Creating a calm business as a highly sensitive entrepreneur: lessons from my burnout recovery
Burnout completely reshaped how I do business – and honestly, how I live my life.
In this recent chat on the Sensitive Podcast with Kim Kimball, I shared openly about how burnout shifted my perspective and inspired me to create a calmer, gentler business that truly fits me as a highly sensitive entrepreneur.
What I know to be true: your business can feel calm, aligned, and deeply fulfilling – you just might need to do it a little differently from everyone else.
What we cover:
My personal experience with burnout – the challenges, insights, and exactly what I changed to prioritise my mental health and wellbeing.
How I intentionally created a calm, supportive business model tailored to my needs, allowing me to thrive (and actually enjoy what I do)
My one-week website approach: How I structure my projects to avoid overwhelm and create a calm experience for both myself and my clients.
Simple, actionable steps you can implement right now to create more calm and clarity in your business (and life!).
Why aligning with your core values is the secret to creating a business that genuinely feels good and sustainable, especially if you're highly sensitive.
The practical, intentional life choices and sacrifices I've made to build a business and lifestyle that aligns with my values
Balancing wanderlust and my wellbeing: How slow travel as a digital nomad (hello Thailand and Australia!) helps feed my need for adventure without sacrificing my highly sensitive nervous system and need for calm
Table of Contents
Watch and listen to the interview
Overcoming burnout as a highly sensitive entrepreneur
Timestamp: 00:04:53 - 00:09:40
I’ve experienced three significant burnouts, each one worse than the last, with the most intense one happening in 2018. That period of my life took a huge toll on my health and personal life, forcing me to take a hard look at what was causing the burnout. As a highly sensitive business owner, I realised I wasn’t honouring my nervous system and was pushing myself too hard. My recovery took time, and even today, I have to stay vigilant to prevent slipping back into old patterns. I’ve learned that self-acceptance and constant attunement are essential to avoiding burnout, especially for those of us who are highly sensitive.
How and why I created the one-week website calm business model
Timestamp: 00:15:22 - 00:21:05
To help me thrive as a highly sensitive entrepreneur, I created my one week website model. Instead of dragging out projects for weeks or months, I finish a website in just one week. Some might assume that this sounds like a rushed, stressful process, but it’s actually the opposite. I’ve created a safe, calm, structured container that allows me to focus fully on one client at a time without overwhelming myself. This model not only supports my nervous system, but it also gives my clients a calm, efficient, and personalised experience.
Aligning to your core values to create calm business that supports your highly sensitive nervous system
Timestamp: 00:29:01 - 00:33:42
A huge part of my journey has been learning to align everything in my life—both personally and professionally—with my core values. My values of freedom, minimalism, kindness, personal growth, and community guide every decision I make. Whether it’s where I live, how I run my business, or the projects I take on, I ensure that they reflect what’s most important to me. It wasn’t always easy, but living and working this way feels like an authentic extension of who I am. I encourage others to get clear on their values and use them as a compass to create a more fulfilling life.
The role of rest: building breaks into my business plan to regulate my nervous system
Timestamp: 00:53:45 - 00:55:57
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the need to incorporate rest into my business. This year, I’ve been more intentional about taking breaks by scheduling every second Friday off and including "regulation snacks"—short, two-minute breaks to reset my nervous system—throughout the day. By allowing myself these moments of rest, I’ve been able to protect my well-being and prevent burnout, without sacrificing the quality of my work.
Digital nomad life, slow travel and the need for new experiences
Timestamp: 00:40:21 - 00:45:54
I’ve embraced a lifestyle of slow travel, moving between Australia and Thailand, and I like to call myself a “digital slow mad.” One interesting thing I’ve discovered is that, as a highly sensitive person, I can actually crave stimulation, especially when my environment becomes too routine or under-stimulating. But I’ve learned that balance is key. I slow down my travels, staying in one place for longer periods so that I can enjoy the excitement of new experiences while still giving my nervous system the calm it needs. This slower pace of travel has been incredibly enriching for both my life and my business.
The benefits of kind, ethical and calm web design
Timestamp: 00:22:27 - 00:24:21
In my design work, I’ve become deeply passionate about “kind design,” which benefits not only my clients but their customers and even the planet. I strive to create websites that are easy to navigate and calming to use, which naturally lowers their environmental impact by reducing energy usage. I’ve realised that ethical, kind design isn’t just a trend—it’s a way to align business practices with a more sustainable, thoughtful approach to serving people and the environment.
