Holding It All: What It Means to Lead When Your Health Is on the Line
Redefining Entrepreneurial Strength When Life and Leadership Collide
There is a version of entrepreneurship that’s often celebrated—the highlight reels, the wins, the growth, the polished brand photos. What we talk about far less is what it looks like to run a business while your body is asking you to slow down… and life refuses to pause.
For more than five years, I have been living with a fibroid. At first, it was something I was told could be managed. Then it became something that would eventually require removal. And now, after years of navigating symptoms while building a business, I’ve been diagnosed with the BRCA1 mutation—turning what once felt like a “simple procedure” into a full hysterectomy.
This isn’t just a medical decision. It’s an emotional one. A mental one. And as a business owner, it’s a logistical one too.
The reality is this: while I was filling out consent forms for surgery that will permanently change my body and my future, I was also going back and forth in 28 emails with a client—finalizing pricing, confirming guest counts, and adjusting details for an upcoming event.
That contrast is the part no one prepares you for.
As entrepreneurs, we’re often praised for resilience—for wearing many hats and pushing through no matter what. But there are moments when resilience doesn’t feel empowering; it feels exhausting. Moments when life and leadership collide, and you’re expected to show up anyway.
I found myself asking questions I never imagined having to answer at the same time:
How do I prepare my body for major surgery while preparing my business to continue?
How do I allow myself to rest when my income depends on my availability?
How do I make space for fear, grief, and uncertainty while still showing up as a professional?
There were days when I answered emails while processing medical results. Days when I discussed timelines and deposits while quietly coming to terms with a future I didn’t plan for. Being a business owner means there is no true separation between personal and professional—and when your health is involved, that line disappears entirely.
This season forced me to redefine what strength really looks like.
Strength isn’t always pushing through pain or pretending everything is fine.
Strength is advocating for your health, even when it disrupts your plans.
Strength is choosing yourself without abandoning the vision you worked so hard to build.
I had to stop asking, How do I do it all? and start asking, What actually matters right now? That shift changed how I lead. I began building systems instead of relying solely on stamina. I leaned into communication instead of perfection. I gave myself permission to move differently—without guilt and without shame.
If you are a business owner navigating health challenges, I want you to know this: you are not behind, broken, or failing.
You are adapting.
Your capacity may look different for a season.
Your business may move at a slower pace.
Your timeline may shift.
None of that diminishes your purpose. In fact, it deepens it.
Sometimes leadership doesn’t look like confidence or control. Sometimes it looks like uncertainty, courage, and choosing yourself, even when the world expects you to keep producing.
I used to believe strength meant carrying everything without breaking. Now I understand that real strength is knowing when to put something down—especially when that something is the expectation that you must sacrifice your body for your success.
If you are a woman building a business while quietly fighting a battle no one can see, let this be your reminder: your health is not an inconvenience, your humanity is not a weakness, and your worth is not measured by how much you endure.
You are allowed to pause.
You are allowed to heal.
You are allowed to redefine what success looks like in this season.
Because the most powerful thing you can build—before the brand, before the revenue, before the next opportunity—is a life where you are still here to lead it.
