How High-Achieving Women Can Avoid Business Owner Burnout with Britt Carron

Burnout can look like success from the outside: a packed calendar, clients coming in, and a business you built from scratch. But when you’re the CEO, the project manager, the marketing team, the client support desk, and the operations department all at once, your business starts to run on your nervous system. Jenny sits down with Britt Karen of East Point Virtual Solutions to name the hidden realities of business owner burnout, especially for high-achieving women entrepreneurs who have learned to measure worth through productivity.

We dig into the difference between temporary stress and real burnout, including the subtle signs many of us ignore: simple tasks feeling weirdly exhausting, decision fatigue, emotional reactivity, procrastination, and that constant sense of being behind no matter how hard you work. Britt explains why burnout often shows up when a business outgrows its support and structure, and how the “just push harder” mindset can keep you stuck in survival mode for years.

Then we get practical about sustainable growth. We talk delegation that actually lightens the load, how an online business manager or fractional operations strategist can help you stop being the bottleneck, and why people pleasing quietly fuels burnout through over-delivering and weak boundaries. You’ll also hear concrete boundary ideas around communication expectations, timelines, and designing offers that fit your real capacity.

If you’re ready to protect your energy and build a business that supports your life, listen now, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review. Then take Britt’s “What’s Actually Slowing Your Revenue Right Now” audit and book a free discovery call with Jenny to find your next best step.

Read more here!

Transcript

Welcome And A Quick Invite

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Crack this with Copit with me. Jimmy Mauro. This first service piece. We're ready to turn our power. Each week we'll dive into how to transform what you already do. Yep. Support programs, products, and platforms while building a business that supports your life, not the other way around. If you're ready to move beyond trading time for money and build profit with intention, you're in the right place.

Jenny 0:35

Have you ever looked at the business you worked so hard to build and realized you're completely exhausted by it? In today's episode, we're talking about the hidden realities of business owner burnout, why high-achieving women are especially vulnerable to it, and how to create success without constantly running on empty. Joining me is Brittany Karen, and this conversation is going to challenge the way that you think about productivity, rest, and sustainable growth. Now, before we jump in, you're gonna hear us talking about blind spots and bottlenecks. And I often find that my clients have these blind spots in knowing where the next step is for them to take their business. If you are someone listening and you know that you have those bottlenecks and those blind spots, I want you to book a free discovery call with me so that we can figure out what the logical next steps would be for you in your business.

Meet Britt And The OBM Role

Jenny 1:31

All right, let's jump in. Hi, Britt. How are you? Welcome to the podcast. Hi, I'm doing great. I'm so excited to be here with you today. Yes, I am super excited to have this conversation about how high achieving women can avoid business owner burnout. But before we actually jump into that, will you introduce yourself and your business to my audience?

SPEAKER_02 1:54

Absolutely. So my name is Britt Karen, and my business is East Point Virtual Solutions. And I'm an online business manager and fractional operations strategist for established service providers who have everything in their head, who are running everything on their own, but they have all the clients coming in and all different types of things going throughout their day. And they just can't hold it all together anymore. So I'm the one that comes in and as their partner and helps them run everything, make sure everything's operating well and help them with their systems and tech and all that good stuff.

Jenny 2:29

Yes. And so needed because that's often the thing that I hear from my clients is they get to a point where they end up being the bottleneck because nothing can get past them. So someone like you is perfect because they no longer can be that creative CEO and you can make all the things work for them. So I love what you are doing. Oh, thank you. Yeah, that's exactly right. Yep. Excellent.

Why Burnout Hits Women Hard

Jenny 2:53

So business owner burnout has become incredibly common, especially for women entrepreneurs. What do you think is really driving it?

SPEAKER_02 3:03

Honestly, I think a lot of women entrepreneurs are carrying way more than they were ever meant to carry alone. Um, somewhere along the way, we started believing that the harder we work, the more successful we'll become. And so now many women feel like they have to be everything at once: the CEO, project manager, client support, marketing team, operations department, and still somehow have a personal life too. So a lot of the women I talk to are incredibly capable, but their business just depends on them remembering everything, managing everything, holding everything together mentally. And that level of pressure eventually just catches up to you. Like burnout isn't always because someone isn't good at business. A lot of it's because the business has outgrown the level of support and structure behind it.

Jenny 3:55

Love that. So very true. I think that that's an excellent way of describing it. And I think too, I love that you brought in the personal side of things because I think we also carry so much as women outside of our businesses that if we are putting all of our time and energy into our business, the other aspects kind of end up taking a hit and it can feel like we're very isolated. Absolutely.

Stress Versus Burnout In Real Life

Jenny 4:21

So, how can someone tell the difference between being temporarily stressed and actually heading toward burnout?

