. Sometimes one grounded reminder can shift everything. 🔴 Final ReminderYou may not be able to control everything around you… But one steady act of caring for yourself can help you come back to center. And from that place—so much becomes possible.

    14 min

  7. May 25

    020 How to Find Business Clarity When Life Forces You To Pause

    What do you do when life interrupts your plans, your momentum disappears, and the business path you felt so sure about suddenly feels unclear? In this episode, I’m sharing what I learned during a forced pause and how that unexpected season gave me a deeper level of business clarity than I would have found by simply pushing harder. If you’re a solopreneur, creative entrepreneur, or purpose-driven woman trying to navigate burnout, overwhelm, shifting capacity, or a major life transition, this conversation is for you. Sometimes we assume clarity comes from doing more, moving faster, or trying harder. But this episode explores a different truth: sometimes clarity comes when life forces you to slow down long enough to finally see what no longer fits, what matters most, and what needs to change. In this episode, I break down the 4 biggest lessons I learned during my forced pause: 1. Perspective Is Everything2. Less Is More / Clarity Needs Space 3. Pivoting Is a Power Move4. Prioritizing Wellness Is a Business StrategyI learned that capacity matters in business decisions. Business strategy that ignores your wellness is not sustainable. Your life and your business have to fit each other, and you cannot build well by abandoning yourself in the process. If you’ve been asking questions like: How do I find business clarity when I feel stuck?How do I move forward after burnout?What do I do when life forces me to pause?How do I build a business that honors my mental health and real-life capacity?This episode is for you. In this episode, we talk about:how to find business clarity during a forced pauseburnout, overwhelm, and solopreneur mental loadwhy clarity often comes through slowing downhow to pivot in business without seeing it as failurethe connection between wellness, capacity, and sustainable entrepreneurshipwhy prioritizing wellness is a real business strategyThis episode is for:solopreneurs and women entrepreneurs navigating burnoutcreatives and purpose-driven women in a season of transitionanyone feeling stuck, unclear, or forced to reevaluate their business pathwomen who want to build without abandoning themselvesKey takeaway:The pause may not have been part of the plan, but it may be the very thing that helps clarify your path. Stay connected:If this episode resonated with you, I’d love for you to stay connected to my newsletter, The Pause for Solos, on Substack, where I share deeper reflections, encouragement, tips, strategies, and practical insight on wellness, business clarity, purpose, and building a life and business that honor your real capacity.

    15 min

  8. May 18

    019 Don’t Leave the Dream Buried Inside You: Mental Health, Purpose, and the Solopreneur Journey

    Don’t Leave the Dream Buried Inside You In this conversation, I share about how facing the loss of my dear friend impacted my journey, the heartbreak of learning she was at the end of her life, and the powerful realization that came as I reflected on the dreams she once shared with me, dreams that never got the chance to fully manifest. We talk about grief, mental health, purpose, and the emotional weight of postponing what matters most. This is not about pressure or urgency driven by fear. It’s about perspective, intention, and honoring the life you’ve been given. In this episode, I talk about:the emotional impact of learning my friend was at the end of her lifehow grief can bring clarity to your purpose and prioritiesremembering the dreams she shared that never got to manifestmental health, burnout, and navigating heavy life seasons as a solopreneurwhy life transitions can awaken a deeper urgency around your callingwhat it means to live fully and not leave your dreams buried inside youThis episode is for you if:you’ve been putting your dreams on hold while navigating a hard seasonyou’re experiencing grief, burnout, or emotional exhaustionyou’re a solopreneur or creative trying to balance life and purposeyou’ve been waiting for the “right time” to fully go after what’s in your heartyou want to live more intentionally and aligned with your purposeKey reminder from this episode:Don’t leave the dream buried inside you. But because what’s in you matters and it deserves to be lived. Stay connected:If this episode resonated with you, I’d love for you to stay connected with me through my newsletter, The Pause for Solos, over on Substack. That’s where I share deeper reflections and encouragement around mental health, grief, purpose, and what it looks like to pursue your dreams without abandoning yourself in the process.

    10 min
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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.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Nicole Pertillar
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Dr. Nicole Pertillar