How to Use Interoception as a Business Owner

Sometimes business podcasts feel like a parade of “hustle harder” advice from people who want you to believe success starts with a color-coded calendar and ends with you burning out in silence. But for ordinary business owners — you know, your people — what really matters is finding ways to thrive that don’t require sacrificing your sanity.

That’s exactly why I wanted to learn from Rachel Richards, a Phoenix-based photographer and filmmaker. Rachel isn’t out chasing million-dollar launches or promising you’ll “scale effortlessly” if you just push harder. Instead, she’s redefining success with a gentle, reality-checked approach to entrepreneurship — one that starts with honoring her body, ditching the time block obsession, and building slowness into her process.

Her story is for ordinary folks who want an honest look at burnout, self-doubt, and what it really takes to build a business that supports your life… without pretending work-life balance is a mythical unicorn.

Let’s get into it.

From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Rachel’s Honest Origin Story

Rachel Richards knows panic, burnout, and those days where your “just work harder” mindset turns into a wall you can’t break through. Back in 2023, Rachel was laid off from her director of operations job — and while plenty of business podcasts would spin that as “your ticket to freedom!” Rachel tells it straight: she was excited at first, with big plans to finally go all-in on her photography business.

But, surprise! Reality wasn’t so forgiving. Rachel threw herself into family photography, hustling from dawn till bedtime, cranking out dozens of job applications in hopes one would stick and constantly checking her bank account for any signs of progress. The result? Weeks and months of hope were met with a total lack of traction. Both the job search and the business growth stalled, panic crept in, and — as she puts it — “my thoughts were getting really dark.”

Rachel’s situation wasn’t unique. If you’ve ever been stuck in the “just work harder” cycle, feeling like the only missing ingredient is more hours and more grind, this story probably sounds familiar. But Rachel’s honesty in seeking emergency mental health care, admitting that her perseverance was getting her nowhere, is the turning point most “7-figures-in-7-months” podcasts never talk about.

“I couldn’t just work my way out of it,” Rachel explained. “I had to sit with the discomfort, and for the first time, learn how to manage it.”

That’s where her journey with interoception began.

Interoception: Listening to Your Body (And No, It’s Not Woo-Woo)

If you’ve never heard the term “interoception,” you’re probably not alone. It’s basically a fancy word for learning how to listen to your body’s signals — the communication flowing between your brain and your physical sensations. (And no, this isn’t about holding crystals under the full moon or manifesting your dream client; Rachel’s approach is firm, real, and backed by actual science. More on that soon.)

For Rachel, tuning into interoception has become a make-or-break part of running her business. “I’m not just walking around thinking my brain is the CEO and doesn’t need any input,” she laughed. Instead, Rachel treats her mind-body connection as a trusted internal sounding board — especially valuable for solo business owners who don’t have a team to bounce ideas off of.

That means before she says yes to a new client, launches an offer, or even picks up the phone, Rachel checks in with her body. Does she feel safe and calm, or tense and anxious? She’s learned to trust those gut feelings, and says they’re far more reliable than any spreadsheet.

“It could tick all the boxes on paper,” Rachel said, “but if it doesn’t feel right in my body, I’m not going to do it.”

And before anyone rolls their eyes, Rachel is the first to admit she’s not here to sell you on magic solutions. There’s scientific research documenting how our bodies send us signals about stress, alignment, and red flags — this isn’t just entrepreneur intuition, it’s an emerging area of study (the book Inner Sense gets a shout-out if you want to dig deeper).

The short version? You don’t have to be “woo woo” to give yourself permission to slow down and check in with your body…but you DO need it if you want to avoid walking straight into burnout.

Rethinking Routines: What a “Body-Centered” Workday Looks Like

Forget what you’ve read about “miracle mornings” that start at 5 A.M. with a green smoothie and thirty minutes of cold plunging. Rachel’s mornings are built around intention, not intensity.

If she skips her morning routine (which lately includes journaling, a dab of breathwork, gratitude practice, and a couple pages of reading), Rachel says she feels “out of touch” all day — her brain just takes charge and she ends up feeling disconnected and frazzled. But if she starts slow, her body gets a say in how the day unfolds, and she’s much calmer tackling her to-do list.

But perhaps the biggest twist? Rachel does NOT time block. No packed calendar, no “power hours,” and zero pressure to conquer her task list by noon. Instead, Rachel uses what she calls a “menu” of work: she checks her body’s energy and mood before choosing a task. Deep work gets saved for focused stretches; tired moments call for lighter lifts.

And according to Rachel, this works better than forcing herself to do tasks simply because the clock says it’s time. It’s the secret sauce for crossing more items off her list — without squeezing herself into someone else’s productivity mold.

