If you’re a health or life coach staring down the six weeks holidays wondering how on earth you’re going to keep your business ticking over with a fraction of your usual time, this one’s for you.

I’m a single mum with two school-aged kids (11 and 6). My co-parent has them every other weekend, one evening a week, and over the summer holidays, one day a week too. My amazing parents help out with another day. That gives me my weekends child-free and two working days a week – down from five during term time. It’s a significant reduction, and over the last few years I’ve worked hard to figure out how to actually navigate it well. I still get things wrong. But here’s what’s working for me now, and what I’ve learned along the way.

Listen to this episode on The Wholehearted Business Show Podcast: Listen on Apple Podcasts / Listen on Spotify

You’re allowed to work less

That’s the first thing to say. You are completely allowed to work less over the summer, or over whatever period your circumstances mean you have less time. But you do have to be realistic about what you can actually achieve in that time, and honest with yourself about what that looks like.

Where I used to go wrong

For years, my biggest mistake was underestimating just how much “life admin” the six weeks holidays actually brings. It’s not just the extra childcare and days out. It’s my son’s birthday at the end of August. It’s back to school prep, uniforms, and school shoes, which somehow become a whole event. There’s a cost that comes with the school holidays, and I used to completely forget that until I was mid-August, overwhelmed, and wondering why everything felt like too much.

Looking back at previous summers and actually taking note of what happens every single year has been one of the most useful things I’ve done.

I also used to try and show up exactly as normal in my content and marketing. What I’ve realised is that summer is naturally a quieter period, and that’s okay. I still get clients, I still make sales, but it’s quieter, and it needs to be for me to actually live the life I want to live over summer. That realisation took so much pressure off feeling like I had to be “on” all the time.

I used to take my show break around the summer solstice in June because it felt neat and tidy. Then I realised: why am I taking a break in June when I actually need it in August? So now I take the break when I actually need it, not when it looks good on paper.

I also used to try and multitask constantly with my kids in the house, especially when they were younger. There’s a real sweet spot, somewhere between about 18 months and 5 or 6, where working with your kids around is genuinely hard. You’ve kind of got to be on or off. And something I’ve had to sit with is that it’s okay for your kids to be a bit bored. I can’t entertain them every single day of the holidays, and honestly, I don’t think it’s a bad thing for them to see their mum working on something that lights her up, makes money, and keeps a roof over our heads.

How I plan for it now

Planning is where it all comes together for me. I use my mini seasons approach (I’ll link the episode where I go into that properly) to plan in smaller, more manageable chunks that take a whole life and business view, not just a work view.

I start by asking what I want this period of my life to actually look like. What do I want to see when I look back at my camera roll at the end of the summer? Then I look at the business side: what actually needs to happen, and what balls can I not afford to drop?

For me, that’s two things:

1. Client delivery — communicating clearly with clients that response times and rhythms will shift over the holidays, while still showing up for them properly
2. Marketing — still showing up with content, because that’s what keeps people engaged with me and warmed up for what happens in September

I’m not actively selling over summer, but I am running a specific project designed to bring new people into my world and nurture them ahead of my Wholehearted Business® launch in September. That’s something I’ve dropped the ball on in previous years, getting to the end of August with three weeks until cart open and nothing done to prepare people for it. This year, that’s built into the plan from the start.

I also plan around my actual working days (Tuesday and Thursday this year), and honestly, I always find I get a huge amount done in that reduced time. I don’t know if it’s the pressure of having so little of it compared to normal, but I faff far less and get properly focused. It’s a nice thing to remember when you’re worried about how little time you’ve got.

My email list stays part of the mix too. I email at least once a week, increasing towards the end of August as I warm people up ahead of the launch.

Planning for the cost of summer

The six weeks holidays come with a genuine expense, and I plan for that too. I use Monzo for my bank account, and I’ve been paying into a dedicated “summer holidays” pot every month this year, which covers a glamping trip with the kids and all the associated costs, plus the back to school spend. It takes so much of the stress out of it, alongside planning some lovely low cost days out too.

I’m also making good use of AI this summer to support tasks and free up my time. It’s not there to replace me or my magic, but as someone with limited hours, it’s a genuine ally right now.

The mindset shift

Shifting into a lower capacity period isn’t a step back, it’s just a gear change. But it can bring up mindset stuff, especially if you’re earlier on in your coaching business. It’s worth asking yourself what beliefs sit underneath the pressure to keep working as normal. What are you telling yourself you can’t do if you slow down?

A lot of us started coaching businesses precisely so we could live with more freedom, without asking permission to take time off. It’s worth remembering that when the “shoulds” get loud, and if you’re highly sensitive or neurodivergent, they can get really loud this time of year.

At the end of the summer, I always review how it’s gone. Some years I’ve recorded a voice note to myself with what to do differently next time, and it’s been so useful to look back on. I’ll be doing that again this year.

If this has been helpful, take a look at my Notion planning templates, they’re being updated soon (with a price increase) as part of my Cosy Business systems work, which is only available inside Wholehearted Business®. Get on the waitlist for that if you want access to everything I’m building with AI at the moment. Otherwise, grab the planning templates now and you’ll get the upgraded version free when it launches.

I’d love to know what your summer looks like, drop me a DM on Instagram @wholeheartedlaura.

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