How Survival Mode Affects Entrepreneurs and Business Growth

What if the reason you're constantly feeling overwhelmed, emotionally reactive, or exhausted isn't because you need to get better at managing your time, but because you've spent years living in survival mode?

For women entrepreneurs, there's often an expectation that we should be able to handle everything. We're building businesses, managing families, taking care of clients, and making hundreds of decisions every day. And somewhere along the way, pushing through becomes our normal way of operating.

But being productive doesn't necessarily mean we're feeling good.

In this episode of Modern Marketing Made Simple, I sat down with Tammy Perrin, a former private coaching client of mine whose journey from social selling to personal healing completely changed the direction of her life and business.

Tammy spent years working demanding jobs in the trucking industry while trying to build a business on the side. What began as a search for better business strategies eventually led her to discover how disconnected she had become from her emotions and how much of her life had been spent simply getting things done.

Her story offers some interesting lessons about nervous system regulation, emotional triggers, limiting beliefs, and what happens when we start paying attention to ourselves instead of constantly pushing forward.

1. Being Productive Doesn't Mean You're Not Living in Survival Mode

One of the things that stood out to me about Tammy's story was how differently I remembered her from the woman she described becoming.

When we worked together years ago, she was incredibly focused, hardworking, and busy. She was juggling multiple responsibilities and looking for ways to build her social selling business more efficiently.

From the outside, she was someone who knew how to get things done.

But during our conversation, Tammy explained how years of operating in that constant push-through mentality had left her disconnected from what she was actually feeling.

It wasn't until she began exploring emotional connection as part of her business that she realized something was missing.

She described watching another woman share an emotional moment on Instagram Stories and recognizing how deeply that vulnerability connected with her. When Tammy tried to access those same emotions herself, she discovered that she struggled to cry, even when she wanted to.

That experience eventually led her to therapy and the beginning of a completely different journey.

The lesson for entrepreneurs is that being capable, productive, and successful doesn't automatically mean we're taking care of ourselves emotionally.

Try this in your life: Think about how you respond when your schedule becomes overwhelming. Do you automatically push harder, ignore how you're feeling, or convince yourself you'll slow down when everything is finished?

Sometimes recognizing those patterns is the first step toward changing them.

2. Understanding Your Emotional Triggers Can Change How You Respond

One of the most practical parts of my conversation with Tammy was her explanation of nervous system regulation.

We hear that phrase everywhere right now, but what does it actually mean?

Tammy explains that when we experience a stressful or threatening situation, our bodies can activate a stress response. Our heart rate may increase, our breathing may change, and it can become more difficult to think clearly or respond thoughtfully.

This is why we sometimes say things in an argument that we regret later or react more strongly to situations than we intended.

The goal of nervous system regulation isn't to eliminate emotions. It's to help our bodies settle so we can respond more intentionally.

Tammy shared one of her favourite techniques, called the physiological sigh.

Here's how to try it:

1. Take a deep breath in through your nose.

2. At the top of that breath, take another small sip of air.

3. Slowly exhale, making the exhale longer than the inhale.

4. Repeat a few times, paying attention to how your body feels.

This type of breathing may help reduce feelings of immediate stress and give you a moment to respond instead of reacting.

For entrepreneurs, this can be particularly helpful before difficult client conversations, stressful decisions, or moments when everything feels like it's happening at once.

Try this in your business: The next time you receive a frustrating email or find yourself overwhelmed by a situation, take a moment to regulate your breathing before responding.

You may find that giving yourself a little space changes the conversation entirely.

3. You Don't Have to Believe Everything You've Always Believed About Yourself

Another important part of Tammy's work focuses on limiting beliefs and the unconscious mind.

Throughout our lives, we develop beliefs about ourselves, our abilities, and what we're capable of accomplishing. Some come from personal experiences, while others are influenced by the people and environments we grew up around.

Tammy talks about how childhood experiences can shape the way we see ourselves as adults, sometimes without us even realizing it.

And this has a very real connection to entrepreneurship.

Think about the beliefs that can show up when we're building a business.

I'm not good at selling.

People will think I'm annoying if I promote myself.

I have to work harder than everyone else to be successful.

I'm not confident enough to show up on camera.

Sometimes these beliefs feel like facts because we've repeated them to ourselves for so long.

But a belief isn't necessarily the truth.

