Alisha Robertson's Simple & Spacious Business

On unlearning the fast-paced, hustle culture way of running a business...

I’ve been following Alisha’s work online for almost a decade now - it was way back in 2015 when we first connected when I interviewed her for one of my very first podcast episodes! - and watching her evolution over the years meant that she was top of my list for people to interview for this new series about fellow awesome business owners also choosing a slower, gentler, more human approach to business.

Alisha runs Mind Body Brand, a community to support women entrepreneurs to prioritize rest while managing the chaos of life and business and also writes awesome weekly newsletters over on her Substack, Doing Life Well, where she shares musings on entrepreneurship, rest, and how we can cultivate a life outside of the hustle.

I loved reading Alisha’s perspective here on opting out of hustle culture and embracing more ease, joy, and flow in her business and I’m excited for you to be inspired by her journey too…

Tell us a little more about you, your work, and the life you’re living right now…

I am a mama, wife, and recovering "workaholic." When I'm not playing dress up or watching way too many episodes of Bluey with my 4-year-old, I am working on my company, Mind Body Brand. Through MBB my mission is to encourage women entrepreneurs to prioritize rest while managing the chaos of life and business. After years of flowing in and out of burnout, I want to show women entrepreneurs the importance of putting themselves first, even when they don't feel like they have time to. I've also fallen back in love with writing and share a lot about my journey on Substack!

What type of season are you in in your business and life? Gentle growth? Recalibration? Enjoying what you’ve already built? Healing from burnout?

Right now I would say that I am in a season of embracing joy and happily being a beginner again. I closed up my coaching business over a year ago and spent a year healing from burnout and figuring out what I wanted to do next. Now I'm focusing on adding more of what brings me joy into my life and business. That looks like trying out different hobbies with no pressure of trying to eventually monetize them and also focusing on creating products in my business that I love instead of being fully focused on what's currently trendy or what will sell well.

What does ease, joy, and freedom mean to you in your work and life?

Ease, joy, and freedom for me means being able to dictate how I schedule and manage my day and being able to pivot without feeling guilty about it. I've learned the importance of listening to my body and what it needs so being able to make shifts as needed in my work and life is what I consider an easeful and joyful life.

What’s the most impactful decision you’ve made in your business to bring more flexibility, spaciousness, or ease into your working life?

The most impactful decision that I've made in my business is changing how I schedule my weeks and days. I take off Mondays so that I can have the day to myself and am very protective of that time. I also choose to ease into my day versus jumping right into work after doing school drop-off. This allows me to go through my morning routine with ease and then start work without feeling frazzled. It's the complete opposite of how I was running my business before and it has truly changed my mental health for the better.

What has been the biggest obstacle for you in creating more ease, flexibility, and joy in your business and how have you overcome it?

I believe my biggest obstacle has been unlearning the fast-paced, hustle culture way of running a business. I am so used to trying to do more and be better that slowing down often still feels foreign to me. I've also had to do a lot of mindset work around embracing slow growth and reminding myself that I'm not missing out on anything by making rest a priority.

What’s an ‘industry norm’ or conventional piece of entrepreneurial wisdom or advice that you’ve opted out of to make your business and life work best for you?

The idea of showing up every day.

Instead of stressing myself out trying to figure out what to say and how to say it, I try to focus more on showing up when I have something impactful to say. I've also stepped away from feeling like everything I share online has to be about my business or selling a product. I enjoy sharing bits of my personal life and how I'm pivoting which most probably won't look at as "strategic."

If someone was exploring how they could bring more ease, joy, and flexibility into their business and life what would your encouragement be for them?

I would encourage them to put more focus inward instead of paying attention to what is going on around them. You know what you want to do and you have everything you need to make it happen. But ease, joy, and flexibility won't happen if you're chasing someone else's idea of success. You have to start trusting yourself!

And finally: what’s something that you’ve read, watched, or listened to recently that’s brought you joy?

I recently watched Orion and the Dark on Netflix and it's one of those movies that I wish I would have had when I was a kid. It perfectly sums up what fear looks like in our lives and how we often allow it to hold us back. But also explains how to begin pushing past it. I believe I enjoyed it way more than my four-year-old did.

You can connect more with Alisha’s awesome work over at Mind Body Brand and her Substack, Doing Life Well, too.

And if you’d love to dig deeper into what a simple and spacious business looks like for you? I have an awesome 3-part deep dive kit that’s 100% free for you to work through at whatever pace works best for you.

Until next time,

Jen