Sustainable Leadership and Anti-Burnout Coaching for Women Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
Your brilliance matters. Let's make sure it doesn't burn you out.
​Hi, I'm Shirley.
I help women small business owners and entrepreneurs get out of overwhelm and indecision so that they can:
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Keep doing the work that is most meaningful to them
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Enjoy the freedom and flexibility their business was initially designed to provide
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Achieve the impact that we deeply need in the world
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I help women who are losing connection with their inner navigation system and becoming buried under all of the "to-do"s in life and business find their motivation and brilliance again. I promise it's not lost. It just might be buried under everything you're carrying. Let's uncover it and let it shine again.
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I want the women building businesses to be successful -- whatever that means for you -- and to have the impact on the world that only you can contribute from your personal blend of experience, interests, perspectives, strengths, curiosities, who you are. Because your ambition matters as a mechanism toward change in a world that is facing a lot right now.
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I don't want these early-stage businesses to close or fade away solely because the women in charge are burned-out and exhausted -- although it is entirely reasonable to be experiencing fatigue and burnout from trying to function within a system that asks for so much from each of us.
So let's figure out how to get you out of burn-out and overwhelm so that you can get back to clear decision-making rooted in your own intrinsic brilliance. Because that brilliance matters, and it shapes the impact only you can create.
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How do we do that?
My coaching approach is highly individualized and oriented around strengthening self-trust, asking powerful questions to investigate what's true and meaningful for you, and making small shifts towards the bigger changes you want to see. You don't need to add anything to fix you/the problem. But you might need the space to hear yourself (and to turn down society's messages of what you "should" be doing) and a different approach to uncover the answers within you.
This work often involves:
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subtracting external influences and/or the weight they carry
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reinforcing attentiveness to your own inner navigation system
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developing leadership rooted in self-trust
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identifying energy-regenerative practices for yourself and/or your business
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nourishing/fueling yourself
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space to hear yourself think
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experimenting and play
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boundaries
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small changes
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centering on values and desires
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​embracing the "enoughness of imperfection"
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orienting around human (vs. transactional) relationships and engagement
This does not involve:
I'm not going to give you another set of rules to follow or schedule to adhere to or anything that adds one more "must-do" thing on top of your already busy life.
Unless it comes from within you, we won't be talking about:
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productivity hacks
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time management rules
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yet another program for a new funnel or optimization/growth strategy
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superficial self-care techniques that don't address the core problems
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I might occasionally suggest/offer resources that might be helpful, but I will always trust that you will take what you need and leave what doesn't resonate for you.
Who I support:
My clients are brilliant, motivated women who are:
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Small business owners doing meaningful, impactful work but starting to burn out by trying to do all the things and following all the “rules” for growing a business.
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Historically expert problem-solvers who find themselves stuck in indecision about the day-to-day running and leadership of their businesses.
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Innovators and achievers questioning if what they’re doing is really making a difference, hesitating to expand their visibility, or unsure how to do it in a way that feels human.
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Independent thinkers starting to lose trust in their own navigation system because of all the competing voices, systems, and “best practices” — noticing a gap between those rules and what feels authentic to them and their unique businesses.
A little about me:
I’m a Martha Beck-trained, ICF-certified coach, former research scientist (PhD in Molecular Cancer Biology), small business owner & medical writer, podcast host, and mom of daughters.
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I know burnout and business-building firsthand. Coaching has helped me grow, and I’m deeply fulfilled by supporting other women in pursuing their dreams.​
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What I bring to coaching:
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ACC (Associate Certified Coach) credential from the International Coaching Federation, an internationally recognized organization promoting excellence in coaching.​
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Trained & certified via Martha Beck’s Wayfinder Life Coach Training Program, an ICF-recognized program centered on navigating life from the answers within you.
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7+ years running my own small business, navigating the challenges of business-building, burnout, and life balance while being a mom.
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Many years as a PhD scientist, comfortable with uncertainty, hypothesis testing, and shifting between task-level and systems-level thinking.
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Certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell, plus extensive learning on visibility, money mindset, human-centered business, and leadership development.
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Deep compassion and a personal mission to empower women to expand their leadership rooted in self-trust, break free from unhelpful social rules, and contribute their unique brilliance to the world.
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If you're curious to learn more, I invite you to check out my Work with Me page, send me a message, or book a free introductory call. Either way, I'm rooting for you always!
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- Shirley Markant, PhD, ACC
Questions?
Reach out any time!