The Physical Therapist Who Cut Her Work Hours in Half and Still Scaled Her Business

When I first met Gretchen Hawley, I could tell she was already doing amazing things in her business. 

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A physical therapist and MS-certified specialist, Gretchen built a thriving business and grew an online following of over 50,000 people dedicated to improving strength and mobility for those with Multiple Sclerosis.

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But here’s the thing: we all know that running a business can be a 24/7 gig. The hours were long, her personal time was non-existent, and she was starting to feel disconnected from the very family she was committed to growing. She was beyond burnt out and reached a breaking point where something had to change.

 

Before Working With Me

Before we began working together, Gretchen was waking up to work out around six o’clock, then diving right into work at 7 a.m., skipping lunch breaks or eating while working and never taking any clear time off. 

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“I didn’t have any kids at that point, so I’d technically log off around 5 p.m., but I was always on my phone, responding to messages and working until I went to bed,” she explained. “There was never really like an off time.”

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Having also just moved into a new home, she was stretching her non-existent time limits to try to live a normal life, too.

 

The work itself was draining, with trying to host online classes, work 1:1 with clients and manage a business all at once, it always felt like there was something that needed to be done. This became the “norm” for her. 

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The Combination She Was Looking For In An Advisor

What Gretchen really wanted was guidance on how to keep growing her business while finding some sort of balance and space to breathe.

 

Because she had little to no work-life balance, she wanted help with a streamlined schedule with less working hours and the mindset that it was okay to have days off. 

 

Then, she also wanted a partner who could help with tangible things in her business, finding the blind spots in her sales pages and email sequences to increase sales, alongside getting the right people in the right roles so she wasn’t doing it all herself.

 

She wanted strategic guidance, tactical change to implement, and an elevated mindset so she could go from thinking like a solopreneur to being a CEO.

 

What brought our partnership together was a referral from her twin sister, who had already experienced working with me. 

 

“From my twin’s experience, you were helping her with both categories [strategy & mindset], which for me, was like, great, sign me up, I’m in.”

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Her Biggest Goals

So we broke down all of the things she wanted to accomplish working together:

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• Create more work-life balance

• Let go of unnecessary commitments

• Eliminate constant stress and health concerns

• Shift her mindset from fear and scarcity to confidence and ease

• Work less without sacrificing business growth

• Improve communication and leadership with her team

• Become happier and feel more fulfilled

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How We Worked On Her Goals in My Private Partnership

Usually, with a new client, I expect resistance. 

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But, Gretchen came to me fully ready and the least resistant, which was such a breath of fresh air to feel fully trusted in this process.

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I remember her coming in when we started working in December and already being like, ‘We're cutting this and we're making our hours for this.’

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Over the 2.5 years we’ve worked together, Gretchen has now seen some of the most incredible, beyond-belief results:

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1. Sustainability by creating balance between business and life

Before running her business full-time, Gretchen was working multiple jobs. 

 

"When I first started this business, I had three other jobs. I had a full-time job and then a multi-level network marketing-type job and worked per diem and then started this. And so it was just work, work, work, work, work."

 

So we talked about how she unintentionally recreated a corporate structure in her own business. We worked to restructure how she shows up in her work so it’s not so much pressure to perform at all times.

 

"December came, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can actually enjoy Christmas. This is weird.’”

 

With more control over her time, her mornings are now spent with her daughter who was born in 2024. 

 

"She sleeps wonderfully, so she wakes up around nine or so, but we just kind of chill."

 

That’s the dream.

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2. Let go of unnecessary commitments

Gretchen was holding onto things in her business that she thought were necessary, but weren’t.

 

We worked on auditing her commitments, identifying what truly moved the needle, and giving her permission to let go of what wasn’t serving her. She decided to stop teaching weekly live exercise classes, something she once thought she had to do. We evaluated how she was spending her time and her energy and started restructuring and hiring to find the right support.

 

"We took it away, and nothing bad happened. The world didn’t crumble, and no one was upset about it. And I was just like, ‘My God, I’ve been bending over backward for these people, and they don’t even care that much that we’re not doing it anymore. This is great.’"

