If you’re an overwhelmed mum trying to build a business, you might recognise this pattern: you know you’re capable, you have a strong idea, you’ve learned a lot… and yet you still feel stuck.
That was exactly where Jemma Pimlott found herself.
In a recent episode of pepp talks, I sat down with Jemma, the founder of Life Admin Hive, to talk about her journey from years of self-doubt and procrastination to finally launching her business and signing paying clients. What stood out most was not just the business growth, but the internal shift that made it possible.
This is her story, and the lessons it offers any overwhelmed mum in business carrying the mental load and quietly wondering why it feels so hard.
The mental load isn’t just busy, it’s heavy
Jemma lives in Devon with her husband and two boys, who she home educates. Before starting her business, she worked as a children’s social worker and as a community nurse, supporting families through palliative care and life-limiting conditions.
In those roles, she was confident. Courageous. A “fearless warrior”, as she described it. But when it came to creating a business, everything changed.
Not because she lacked skill, but because the business required visibility. It required owning her value. It required saying, “This is what I do, and this is what it’s worth.”
For many women, that shift can feel far more vulnerable than any corporate role.
Jemma’s business, Life Admin Hive, supports busy, overwhelmed women with the life admin that clogs up their days and fills their headspace. School forms. Emails. Household systems. The invisible tasks that keep everything running.
And she’s right to name how gendered this is. She referenced a statistic that a large majority of mental load lands on women. Whether you’re in paid work, running a business, parenting, or doing all three, that invisible load takes a toll.
Why capable women still get stuck
Jemma had been “toying” with her business idea for years. She took local business courses, had mentoring, joined co-working spaces, read books, listened to podcasts, and ran free groups.
From the outside, it looked like momentum.
But inside, she kept hitting the same wall: imposter syndrome, fear of being visible, and self-sabotage.
Whenever life got difficult (a family illness, bereavement, a serious accident), she used it as a reason to pause her launch. And those reasons were real. But they also gave her nervous system a “safe” escape route from the risk of being seen.
It’s a pattern many overwhelmed mums in business will recognise: life is busy, energy is limited, and the business becomes the thing you keep delaying… not because it matters less, but because it matters so much.
ADHD, perfectionism, and the pressure to do it “right”
Jemma was diagnosed with ADHD at 47. Suddenly, a lot of her challenges made sense.
She spoke about how mainstream business advice often didn’t work for her. The rigid productivity rules, the “just do it” approach, the constant pressure to be visible, the idea that you must force yourself through discomfort.
So she tried harder. Pushed more. Consumed more information.
But the real issue wasn’t effort. It was nervous system safety and sustainable implementation.
Perfectionism played a part too. Not necessarily believing things must be perfect, but feeling that anything less than perfect is too vulnerable to share.
So she stayed in preparation mode, convincing herself she just needed one more book, one more tweak to her website, one more course… and then she’d be ready.
The identity shift that changed everything
One of the biggest breakthroughs Jemma shared was this: she stopped treating her business like an expensive hobby.
She spoke about paying for tools like Canva and Google Workspace, investing time away from her family, and feeling guilt because she wasn’t earning money yet.
In Simplify, we talked about what it means to decide you are building a real business, even before the results look how you want them to look.
This is the part so many overwhelmed mums miss: you do not become a business owner once everything is perfect. You become a business owner the moment you decide to take yourself seriously.Jemma began saying, “I am a businesswoman.”
Even when it felt uncomfortable.
Even when she doubted it.
Even when she was still building.
That language mattered. Because your brain believes what you repeatedly tell it.
Self-compassion as the foundation for growth
Jemma said the thing she’s most proud of is developing self-compassion.
She described how cruel her internal voice had been for decades, and how she would be devastated if her children ever spoke to themselves the way she spoke to herself.
Instead of trying to “shut down” the inner critic, she began to understand it as a protective part, trying to keep her safe from rejection and failure.
And as her self-compassion grew, so did her willingness to take risks.
She launched Life Admin Hive.
She began showing her face on social media.
She recorded her first videos.
She spoke at a networking event.
She came on this podcast as a guest (despite the nerves).
Not because the fear disappeared, but because she trusted she could handle it if things went wrong.
That is real confidence.
Why longer-term support beats short-term motivation
A key part of Jemma’s story is that she didn’t need more inspiration. She needed implementation support.
She said free challenges and short courses never gave her enough time to settle in, build trust, and follow through. And without accountability, her ADHD brain would always choose “later”.
This is why ongoing support matters, especially for overwhelmed mums in business. It holds you steady between the sessions, when the doubt kicks in, when life gets busy, and when you’re tempted to disappear.
Jemma was clear: without SIMPLIFY , she would have delayed again. She would have told herself November was too close to Christmas, January everyone was too broke, Easter was too late as she would travelling very soon… and she would have mothballed the business until 2027.
Instead, she now has real momentum and a foundation she can build on, even while travelling.
If you’re an overwhelmed mum in business, take this with you
If you’re carrying the mental load, juggling family life, and trying to grow a business, your stuckness is not a character flaw.
It is often a combination of:
- nervous system overload
- fear of visibility
- perfectionism
- lack of supportive structure
- and a harsh inner voice that thinks pressure equals progress
The antidote isn’t more pushing. It’s support, simplicity, and self-trust.
And as Jemma’s story shows, the ripple effect is huge. When you stop attacking yourself and start leading yourself with compassion, everything changes: your business, your energy, your confidence, and the way you show up in your life.
If you’d like to explore ways that I could support you, you are always welcome to get in touch.