Personal sacrifices and choices for a feel-good life
Timestamp: 00:57:01 - 01:00:35
I’ve made a lot of intentional choices to live a simpler, more fulfilling life, including financial decisions that allow me to work less and live more. For example, my partner Craig and I lived in a camper van for over a year, and we chose to live in Thailand because the cost of living here allows me to focus on the things that matter to me—my work, my creative pursuits, and my personal growth—without being overwhelmed by expenses. I also made the personal decision not to have children, which has given me more flexibility and freedom. This was a deeply personal choice, and it aligns with the life I want to live, even though I understand it’s a sensitive topic for many women.
Embracing dichotomies and creating space for all parts of who we are
Timestamp: 01:03:00 - 01:04:11
One of the key lessons I’ve learned is how to embrace the dichotomies within myself. I have a strong need for adventure, excitement, and new experiences, but I also crave safety, calm, and structure. For a long time, I thought these two sides of me were in conflict, but I’ve realised that by embracing both, I can find a balance that works. Life isn’t about choosing one over the other—it’s about creating space for all parts of who we are.
Frequently asked questions about being a highly sensitive business owner
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Definitely! As a highly sensitive person myself, I’ve found that understanding my sensitivities and structuring my business around them has been key to success. When you know what your nervous system needs and intentionally build your life and work around those needs, success and fulfilment follow naturally.
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In business, an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) is someone who experiences and processes things deeply, making them more attuned to details, emotions, and subtleties. This heightened sensitivity can be a strength, enabling greater empathy, intuitive decision-making, and thoughtful interactions with clients and colleagues.
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The ideal career for a highly sensitive person often involves flexibility, autonomy, and meaningful work that aligns with their your values. Entrepreneurship has worked well for me because it allows me to control my environment, workload, and schedule, creating conditions that best support my nervous system.
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Being an HSP isn’t something to label as positive or negative. It's simply part of who you are. I've found that when I honour my sensitivities, I can create a work-life balance that supports my wellbeing, creativity, and productivity. It's all about learning to work with your sensitivities rather than against them.
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Jobs that allow autonomy, flexibility, and meaningful engagement – such as writing, consulting, therapy, coaching, or creative roles – often suit HSPs best. I’ve found success in web design because it blends structure with creativity, giving me control over my work environment and the ability to manage my energy effectively.
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In business, being highly sensitive means you process information deeply, notice subtle details, and connect strongly with others' experiences. It also makes you aware of patterns and information that other people might not see. This sensitivity can make you a more innovative, thoughtful, intuitive business owner, helping you create genuine connections with your clients, and create services that are unique, aligned and resonate.
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Preventing burnout as a highly sensitive business owner requires intentional choices around rest, self-care, and workload. In my business, scheduling regular breaks and short pauses throughout the day ("regulation snacks") has been essential for maintaining my energy and preventing overwhelm. Also having a structured system and container that I follow for all my projects helps to keep my nervous system calm.
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Highly sensitive business owners thrive when their businesses align closely with their core values. Identifying my values – freedom, minimalism, kindness, personal growth, and community – has helped me make decisions that feel natural and sustainable, rather than forced or draining. I explain how I worked out what my core values are in this podcast episode.
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Web design can be an excellent career for highly sensitive people because it blends structure and creativity – and it requires super high attention to detail (something we HSPs excel in). In my experience, web design allows me to balance structured processes (like coding and strategy) with creative expression. My one-week website model also supports my sensitive nervous system by providing a safe, boundaried container to create within.
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Overcoming entrepreneurial burnout starts with recognising your personal limits and making intentional changes. HSP burnout recovery can be a slow process – for me, it took over three years to return to physical and emotional health. During that time I had to slow right down, work minimal hours and trial alternative business models that are supportive of my highly sensitive nervous system.
I acknowledge that this can feel incredibly difficult in a world that requires us to earn money and support yourself financially. In this podcast interview I explain how I recovered from burnout while also building a sustainable business.
Burnout can also be a clarifying experience that helps you to get clear on what is truly right for you. Identifying and living by my core values – freedom, minimalism, kindness, personal growth, and community – played a huge role in my recovery.
Ultimately, it’s about creating a business and lifestyle that genuinely honours your needs rather than forcing yourself to fit into someone else's or society’s idea of success.
Resources for highly sensitive business owners
For highly sensitive business owners: Kind and calm one-week websites
For highly sensitive web designers: One-week website design process
Dani Gardner’s The Art of Responding
And don’t forget to follow Kim Kimball Coaching for more interviews like this one!
Are you a website designer looking for a calmer, more sustainable business model?
Explore the one-week website project plan and checklist. The one-week website model is a different way of working. It's a contained, clearly structured process – a safe container in which you and your client move through the project together, calmly and with confidence. Everything happens within a defined timeline, every step is clear and both you and your client always know what comes next.
