CEO Mama Newsletter: 52nd Edition

Bottom Line Up Front

Your entrepreneurial identity isn't fixed: it shifts with seasons, hormones, life phases, and family rhythms in ways that feel disorienting but are completely natural. The pressure to maintain "consistent" business energy year-round ignores your biological and psychological need for seasonal rhythms. Family-focused seasons can make your ambitious identity feel foreign not because you're losing drive, but because you're accessing different aspects of yourself that linear business growth models don't account for.

Hey ,

A while back, I was on a call with Elena*, a CEO who'd built a thriving consulting business to $2M annually. But instead of celebrating her Q3 wins, she was spiraling.

"I don't understand what's wrong with me," she said. "Three months ago, I was on fire launching new programs, booking speaking gigs, completely energized by growth. Now I keep staring at my Q4 goals and feeling... nothing. Like they belong to someone else."

"I want to plan Christmas with my kids, not another product launch. I want to read novels by the fireplace, not optimization case studies. I feel like I'm losing my edge, and it's terrifying."

Elena wasn't losing her edge. She was experiencing what I call seasonal identity displacement, when the version of yourself that thrives in one season feels completely foreign in another.

And November is when this hits hardest.

The Myth of the Consistent Entrepreneur

Business culture sells us the myth of the "consistent entrepreneur" - someone whose energy, priorities, and identity remain stable year-round. Someone who attacks Q4 with the same intensity as Q1, who maintains identical motivation regardless of season, who never experiences shifts in what fulfills them.

But this myth ignores fundamental biology.

Dr. Russell Foster's research at Oxford shows that seasonal affective changes aren't disorders, they're normal adaptations to environmental rhythms that affect:

• Hormone production and energy levels

• Cognitive focus and creativity patterns

• Social needs and relationship priorities

• Risk tolerance and decision-making

• Motivation sources and fulfillment drivers

For CEO mamas, these natural shifts collide with:

• Business demands for consistent performance

• Cultural messaging about "finishing strong"

• Family expectations during holiday seasons

• Internal pressure to maintain ambitious identity

The result: You feel like you're failing at being yourself.

How Family Seasons Trigger Identity Displacement

November through January creates a perfect storm for entrepreneurial identity confusion because family-focused seasons activate parts of yourself that may feel incompatible with your business identity.

The Caretaking Activation

What happens: Holiday seasons trigger deep caregiving instincts planning gatherings, creating memories, nurturing traditions

Why it feels foreign: Your business identity is built around leading, achieving, and driving outcomes

The internal conflict: "Am I a CEO who happens to be a mother, or a mother who happens to run a business?"

The Seasonal Slowing Biological Drive

What happens: Shorter days and cooler weather naturally signal your nervous system to conserve energy and focus inward

Why it feels foreign: Your business identity may be built around constant expansion and external visibility

The internal conflict: "Why don't I want to network/launch/grow right now when I 'should' be capitalizing on Q4?"

The Tradition vs. Innovation Tension

What happens: Family seasons emphasize continuity, tradition, and preserving what already exists

Why it feels foreign: Entrepreneurial identity is often built around disruption, innovation, and creating something new

The internal conflict: "How can I honor family rhythms while maintaining my edge as a business leader?"

The Community vs. Competition Shift

What happens: Holiday focus shifts from individual achievement to collective connection and giving

Why it feels foreign: Business success often requires competitive thinking and individual performance optimization

The internal conflict: "Does wanting to focus on family mean I'm losing my entrepreneurial drive?"

The Seasonal Energy Shame Spiral

Here's what typically happens to CEO mamas in Q4:

October: Notice energy shift, dismiss it as temporary

November: Feel guilty about wanting different things than business goals demand

December: Force yourself to maintain business intensity while family needs increase

January: Feel completely disconnected from business identity, panic about "lost momentum"

February: Overcompensate with aggressive goal-setting that ignores natural rhythms

This cycle creates a seasonal shame spiral where you feel like you're failing at consistency when you're actually responding normally to environmental and social cues.

The Neuroscience of Seasonal Identity Shifts

Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison's research on seasonal mood variations shows that identity isn't fixed, it's contextual and cyclical.

Your brain literally changes throughout the year:

• Serotonin production varies with light exposure, affecting confidence and motivation

• Dopamine pathways shift based on seasonal activities and social interactions

• Cortisol patterns change with daylight and temperature, influencing energy and focus

• Oxytocin levels increase during family-focused periods, prioritizing connection over achievement

For CEO mamas: These neurochemical shifts create different versions of yourself that want different things from your business. The ambitious, growth-focused entrepreneur of spring/summer isn't more "real" than the reflective, relationship-focused entrepreneur of fall/winter.

The Four Seasonal Business Identities

Spring/Summer CEO Mama (Expansion Phase)

• High energy for growth and visibility

• Attracted to new opportunities and challenges

• Comfortable with risk and rapid change

• Motivated by external recognition and achievement

• Natural networking and collaboration energy

Fall/Winter CEO Mama (Consolidation Phase)

• Energy for optimization and systems improvement

• Attracted to depth over breadth

• Conservative with risk, focused on sustainability

• Motivated by internal satisfaction and family connection

• Natural introspection and strategic planning energy

Neither version is better. They serve different purposes in building a sustainable, fulfilling business.

