Business With Chronic Illness: CEO Women For Sustainable Growth and Burnout Support

Business With Chronic Illness: CEO Women For Sustainable Growth and Burnout Support

Running a business while living with chronic illness is not easy, and most business advice ignores the reality of burnout, living with autoimmune disorders, unpredictable energy, and navigating everyday health and wellness while starting and growing a business. That’s why this podcast is designed to help you build a business that works with your body, not against it. If you’re a woman entrepreneur, creative, or CEO navigating chronic illness, burnout, or healing and recovering from hustle culture, this show is for you. Every week, host Nikita Williams brings you simple, sustainable business strategies rooted in her four core content pillars: • Business Systems and Operations: capacity-first planning, automation, and flare-proof operations. • Sustainable Marketing and Sales: creative, voice-first strategies like podcasting that convert without social burnout. • Mindset & Life with Chronic Illness: stories, resets, and tools to honor your health and energy. • Empowering Entrepreneur Stories: real women building profitable businesses with chronic illness. Expect a mix of coaching insights, practical strategies, and inspiring interviews delivered with warmth, realness, and the reminder that rest is a strategy and you can be successful at whatever pace you have right now. As a globally-ranked podcast host (top 2.5%), award-winning business coach, and speaker, Nikita has built a six-figure business while navigating endometriosis, Hashimoto’s, Fibromyalgia, and chronic pain. She’s helped hundreds of women say yes to building profitable businesses that align with their health, life, and values. Featured guests include thought leaders like Jasmine Star, Danielle Bayard Jackson, Natasha Samuel, and more. Business With Chronic Illness is where women come to find support, clarity, and simple strategies to grow without the hustle. Follow the show now so you don’t miss an episode, and visit craftedtothrive.com to learn more, grab free resources, and join the community.

Episodes

October 10, 2025 59 mins

What if the key to building a sustainable business with chronic illness isn't working harder, but setting better boundaries? In this episode, Brenda Snow, an Amazon Best Selling Author, shares how she built a 420-person company over 30 years while managing MS (Multiple Sclerosis) - without sacrificing her health or burning out.

If you're living with chronic illness and running a business, you know the struggle:

You feel like you need...

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Can you really grow your business when you’re living with chronic illness, burnout, or limited capacity? Absolutely, if your content helps people make informed decisions, you don't have to focus on or obsess about downloads.

In this episode of Business with Chronic Illness, with host Nikita Williams. I’m sharing how I signed clients from my podcast while I was healing from endometriosis and recovering from surgery, and how I tu...

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    Think you need to work 60-hour weeks to build a successful freelance business with chronic illness or burnout? Amanda Bourbonais proves otherwise. After a severe chronic Lyme disease crisis forced her to leave corporate life, she built a six-figure copywriting business working just 20-25 hours per week, and she's maintained that rhythm for five years.

    In this episode, Amanda shares how she turned rock bottom into a business foundati...

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    When I first started my coaching business, I had maybe 30 minutes of energy in a day. And while the online world told me I needed to post multiple times a day, go to endless networking events, and keep up with algorithms, I simply couldn’t.

    What I did know? Connection creates sales.

    In this episode, I’m sharing the 30-Minute-a-Day Connection Strategy I used to build a six-figure business while living with chronic illness and how it b...

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    In this episode of Business with Chronic Illness, I'm joined by Jason Winters, an energy alignment coach and EFT tapping practitioner, to talk about the warning signs that your business is built out of alignment, especially important for entrepreneurs managing chronic illness and unpredictable energy levels.

    Jason opens up about his experience with rapid business growth that felt unsustainable, from lowering his prices out of fear t...

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    Selling doesn’t have to feel hard, especially when you're navigating the challenges of chronic illness or burnout.

    In today’s episode, we dive into the three key problems that often keep us from converting leads into sales and how to tackle them with what I call the rooted sales process. We discuss the emotional and physical challenges that can make selling feel pushy or draining, leading to feelings of inadequacy and frustration. Y...

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    What happens when your growing business starts demanding more than your body can give?

    In this episode of Business with Chronic Illness, I'm joined by Stephanie DiPisa, founder of Solara Suncare, mom of three, and Chronic Lyme advocate, to talk about the hard but necessary truth: sometimes the best thing for your business is doing less, not more.

    Stephanie opens up about launching her first business at 40 with no beauty industry expe...

