Hi, I'm Helena.
I write about the part of building your own business that most advice skips: what happens in the person behind it.
Building something you care about can be deeply rewarding, but it also asks a lot from you. It can bring uncertainty, stress, anxiety, and doubt. It can be difficult to switch off, trust yourself through unclear periods, or actually savor the process of building.
These aren't signs something is wrong with you. They're part of the human curriculum of entrepreneurship — what building something of your own brings up in you, and learning to work with it rather than letting it quietly run the show.
My own path into this work was not straightforward.
I grew up watching my father build a business from nothing. He made it work financially, really well. But it came at a cost: little real time for family or friends, health that was ignored for years, a restlessness that never settled, always striving for the next thing and never really satisfied.
Early on, I decided on a different path: a corporate career, stability, and a life that looked steady and comfortable. But when I arrived there, I realised I'd been drawn more to what it represented — the security, recognition, comfort — than to the work itself.
I got really, really bored. And then depressed. I had spent so much time getting there, perfecting skills for work that genuinely didn't make me want to get up and use them.
So I began building business ideas of my own.
There were experiments that didn't fit, channels I eventually deleted, a tech blog that made enough money to pay for my wedding, and incredible learnings.
Through that messy process, and the painful emotional rollercoaster that came with it, I kept thinking back to my father.
He built in a different time, when your personal life and fulfillment was barely part of the conversation. But our generation gets to ask how we can build on their sacrifices without repeating all of them.
I don't want building my own business to come at the expense of the life it is supposed to support. It's supposed to nourish both, financially and emotionally. Because what's the point of building your own business if it drains the very life you're building it for?
That led me deeper into mindfulness, psychology, coaching, and the relationship between our thoughts, emotions, nervous system, and behavior.
Today, I teach mindfulness and meditation and am continuing my training as a mental health coach. My background also includes an M.A. in Business, a B.A. in Economics, and a Diploma of Higher Education in Computer Science.
I believe the inner strength of the entrepreneur is one of the most overlooked parts of building a business. It helps you trust yourself, stay grounded through uncertainty, think clearly, recover when things don’t go to plan, and find more joy in the ordinary days of building.
That’s the human curriculum I’m interested in — and what this newsletter is here to explore.
What you'll find here
- Essays that reframe how you think about entrepreneurship, work, success, and the human experience behind them.
- Evidence-based tools to help you work with self-doubt, overwhelm, fear, and the patterns that keep you stuck.
- Practices to build the inner strength entrepreneurship asks of you, so you perform better and actually enjoy it too.
I'm glad you found your way here.
Warmly,
Helena
A note: I'm not a therapist or clinician. If you're dealing with a mental health crisis, trauma, or something that needs clinical support, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional. 🤍