From Burnout to Boundaries: How Saying “No” Helped Me Rebuild My Business (and My Life)

What built my business is also what nearly broke me and my business.

For years, I operated like many entrepreneurs do in the beginning — always on, always available, always saying yes.

I answered messages late at night, took meetings I didn’t have the capacity for, and filled my calendar to the brim. I wore my responsiveness like a badge of honour, thinking this is what success required.

And, guess what?! It wasn’t their fault they were asking too much of me; it was mine for allowing it.  I unknowingly trained people to expect that from me!

The resentment I felt towards everyone two days after I said yes to their ask - it wasn’t their fault I said yes - it was mine!

I said yes to everything — volunteering, joining boards, offering emotional support ear well outside the scope of my work, spending time with people I didn’t align with just to avoid hurting their feelings. 

I convinced myself that in order to grow a thriving business, I had to be accessible 24/7.

It worked… until it didn’t.

Eventually, I burned out. I felt disconnected from the business I had built and resentful of the very thing I used to love.

My energy was drained. My creativity was fading. I was giving so much of myself away that there was nothing left for me.

I had no choice but to look inward and make a shift.

Instead of saying “yes” immediately, I started pausing and using this phrase:

"Let me check my calendar and get back to you."

It’s a small phrase, but it gave me space. Space to check in with my own capacity. To sleep on it and decide if it’s truly something I want to do, be a part of, etc… 

This small phrase helped me to stop making decisions based on people-pleasing and instead, I now make decisions on what truly feels right for me and my business. 

After a while, I couldn’t figure out why I had so much more free time, like it felt wrong. It felt like I was forgetting something or missing a deadline.

But what I was really feeling was the absence of overcommitting. I was feeling the space I had created for myself — and it was a very unfamiliar feeling.

I started going to bed earlier, waking up earlier, and reclaiming my mornings for me. I used that time for creativity, movement, and presence, the things that make me feel most alive. I began running more, trying new workout classes, listening to audiobooks, finding new podcasts and taking long, grounding dog walks. My husband and I even started doing evening walks together, which brought us closer.

I also fell in love with meal prepping, I found myself having time to prep overnight oats, hard-boiled eggs, chicken salad, and then I actually found that I really enjoyed it and started researching quick, clean meal prep ideas that now help both my husband and I feel more focused, energized and it helps us reduce our decision fatigue through the day! 

Setting boundaries didn’t hurt my business. It helped it.

Our business is more aligned than ever. I’m more aligned than ever. And so is my marriage.

I used to think that success meant always being available. Now, I know better.

Success, to me, looks like having time to move my body, space to think clearly, energy to create, and the freedom to say no without guilt. It looks like building a business that supports my life — not consumes it.

So if you’re stuck in that cycle of “yes,” I’ll leave you with this:

You don’t owe everyone your time. You owe yourself your energy.