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    Ever been told to "just journal it out" and felt completely stuck? You're not broken—you're just trying to force a system that wasn't designed for your brain, body, or energy.

    In this episode, I'm sharing why writing feels impossible when you're burned out (spoiler: it's not a mindset problem), the neuroscience behind why speaking works better than writing for many of us, and my Voice-First Content Strategy that's changed everything...

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    What happens when your capacity looks different every single day, but your business still has to keep moving forward?

    In this episode of Business with Chronic Illness, I’m joined by Ashley Carlson, an agency owner, mom of two, and chronic illness advocate, to talk about the hard but freeing truth: you can do anything, but you can’t do everything.

    Ashley opens up about building and growing her agency while navigating multiple chronic ...

    In this powerful conversation, Justine opens up about how living with multiple autoimmune conditions for over 20 years didn't limit her business success—it became her secret weapon. From closing $5K sales calls from hospital beds to building a thriving consultancy, Justine shares why chronic illness taught her the exact skills that make entrepreneurs unstoppable.

    What You'll Walk Away With:

    • The "Never Be Outsold" mindset...
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    In this heartfelt and wisdom-packed conversation, Nikita sits down with entrepreneur and community builder Pallavi Pande, founder of Dtcos and Dtcos Consulting. Pallavi shares how growing up in India, navigating chronic pain, and honoring her cultural values led her to build not one but two purpose-driven businesses while parenting and caregiving in a multi-generational household.

    Whether you're living with chronic illness, burnout,...

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    Is food guilt quietly draining your capacity to show up in parts of your life and business?

    In this episode, we explore what cravings, restriction, and shame around food might be trying to tell you not just about your body, but about your business.

    I’m joined by integrative nutrition health coach Laura Banks, who shares her personal journey from hiding candy wrappers in her classroom to helping women heal their relationship with food...

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    If you’re trying to make money while managing chronic illness, this episode is your gentle nudge and grounded strategy all in one.

    Whether you’re dreaming of replacing your income, supporting your household, or finally getting paid for the work you love—this episode breaks down how to create a business that supports both your health and your bank account.

    I’m walking you through 3 essential shifts that have helped me (and my clients)...

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    If you’ve ever felt like you were just trying to hold it all together… this episode is a soft landing.

    Whether you’re navigating grief, chronic illness, trauma, or life just isn’t turning out the way you imagined, this is a conversation about what happens when you’re no longer okay, and the blueprint for “moving on” doesn’t fit your reality.

    This week on the podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Amanda Guin a compassionate emotional intelligenc...

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    Have you ever wondered how someone builds an entire haircare brand without any outside investors while navigating cancer, health challenges, and life constantly interrupting their plans?

    In this episode, I’m talking with Lynn Power, founder of Masami, a clean haircare brand built from the ground up. Lynn shares her journey of launching and growing multiple businesses while dealing with:

    ✨ A cancer diagnosis that changed everything

    ✨ T...

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    In today’s episode, we’re exploring a question so many women with chronic illness as entrepreneurs may avoid asking themselves:

    Is denial about your health keeping my business – and your life – stuck or even limiting my growth?

    I sit down with Diane Hinds, an entertainment publicist, creative producer, and author, who opens up about how denial shaped her early years living with sickle cell disease and how it nearly cost her everythin...

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    Drawing from personal experiences and the latest research, we delve into the profound impact of working with chronic illness in entrepreneurship. This episode is all about shifting the narrative around how we approach business as women living with chronic conditions. We discuss the importance of recognizing that our health should dictate our work style, not the other way around. By challenging the status quo of 'always being on,' w...

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    If you’re navigating chronic illness, burnout, or just done with hustle culture—but still want to grow a profitable, purpose-driven business—this conversation is for you.

    In this episode, I’m joined by podcast strategist Isabella Sanchez Castañeda for a deep dive into how long-form content like podcasting is becoming essential for business growth in 2025. We explore how podcasting supports sustainable marketing, deeper visibility, a...

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    If you’ve been told that lead generation means pitching constantly, being visible everywhere, or following a one-size-fits-all funnel strategy… this episode is going to feel like a deep breath.

    In this solo episode, I share the most powerful (and overlooked) way to grow your audience, build trust, and attract aligned clients — through the sustainable and soul-led path of community and collaboration.

    Whether you're just starting out o...

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