I see so many business owners entering each new year already exhausted. That exhaustion? It originates from months before. Now is the time not just to plan out your 2026 — but it is the time to truly sit with your goals, and understand how you can accomplish them this next year.

In this episode of the HerBusiness Podcast, I'll walk you through the exact planning strategy I'm using to plan my 2026.

And it is all about clarity, focus, and alignment. So if you're already overwhelmed looking at what you need to get done next year… this is the strategy you need to follow.

Here's What You'll Come Away With:

• Why "busy" can NOT be your default business strategy in 2026 – and how to prevent the overwhelm.
• My business planning strategy from start to finish, so you can go into the next year feeling calm, organised… and excited.
• The 3 parts that are essential when building your business plan in 2026, and why each step is a pillar to your organisation.
• Why the right plan doesn't add MORE to your plate… but actually protects your time and your energy.
• The difference between a healthy goal that stretches you versus one that silently drains you.
• How to actually make TIME for big-picture thinking and strategy, even when your to-do list is a mile long.
• The secret strategy that makes planning your year 10x more effective (and fun!)
• A FREE downloadable Resource to help you plan out YOUR 2026

Mentioned in This Episode:

The HerBusiness Network

Nicole Baldinu
Co-Founder of The $100 MBA | Co-Creator & Executive Producer of The $100 MBA Show Podcast

The $100 MBA Show Podcast

HerBusiness Podcast
Episode 321: Stories That Stir (and How to Use Them in Your Marketing) with Monica Rosenfeld

Doing "more" is the default setting for most women business owners. We strive for more revenue. More clients. More milestones. More targets.

But what happens when we stop reaching for the moving target of "more"... and instead strive for "enough"?

What happens if we prioritise balance, freedom, and fulfilment – and set our business goals to accomplish those standards?

In this episode of the HerBusiness podcast, we're talking about how you can plan your 2026 not just around 'making things happen' and productivity, but how you can actually use your business strategy to create more freedom in your life.

Insights You'll Walk Away With:

• The true difference between striving for more and striving for enough (and the results each brings)
• How you can reframe ambition to be fuel that drives you forward, rather than a pressure that drains you.
• The unspoken influences that create the pressure to constantly do "more" (and where they come from!)
• Simple ways to plan your year around the goals that actually matter (and focus on tasks that actually move the needle)
• The secret strategies I use to ensure I leave time for planning and strategy throughout my year
• The hard questions to ask yourself if you find you're running towards a goal that isn't yours – and how to change course

Journalling Prompts from This Episode:

1. What do I want to feel more of next year?
2. What does spaciousness look like in my work and life?
3. Where can I do less… but go deeper?
4. What does my ideal day, week, and month really look like?
5. What would a truly good year (one that honours my values) look like?
6. And… what does "enough" look like for me right now?

Mentioned in This Episode:

The HerBusiness Network

Dionne Sibly
Black Garlic and Co

HerBusiness Podcast
Episode 323: Want More Sales? Do These 3 Things Every Month – with Susan Bradley

Burnout does NOT just come from doing too much… it comes from doing business in a way that isn't aligned with who you ARE.

In this week's HerBusiness Podcast, I sat down with Melinda Cohan, author of Sustainable Success: Thriving in Business and Performing at High Levels Without Burnout.

Melinda is revealing how so many business owners are unintentionally running on performance mode – pushing, proving, forcing – when what we truly want is to thrive with more flow, ease, and sustainability.

We dive into how you can break free from depletion and step into a new model of success that supports your wellbeing AND your results.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The deceptive difference between performing and thriving (and why they look so similar from the outside!)
• The subtle ways women give away their power… and how it makes us fade into the background of our own lives.
• How to use your natural intuition and your body's signals as guides for decision-making in business.
• The four levels of consciousness and how shifting from a "by me" attitude into a "through me" attitude changes so much (and why MOST women are constantly in "by me" mode!)
• The six essential categories of self-care (beyond just the physical and emotional) that reduce stress and keep you in that flow state.
• Practical ways to create more BEING, rather than more DOING, in your day… even if it's just a few minutes a day.
• And so, so much more!

Mentioned in This Episode:

The HerBusiness Network

Get your copy of Sustainable Success by Melinda Cohan

Get your FREE Sustainable Success Companion Guide

I have seen so many businesses with incredible potential fizzle out because the business owners are making this one mistake…

Doing it all themselves.

Staying stuck in the day-to-day. Letting admin eat up their time. Becoming the bottleneck that holds their business back.

So on this episode of the HerBusiness Podcast, we're talking about the real reason your business isn't growing — and why delegation and automation are essential to getting unstuck.

Here's What You'll Learn in the Episode:

• The red flags that show up when you're trapped in a cycle of "busy work" (and why "just getting through the week" is a major warning sign!)
• The real reason staying busy feels so safe… but is secretly keeping you from visibility, opportunities, and freedom.
• Four questions that you need to ask yourself in order to decide if a task should take up your energy.
• How to realistically put together systems for delegation and automation — and which tasks deserve less of your attention.
• Incredible stories of women business owners who created SIMPLE systems that let them reclaim hours in their week.
• How to step into your true role as CEO of the business, and finally create more space for inspiration, creativity, and GROWTH.
• And so, so much more…

Mentioned in This Episode:

The HerBusiness Network

So many women business owners believe that their sensitivity and emotions hold them back in business. That our empathy and passion must be muted in order to succeed.

