Sustainable Boundaries to Help Break Up with Hustle Culture with Christi Johnson

Imagine finally hitting that revenue milestone you dreamed about for years.

You’ve scaled, you’ve hired, and you created a calendar so full it looked like success on paper. And yet, instead of feeling elated, you’re struggling to sleep, panicking over inbox pings, and wondering how in the world you’re supposed to keep this going.

This is the story of Christi Johnson, and it might be yours, too.

When Christi joined me on the Chasing Simple podcast, she shared the incredibly vulnerable journey of building a thriving business—only to crash headfirst into complete burnout. From a $10K month to a total nervous system shutdown, her story is one that far too many entrepreneurs silently relate to.

But Christi’s not just sharing her story. She’s leading the charge in helping creative and neurodivergent entrepreneurs build joy-driven businesses through one powerful strategy: sustainable boundaries.

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Stop into my YouTube channel for weekly videos about all things content marketing
• Checkout Christi’s Burnout Proof Your Business Planner & Boundaries Toolkit
• Join the Dream Biz Lab for group coaching, private coaching, exclusive trainings and podcasts from Christi Johnson and start setting sustainable boundaries today.
• Action Step: Get curious next time you feel stressed or anxious. Don’t just acknowledge it, unpack it.
• Book Rec: The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
• Want your own live coaching session? Apply here
• Find me on Instagram and tell me what you thought of this episode: @mrsamandawarfield

Why Hustle Culture Doesn’t Stop Once You’ve “Made It”

One of the most profound parts of our conversation was this: hustle culture doesn’t magically disappear once you’ve hit your goals. In fact, it often sneaks in louder and more insistently the more successful you become.

For Christi, that looked like:

• Scaling her team with family members
  
• Filling her calendar with back-to-back client work
  
• Ignoring early signs of anxiety and sleeplessness

Eventually, her body and brain said, “Enough.”

Burnout forced her to step away from her business for six months. And what she discovered in that stillness became the foundation for everything she teaches now.

What Are Sustainable Boundaries?

Sustainable boundaries aren’t just about work hours or blocking off a weekend. They’re boundaries that support your energy, mental health, and how your specific brain operates.

They’re not what everyone else says you should be doing—they’re what actually works for you.

Christi breaks boundaries into three types:

• Time Boundaries: When and how often you work (think: no meetings before 11 am, or no-meeting weeks)
  
• Work Boundaries: The type of work you will and won’t take on (example: only taking projects that energize you)
  
• Communication Boundaries: How people can reach you and what channels you use (example: using one form for all client requests)

And the key to finding these? Listening to your body.

How to Start Setting Sustainable Bound