If you thought only “slacker” entrepreneurs skip time blocking, let me say this for the record: I never time blocked either. Rachel is the only other entrepreneur I know who admits it out loud, and honestly, our people need to hear that permission slip.

Slowness Is a Value — Not a Weakness

Building slowness into your business isn’t just an individual benefit. Rachel’s clients — often busy parents juggling kids and chaos — see the value, too. Rachel bakes slowness right into her marketing, messaging, and client experience. She explicitly positions her business as one that gets to know clients deeply, takes its time, and refuses to rush.

If clients are hunting for lightning-fast turnarounds, Rachel’s not the fit, and she’s upfront about it. “That alone should tell you my pace is different,” she explained. “If that’s your priority, you need another photographer.” She’s built her offers, timelines, and onboarding to reflect slowness as a value, not an apology.

By helping her clients find a bit of breath and calm in the middle of their busy lives, Rachel reframes slow as a powerful way to serve ordinary people. She’s quick to point out that, contrary to what some business coaches whisper, building a business at your own pace means you’re better aligned, more present, and less likely to land in burnout land.

And for those wondering if this approach is too soft or “woo?” Rachel comes from healthcare, holds a master’s degree in public health, and likes her evidence. The science is real; it’s just not the kind hawked by empire-building influencers who think “slowness” means weakness.

Boundaries, Burnout, and the Never-Ending Self-Sabotage Dance

Of course, shifting how you work doesn’t mean old habits vanish overnight. Rachel is honest about the struggle: some days the morning routine slips, and she’ll catch herself reaching for old patterns. Instead of beating herself up, she reframes missed routines as simply “maybe my body just needed more rest,” and gives herself permission to try again tomorrow.

But here’s a challenge relatable to just about every ordinary business owner: how do you know when your body’s signals are genuine, and when they’re a sneaky form of self-sabotage? Rachel admits there’s no perfect answer. There are weeks where taking it slow turns into barely working — and she realized at a certain point that she had to ask herself, “Is this an intuitive message I should honor, or am I sabotaging myself?”

Her solution? She checks in, asks herself the hard questions, and keeps a watchful eye for moments when rest might be masking avoidance.

It’s not a one-and-done fix. But it’s a realistic acknowledgment of what happens when you choose intention over inertia — something ordinary business owners need to hear in a world obsessed with constant action.

Why Ordinary Wins: Finding Success Without “Crushing It”

Rachel’s story isn’t one of overnight returns, viral launches, or working yourself into the ER for another zero on your revenue line. It’s proof that you can build a business reflective of who you are, what your body needs, and the pace you actually want to live at.

Saying no to time blocking, hustle culture, and the “brain as CEO” myth isn’t lazy or self-indulgent — it’s survival. It’s how ordinary owners like Rachel, and hopefully, just like you, end up not just working, but thriving.

Success isn’t found in running faster, burning brighter, or acting like your body is a liability. Sometimes winning is working from the couch, taking a dance break to Taylor Swift, and letting slow, present, intentional choices shape your ordinary-but-thriving story.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is interoception, and how does it help entrepreneurs?
Interoception is the ability to sense and interpret signals from your body — things like stress, ease, tension, or calm. Rachel uses it as an internal “sounding board” to make business decisions, avoid burnout, and stay aligned with what actually works for her (and her clients).

2. Is listening to your body just being lazy or procrastinating?
Not at all! Rachel reframes these moments as intentional check-ins, deciding if she’s truly not ready to work or if she’s falling into self-sabotage. This mindful approach helps her avoid burnout and do better work.

3. Do you really not need to time block to be productive?
Yep, you don’t. Rachel and (I’ll admit!) I both skip rigid time blocking in favor of open, flexible schedules that let us work when our energy and focus are right. For ordinary business owners, this can mean more gets done without the guilt and pressure.

4. How does Rachel communicate her “slowness” value to clients?
She builds it straight into her messaging, onboarding, and process — making it clear that she gets to know clients deeply and doesn’t rush. If a client prioritizes speed above all else, Rachel doesn’t mind helping them find another photographer.

5. Is this approach based on real science or just intuition?
While it might sound fluffy, Rachel grounds her practices in scientific research around mind-body connection. The book Inner Sense offers more insights if you want to understand the evidence behind interoception.

6. What should ordinary business owners do if they feel burned out or stuck?
Rachel encourages honest self-reflection, tuning into body signals, and giving yourself permission to slow down — plus sparing yourself guilt when you need rest. It’s about reframing your response, finding what works for you, and building business boundaries around your real life.

If you’ve ever felt “behind” because your workflow doesn’t look like a guru’s — let Rachel’s story remind you: ordinary isn’t less-than. It’s honest, freeing, and absolutely thriving when you build it your way. Come meet your people. (And, yes, feel free to work from the couch.)