Hi Reader,

How do you drive revenue at your company, take care of your health, deal with menopause, have a good relationship, contribute to your community, care for aging parents, show up for your children or grandchildren, and get enough sleep?

You don’t.

Not all at the same time. And if you try, you’ll exhaust yourself. Something has to give.

That is not a failure of discipline.

And yet, so many female founder’s are trying to solve it as if the answer is simply better time management, more resilience, a tighter morning routine, a better productivity system, or one more hour squeezed out of the day.

I know because I do it too.

I am not writing this from some perfectly balanced life where I have figured it all out. I have a wonderful husband who helps and supports me. I have family. I have people who care. I have help at home. I have teams that clean my house and take care of my lawn.

And yes, some of that costs $$.

But not as much as burnout. Not as much as getting sick. Not as much as pretending that the only person allowed to need support is everyone except the founder.

I have aging parents who need care. I have siblings and extended family helping, though they are spread across Alaska, Massachusetts, Montana, Southern California, and beyond. I have beautiful, smart children and grandchildren. I have friends I love. I have nonprofit work I care about. I have work projects that matter to me.

I am thankful for all of it.

And sometimes, I look at the full picture and think, “WTF.”

My back hurts just looking at the weight of it.

This is not complaining. It is reality.

When life asks more of you, something has to give. Sometimes that means fewer social plans for a while. Sometimes it means saying no to meaningful work.

Sometimes it means hiring help. Sometimes it means asking family members to step in. Sometimes it means delaying a project, missing an event, protecting your sleep, or acknowledging that “I can do it all” is not the same as “I can do it all at the same time.”

It is a moment in time.

It is not forever. It is for now.

But navigating those moments requires support.

The problem is that women who lead companies often feel they are supposed to compartmentalize all of this. Revenue is over here. Health is over there. Menopause is private. Caregiving is personal. Family is separate. Relationship challenges are irrelevant. Exhaustion is something to hide.

Meanwhile, all of it affects how you lead and how you drive revenue.

It affects your energy for sales calls. Your confidence in the room. Your patience with a new sales leader. Your ability to think strategically. Your willingness to take a risk. Your ability to see around corners. Your capacity to be present in a negotiation. Your ability to make a clear decision when everyone needs something from you.

Revenue does not happen separately from the rest of your life.

That does not mean every business conversation needs to become therapy. It does mean we need to stop pretending female founders don’t have all the “extra.”

A female founder’s time, energy, health, relationships, and community are revenue assets. When those assets are depleted, the company feels it, even if the dashboard does not show it immediately.

That is one reason I’m creating Revenue + Real Life™.

I want to build a place for female founder CEOs to get smarter about revenue leadership while also being honest about the conditions under which they are leading. A place where you can discuss pipeline, deal control, hiring, sales management, growth, money, hormones, parents, marriage, children, sleep, and sanity without anyone acting surprised that these things coexist.

Because they do.

Follow along as we build it. Our new LinkedIn page is live at Revenue + Real Life, and we will be starting to build our website in the next week. You will be able to find us at www.revenueandreallife.com
The website is still under construction, so check back as it comes together.

If you are a female founder CEO, leading an innovative or technology-driven company, actively selling, scaling, and carrying more than people see, hit reply and tell me you want to know more.

If that is not you, think of the founder in your world who needs a room like this. Forward this email to her.

And if you have been telling yourself to just push through, please hear this from someone who has tried it.

Ask for help.

Rest.

Sleep.

Eat something good.

Drink water.

Protect your health.

Not because you are fragile. Because you are building something that depends on you. Something the world needs.

To Your Sales Success,

Alice

P.S. Revenue + Real Life™ is being built for women who are serious about growth. The goal is not to lower the bar. The goal is to build companies, revenue organizations, and lives that can actually sustain the climb.