What I Did When I Couldn’t Show Up at 100%
- Written By: Melanie Borden
- November 22, 2025
Here’s what actually helped me navigate loss while running a business and writing a book.
MAKE THE CONNECTION
At the end of June, while everyone was preparing for fireworks and long weekends, I was doing something very different.
I was figuring out how to disconnect after loss, how to function again like before — while still running a business, raising a family, developing content, and writing a book and doing all the things I do. For the first time in my life, I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want network. I didn’t want to share anything. There’s no manual for these seasons. At least I never read one. I was concerned about my personal brand and the possible impact everything would have but couldn’t find a way forward.
So I did what I do, I showed up for my family, finished my book, and worked my way through that season with intention. Not by pushing harder, but by moving differently — trusting I’d eventually make it to the other side.
The good news? I came back to myself. There are a few grounded tactics that helped me stay steady when life and leadership collided.
Here are the 3 things that actually worked:
1
A weekly dopamine detox.
Once a week, I stepped away from every device. Sometimes for a few hours. Sometimes for a full 24. Nothing protects your mind like distance from noise. Unless you are an emergency room surgeon, it can wait. Responding to a comment on a post is not life and death.
2
Get outside — whenever, however.
Walks, runs, hikes, swims, or simply sitting in the air.
It can be during lunch, first thing in the morning, or taking an afternoon reset. Your body remembers how to regulate long before your mind does. I remembered how much I love the outdoors, especially during this summer.
3
Pause or delegate your personal brand’s marketing.
Yes, I said what I said and this is exactly what I did. Not everyone knows how to share while in a tough season or can fake it until they make it, or wants to. This was me. I do my own engagement. I schedule my own posts. So I took some time away from social media. I learned how to delegate other things like my blog, or this newsletter to my team. I didn’t want to show up at 40% and pretend it was 100%. Stepping back for a moment kept me aligned…and honest.
What that season taught me was simple: you can’t out-create, out-perform, or out-post your pain. You can protect your energy, your integrity, and your future self by naming what you’re going through and pausing when you need to — then picking things back up when you’re ready.
There are no rules here.
“When life shifts, your pace can shift with it. Strength isn’t the speed — it’s the continuation.”
Ask Yourself This:
If you’re moving through a hard season, which tactic will help you reclaim even 10% more capacity this week? What worked for you in a similar season?
I’d love to hear from you.
Talk soon,
With Gratitude,
Melanie Borden
P.S. If you host a podcast and would like to talk about my upcoming book, Theatre of the Mind, I’m now booking interviews for January and February.