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That moment was a turning point in how she approached making decisions in her business.

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3. Eliminate stress and health concerns

Before working together, stress was a constant state for Gretchen. And because of this, she had been pushing her body to its limits. 

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"I was gaining a little bit of weight and just couldn’t lose it no matter what I did. I wasn’t fueling my body properly other than exercise—like, nutrition wasn’t there."

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That ongoing stress and pressure took a toll on her health, with signs and symptoms all pointing back to the moment she started her business – seven years prior.  

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Her new schedule and ability to take time for herself and her hobbies, like running, baking gluten-free recipes, quilting and crafting.

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4. Shift her mindset from fear and scarcity to confidence and ease

Gretchen had gone from scarcity mode, worried about making money, to a different kind of scarcity – one that a lot of my clients face: fear of losing everything she had worked so hard for.

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We worked through this mindset shift, alongside setting up the right systems in her business, so that she’s been able to not only SEE that things won’t fail, but also know it and feel it in her heart, too.

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5. Work less without sacrificing business growth

Prior to working with me, Gretchen was working 50 to 60 hours per week. 

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Gretchen’s schedule now looks completely different. We did my CEO Schedule Reset process to help clear her schedule, reorganize her routines and create space on her calendar to lighten the load, while still keeping productivity throughout her business. 

 

Now, she can work less without neglecting things, letting her team down, or leaving customers hanging. 

 

"Since I had my daughter, I’ve pretty much been working 20 to 25 hours a week, which I still just… I can’t believe I’m saying those words. Like, that is just so crazy to me."

Gretchen even took 2 months of maternity leave when her daughter was born, while simultaneously having one of her best months in business hitting $95k in revenue.

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6. Improve communication and leadership with her team

When we started working together, she had one full-time employee who was a jack-of-all trades. Now, she has a team, with one full-time employee, another full-time hire, and three contractors to help delegate more things. 

 

We also worked on leadership, clear communication, and internal team structure. That allowed her to work fewer hours while still launching new programs and growing the business.

 

"You’ve really helped me understand and view things from a different perspective—what situation might be happening, how to communicate that effectively, and then how to get to the solution quicker versus dwelling on what was wrong."

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7. Become happier and feel more fulfilled

The shift in her schedule and stress levels was so noticeable that even her family took note.

 

 "My husband literally says, ‘You’re a happier person now.’"

 

By working fewer hours, setting better boundaries, hiring the right team, and letting go of unnecessary work, Gretech can actually enjoy her life as a 7-figure business owner.

 

Her sister was visiting from LA and asked if she could go get her nails done. When Gretechen said yes without hesitation, her sister was taken aback, saying, “You seem like a different person. Like, I don’t know who you are.’"

 

Her mother can’t stop telling her, “You got your glow back.” 

 

I don’t think there’s anything more tangible than a result like that.

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How She is Celebrating Her Wins

A big belief of mine is celebrating success – even the little things. And it’s been the coolest thing to see Gretchen LIVE her life!

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One of the first celebrations was after her first Black Friday success.

"I got earrings, which I really loved because anytime I wear them, I now think of that." 

 

That small but significant purchase became a reminder of what she had accomplished.

 

The most recent one, after having her best year in business yet, was buying a sauna for her house.

 

“Every time I go in the sauna, I think about the accomplishment that led to this. So I love that one."

 

Beyond physical rewards, she and her husband have also taken some amazing trips to unwind and simply spend time together, like weekends away in Airbnbs and even staying in an A-frame cabin.

 

“I knew there was possibility for growth business-wise and personally to work less, but I don't think I knew it could be this good.”

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Gretchen is proof that you don’t have to choose between business success and personal fulfillment. You CAN have both. By setting boundaries, delegating, and shifting her mindset, she built a business that supports her life instead of one that runs it.

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If you want to take back your life while achieving incredible business success, with a thought partner who combines strategy with mindset, book a Clarity Call with me now.