Stop Running on Empty: A Guide for Ambitious Women with Fluctuating Energy Levels
Last week I sat with a friend at my kitchen table in tears.
She'd been pushing herself relentlessly, squeezing every drop of herself into each day, for years.
Talented, capable and wildly creative, when her child fell ill over Christmas, she was shocked to discover she simply had nothing left to give.
So here she sat with me - empty, exhausted, frightened.
It took me straight back to my days working in social services, when I supported people with chronic health conditions.
Back then, we taught a powerful approach that changed their lives - and later, transformed my own.
The principle was radical: design your life based on your hardest days, so the good days become a gift rather than a necessity.
Why do I have no energy left for what’s most important?
If you build your life demanding 100% of your energy every single day, you have nothing left when real challenges arise.
Yet that's exactly what most of us do, especially women.
From our earliest years, we're trained to give every last drop of ourselves to everyone and everything day in and day out.
But living constantly at maximum capacity isn't sustainable.
The daily depletion means we don’t build precious reserves inside ourselves.
Reserves to draw upon in true emergencies, and more importantly, for the spontaneous moments of delight and creativity that make life worth living!
Designing life around fluctuating energy levels
As someone with ADHD, my energy and capacity is very changeable.
On high capacity days, my focus and creativity surge - I can complete a month's work in hours, ideas flowing effortlessly.
But on low days, even basic tasks like getting dressed feel overwhelming and hard.
For years I battled against these natural rhythms.
I pushed myself relentlessly to maintain consistent high performance, using 100% effort, believing that was the only path to success.
The result? Complete burnout that forced me to stop everything.
In that painful pause, I realised I had to find a different way to live and work in the world.
Rather than fighting my changeable nature, I began working with it, supporting it.
I redesigned my entire life and business to run smoothly even when I only have 10% capacity. This means that on high energy days, rather than desperately catching up, I get to enjoy riding those waves of creativity and inspiration.
I built regular rest into my schedule. I stopped seeing my quieter periods as failure and started treating them as essential recovery. When my energy naturally ebbs, I lean into that too.
I learnt how to prioritise what truly matters and say no to the rest guilt-free.
The surprising result? Because my life and business can function well even on my lowest days, my high-capacity periods feel expansive and abundant.
I experience more creativity, more ease, and yes - more time itself.
Nature’s Wisdom
I learned this wisdom first through necessity, managing my ADHD.
But nature reinforces it every year.
In Winter, many of us are shown the true state of our reserves.
Right now in winter, the earth isn't frantically producing growth.
Trees stand bare, conserving energy. Soil lies fallow. Everything slows - gathering strength for spring's renewal.
This seasonal rhythm reflects exactly what I discovered in my own life - when I align with natural cycles rather than fighting them, everything flows more easily.
Ideas germinate slowly in the quiet.
Creative possibilities unfold at their own pace.
A richness emerges when I stop forcing, stop rushing, stop demanding peak performance every moment.
This approach isn't theoretical for me - I have to live it daily.
Building my life and business to function on my hardest days has created more space for spontaneity, pleasure and sustainable growth than constant pushing ever did.
Deep in this winter season lies an invitation to question our culture's obsession with perpetual productivity.
What if times of rest and renewal are just as vital as times of vibrant action?
What if we designed our lives to work beautifully at 50% capacity?
Imagine what might become possible when you suddenly find yourself with energy, time and capacity to spare.
What impact would that abundance have on your creativity, your relationships, your life?
Time Alchemy - how to plan when energy levels fluctuate
In response to so many women sharing stories like my friend's, I've created Time Alchemy - a seasonal planning practice born from these hard-won lessons about energy, capacity and natural rhythms.
Through this programme, I'll share my nature-inspired approach to planning that actually feels good.
Together we'll craft a framework that protects your precious energy while making space for your deepest work in the world.
You'll discover how to transform your diary from a source of stress into a sanctuary that guards your time.
I'll teach you practical tools for creating spacious days where you truly show up for what matters most - and let the rest go guilt-free.
This might be exactly what you need if:
you currently spend long hours at your laptop, endlessly adding to your to-do list while feeling like you never quite catch up.
your days slip away into email, admin and social media rather than focusing on the work that lights you up.
the constant juggle of tasks and responsibilities leaves you drained and yearning for a simpler, more meaningful way.
Your dreams for 2025 matter deeply.
More than a list of goals, they deserve a schedule that nourishes and supports them.
Join me to create spacious days where your bold ambitions and need for softness can both flourish.