Tammy's coaching approach involves helping clients explore where certain patterns and beliefs may have originated and how they can begin responding differently.

Try this in your business: Pay attention to the statements you make about yourself when something feels uncomfortable.

Instead of immediately accepting them, ask yourself where that belief came from and whether it's actually supported by your experiences today.

You might discover that some of the things holding you back are assumptions you've never thought to question.

4. Building a Community Starts With Helping People Feel Safe and Understood

One of my favourite parts of this conversation was hearing about the community Tammy has created through her Facebook group, Our Porch.

When Tammy invited me into the group, one of the first things I noticed was how comfortable members seemed sharing their experiences and participating in conversations.

And as someone who has spent years teaching social media marketing and community building, I know that kind of engagement doesn't happen automatically.

Tammy created Our Porch because she remembered how lonely her own healing journey had felt. She wanted women to have somewhere they could share their experiences, celebrate their progress, and connect with others who understood what they were going through.

Rather than building a community around constant promotion, she started with something much more meaningful: a shared experience and a genuine desire to support people.

This is an important lesson for anyone building a personal brand or growing a business through social media.

People are more likely to engage when they feel understood, welcomed, and comfortable participating.

It's also a reminder that effective content strategy isn't always about creating more educational posts or finding the next Instagram trend.

Sometimes it's about starting conversations that matter to the people you're trying to reach.

Try this in your business: Think about the experiences your audience shares beyond the products or services you offer.

What are they struggling with? What are they celebrating? What conversations would make them feel like they're part of something?

Look for opportunities to create content that invites genuine participation rather than simply asking people to buy.

Key Takeaways: Personal Growth and Building a Business

Tammy's story is a reminder that personal growth and business growth aren't always separate journeys.

Here are five lessons worth taking away from our conversation:

1. Recognize when you're constantly pushing through. Being busy and productive doesn't mean you're giving yourself what you need emotionally.

2. Learn simple emotional regulation techniques. Breathing and grounding exercises can help you manage stressful moments and respond more intentionally.

3. Question the limiting beliefs you've carried for years. Some of the assumptions influencing your decisions may no longer reflect who you are or what you're capable of.

4. Remember that emotional connection matters in marketing. People respond to content that makes them feel understood, not just content that explains what you're selling.

5. Build community around connection, not just transactions. Creating a space where people feel comfortable participating can help develop meaningful relationships over time.

One of the things I appreciated most about reconnecting with Tammy was seeing how much she had changed since we first worked together.

Her journey started with wanting to become better at business, but it ultimately led her toward understanding herself.

And I think that's something many women entrepreneurs can relate to.

Sometimes the most important work we do for our businesses is the work we do on ourselves.

Want to Go Deeper? Listen to the Full Conversation

In this episode of Modern Marketing Made Simple, Tammy shares more about her personal healing journey, the emotional regulation techniques she uses, and how she's turned her experiences into a business focused on helping other women.

We also walk through two practical exercises you can try yourself: the physiological sigh and the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique.

Listen to the full episode here: 

Meet Tammy Perrin

Tammy Perrin is a life coach who helps women explore emotional triggers, limiting beliefs, and patterns that may be influencing how they experience everyday life.

After spending years working in the trucking industry and exploring social selling, Tammy began a personal healing journey that led her to study life coaching, NLP, hypnosis, and nervous system regulation techniques.

Today, she combines her personal experiences with her coaching education to support women who want to reconnect with themselves and develop a greater understanding of their emotions.

She is also the creator of Our Porch, a free Facebook community designed to bring women together for connection, encouragement, and conversations about personal growth.

Connect with Tammy:

Instagram: @tammyperrinslife

Facebook Community: Our Porch

Want More? Let's Talk About Building a Personal Brand.

If Tammy's story has you thinking about how your own experiences can influence the business you build, I recommend listening to my conversation with Meghan Schrumm next.

In Building a Personal Brand and Attracting Clients Organically, Meghan shares her experience reinventing her career, building a service-based business, and using educational content to establish herself as an expert.

It's a great follow-up because both conversations explore how personal experiences, professional growth, and entrepreneurship can influence one another.

[Listen to Meghan's episode here]

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I'm Lori Ervin, founder of Level Up Marketing Co., where I help women building online businesses simplify their social media, create content that connects, and turn their marketing into meaningful business growth.

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