What does it actually take to build a business that feels good, instead of one that just looks good on paper?

For this episode, I'm switching seats. I recently sat down as a guest on Sara Putney's podcast The Modern Matriarch, and the conversation felt too honest not to share here too. We talk about protecting your energy, why reducing work stress starts with permission rather than another productivity hack, and what work life integration actually looks like once you stop chasing more, faster, better.

I open up about the burnout that led me here, and some actionable insights on entrepreneurship and productivity that I don't always get to go this deep on.

I walk Sara through my whole journey — leaving Germany, building a life in Mauritius, and losing my stable and flexible job in tourism to COVID. That's when I stumbled into virtual assistant work, built a boutique agency, and quietly ran myself into the ground doing it. I share what it was really like balancing career and motherhood, the identity loss that crept in somewhere between daycare drop-offs and client deadlines, and the caregiving burden I didn't even realise I was carrying alone until it broke something open.

That's the story behind the PEACE framework: Prioritise with Purpose, Energy Management, Allow Rest, Compassion in Action, and Enjoy the Journey. I walk through what each letter actually means in practice, not just in theory, and why learning that rest is productive was one of the hardest, most important lessons of my life. If you've ever felt the quiet weight of working mom burnout, or you're simply trying to be more being intentional about the season you're in, I hope this conversation meets you where you are.

🔗 Connect with Sara Putney

✨ Ready to Take Action?

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Thanks for listening!

What's really stealing your CEO time? Every entrepreneur has a dominant productivity pattern — a way of working that feels normal, even productive. But when you're the CEO, that pattern has a cost.

It shows up as full days with no real progress. As never having time to sell, to build, to think. As always being busy but never feeling ahead.

You might recognise yourself in one of four patterns: The Overloaded Operator, The Momentum Chaser, The Preparation Loop, or The Capable Bottleneck.

Find out which one is your dominant pattern 👉 Take my quiz: https://annerajoo.com/quiz

Or book a complimentary productivity assessment with me and start reshaping your approach to productivity and success.

Don’t forget to connect with me on Instagram @_annerajoo_ and share your key takeaways from this episode! Your insights mean a lot to me!