Being A Whole Human While Running A Business When Life Hits Hard

Show Side Manner & Doing Business When Life Is Heavy

There’s this unspoken rule in online business that you’re supposed to keep everything running smoothly no matter what’s happening in your actual life. Launches keep launching. Content keeps publishing. You keep showing up “on” even when everything inside you feels like it’s falling apart.

In this post, we’re going to tell the truth about what it looks like to keep going in business when life is very much still happening, and how your “show side manner” can become an act of charity toward the people you serve and toward yourself.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What charity really means (beyond donations)

When most of us hear the word “charity,” we think of organizations, donations, or “giving to charity.” There’s usually a logo involved and maybe a tax receipt at the end of the year.

But charity at its core is much deeper than that.

Charity is the act of giving time, money, or resources to help others in need without expecting anything in return. It’s driven by compassion and a desire to relieve suffering, support dignity, and improve the lives of individuals or communities.

It includes an attitude of kindness and understanding toward others, especially when they’re carrying more than they can say out loud.

That means charity isn’t just about money. It’s about:

• Posture
• Compassion
• Dignity

And in business, it shows up in how we design our offers, how we communicate with our people, and how we treat ourselves when life gets heavy.

For this conversation, there are two directions we want to focus on:

• Charity toward others
• Charity toward yourself

When life events hit, you actually need both.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The question under everything: “How do I keep going when life happens?”

A question we hear over and over from business owners is:

“How do I keep going in business when life events happen?”

Underneath that question, there’s usually a lot of panic and pressure:

• “I can’t stop, but I also can’t keep going like normal.”
• “If I slow down, everything will fall apart.”
• “If people knew what I’m juggling, they’d think I’m unprofessional.”

Life events take a lot of forms:

• A death in the family
• A diagnosis, yours or someone you love
• Divorce or relationship changes
• Kids with new needs
• Parents who suddenly require care
• “Good” events that still cost a lot of emotional energy, like moving, having a baby, or a big transition

Here’s the hard part: business doesn’t automatically pause for any of it.

Bills still come.
Clients still have needs.
Content still “needs” to go out.

So you end up standing in a tug-of-war between being a functioning business owner and being a whole human.

This is where charity and show side manner stop being abstract ideas and become very practical tools to help you navigate that tension.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is “show side manner”?

Think about the best doctor or nurse you’ve ever had. Chances are, it wasn’t just about what they knew. It was about how they were with you.

Calm.
Kind.
Clear.

Their bedside manner changed how you experienced the information, even if the facts were scary or uncertain.

Your show side manner in business is like that.

Show side manner is the way you show up, speak, and connect with your audience whenever you’re “on” for your business:

• Podcast episodes
• Live streams
• Webinars
• Videos
• Presentations

It’s the tone, presence, and care you bring that makes people feel:

• Seen
• Safe
• Respected
• Engaged

The actual information you share might be the same as what someone else says, or even what you would share on a better day. But the way you deliver it changes how your audience experiences it.

When your show side manner is rooted in charity, you’re not just dumping information. You’re offering care.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

How hard seasons strain your show side manner

When life is heavy, it’s natural for your show side manner to get strained.

You might notice yourself feeling:

• More tired than usual
• More easily irritated
• Less patient with questions or comments
• Tempted to go robotic and just “get through it”
• Unsure whether you have anything to offer when you’re not at 100 percent

There’s a quiet shame that can start to creep in:

“If I can’t show up with full energy, maybe I shouldn’t show up at all.”

But that’s actually where charity gets very real and very necessary.

Instead of demanding a performance from yourself that ignores your reality, charity invites you to treat your presence as enough, even if it looks different right now.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Charity toward others: how you show up when you’re “on”

Charity toward others in business doesn’t always look like discounts, scholarships, or free content. Sometimes it looks like your posture while you’re doing what you already do.

Charity toward your audience in a hard season might be:

• Slowing your pace so your teaching lands instead of rushing through it
• Being honest that you’re in a tender season without oversharing every detail
• Choosing topics that serve them deeply rather than trying to cover everything
• Staying kind and clear, even when your own capacity is stretched

Your audience doesn’t necessarily need a polished, high-energy version of you. They need a trustworthy, present version of you.

Your show side manner, even when you’re not at your peak, can be an act of charity when it communicates:

• “You matter.”
• “I’m glad you’re here.”
• “You’re not a problem to fix; you’re a person to serve.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Charity toward yourself: being honest about your capacity

Charity toward yourself is often the missing piece.

If you’re wired to serve, it can feel easier to extend compassion outward and much harder to extend it inward. But without charity toward yourself, your charity toward others burns you out.

Charity toward yourself in a heavy season might look like:

• Acknowledging what you’re carrying instead of minimizing it
• Lowering the internal bar from “perfect performance” to “honest presence”
• Giving yourself permission to simplify, reschedule, or say no
• Letting some things be “good enough” for now instead of excellent

In practical terms, this could mean:

• Recording shorter, simpler podcast episodes for a while
• Reusing strong content you’ve already created instead of reinventing the wheel
• Communicating clearly with your audience about any changes in schedule or format
• Building more margin into your calendar so you’re not performing on fumes

This isn’t laziness. It’s stewardship.

It’s recognizing that you are a human being carrying real things, and that honoring your limits can actually make your presence more grounded and authentic.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Your presence as an act of charity

When you put it all together, your show side manner in a hard season can become one of the most powerful forms of charity you offer.

You’re not just:

• Teaching strategies
• Sharing stories
• Delivering value

You’re modeling what it looks like to be a whole human who:

• Is going through real life
• Still believes their work matters
• Refuses to abandon kindness, dignity, or honesty in the process

Your audience doesn’t need you to be untouched by life. They need to see what it looks like to keep showing up in ways that are honest, sustainable, and compassionate.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

A gentle reminder if life is heavy right now

If you’re reading this while walking through something hard, here’s what we want you to hear:

• You don’t have to perform at 100 percent to be worthy of doing the work you’re called to do.
• You’re allowed to simplify, slow down, and still call it faithful.
• Your presence, even quieter and gentler, can be a profound act of charity toward your audience and toward yourself.

And if you know another business owner carrying a lot behind the scenes, share this with them. It might be the reminder they need that they’re not alone and that there is a kinder way to keep going.

If you missed the conversation between Kim and Jill on their podcast Buckets and Boom Gates, you can listen to Episode #138 here

Looking for a Community?
We believe business is better together!

The My Sexy Business Community has many facets so we encourage you to explore the different creative solutions we offer for business owners and entrepreneurs ... like support, accountability, strategy, and so much more. We hope to see you on the inside! Click here to join us.

To connect and find out more about Kim or how to create a sexy business for a sexy life, you can reach her and the My Sexy Business Team at www.mysexybusiness.com.

And to connect with Jill Olish go straight to her website www.mamaoutspoken.com and you’ll find her there!

Our one & only choice for us & all our clients to build our online brands and presence is this all-in-one platform!

And our favorite for streaming live is this!

Blog #200