Why Fighting Seasonal Shifts Backfires

The Forced Consistency Tax

When you try to maintain summer energy in winter, you:

• Deplete your nervous system by working against natural rhythms

• Create strategies that feel misaligned and unsustainable

• Miss opportunities for the deep work that winter energy supports

• Model unsustainable achievement patterns for your children

The Identity Rigidity Trap

When you define yourself only by your highest-energy business identity:

• You feel like a failure during natural low-energy periods

• You miss the wisdom and creativity that come from seasonal reflection

• You create business structures that only work when you're "on"

• You disconnect from parts of yourself that could enhance your leadership

Designing Business Around Seasonal Identity

Fall/Winter Business Rhythms (November-February)

Energy allocation:

• 60% optimization and systems improvement

• 25% strategic planning and reflection

• 15% low-key visibility and maintenance

Natural activities:

• Refining existing offers rather than creating new ones

• Improving team processes and communication

• Planning next year's growth based on current year's data

• Deepening client relationships rather than acquiring new ones

Family integration:

• Schedule fewer evening calls during family-focused seasons

• Plan launches for spring when energy naturally increases

• Use holiday downtime for strategic thinking, not execution

• Allow family priorities to inform business priorities

Spring/Summer Business Rhythms (March-October)

Energy allocation:

• 60% growth and expansion activities

• 25% visibility and new client acquisition

• 15% maintenance of existing systems

Natural activities:

• Launching new offers and programs

• High-visibility speaking and networking

• Aggressive marketing and business development

• Travel and in-person events

Family integration:

• Leverage childcare for intensive business periods

• Plan family activities that don't compete with natural business energy

• Use summer camps/school breaks for business travel

• Model high-achievement energy when it feels authentic

The Seasonal Identity Integration Practice

Monthly Identity Check-In

Ask yourself:

• What version of my entrepreneurial self wants to emerge this month?

• What does my body/mind naturally want to focus on right now?

• How can I honor this season while maintaining business momentum?

• What business activities feel aligned vs. forced right now?

Quarterly Rhythm Planning

Instead of setting identical quarterly goals:

• Q1: Planning and foundation-building (winter energy transitioning to spring)

• Q2: Growth and expansion (full spring/summer energy)

• Q3: Optimization and peak performance (sustained summer energy)

• Q4: Consolidation and reflection (transitioning to winter energy)

Seasonal Boundaries

• Fall/Winter: Protect family time fiercely, say no to non-essential travel, focus on depth over breadth

• Spring/Summer: Say yes to growth opportunities, leverage high energy for visibility, prioritize expansion over perfection

Working WITH Your November Identity

Right now, your November self might want:

• Less networking, more strategizing

• Fewer launches, more optimization

• Less external visibility, more internal systems work

• Less individual achievement focus, more team/family connection

This isn't laziness. This is seasonal intelligence.

November-Aligned Business Activities

• Analyze year-end data to inform next year's strategy

• Improve existing client experiences rather than acquiring new clients

• Plan Q1 launches when your energy will naturally support them

• Invest in team development and process improvement

• Conduct end-of-year client check-ins and relationship deepening

November Family-Business Integration

• Use holiday meal prep time for podcast listening or strategic thinking

• Plan family activities that restore rather than deplete your energy

• Allow holiday traditions to inspire business creativity rather than compete with it

• Practice saying no to business opportunities that conflict with family priorities

The Permission You Don't Need (But I'm Giving Anyway)

You don't need permission to want different things from your business in November than you wanted in July.

You don't need permission to feel more fulfilled by family connection than client acquisition right now.

You don't need permission to design Q4 around consolidation rather than aggressive growth.

You don't need permission to plan January goals that honor winter energy rather than forcing summer intensity.

Your seasonal identity shifts aren't a bug in your entrepreneurial system, they're a feature that creates sustainable, fulfilling success.

The Integration Framework

This Week: Seasonal Identity Audit

• What aspects of business felt energizing in summer that feel draining now?

• What family/personal activities feel more appealing than they did six months ago?

• Where are you forcing consistency instead of honoring seasonal shifts?

This Month: November Rhythm Design

• Redesign your daily schedule around current energy patterns

• Shift business focus to activities that align with fall/winter identity

• Plan family time that restores rather than depletes your business energy

Next Quarter: Seasonal Business Architecture

• Design Q1 2026 goals around spring energy, not November energy

• Create business systems that work with seasonal rhythms rather than against them

• Plan the year as four distinct seasons rather than linear growth

👭 I'd love to hear from you. How do you experience seasonal shifts in your business energy and identity? What would change if you designed your business around natural rhythms rather than forcing consistency? Hit reply, this conversation is reshaping how we think about sustainable entrepreneurship.

💌 Know a CEO mama fighting against her seasonal rhythms? Forward this to her. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is give each other permission to honor natural cycles rather than force linear growth.

✨ P.S. If your November self is craving more calm than chaos, this is your sign to simplify. The Home Harmony Handbook is your blueprint for running your home with the same clarity and structure you bring to your business, without doing it all yourself. It’s just $47 today, and it will change how your household runs forever.

The most sustainable entrepreneurs aren't the most consistent, they're the most adaptive to their natural rhythms.

*name has been changed for privacy reasons