How Ambitious Female Founders Can Navigate the School Holidays Without Losing Momentum

The summer holidays don’t have to derail your business. Here’s how high-functioning female founders can honour their ambition, energy, and family with calm, clarity, and ease.

Let’s get real.

You adore your children. You love your work. And you’re dreading the school holidays.

Not because you don’t want to spend time with them. But because you already carry more than most could comprehend – and when term-time disappears, so does your breathing room.

I’m a mum of three. Two of my children are neurodivergent. My husband works full time in London. And I don’t have family nearby to call on when things get too much. It all falls to me.

That means summer doesn’t feel like a break. It feels like a test of endurance.

During term time, the school day isn’t just childcare – it’s sacred. It’s when the house is quiet, my mind is clear, and I get to operate at full capacity. That’s when I walk the dog, breathe fresh air, sit at my desk in peace, and remember who the hell I am beyond the snack demands and sibling disputes.

But once the holidays hit, everything I’ve carefully created – my routines, my rituals, my rhythm – dissolves into a swirl of overstimulation and decision fatigue. I want to scream when they say, “What are we doing now, Mummy?” thirty seconds after an expensive outing. I ache for space, silence, and some semblance of order.

And yes, I want to work.

Because I love my work. I love what I’m building. It’s my purpose. My identity. My sanity.

So no – I’m not going to smile through the chaos and call it balance. I’m going to rewrite what this season gets to look like. And I’m inviting you to do the same.

1. Redefine Productivity (On Your Terms)

When your carefully carved routine collapses, survival mode sets in. But survival doesn’t build momentum. Precision does.

This summer, let micro-momentum be enough. One needle-mover a day. One clear decision. One moment of full presence. That’s where progress lives.

Not in doing more, but in knowing what matters most.

2. Protect Your Golden Hours

Your golden hours — those rare, sacred windows when your energy aligns and your mind lights up — are the heartbeat of your business.

Whether it’s early morning or post-bedtime, protect that time like profit. Not just to get things done, but to remember who you are.

This is when you drop back into vision, into strategy, into self.

3. Create a Pause List

You can’t do it all. Not now. Not with picnics, playdates and the trampoline park calling plus a snack cupboard that needs constant replenishment.

Write a Pause List – tasks, projects, or admin that can wait without guilt. Let this season teach you discernment. What is truly urgent? What can wait?

Let yourself off the hook. Let the unnecessary go.

4. Lighten the Invisible Load (Your Way)

This summer, I’m not trying to be their full-time entertainer. I’ve let go of that illusion.

Instead, I’m dropping down to three workdays a week, working only in the early mornings and after bedtime. Each day, I’ll carve out 15–30 minutes of one-on-one time with each of them. They’ll each get a turn to choose the day’s activity — within reason. This isn’t Yes Day!

There will be screen limits, yes, but also stocked craft cupboards and new games to spark their own creativity. They’ll help around the house, walk the dog, and earn a little extra pocket money along the way. And we’ll bring in some extra cleaning support so I’m not constantly battling mess and laundry while trying to hold everything else.

I’ve scaled back the business-building plans. The personal brand push can wait until September. Guilt isn’t welcome here. It serves no one. When I resist the holidays, everything feels tense. So I’m choosing to meet this season with more space, more ease, and yes — a little more fun for all of us.

5. Choose Quiet Visibility

The content still matters. The brand still breathes. But the method changes.

Right now, I’m focused on evergreen visibility — blog posts that compound, Pinterest pins that circulate, podcast interviews that build authority while I’m breaking up yet another argument over Lego.

One visibility move a week. That’s it. Let it work while you rest.

6. Anchor Your Energy

When the mess piles up, the bickering gets loud, and I feel like I’m fraying — I go back to basics.

These are not indulgences. These are strategies.

7. Redefine Success This Season

Success this summer won’t look like scale. It will look like sustainability.

It will look like you not disappearing in the noise.

It will look like your children seeing a mother who loves them and her work — and knows her worth isn’t defined by how self-sacrificing she can be.

This isn’t about pushing through. It’s about holding steady. Spacious. Sovereign. Certain.

You weren’t made to perform your way through summer. You were made to lead it — with clarity, softness, and unapologetic strategy.

Want to create a summer rhythm that honours your ambition and your energy? This week and next I’m offering 1:1 energy audit calls — where we map your season and build a plan that feels calm, not chaotic.

🗓️ Book your 1:1 energy audit call here