Motherhood is a full-time job. So is entrepreneurship.

Trying to do both? That’s a whole new level of complexity, and a challenge I know many of you are living every single day. (I’m right here with you!)

In this episode of The Nourished CEO podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Kate Kripke, licensed clinical social worker and maternal mental health expert, about what it really takes to balance motherhood and entrepreneurship in today’s world.

We covered everything from high-achiever mindsets, emotional resilience, guilt, and mom rage, to what actually builds strong, emotionally secure relationships with our kids, even when we’re building a business at the same time.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed trying to “do it all,” or like something has to give but you don’t want to walk away from the business you’ve worked so hard to build, this is for you.

Let’s dive into what it actually looks like to thrive in both roles without sacrificing your sanity or your dreams.

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1. It’s Not What You’re Doing. It’s What You’re Believing.

Here’s something Kate said that really hit home:

“It’s not about what we’re doing that determines how we feel about our life and motherhood.”

Let that sink in for a minute. Because if you’re anything like me and many of the women I work with, your default approach to stress is to do more, better, faster.

• ✅ Restructure the business.
• ✅ Fix your schedule.
• ✅ Create better systems.
• ✅ Find a new productivity app.

And sure, those things might help temporarily.

But if your inner world is running on anxiety, guilt, or a deep belief that you’re “not enough,” then no strategy will make your life feel more peaceful or fulfilling.

This is the work so many high-achieving women miss when we try to optimize our way into balance.

The internal work matters just as much (if not more) than all the external changes.

Action Step:

Ask yourself:

• What do I believe about what it means to be a “good” mom?

• What do I believe about success in my business?

• Are those beliefs working for me—or keeping me stuck in burnout?

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2. Learn to Recognize Achievement Brain (And When to Turn It Off)

Most of us entrepreneurs run on what Kate calls “achievement brain”: that high-functioning, problem-solving, get-it-done energy that got us to where we are.

But the truth is, motherhood doesn’t run on achievement brain.

Your kids don’t need a spreadsheet or a perfectly optimized calendar. They need connection. And connection lives in an entirely different part of your brain.

That’s why so many of us feel disconnected or distracted, even when we’re physically present. We’re stuck in task mode, constantly scanning the mental to-do list.

“If we’re going to feel the way we want to feel in motherhood, not just have the life we want on paper, we have to start asking different questions.”

Signs you’re stuck in achievement brain mode:

• You’re constantly multitasking even during playtime.

• You feel guilty when you’re not being productive.

• You snap at your kids because you’re maxed out.

• You find it hard to slow down, even when you want to.

Action Step:

Commit to 10 minutes a day of non-productive presence with your kids. No multitasking. No agenda. Just you, them, and connection.

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3. Guilt Isn’t the Problem. Discomfort Is.

So many moms I know carry a constant undercurrent of guilt, especially around work.

But here’s the thing: what many of us are calling “mom guilt” is really emotional discomfort. And that’s not something we need to fix or escape.

Kate said something powerful during our conversation:

“Missing our children is not a bad thing. Having our children miss us is not a bad thing. Being sad we missed our child’s first step is not a bad thing.”

We’re conditioned to think that if we’re uncomfortable, something’s wrong. That if our kids are disappointed, we failed. But that’s not true.

Discomfort doesn’t mean you’re doing motherhood wrong.

It means you’re human. And your child is, too.

The real danger isn’t missing the dance recital. It’s teaching your child that their emotions—or yours—are a problem to avoid.

Action Step:

Next time you or your child feel disappointed, try saying:

“Yeah, I get it. It makes sense that you’re sad. I missed you too.”

Let it be okay to feel the hard things.

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4. You Don’t Have to Choose Between Business and Being a Good Mom

This is where so many of us get stuck: the false belief that it’s either/or.

Either you go all in on motherhood and let the business take a backseat…

Or you push hard in business and risk failing your kids.

That’s just not true.

“You do not need to choose. You may want to work less or be home more, but you do not need to in order to raise healthy, happy, resilient children.”

You can grow a business you’re proud of and show up as a loving, connected, present mom.

Will it require trade-offs? Of course. But those trade-offs don’t mean your kids will suffer.

