Most of us build a business for the version of ourselves running with a full tank of gas. Then life happens, because it always does, and everything stops the second you do.

In December 2022, I learned this the hard way. I learned that I had built one operating system into my business, and that system was me. So when I was down, my business was down.

In this episode I'm getting into what building a business with C-PTSD actually looks like, the systems I now put in place ahead of time so I'm never making decisions from inside a moment where I have nothing left to give, and why you can only wear about three hats well at once when your business is asking you to wear twenty.

WHAT WE GET INTO

• The phone call that took my business down with me
• What building a business while living with complex PTSD actually looks like
• Why the support has to already be there, because life doesn't check your launch calendar before showing up
• What a system actually is
• The internal CEO systems every business needs: capacity, prioritization, capture, and decision support
• What those systems do, and the part they honestly don't do
• Which hats are actually yours, and which ones you're only wearing because nothing else was ever built to run them
• Why your tools might be adding to your plate instead of taking things off it

COME FIND ME

Instagram: @stephnemchik
Website: www.stephnemchik.com

DISCLAIMER: A NOTE ON THE HEAVIER STUFF

We talk about mental health, grief, addiction, SA, and suicide here, and I share tools and resources that have helped me over the years but none of it is professional advice or guidance.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for support. In the US, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for mental health and substance use support, or find a therapist through the Psychology Today directory at psychologytoday.com. Outside the US, contact your local crisis services.

Episode 1: Showing Up While Hiding

I've been planning this podcast for years and not a single word of it had ever been said out loud. Until now.

This is episode one of The Business Underneath with Steph Nemchik, and it's me doing the thing I've quit on more times than I can count. My voice is shaking. My palms are sweating. I feel like I'm going to be sick. But I'm showing up and doing it anyway.

WHAT WE GET INTO

• Why the planning was never procrastination, it was control
• What hiding looks like when it looks exactly like hard work
• The closet full of journals I've been filling since I was eleven
• The Minnesota Christmas that changed the direction of my life
• Why knowing the right thing has almost nothing to do with doing it
• Building a business that only works when you're not seen in it
• The Surprise Yourself Challenge that got this episode recorded

COME FIND ME

Instagram: @stephnemchik
Website: www.stephnemchik.com

DISCLAIMER: A NOTE ON THE HEAVIER STUFF

We talk about mental health, grief, addiction, SA, and suicide here, and I share tools and resources that have helped me over the years. None of it is professional advice or guidance.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for support. In the US, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for mental health and substance use support, or find a therapist through the Psychology Today directory at psychologytoday.com. Outside the US, contact your local crisis services.