Why Your Wellbeing is the Foundation of a Sustainable Creative Career (And Why We Ignore It at Our Peril)
The hidden cost of ignoring your emotional and physical health
We talk about wellbeing a lot, but what does it actually mean in practice? When I say wellbeing, I mean both your physical and emotional health. And I consider it one of the four essential ingredients to building a long-lasting, successful career or business if you’re a freelance creative, entrepreneur, or consultant.
Why? Because it impacts everything else.
When Success Comes at the Cost of Your Wellbeing
I worked with someone recently who has built an incredibly successful online business over the last 12 months. They’ve grown a huge following, created brilliant content, and built an impressive waiting list, the dream scenario for launching an online business.
But behind the scenes? They were having mini panic attacks.
At first, they didn’t understand why. On the surface, everything was going right. The numbers were great, the engagement was high, and people were ready to buy when they launched. Yet their body was telling them something else. It was screaming slow down.
The problem was, they weren’t listening. Their strategy was clear, their deadlines were ambitious, and they were working toward launching their product as fast as possible. But they had left behind a stable, employed job with a guaranteed income, and the uncertainty of whether this new business would actually work was weighing on them.
So their body started waving a red flag: You can’t keep pushing like this. Their nervous system was in overdrive, and it was starting to shut down.
The Myth of the Perfect Routine
Another client (a successful creative) was struggling with how to structure their time. They needed to carve out space for their creative work, but the people around them (especially those with 9–5 jobs) assumed they were available all the time. They didn’t understand what it really takes to show up and perform at a high level - how much solo time, practice, and focus is required to play an incredible gig, write a great piece of music, or deliver a powerful performance.
So, they designed a routine, a brilliant, structured plan that would, in theory, solve everything.
But in practice? It didn’t work.
Because they hadn’t accounted for the reality of being human.
Their schedule didn’t leave room for waking up and realising they needed to move a little slower that day. It didn’t allow for shifts in energy, unexpected distractions, or creative impulses that pulled them in a different direction. It was rigid, and instead of feeling like a helpful structure, it became another source of pressure.
The result? Frustration, stress, and, ironically the very lack of focus they were trying to avoid.
The Missing Ingredient: Space
In both of these cases, my clients were missing one crucial thing: space.
Space to breathe. Space to check in with themselves. Space to step away from work and recalibrate.
Without it, everything else starts to fall apart.
When you run your own business or work freelance, your income can be unpredictable. There’s always another email to send, another project to finish, another opportunity to chase. It’s easy to believe that pushing harder is the only way forward.
But if you’re constantly running on empty, your body will find a way to stop you. It starts with small signs, anxiety, exhaustion, difficulty concentrating. If ignored, it escalates into something bigger, like panic attacks or complete burnout. And when you reach that point, recovering takes far longer than if you’d just built in space to rest before you hit the wall.
Wellbeing is Non-Negotiable
This is why wellbeing is one of the four essential ingredients of building a sustainable career or business, alongside:
Your relationship with money (because financial anxiety impacts everything)
Your strategy (because without a clear plan, it’s easy to burn yourself out doing everything)
Your network (because connection and support are key to longevity
It’s easy to push wellbeing to the bottom of the list, to prioritise the 'important' things: strategy, numbers, growth. But if you’re constantly anxious, overwhelmed, or running on fumes, it will catch up with you.
So, if any of this resonates, here’s my reminder to you:
Take a break. Go outside. Move your body. Eat something nourishing. Put your phone down for a bit.
And above all, give yourself space.
Trust that everything you’re working toward will still be there when you return.
Let me know, where do you need to create more space in your life and work?
Till soon!
Jennie x
P.S. If you want to book a quick virtual cuppa then just reply to this email or grab a time in my calendar [HERE].
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