In this episode of the HerBusiness Podcast I sat down with counsellor and founder of the Self-Kind Hub, Erica Webb, to talk about being a highly sensitive entrepreneur — and why it's actually a superpower for your business success.

Being a highly sensitive person (or HSP) means you might feel rejection heavier, feedback sticks longer, and being visible online can leave you drained. You pick up on others emotions and feel tuned-in on other's experiences.

But what if that sensitivity is actually the opposite of a weakness? What if it's actually one of the greatest advantages you can have as a business owner?

Here's What You'll Learn in the Episode:

• Discover how Highly Sensitive People think and act – and if you might actually be a highly sensitive entrepreneur.
• How to handle rejection, self-promotion, and visibility without letting them crush your confidence.
• Why your tendency to "feel everything" could make you the best person to deeply understand your clients.
• The exact ways sensitivity can hurt your business if ignored… and how to flip it into one of your greatest strengths.
• Practical boundaries and daily rituals Erica uses to stay centred and focused (that you can borrow today!)
• Why embracing your sensitivity leads to more authentic leadership, stronger client connections, and sustainable growth.

Mentioned in This Episode:

The HerBusiness Network

The Self-Kind Hub

Ever notice how a bit of white space makes everything feel clearer? Designers use it to make things pop. Our brains love it. Yet, as women business owners, we often overlook the importance of white space in our businesses and our lives.

So in this episode of the HerBusiness podcast, we're talking about why white space is not a luxury — but a complete necessity if you want to grow a business that feels aligned and fulfilling.

Here's What You'll Discover in This Episode:

• How white space fuels your creativity, innovation, and clarity in business
• Discover the massive breakthroughs I personally had when I decided to take just one weekend of white space (and how it made me $2 million!)
• The devastating cost of staying stuck in constant movement and succumbing to hustle culture
• Why creating space to think can help you refine your strategy, reconnect to your "why", and reignite your passion
• The systems you need (from planning to delegation to boundaries) to actually create and protect that white space

When your calendar is filled to the brim and your brain feels scattered, you get stuck in "go mode". You leave no time for creativity, for growth, for vision. White space is what allows you to reconnect with those goals and actually see the steps that will get you there.

Mentioned in This Episode:

The HerBusiness Network

Episode 319 – Create a Team That Loves Your Business Like It's Their Own with Kristy Smith

Episode 323 – Want More Sales? Do These 3 Things Every Month – with Susan Bradley

Episode 307 – Easy Time-Saving Business Automation Tips with Mandy Brasser

Every business owner starts their journey thinking they will find FREEDOM — more time, more flexibility, easier hours.

But then, a decade later… every detail still runs through you, everything lives in your head, your team can't operate without you, and YOU become the bottleneck of your progress.

In this episode of the HerBusiness podcast, I'm joined by Justeen Kirk of ISO Matters, a systems expert who has helped dozens of small business owners create the structure and clarity they need to run organised businesses.

Here's What You'll Discover in the Episode:

• How to recognise the clear signs you've become the bottleneck in your business.
• The very first system you should take a look at and patch up, before anything else.
• How Justeen's Freedom Ladder shows you where you are NOW… and how to climb towards becoming a Visionary CEO.
• Reveal what is keeping you stuck through the concept of the Critical Ten processes.
• Why your perfectionism is HURTING your ability to systemise (and how to start systemising anyway).
• The ripple effects your systems have on confidence, leadership, creativity, and even staff retention.
• How ISO principles can be applied to any small business – without needing certification.
• And so, so much more…

Justeen believes that structures should feel like a support system… not something to add more stress. She has worked with dozens of Australian businesses to move from scattered to supported, because systems are the foundation for freedom and growth.

Mentioned in This Episode:

The HerBusiness Network

Check out the Self-Sustaining Business Blueprint program

I used to spend countless nights firefighting problems, redoing work, and apologising to clients… until I put in place the four essential business systems that changed how I operated.

In this episode of the HerBusiness Podcast, I'm sharing the four essential systems that saved my sanity as a business owner. These aren't "nice to haves" or a checklist – they are the exact systems and structures I put in place when I was drowning in work.

And I can't wait to share them with you.

Here's What You'll Discover in the Episode:

• Why essential business systems actually create FREEDOM rather than restriction, and how to reframe them so they support your creativity and joy
• The Customer Service System that saved me hours of answering the phone and struggling with client miscommunication
• The Project Planning System that transformed my team from being a self-proclaimed "last-minute dot com" into a proactive, calm, and aligned unit all working in unison
• The Communication System that keeps projects on track and prevents bottlenecks internally on my team (and why more meetings actually saved us time… I know – shocking!)
• And the single most important system you can incorporate into your life so you can lead your team and business with energy, clarity, and JOY
• And so, so much more…

Mentioned in This Episode:

The HerBusiness Network

Check out our reviewer Dionne Sibly of Black Garlic & Co