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In this solo episode, I explore what it really means to run a slow, gentle business — one that moves with the seasons, honours your energy, and makes space for creativity to flourish.

Most of us start our businesses for freedom and joy, yet it’s easy to fall into the trap of constant doing. In this episode, I share how slowing down, tuning into the seasons, and working with my natural energy cycles have helped me find a more sustainable way to run my creative business — one that supports both my wellbeing and my work.

Episode themes

What it really means to run a slow business (and what it isn’t).
Why slowing down doesn’t mean giving up on growth.
How our energy naturally rises and falls with the seasons.
Simple ways to start aligning your work with your own creative rhythm.
Why slowing down can help you reconnect with joy and creativity.

Welcome to Seasons in Business, a podcast for creative business owners who want to build something thoughtful and sustainable, at a pace that actually feels good. I'm your host, designer and printmaker Sarah Phelps, and if, like me, you're craving a slower, more spacious way to grow, with a little gentle encouragement along the way, you're in the right place. So turn off your notifications, grab a cup of tea or coffee, and get cosy.
Hi everyone and welcome back!
I'm going to dive right in today and start with a question. When you think about the way you're running your business, does it really work for you right now? If your answer is a hard yes, that's great. But if it's a no, or even a big indecisive “not sure,” that's okay, because sometimes it's hard to know if we're running our businesses or they're running us.
Most of us start a business because we love what we do and want the freedom to build a life around it. But it's easy to get caught up in chasing momentum, saying yes to everything, pushing for constant growth, and measuring success by how busy we are. And if you're a team of one, like many of us are, that approach just isn't healthy or sustainable.
And to be honest, we deserve so much better. We deserve less overwhelm and burnout and more calm and joy. So forget the hashtag girlboss hustle. There's a slower, gentler way to build a business, one that aligns your energy and intentions with the changing seasons of your life and the natural world around you.
It's taken time, and there have been a few stumbles along the way, but I'm building my business in a way that works for me and my clients — slowly, thoughtfully, and gently. And I know many others who have chosen this path or are starting to make the shift.
So with that in mind, today I want to explore what running a slow business really looks like, how cycles and seasons can shape our work, and how we can start building our businesses to align with our creativity and our energy.
So what does “slow business” actually mean?
Well, it definitely isn't about moving at a snail's pace, and it doesn't mean giving up on big goals. By definition, running a slow business is about being purposeful — giving yourself the space to think, create, and do things well. Fewer things, done better, with intention and long-term sustainability in mind.
The best part is that you're in charge! You get to define what's most important to you, from defining your core values to working a four-day week. You can start building from the ground up, deciding what works best for you and what actually makes you happy. Over time, you'll start to find a rhythm that fits your life now — not how it used to be or how you think it should be in the future.
And slowing down gives your creativity room to breathe. Ideas get the space they need to grow. Projects can unfold thoughtfully. You can pause to notice what's working and make decisions that feel aligned with your values.
Now, if you've been deep in hustle mode for a long time, it can take time to adapt to a slower pace. But the benefits are real: you don't have to chase constant growth, you can enjoy your work more, and focus on what truly matters.
And slow business doesn't mean slow earnings. You can pace growth thoughtfully, make considered financial decisions, and still build a profitable business, all while protecting your well-being.
Yes, there’ll always be times when things come up unexpectedly, because life happens. But we can do our best to shape our businesses around our needs, and around the lives we want to live.
Part of the beauty of slowing down is that it gives us a chance to see something we often miss: the natural rhythms all around us. When we rush through our days, it's easy to forget that the world keeps moving around us. But if we pause, even just a little, we start to notice patterns — in nature, in ourselves, and in our work.
Even though we no longer rely on the natural world for survival the way our ancestors did, its steady, repeating seasonal cycles still shape us. We feel it in that urge to hunker down in winter — wrapping up in blankets, lighting candles, and resting — and in the surge of energy that often comes with spring, when everything feels possible.
And as well as rhythm, this cycle brings comfort. Yes, it can feel bittersweet to say goodbye to those long summer days, but we can withdraw into the quiet of winter, knowing that the light and warmth will return.
Our businesses follow similar rhythms. Some days or weeks, ideas flow easily and everything feels great. Other times, even the simplest tasks can feel like climbing a mountain. And while it's tempting to fight against it, to push through when our energy dips, I've learned that rarely works. Instead, the key is noticing when our energy is high and using the momentum it brings — and noticing when it's low, so we can focus on lighter tasks or simply rest.
When we start to move with these natural shifts instead of against them, work begins to feel more grounded, more intuitive. It becomes more sustainable, and most importantly, it becomes ours, without the pressure to be “on” all the time.
So take a moment to notice how your own energy moves through a typical month or season. Do you see any patterns? Times when ideas flow easily or when you need more space to rest?
So, how can we work with these rhythms? And how might the seasons show up in our businesses? Well, each season carries its own distinct energy, and learning to recognise that can really change how we approach our work.
