The lil’ swan floaty that changed me
From Burnout to Built on YES: Why I Created The Big F Newsletter (and What It Really Stands For)
Hey there, Erin here!
This week’s blog is all about mental health, floaties, and how The Big F came to be — because let’s be honest, there’s a fine line between building your dream business and emotionally white-knuckling your way through a Tuesday.
So let me tell you how Built on YES got its start.
Welcome to May — aka Mental Health Awareness Month, aka the season of poolside spreadsheets and crisis naps if you’re building a business from scratch.
So, let’s talk about the part no one puts on the pitch deck or those beautifully pinned vision boards: your mental health.
In January 2024, I launched a new blog that blended yoga philosophy, mindfulness, and entrepreneurship. But behind the scenes, I wasn’t just “inspired.” I was exhausted. Burned out. Floating in a sea of to-dos, barely keeping my head above water.
I didn’t create Built on YES because I had all the answers.
I created it because I was drowning — and needed a floaty.
Let Me Introduce Myself — For Real
I’m Erin. I’m an entrepreneur, investor, and author.
I’m also someone who lives with PTSD, ADHD, Generalized Anxiety, a connective tissue disorder, and a set of overactive histamines that make my immune system throw a tantrum regularly. Thanks genetics...
Between parenting, grad school, running multiple businesses, and trying to keep my plants alive, stuff started slipping through the cracks. Not because I wasn’t trying, I didn’t need more productivity. I needed more efficiency. I just needed to remember sh*t, but it didn’t really matter what productivity hack I tried or new software I used, nothing worked.
I’ve always been a get-sh*t-done kind of girl (my sister-in-law literally says that’s my tagline). But I didn’t want to just crank sh*t out because I can.
I wanted clarity.
I wanted possibility.
I needed more focused time.
The number of meetings I’ve missed, messages I’ve forgotten, tasks I’ve dropped like hot potatoes simply because I didn’t write them down? Embarrassing.
“Don’t worry, I’ll totally remember this…” — me, five seconds before I absolutely didn’t.
At 36, I took ADHD medication for the first time, and I was scared as hell. But it changed everything. Not just because I could focus better, but because it gave me permission to design my day — and my business — differently.
It was like I’d been treading water for years, and someone finally threw me a cute lil’ swan floaty.
Founder Mental Health Data: Shocking, but not shocking.
Let’s talk data:
95% of entrepreneurs say they struggle with work-life balance.
72% report mental health issues like burnout, anxiety, or panic attacks.
81% of founders hide their stress — even from their team.
Only 23% see a therapist or coach. (WHAT?!)
And yet... 93% would do it all over again.
(Source: Startup Snapshot)
Want to be even more mind-blown? A 2020 study by Resurgo found:
22% of women entrepreneurs said they had “feelings of wanting to escape life.”
Female founders work the equivalent of three jobs, but get paid like it’s half of one.
And the follow-up researchers? Can’t even reach the women they surveyed — because we’re all too busy.
Everyone loves to hype the “freedom” of entrepreneurship.
No one talks about how often it feels like free-falling.
The Class That Changed Everything
In the second semester of my Master’s program, I took a class called Spring Board — all about understanding your customer.
Simple in theory. Brutal in execution.
We had to identify a real problem and build a business around it.
Here’s what I wrote in my project:
“The problem I’m attempting to solve is the lack of community and support around mindfulness and mental health among female entrepreneurs, especially in a way that works with their schedules, their time constraints, and the need for connection.”
Sound familiar? It was the seed that would grow into Built on YES.
From Email List to Movement
I’d been writing these blogs, and people were loving them. Once the studio was closed, I didn’t want to let my audience or “my customers” go. I loved creating and sending out YESyoga’s weekly emails, so I wanted to keep that going. Eventually, I added more resources, information, and focused on where mindfulness meets business strategy. It was all about the idea to give yourself a permission slip to work with more intention. So, the new business was built from YESyoga and it only made sense to call it Built on YES!
This blog is def one of my fave things to write. I love the storytelling, I love to teach people things, and I love to share what I’m learning or interested in.
What Makes Built on YES Different?
It’s not another bro funnel with fake urgency and guru gaslighting.
It’s not hustle culture in yoga pants.
Here’s what we are:
Mindfulness that’s practical, not preachy
Stories built on real life, not shiny highlight reels
A space where being overwhelmed doesn’t make you weak
And a business that doesn’t ask you to burn out or sell out
The Big F Was Born (And It’s Not What You Think)
The Big F newsletter is our floaty.
A survival guide disguised as a weekly love note.
Part founder journal. Part resource hub. Part BFD group chat.
And yes — the “F” stands for a few things:
→ Floaty
→ Focus
→ Founders
→ Feelings
→ And sometimes... F*CK 😉
We don’t just want to build businesses. We want to build lives that feel good while we do it.
Mindfulness was my floaty. Built on YES became the pool. The Big F is your invite.
Also, if you aren’t getting The Big F each Tuesday, you can grab your flotation device by subscribing here.
Where Mindfulness Doesn’t Work
Let’s not romanticize it. Mindfulness isn’t:
A band-aid for a toxic work culture
A replacement for professional help
A 1:30pm journaling block that totally breaks your flow
A fix for systems that are stacked against you
It’s not your grandma’s chicken soup. It’s not a magic pill.
It’s a practice — and it only works if it’s real.
Reality Inventory–AKA: Time To Take Inventory of Yourself and Your Reality
I asked 44 female founders to define mindfulness. Now it’s your turn.
Ask yourself:
→ What does mindfulness mean to me?
→ Where do I actually feel aligned?
→ Where am I faking it?
When you answer those questions, you’ll know where you need your floaty. And I’ve got one ready for you.
Final Thoughts
Mindfulness is a floaty, not a life raft. You still have to learn to swim, but it can help you stop drowning.
Entrepreneurial stress is real. But you're not alone, and you're not broken.
Your mindset is everything. But it doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be yours.
So, take a moment this week — a real one — and float.
Reflect. Journal. Rest.
You’re building a business and a life. You deserve to feel good doing it.
Say YES to doing it differently.
Say YES to something better.
Say YES to being courageous, capable, and strong.
That’s what Built on YES is built on.