SPEAKER_02 4:29

This is such a great question. I love, I really love this question. Um, temporary stress, in my opinion, usually feels seasonal or situational. So maybe you're in a launch or onboarding clients or navigating a busy season, but like underneath it all, you still feel connected to yourself and your business. But like burnout feels heavier than that. It just starts showing up in like little things like tasks. It used to feel suddenly like used to feel easy, suddenly feel exhausting. So you avoid those things that you normally wouldn't avoid. And decision making feels harder. The brain just feels overloaded all the time. And honestly, a lot of women I work with don't even realize how burnt out they are because they're in operating and survival mode for so long that it starts to just feel like a normal everyday type thing. So that's usually where the point where support systems and operational structure come in handy.

When Productivity Becomes Self Worth

Jenny 5:28

So one of the things that you said earlier that I very much started shaking my head to as soon as you said it was the idea that high achieving women often tie their worth to their productivity. How does that mindset contribute to burnout?

SPEAKER_02 5:44

So I see this constantly with high achieving women. It's very normal to you know happen, but there's like this belief that if we slow down or if we ask for help or aren't constantly producing, there's somehow like they're somehow failing or not doing enough. So productivity becomes tied to self-worth. And I think it shows up heavily when it comes to delegation too. A lot of women feel guilty about handing things off because they think, well, if I'm not doing it myself and I'm not really working that hard, you know, or so instead of getting support, they just continue to carry everything themselves. But the reality is trying to do every role in your business forever is usually what creates the burnout in the first place. So sustainable growth, you know, is really helpful with support. So it just requires letting yourself stop being the person holding the business together.

Jenny 6:39

Yes, I can attribute the similar ideas for myself where my the days that I'm busiest, the days where I'm going from one call to the next call to the next call, I am feel more like in my skin, like that's what I should be doing. And then by the end of the night, I'm exhausted, where it's all it just takes too much out of me. But the mindset is there of that productivity. And I think it for some of us ties back to the way that we grew up and what was expected. And you got that shiny gold star when you completed your task. So I think some of it's generational. Um, but yeah, it definitely has a tendency to show up for sure.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

Totally agree with everything you just said. Yeah, that's absolutely a fact right there.

Early Signs You Keep Ignoring

Jenny 7:29

So, what are some of the early warning signs that women's business owners tend to ignore that they're on the brink of burnout?

SPEAKER_02 7:39

Um, it's a lot of the things that um they ignore are usually the first signs are subtle, you know, like simple tasks start feeling mentally exhausting, kind of like you were you were saying, like you procrastinate with things. And um, you know, you start feeling constantly behind no matter how much you're working. So decision fatigue kicks in and you become emotionally reactive or disconnect from your business altogether, which I'm gonna be transparent, has happened to me at one point. It's I've absolutely been there. So, you know, a lot of women ignore these signs because they think they just need to push walk harder or become more disciplined, or just burnout is often less about laziness. It's in my opinion, it's not, but you know, more it's more about caring too much for too long without the structure, you know.

Jenny 8:30

Yes. I think one of the signs I had noticed was I thought I was getting uh dementia because I was forgetting things, like normal, common, just next steps because there were so many plates spinning that even like every day I couldn't remember where I put my keys or my glasses or whatever it might be. It was always like very basic, kind of not knowing where things were, I was easily forgetting.

SPEAKER_02 8:59

Yes. And that that I'm I'm right there with you. That has happened to me before. And it was almost at the point where I was like, oh, I missed paying a bill, which is not, which is not good in in real life.

Jenny 9:11

Yes, absolutely.

Why Changes Happen Too Late

Jenny 9:13

So why do so many entrepreneurs wait until they're completely exhausted before making changes?

SPEAKER_02 9:20

I think that part of it is asking for help can feel really vulnerable. Your business is like is personal. You've built it from the ground up. Um, so bringing someone into the back end or any changes in your business requires a lot of trust. But I think that a lot of women normalize exhaustion because we've just been in this hustle mode for so long. They just keep telling themselves, no, once I get to this next launch, or once things slow down, but things usually don't slow down on their own, which is a good and bad thing, right? So a lot of you know, people that I work with are in this spot. And you when you build systems in your business and they function well, then you know, you don't hit that burnout piece.

Delegation That Actually Lightens The Load

Jenny 10:07

Yes. Yeah, I definitely could not agree more. I think for a lot of us, it's just not only being able to ask for help, but feeling as if bringing someone on is an added task because now I have to go through and know all my systems and teach someone else about my audience and the way that we write our copy and just the way that we do things. So, as someone that potentially is already exhausted, the idea of having to bring someone else in just feels like another thing that I'm adding to my plate. How do we get past that feeling? Because I know that that's definitely some of my listeners, my clients have said that to me. It's more work to bring someone in to help, to be able to figure out are there steps that they should take prior to you trying to bring someone in so that it won't feel so overwhelming.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