Spring brings renewal. New ideas take root, plans start to form, and there’s this sense of energy and possibility. It’s a great time to experiment, try new things, or start projects that have been quietly growing in the background.
Summer is a season of action and visibility, a time to nurture what you've started and let it really bloom. Energy is at a peak, so confidence often feels higher, making it easier to share your work, launch new projects, or just show up consistently. But even in this bright, busy season, it’s worth setting gentle boundaries so momentum doesn't slip into burnout.
Lovely autumn, my personal favourite, invites reflection. It's the time to celebrate what's worked, release what hasn't, and prepare for what's next. It can be tempting to skip straight from work to rest, but taking time here to pause and review helps you make better, more intentional decisions.
Winter is for rest and replenishment. This quiet time isn't a break from the process — it’s part of it. So let yourself slow down, dream, and restore your energy before the next season begins. It’s also a good time for gentle, behind-the-scenes work — tying up loose ends, organising, or tending to those small tasks that don’t demand too much energy but keep things ticking over.
When you start noticing how your energy rises and falls with the seasons, it becomes much easier to plan and work thoughtfully — focusing where it feels right and allow space to rest when you need to.
Getting started can be really simple. Just take a little time at the start of each season to reflect on the last one, and set some gentle intentions for what's next. Check in as the weeks go by, and if your energy or focus shifts, adjust and keep moving forward in a way that feels right.
For me, embracing this slower, seasonal approach has been transformative, but it wasn’t planned.
I've always taken what I call a gentle approach with clients — only a handful at a time, working at their pace, always being available to chat through ideas and answer questions. But while I was focused on making their journey easy and calm, I wasn’t doing the same for myself.
Over the years, I’d struggled with anxiety and overwhelm, but always managed to make things work. Then back in 2020 (what a year!), perimenopause arrived, and suddenly running my business became incredibly hard. Symptoms were brutal and relentless, with weeks and months of brain fog, migraines, disturbed sleep, and lots of tears.
I was almost 40, I felt totally alone because I didn’t know anyone else going through the same thing, and my health was taking a toll on my business. My creativity dipped, my focus disappeared, and there were times when I stood in front of the press or sat at my desk, unable to remember how to do even the simplest tasks.
I realised what I needed was flexibility — a way of making space for my “off days” without all of my plans going out the window. At the same time, I needed structure — a framework to guide the rhythm of my creative business year. Finding the balance between flexibility and structure meant stripping everything back. And from there, I began building what I now call my slow, seasonal business: a calm, gentle way of working that lets my business move with the seasons, rather than against them.
In practical terms, it means I dive into the fun creative work on the good days, and focus on mundane tasks (or rest) on the not-so-good ones. It also means I tend to launch new things in spring and summer, when my energy feels naturally higher, and save deeper development and planning for autumn and winter when I naturally go into semi-hibernation.
This approach isn’t groundbreaking, but it has helped me navigate a hormonal apocalypse (with the help of HRT — which is another story altogether). It also helped me protect my energy, and nurture my creativity. And it’s given me the time and space to do things I’d never have imagined — like launching a podcast!
For me, slowing down isn’t just about balance, it’s about finding a rhythm that supports my creativity, my health, and the kind of business I actually want to run.
And that’s what I want to leave you with — that it is possible to run a business, do meaningful work, and take care of yourself, all in a way that feels natural and nourishing.
Over the course of this episode, we’ve talked about what running a slow, gentle business can look like, the cycles of creativity and energy in our work, and how tuning into seasonal rhythms can give clarity, flow, and space to breathe.
And that’s really the heart of Seasons in Business: noticing the patterns around you, and using them to shape your life and business in a way that’s thoughtful, intentional, and honours your own rhythm.
I'll share a little prompt to finish: Thinking back to the patterns you might have noticed earlier, take a moment to consider where you are creatively and energetically. Could you align one part of your business with that energy in the coming weeks?
I want to be really honest — this episode took me a while to plan and write, and it has definitely been the hardest so far. Not because the ideas are particularly complex, but because it can be hard to put into words something we often just do without thinking. Personal energy, cycles, and rhythms are different for each of us, and a little abstract at times, so I hope what I’ve shared is easy to follow.
Thanks so much for listening today. I hope this episode gives you permission to embrace a slower, gentler, more intentional way of working. We’ll dive deeper into seasonal planning in later episodes, but if you’d like a head start, my Seasonal Planning Guides are a lovely way to reflect, set intentions, and move with your natural rhythm. I’ll pop a link in the show notes for those.
Before I say goodbye, I just want to take a moment to say a big thank you to everyone who’s listened so far. I’m only a few episodes in, but the feedback has been exactly what I was hoping for. This little podcast seems to be resonating, and that means so much because truly, this podcast is for you.
If today’s episode got you thinking, I’d love to hear from you. Come and say hello over on Instagram or Threads @SarahandMaude. And if you enjoy the show, you can hit follow so you never miss an episode, share with a friend, or leave a quick rating or review — it all really helps more people find the show, and it means a lot, especially at this early stage.
Thanks again for listening, and I’ll see you next time.

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Have suggestions for topics or guests? Email me at podcast@sarahandmaude.com.

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