In fact, one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is showing them what it looks like to pursue purpose while staying grounded in connection.

Action Step:

Write down:

• What kind of mom do I want to be?

• What kind of business do I want to run?

Then ask:

• What would I need to believe in order to live out both?

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5. Your Kids Don’t Need Perfection. They Need Repair.

This one’s for all my perfectionists (hi, I see you!).

If you believe that your child’s emotional well-being depends on you getting it all right—never missing an event, always showing up calm, managing every little meltdown—you’re carrying an impossible burden.

Kate reminded me that secure attachment isn’t about perfection. It’s about how we repair.

“What is most impactful in our relationships with our kids is how willing and able we are to allow them to feel normal human emotion.”

If your child feels disappointed, sad, or even angry at you for missing something, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed.

What matters is how you respond.

Do you rush to fix it? Get defensive? Feel consumed by guilt?

Or can you hold space and say, “That makes sense. I’m here now. Tell me how you feel.”

Action Step:

The next time your child expresses a big emotion, try practicing what Kate calls “connection amidst uncertainty.”

Say:

“I get it. That was hard. I’m here with you now.”

Then breathe. Let it be enough.

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6. Start with Belief Work Before You Change Your Schedule

This part is big, especially for those of you who are tempted to burn everything down the second it gets hard (been there!).

Yes, sometimes you do need to change your schedule or your offers or your workload. But that kind of change is sustainable only if it’s rooted in solid belief work.

Kate shared a simple but powerful framework:

Beliefs → Thoughts → Feelings → Actions → Results

If you want different results—more peace, less burnout, deeper presence—you have to go back to the beliefs driving everything else.

Beliefs like:

• “If I work while my child is awake, I’m a bad mom.”

• “I have to do everything myself for it to be done right.”

• “If I slow down, I’ll fall behind and everything will fall apart.”

• “My kids’ happiness is my responsibility 24/7.”

These kinds of beliefs are exhausting. And they’re often so deeply ingrained that we don’t even question them.

They run in the background, driving our actions, fueling burnout, and keeping us stuck in a cycle of guilt and over-functioning.

But here’s the truth: you can rewrite these beliefs.

And when you do, everything else gets easier.

Because once you believe it’s safe to rest…

Once you believe your kids are okay even when you’re working…

And once you believe that your value isn’t tied to how much you do…

Then the right decisions for your schedule, your offers, and your boundaries become clear. And sustainable.

Action Step:

Instead of jumping straight to a schedule overhaul, start by writing down one belief you suspect might be driving your current overwhelm.

Ask yourself:

• Is this belief true?

• Who taught me this belief?

• Is it helping me feel how I want to feel?

Then try replacing it with something more supportive, like:

“My presence matters more than my perfection.”
“My child can feel hard things and still be okay.”
“Resting doesn’t make me lazy—it makes me resilient.”

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Let your new beliefs lead the way.

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7. The Goal Isn’t Doing It All. It’s Feeling the Way You Want to Feel.

We talk a lot about balance, but here’s a reframe that really changed the game for me:

Balance isn’t about doing everything. It’s about feeling the way you want to feel in your life.

If you’re constantly asking yourself:

“Am I doing enough in my business?”
“Am I spending enough time with my kids?”
“Am I missing something important?”

Then you’re always measuring your life in output. In checkboxes. In productivity.

But what if you measured success by your experience, not your performance?

What if your guiding question was:

“How do I want to feel, and what would I need to believe in order to feel that way more often?”

Kate reminded me that the real work isn’t just to do less or juggle better. It’s to build a life that aligns with your values from the inside out.

When you start there, the decisions get easier. The clarity comes. You know when to say yes, when to say no, when to pull back, and when to go all in.

Action Step:

Take five minutes to journal your answers to these questions:

• How do I want to feel in my life right now?

• What part might I be playing in keeping myself from feeling that way?

• What would I need to believe to access that feeling more often?

Let that be your compass, not someone else’s version of balance.

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8. Emotions Aren’t a Problem. They’re a Pathway to Connection.

Here’s something I wish I’d heard earlier in my motherhood journey:

“The emotion is never the problem. What we do with the emotion is what matters.”

