Why Balance is a Myth for Female Founders (and What to Aim For Instead)

Stop Chasing the Fantasy of “Balance”

We’ve all seen it. The Instagram-perfect CEO-mum: journaling at 5 am, client calls at 9, Pilates by noon.

Reality? You’re feeding toddlers, signing off on a project, and chasing an unpaid invoice before the school run.

And if you’re a single mum like me? Balance isn’t just unrealistic, it’s a setup for burnout.

The Invisible Load That No One Talks About

Women, especially mothers still carry the bulk of the mental and domestic load, whether they run a business or not.

📊 Mothers take on 71% of household mental load, compared to 45% for fathers. That’s 60% more responsibility before you’ve even opened your laptop (source).

📊 In Australia, women do 50% more housework than men, averaging 18.4 hours per week compared to men’s 12.8, stealing nearly two hours of “me time” every week (source).

📊 On top of that, 87.7% of entrepreneurs report a mental health issue, 34.4% experience burnout, and 50.2% live with anxiety (source).

This isn’t about balance, it’s about capacity. And if you are reading this thinking ‘my hubby is great and supports me unconditionally’, then honestly, that’s great, how wonderful, but unfortunately (according to my research anyway) it just isn’t the reality. 

The Clients Who Feel It Most

Most of my clients have preschool or primary-aged kids. Married or single mums, it doesn’t matter, the patterns are the same.

One week it’s a kid in hospital.
The next, a surprise school play.
And sometimes? It’s just sheer exhaustion from toddlers who don’t sleep.

Even women who build businesses to spend more time with their kids end up feeling guilty because they’re never fully present.

The Hustle Myth (and Letting It Go)

The “wake at 5am and conquer the world” mantra? Mostly written by men with wives at home.

I joke my next hire might as well be a wife because right now, I’m the breadwinner, the cook, the disciplinarian, the everything.

That’s why Mel Robbins’ Let Them resonated so much. Instead of spiralling into comparison, ask: Why does this bother me? And what would it take to make my version happen?

For me, that meant letting go of the Bali retreat dream (for now) and booking a one-night business conference on the Gold Coast. Still connection, still growth just realistic for my life right now.

The Best Advice I Ever Got

An old boss stopped me mid-appraisal as I listed my weaknesses.
“Don’t worry about your weaknesses. Focus on your strengths and hire for the rest.”

That’s the same advice I give my clients especially visionary founders drowning in operational work. Your genius isn’t in SOP writing or project tracking. Stop trying to do it all.

3 Ways to Ditch Burnout and Build Your Own Version of Success

1. Focus on your strengths. Hire, outsource, or automate the rest.
   
2. Stop trying to do it all. Your business should fit your life, not the other way around.
   
3. Get real support. The sooner you take ops off your plate, the sooner you stop living in burnout.

Your CEO Role Should Work With Your Life, Not Against It

Scaling isn’t just about revenue, it’s about living more.

If you’re ready for your business to run without you doing all the jobs, we can help. This is exactly what we do at Grow Advantage, stepping in as your Fractional Integrator so you can stop being the bottleneck and start leading like the CEO you actually are.

👉 Book a Free 30-Minute Clarity Call – We’ll map the systems, team structure, and support you need so your business works without you doing it all.