SC Episode 9
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Kleidi Jeen: [00:00:00] Coucou. Welcome to Sundae Creative, where we're throwing outdated hustle culture in the trash and giving creative entrepreneurs the self care strategies they actually need to thrive. I'm Kleidi Jeen, Creative Wellness Strategist, your fellow creative entrepreneur, yay, and your go to for making sure your business doesn't burn you out before you get to enjoy your success.
I'm talking real deal. Self care, the time where we're all about balancing those big, bold, creative dreams of yours with the energy and wellbeing to sustain them because the real flex is a thriving business and a thriving you. So go ahead, grab your matcha, get comfy, and let's get into it.
So I'm going to start off with a little bad news. For many, unfortunately, it takes a big crisis to open their eyes to the basic human need of prioritizing self nurture to sustain a healthy and fulfilling [00:01:00] life.
It often takes having to go to the hospital from sheer exhaustion, falling down the stairs from a lack of coordination caused by burnout, losing a loved one and facing the resulting grief. These, by the way, are all real examples from my client's lives. And even for me, someone who's prioritized rest and self care her whole life and someone whose livelihood is based in helping others with this very thing.
Even for me, it took a big crisis in order to deepen into my own self care and open my eyes to big holes in my self nurture game. So I'm gonna go ahead and share a little bit see I was recently diagnosed. This is December 24, January 2025 Recently diagnosed with a rare eye disease scleritis and over that winter holiday break I felt pain that made me believe my life was I kid you not.
I couldn't move from the eye pain and the [00:02:00] headaches. I couldn't take care of my kids. I ended up going to the emergency room , and actually the medication I got at that time didn't even work. Sunlight, bright lights, any kind of light, increase the pain. Like I couldn't keep my eyes open. I couldn't work.
At all. And I was in the middle of launching a new service at the time. So for two whole weeks, I was in this excruciating pain, popping pain meds like Tic Tacs. And then after those two weeks, the doctor prescribed new meds that finally worked.
The relief. The relief. I kid you not. It had me in tears. I mean, I thought I was going to have to file for disability and give up on my work. Like, Oh, the frustration, the sheer frustration from that. I mean, imagine after literal years of pivoting and pivoting in my creative business and finally finding a niche that I love and that loves me back.
The thought of having to. So I'm going to start from scratch and figure my life out all over again. [00:03:00] No, it was, it was a lot. Okay. So recognizing this, like the fact that I was able to have relief from this, it felt like such a miracle, like such a gift.
I leaned into self care in a way I haven't since I had kids. Okay. I actually, I realized how much I was ignoring my needs. Things like, , putting strong boundaries around my rest and recovery time or picking better battles, like Letting shit go that I didn't need to carry as yet another burden, okay?
Providing better structure and routine for the kids, which has brought, by the way, a lot more ease. And so, things like this, I started to lean into more as a part of my self care. You know, self care, for me as a mother, as a business owner, as an expat, it had outgrown. Bubble baths and face masks like a long time ago and I had not [00:04:00] yet filled the gaps and this moment of getting this rare eye disease provided me with the aha ness of the moment to realize where those gaps were and fill them in where I needed to fill them in.
And so I did that. I started addressing those gaps. And, , I take my meds religiously. And I take care of myself better in these ways where, , I've filled in those gaps. And in turn, this has positively impacted my business, actually. I got even more clear on my big picture vision. , I took a lot of the busy work out of it.
I was, , creating product after product and , I wasn't even like marketing or offering or telling people about the products that I had already created. , I had all this busy work going on that I didn't need. , even where we are right now with this podcast, this is a result of getting clear and having the ability.
To prioritize better and to let go of the busy work and recognize what that busy work was in the first place.
I mean, when [00:05:00] you're so used to sacrificing yourself. You'll give up parts of yourself for stuff that doesn't even matter. And so, yeah, I put a stop to that. , bravo to me. My commitment to caring for myself better was a key factor in being a better CEO, a better leader in my business. And even recognizing that that's what I am for my business.
Everything you see happening right now in my biz. , and this is the March, 2025 timeframe. I know, , podcasts are for perpetuity, so I'm going to mark that down so you can see my growth from this time period. Everything you see is a result of this deeper understanding and prioritization of self care in my life.
Now, I want to hear from you. What has it taken in your own life to better prioritize self care and integrate it into your daily workflow? And did you see business growth and improvement from it? Let me know by sending an email or a DM on Instagram. The links are going [00:06:00] to be in your show notes so that you can easily do that.
I'm really dying to know. And if you want to take action on integrating self care into your business workflow, join me in my live workshop, The Missing Piece. And there will be a replay for those who register and can't make it, but go ahead and save your spot by registering at the link. And you'll also find that in the show notes.
And that's a wrap on today's episode. If any of this hit home for you, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you're feeling extra generous, leave a quick review. It helps more creatives like you find the show and get what they need. Oh, and do not be a stranger. Come find me on Instagram.
Come on, come on, come on. I'm at soft Sundae studio. You can DM me there to let me know what your biggest takeaway was. Let's make self care make sense in your creative biz. Okay. Ciao ciao for now. Bye.