Love this question. So just to answer all the bits here, I do hear you on this and I do hear this piece like all the response. I feel like that's another part of it. It's a mental part, right? If you if you find an online business manager and they and you connect with them and um they are skilled in what they do, you need to try to find a way to just again relieve yourself of responsibility because that's their job. Their job is to make your life easier, not harder. So if they're making your life harder, that is probably not, you know what I mean? So I know that it's overwhelming, but the the best piece of advice I can give you if you're wanting to bring someone like me into your business, is I want you to look at all of the things going in your business and decide what you don't want to do anymore. You know, make a list of what you don't want to do, what you want to get rid of, and then make also make a list of the things that you love to do. And all the things that you don't want to do anymore, um, a lot of that is mostly back-end operational systems, tech, you know, uh projects or things flying around that you would really like to get done, but never seem to have time to do. Those are all things that I do. Um, and so, you know, the setup would be if you come into a situation where you're like, I want to get an online business manager, make this list and you're gonna say, Hey, online business manager, I want you to, I want someone to do all of these things for me so that I can focus on my clients or whatever other piece of your business you want to focus on to. And from that moment on, your life gets easier. That's that's what happens. It's not, it seems like it might be more responsibility, but it's it's just bringing someone in and having them come in and soak up everything. But if you have the right person, you you won't be in that state. And um, what I would say is I would speak for on all online business management. I say that's our job. Our job is to make your life easier, not more overwhelming or hard. So um we that's what we would add to your plate is just making things easier, not making it harder.

Hiring Help With Your Existing Tools

Jenny 13:20

So, how would it work then for the software that many of us have in place? For example, um, our email marketing, some people use mail or light, some people use flow desk, some people are using kit. Should we be looking for a business manager that understands each piece of the softwares that we're using? What is the best way to go about with that?

SPEAKER_02 13:43

This is a good question. And this depends on an online business manager, but generally speaking, uh, we all kind of major or specialize in one part on top of operations, right? So, but as an online business manager myself, I am very familiar with all aspects of the online business and how it works and how it flows, all the different tech and uh things like that that need to go into having an online successful online business. So, like for example, I've been in 10 different CRMs, client relationship management systems. Right. Um, so they all, in my opinion, have the same basic structure. They all kind of operate and work differently. But I wouldn't say, in my personal opinion, it depends. But most of the time, if you're in this role that I'm in, you you have to kind of jump in to just be flexible. It's kind of how the game works.

Jenny 14:40

How

People Pleasing And Boundary Basics

Jenny 14:41

does people pleasing show up in entrepreneurship? And how does it fuel burnout?

SPEAKER_02 14:47

People pleasing shows up everywhere, I feel like in business. So I see women reshaping their offers around what they think clients want instead of what they actually feel aligned with. Like I see over-delivering constantly, you know, always being available, answering messages at all hours, saying yes to things that they don't want to do, um, and avoiding like those boundaries because they don't want to disappoint people. So, and eventually they wake up running a business that completely drains them. And I mean, that's why, you know, that's that's the the crux of it really. Um protect your energy by protecting those things.

Jenny 15:29

Um, and that would be how I feel would be the best in combating the people pleasing problem. Okay, so you brought up boundaries, which I'm so excited about because I think that this is just so important to what we need to be doing. So, what are some of the boundaries that every business owner should have in place in order to protect their energy?

SPEAKER_02 15:51

So your offers, I feel, and I see this a lot, but should be built about around what actually works for your life and capacity, not just around, like I said, what other people, you know, want from you. I would say, and from the get-go, make sure you are very clear about your communication, how you communicate, when you communicate, exactly what you're delivering to them and your timelines and pricing in the beginning. Um, and honestly, you know, delegation is also another boundary because it's sometimes protecting your own energy means accepting that, you know, we want to be superwoman, but you know, we we want to focus on other things and not everything all at once in in our head, you know.

Jenny 16:35

So um those are my big ones. Yes, I would totally agree. My number one is always how are you going to communicate? Because the expectation just becomes, oh, the phone's in my hands, it's so easy and accessible. I have to answer every single thing at every hour as soon as it comes in. Um, and I think that you have to put that in place not only for your clients and audience, but also for yourself. Because if you don't put it in place for yourself, you're going to end up running into issues with your family because you're on your phone at all hours looking and answering and working. Um, so yes, that would that's a huge one for me for sure.

The Bottleneck Audit And Wrap Up

Jenny 17:17

So, Brett, tell me about your audit, what's actually slowing your revenue right now that you offer? What can people expect to get from that? We're gonna make sure to link to that in the show notes.

SPEAKER_02 17:29

Perfect. Yeah. Um, so the audit is it's it's a short quiz where you go through and it establishes what kind of business owner you are. Like what is the bottleneck in your business and what are the best next steps for you as a business owner with the results that uh you're given. So, you know, it's it's a very, it's a very fun quiz. Um, and it's very valuable because we don't always know, you know, we can tell everyone else, you know, oh, you're this kind of, this is what your problem is. But it's good to be able to kind of look at yourself like, you know what, yeah, that makes sense. Um, you know, uh it's it's really helpful um and makes it a lot easier to really see a you know the beginnings of the bigger picture of what's going on.

Jenny 18:20

We often missed those blind spots that we don't even realize that we have. So I love that your quiz will actually do that. So we're going to link to that. Make sure that you all listening go and take that quiz. I think you'll be very interested to see what is actually the bottleneck and what the issues are. Brit, I appreciate you so much for taking the time to speak with me and share your knowledge with my audience. Absolutely. It was great to talk with you. Thank you so much. Of course.