So often, we’re taught to fix, suppress, or distract from uncomfortable emotions, especially when they show up in our kids.

We say things like:

• “Don’t cry, it’s not a big deal.”

• “Let’s get ice cream to cheer you up.”

• “I’m sorry, I’ll never miss another thing again, I promise!”

We do it because we care. And we don’t want our kids to feel disappointed or sad or angry.

But when we rush in to fix the emotion, we accidentally send the message that those feelings are dangerous or unacceptable.

Kate said it best:

“Our kids don’t need us to take the emotion away. They need to feel seen, heard, and understood.”

That’s the repair. That’s the secure attachment.

And guess what? You don’t need to be home 24/7 or do motherhood perfectly to give them that.

You just need to show up, hold space, and say:

“Yeah, I get it. That was hard. I’m here.”

Action Step:

Start practicing “connection amidst uncertainty.” The next time your child is upset, whether it’s because you missed something or just because they’re three and it’s Thursday, try:

• Naming the feeling without fixing it.

• Sitting quietly with them.

• Repeating back what you hear.

That moment of empathy and connection? That’s the memory that sticks—not the missed event.

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9. Your Needs Matter Too

This is a big one, and it’s one that doesn’t get talked about enough in the online business and motherhood space:

You are not just the caretaker. You’re a human being with needs.

Needs like:

• Rest.

• Time alone.

• Creative fulfillment.

• Support.

• Adult conversation.

• Purpose beyond wiping butts and meal prep.

If you’re constantly deprioritizing your own needs in the name of being a “good mom” or a “present CEO,” you’re setting yourself up for resentment, disconnection, and burnout.

Kate talked about how so many of us were raised to avoid discomfort, not just in our kids, but in ourselves.

So when we feel the need for space or quiet or time away, we immediately feel shame. Like we’re failing.

But the truth is, honoring your needs is not selfish. It’s essential.

Because when you care for yourself, you show your kids that their needs matter too.

You model healthy boundaries and wholeness. You show them how to live a full life.

Action Step:

Take inventory of your unmet needs. Ask yourself:

• Where am I consistently running on empty?

• What would help me feel more supported, grounded, or filled up this week?

Then take one small step toward meeting that need—without guilt.

Start small:

• A 15-minute walk by yourself.

• Hiring a sitter for one afternoon.

• Saying no to one thing that doesn’t feel good.

Your needs are valid. And your wholeness benefits everyone in your home.

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10. You’re Allowed to Want More (Without Apology)

Let’s wrap with this: you’re allowed to want more.

More connection. Impact. Space. Money. Ease.

You’re allowed to be wildly in love with your kids and still crave meaningful work.

To run a business and not feel bad about it.

To not be the primary caregiver, the homeschooler, the PTA volunteer, and the snack mom all at once.

And to be a deeply connected, loving mother and build a business that changes lives.

There is no one “right” way to do motherhood. The only “right” way is the one that honors who you are and what your family needs.

Kate said:

“You don’t have to choose. You may want to. But you don’t need to choose in order to raise happy, resilient kids.”

Let that be your permission slip.

Action Step:

Write your own motherhood + business manifesto. A few prompts to get you started:

• I’m a good mom because…

• I’m a powerful business owner because…

• I believe it’s possible to…

• I release the belief that…

Let your words reflect the life you’re building, not the one the world tells you you “should” live.

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Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need to Burn It All Down to Feel Better

If you’re in a season where business feels hard, where motherhood feels all-consuming, and where “balance” feels like a joke…

Take a deep breath.

You’re not broken. You’re not doing it wrong. You don’t have to blow it all up to feel better.

But you do have to go inward.

You have to look at what you believe.

You have to pause the hustle and ask:

• What am I chasing?

• What am I afraid of?

• What do I want my life to feel like?

When you start there, and you let your beliefs guide your boundaries, your business model, and your parenting approach… you get something better than balance.

You get alignment. Peace. Presence.

And that’s what we’re really after, isn’t it?

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Ready to align your life and business?

If you want to create a business that works for your life (not the other way around), check out the Nourished Business Accelerator™ my signature program designed for coaches, consultants, and service providers who want to build a thriving business with ease and integrity.

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