Episodes

You don't need to be on every platform to build a profitable business. You need one platform, a plan, and a list you actually own. Tracy Beavers is a business and sales coach who built her entire coaching business while working corporate full-time, raising teenagers who played every sport with a ball, and honoring a promise to her husband that she wouldn't touch their retirement until she had proof of concept. She had 5 to 10 hours a week. That's it. So she built a system that worked without he...

If you've ever rebuilt your business from nothing after a diagnosis, a flare, or a crash you didn't see coming, you already know that "just push through" stops working at some point. The harder question is what you do instead. In this episode, Laura Reeves shares how she answered that question for herself, twice. After Crohn's disease cost her nearly every client she had in 1997, she built a 30-year career as a professional dog handler, one designed around her body instead of around what her in...

What does it look like to build a business that works with your chronic illness instead of against it? This conversation with Gwendolyn Young will challenge everything you think you know about business design and capacity. Gwendolyn Young is the founder of Your Virtual Admin Expert, a multi-six figure agency that provides administrative solutions for business owners. After 15 years of advising corporate executives, she made the bold decision to leave and start her own company so she could manag...

Your energy crashing during business conversations is not random. It is your body giving you crucial information about who and what belongs in your life. When you're managing chronic illness while building a business, learning to trust these signals can be the difference between sustainable growth and complete burnout. Alison Kero is a professional organizer who has spent over two decades helping people create calm, clarity, and balance in their lives. After being diagnosed with chronic Lyme di...

What would it look like to build a multi-million dollar business while raising six kids, advocating full-time for a child with autism, and navigating everything that nobody put in the business plan? That's exactly what Julie Cole did, and she didn't do it by following the standard playbook. Julie is the co-founder of Mabel's Labels, a brand she started almost 23 years ago with her sister and two college friends when her eldest son was diagnosed with autism at three years old. She left a career...

Though burnout is often described as being beyond tired, and in a clinical definition, is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Janet Diaz shares a perspective and practical insights for chronic illness management while building your dream business that completely reframes how we understand burnout, especially when you're managing autoimmune conditions while building a business. Janet is the co-founder of Soulcraft Journeys, crea...

What happens when you disappear from your own podcast without explanation? In this vulnerable return episode, I'm sharing the real story behind my unannounced break and what it taught me about the transitions we don't talk about in business. I'm Nikita Williams, your host, and after running Business with Chronic Illness for years, I found myself in a quiet transition that didn't come with announcements or pretty bows. Sometimes something inside you changes before the outside world even knows it...

You've been posting daily. You're showing up in stories. You're creating reels that disappear into the void. And yet—it's taking more and more content just to be seen, let alone convert followers into paying clients. If you're exhausted by social media and wondering why it's getting harder to turn all that effort into actual business growth, you're not alone. The game has changed in 2026. In this episode (originally recorded during Super Bowl weekend 2024 and more relevant than ever), I sit do...

Not everyone started this year with "new year, new you" energy. If you're a woman entrepreneur navigating grief—from a loss, a diagnosis, a relationship, or a version of yourself you had to let go—you're probably wondering: can I grieve this AND still show up for my business? Can I hold both grief and growth while building a sustainable business? In this replay of one of 2025's most downloaded episodes, I sit down with Amanda Guin, an emotional intelligence coach, traumatology expert, and widow ...

This year, expect empowering conversations with business owners navigating chronic illness and autoimmune disorders. Learn from their experiences, strategies, and lessons, with a focus on sustainability and health. Episodes will feature guests discussing new diagnoses, caregiving, and adapting business practices. Join the community on Substack for exclusive content and stay connected. Tune in for inspiration, support, and practical advice on building a profitable business while prioritizing your...

The journey of entrepreneurship can often feel at odds with the realities of living with chronic illness, particularly when it comes to the concept of capacity. In this episode, we tackle the often-misunderstood idea of capacity, shifting the narrative from a relentless push for more to a compassionate understanding of what we can realistically manage. Capacity isn't just about productivity; it's about how much our bodies and minds can handle at any given moment, especially when faced with the u...

What if your business didn’t fall apart every time your life asked you to slow down? In this episode of Business with Chronic Illness, we’re naming a hard truth many entrepreneurs live with quietly: most businesses are built to work only on your best days. When you rest, everything stops. When life gets real, momentum disappears. And you’re left feeling like you’re starting over again. That’s not a you problem. It’s a systems problem. In This Episode, We Cover: • Why most businesses are a...