On this week’s episode of The Nourished CEO Podcast, I had the absolute honor of sitting down with my friend and powerhouse entrepreneur Kelly Ruta. I could not have asked for a more meaningful first guest for the newly rebranded show.
We had an incredibly honest, vulnerable, and empowering conversation about something most entrepreneurs avoid talking about publicly: what it really looks like to take a business sabbatical.
This wasn’t a glamorous, jet-setting “sabbatical in Europe” kind of story.
It was a raw account of how life, health, and ambition collided, and how Kelly had the courage to step away to prioritize her healing and long-term wellbeing.
If you’re a driven business owner (especially a woman) who has ever felt the pull between your business and your health or family, you’re going to want to hear this.
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Powerful Quotes From This Episode
- “I’m a very high energy person. I love to work. So taking this break was the hardest decision I’ve made.”
- “This was not a fun choice. This was not an easy choice.”
- “For some, a sabbatical is traveling Europe. For me, it’s rest, reflection, and healing.”
- “I’ve trained people to treat me as strong all the time. That’s not healthy.”
- “The systems we’ve been taught were built for men with wives at home. They weren’t built for us.”
- “The only helpful comparison is who I am today vs. who I was a year ago.”
- “Slowing down felt like giving up… but really, it’s an admission of vulnerability, and they are not the same.”
- “I’m not going back to who I was being or what I was doing. There has to be a third way.”
The Health Crisis That Changed Everything
Kelly is a high-energy, high-achieving coach and speaker who had built a very successful business. But in 2020, everything changed. Kelly contracted the original Covid strain and was later diagnosed with long Covid.
As Kelly put it:
“I’m a very high energy person. I love to work. So taking this break was the hardest decision I’ve made.”
Over the next few years, she fought through worsening health challenges while still pushing herself to rebuild her business. Despite working with an incredible team of doctors at the UNC Chapel Hill Long Covid Clinic, the demands of entrepreneurship combined with chronic illness became unsustainable.
Ignoring the Red Flags
In classic entrepreneur fashion, Kelly kept sprinting forward even when her body was screaming for her to stop.
“For the first two and a half years that I was sick, my deep well of resilience served me well. But then I ignored a lot of red flags and just kept going like a lot of us do.”
It wasn’t until an emergency doctor’s appointment in early 2025 that she finally decided enough was enough.
“My doctor said, ‘I’m very concerned and I’m sending you for emergency testing.’ That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
The Internal Struggle of Slowing Down
What struck me most was how much this decision conflicted with Kelly’s identity as a strong, capable woman. She admitted that slowing down felt, at first, like giving up.
“One of my defense mechanisms is: I can handle anything. But that turns into ‘I do it all myself.’ Slowing down felt like weakness… but really, it’s an admission of vulnerability, and they are not the same.”
As women in business, how often do we fall into that same trap? We tell ourselves, I’ll just push through a little longer, only to crash harder later.
Kelly’s journey is a reminder that it’s not weakness to pause. It’s wisdom.
What a Business Sabbatical Really Looks Like
Kelly was very clear that her version of a business sabbatical wasn’t about “unplugging on the Amalfi Coast.” It was about survival.
“For some, a sabbatical is traveling Europe. For me, it’s rest, reflection, and healing.”
She sat down with her accountant and bookkeeper to create a plan to cover taxes and expenses. She made the hard choice to let her team go (who were incredibly supportive). And she honored her integrity by continuing to serve clients who had already paid but stopped all marketing, launches, and new offers.
“No podcasts. No sales calls. No new offers. No ‘Can we collaborate in the fall?’ conversations. Everything else is shelved for 90 days.”
Redefining Success on Your Terms
Kelly and I dug into something we’ve both experienced as women CEOs: the tension between ambition and well-being.
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“The systems we’ve been taught were built for men with wives at home. They weren’t built for us.”
That one hit me hard. As I’ve experienced with my own recent maternity leave and business model changes, so many of us unknowingly build our businesses within frameworks that were never designed to support our lives as mothers, caretakers, or people navigating real life challenges.
Kelly’s ultimate realization:
“I’m not going back to who I was being or what I was doing. There has to be a third way.”
Her sabbatical is about discovering that “third way”—a sustainable, nourishing approach to running a business as a woman that doesn’t require burning yourself to the ground to succeed.
The Hidden Cost of Hyper-Independence
Kelly was beautifully honest about another hard lesson: her pattern of extreme independence had become self-destructive.
“I’ve trained people to treat me as strong all the time. That’s not healthy.”
I nodded in total agreement. I’ve had my own moments of “I’ll just fix it myself so I don’t burden anyone” thinking. It’s what we’re taught to do—but it’s what breaks us too.
This conversation was such an important reminder to let people in. We don’t have to be strong all the time. We’re allowed to ask for help.
Learning to Let Go of Comparison
One of the most relatable parts of our chat was when Kelly shared how she navigates the pressure of comparing herself to others in business.
“The only helpful comparison is who I am today vs. who I was a year ago.”
Yes! Social media can make it seem like everyone else is doing better, growing faster, or achieving more. But behind the curtain, most of us are just figuring it out day by day.
As Kelly said, even some of the biggest online names she’s worked with behind the scenes are facing the same challenges.
The Bigger Lesson: Success Doesn’t Have to Hurt
Kelly is emerging from this sabbatical journey with one big mission: to figure out how we can run successful, profitable businesses without giving up our health or our lives.
“I’m not living in an either-or. I refuse to accept that I either stay healthy and don’t work, or I work and keep getting sicker. There has to be both.”
Her courage to walk this path—and to share it so openly—is a gift to every woman entrepreneur who has ever questioned whether she can truly have both.
My Personal Takeaway
As a fellow business owner, mother, and woman who values both my work and my wellbeing, I walked away from this conversation incredibly inspired.
Kelly’s honesty validated so much of what I’ve been navigating in this season of motherhood and business building. It reminded me that there’s no perfect blueprint. We each get to decide what success looks like for us.
And most importantly: we don’t have to earn our rest. We deserve it.
Connect With Kelly Ruta
If you want to follow Kelly’s journey and hear what comes next after her sabbatical, connect with her on Instagram: @kellysruta.
Her brand new website will be launching in September 2025—so stay tuned for big things!
Listen to the Full Conversation
If this post resonated with you, I highly recommend listening to the full episode of The Nourished CEO Podcast featuring Kelly Ruta. We went even deeper into the mindset shifts, tactical decisions, and emotional work that go into making a bold move like this. Scroll up and listen now!
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