Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Emily Schickli, CEO of Mind Body Dharma, located in Redwood City, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I'm a Self-Care and Intuition Coach who guides busy, stressed-out humans to turn their everyday busyness into magic through the power of bite-sized self-care. In my coaching programs, courses, and book, I swirl together habit psychology, neuroscience, energetics, and intuition to support my clients in shifting their three core relationships to their time, energy, and emotions. My clients have doubled their energy and increased their ability to manage their time by 1.5x, resulting in promotions, deeper relationships, renewed purpose, new businesses, and greater inner peace.

Tell us about yourself

I hit rock-bottom burnout eight years ago. I was working 14+ hour days at an education technology startup, trying to prove myself, and gradually throwing my nervous system out of balance. After a year of nonstop working, I developed chronic migraines, gut issues, myofascial pain, and other symptoms. It was then that I realized I couldn't continue in the way that I was working, so I sought help. I worked with doctors, energy workers, therapists, coaches, an acupuncturist...you name it, I tried it.

I also conducted my own research and trial and error, and eventually, I figured out what worked. Once I healed and regained equilibrium, I knew I needed to teach what I'd learned so I could help prevent others from falling into the years of recovery that I went through (and maybe even avoid burnout in the first place).

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is publishing my print book: Busyness to Magic: The 95-Day Journal-Planner! Its release date on Amazon is May 19th, 2022, and I couldn't be more thrilled. You can learn more about it here.

This Journal-Planner guides busy humans on a 95-day adventure to turn overwhelmed, busyness, and burnout into a more magical life. In its pages, I share my 3-step process to step out of the busyness to burnout pipeline and provide the space and tools to put it into practice. It includes monthly calendar spreads, weekly bite-sized adventures, daily trackers, a bite-sized self-care index, journal prompts, and more!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

I would say that one of the hardest things with being a business owner who is passionate about my mission and work is to make sure to walk the walk and "turn off" at the end of the day. Especially because I love what I do and have a lot of opportunities to get creative and use my natural talents, it can be tempting to keep dreaming and doing and thinking about business all the time! However, as a self-care coach, I recognize that it's so important to "unplug" and spend time away from work. One of my favorite ways to do that besides spending time with loved ones is picking up a good book and always making time for a fun workout.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. You don't need to quit your job. Find the extra day, the money, or the energy to start a business. The key is just to start. We can come up with all kinds of blockers for our dreams, but they are usually driven by fears designed to keep us in our comfort zones. Starting a business is uncomfortable. It will test you beyond comprehension, but it's also incredibly rewarding when aligned.
  2. Forget the rules. It's taken me four years to get to the point where I realized that many (if not all) of the "rules" that people tell you about how to start a business or how you have to show up online or on which channels don't have to be true. As a business owner, you get to design your life and your business in a way that fuels you. It doesn't need to look like your old job or your friend's passion project. That's the joy of being a business owner! Let your heart guide you and do what feels good.
  3. Get help early and often. Even if you can't hire a VA or subcontractor, start making friends with others around you or online in similar niches and spaces. Support in business is so key. You can barter with friends for help on projects and share ideas with other business owners to get input. No one actually builds a business alone, and it's way more fun when you don't.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Wherever you are in your journey, remember that life's rules are made up, and YOU get to write them. No post, blog, or friend can dictate your life, journey, or business unless you let them. You have more say and creative freedom than you may think you have right now, and shifting your mindset to allow for that can be a powerful start to a more expansive way of being.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.mindbodydharma.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bitesizedselfcare
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindbodydharma/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyschickli/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.