Work Life Balance for the Healthcare Entrepreneur with Bethany Gettis, C.H.N.
Join me on our latest DPT to CEO interview with Bethany Gettis, C.H.N. Bethany is the owner and operator of Nutritious & Delicious and an online holistic nutrition consulting business.
During this episode, we dive into important aspects of a business owner mindset, finding a solid work life balance, and simple yet effective tips for maintaining adequate nutrition as an entrepreneur. If you're looking to boost the nutritional aspect of your self-care as a business owner or learn more about mindset and setting boundaries for yourself, keep reading!
What we're covering today:
*What have you noticed in your mental, emotional, and physical health as a business owner and what have you done to support yourself on the journey?
Tell us a little bit more about yourself and your story and what you’re doing now.
Bethany: So, I started this journey kind of backwards. I always tell people that I didn’t plan on being an entrepreneur. Honestly, I was a nurse before I even thought about doing my own thing. I never really told myself, “I’m going to be an entrepreneur, this is my path.” It just kind of happened that way.
I got my nursing degree, started working in hospitals, and saw a lot of people who were just too far gone. That’s when I realized I wanted to work in a space where I could actually help prevent people from ending up in the hospital in the first place. Eventually, I ended up in a diet and health clinic, where I worked for about five years. That was a huge eye-opener for me. I got really into nutrition because I was helping people get healthier, lose weight, and manage their symptoms.
But after a while, I started to feel like I wasn’t really helping people the way I wanted to. So, I went back to school and got certified as a holistic nutritional consultant. That gave me a much better understanding of how food works and how it can really help us.
What I learned working in that space was that food is so emotional for a lot of people. We use it for all kinds of things—it can be a reward, a punishment, part of our culture, all that stuff. So, I decided to start my own business. I’m one of those people who needs a little push to get going, and for me, that push came when I was pregnant with my first son. That’s when I started the business, and now I have two sons, who are nine and eleven. It’s crazy how fast they’ve grown, and I feel kind of old now, but it’s cool to see how they’ve grown up with everything I’ve taught them.
These days, I work virtually and help all kinds of people with their health. Most of my clients come to me because they want to lose weight—that’s usually the main thing. But I also work with a lot of people who have other health conditions, especially in the fertility space. I help women who are trying to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and take care of their bodies.
One thing I’ve noticed is there’s a ton of misinformation out there about health and nutrition. As a business owner, I’ve had to figure out how to take care of my own health while running things, and that’s a big part of why I’m here today, sharing my journey with your crowd.
What have you noticed in your mental, emotional, and physical health as a business owner and what have you done to support yourself on the journey?
Bethany: Getting into business for yourself is definitely a tough one. Like I said, I wasn’t really planning to be an entrepreneur—it just kind of happened. Unfortunately, life threw me a curveball, and that’s what pushed me into this position. I became a widow when my boys were just three and five years old, so I was looking for something I could do from home. I already had my business going, but that situation really lit a fire under me. I had to make a decision, and that was the moment where I felt like I got kicked out of the nest. I had to figure things out for myself.
By 2018, I had a setup—I had an office space and everything—but I really had to establish boundaries with my kids. That was tough. I had to find a schedule that worked for us because balancing work and kids is hard. I know a lot of parents out there can relate. You’re trying to build your business, but you’ve also got little ones who need you. In the beginning, you’re doing so much building behind the scenes before you even get out there to find clients or work on business partnerships.
The hardest part for me was setting those boundaries. It meant telling my kids, “This is my work time, I’ll play with you later.” I had to find things to keep them entertained, which was always interesting. And then COVID hit, and like everyone else, we had to adjust. Thankfully, I was already working virtually by then, so I didn’t have to pivot like a lot of other business owners who were scrambling to move their work online. The only big change was having my kids home all the time, so I had to manage my time differently.
Stress levels definitely went up during that period, and I know a lot of parents felt the same way. The key for me was figuring out a schedule—not just for me, but for the kids too. I gave myself some grace and realized I wasn’t going to get everything done in one day. I started prioritizing the hard stuff first. Some days, that meant waking up earlier or staying up late. I even got into the habit of eating at my desk, making quick smoothies, and pre-packing lunches for the boys so I didn’t have to keep running into the kitchen.
Once things settled down a bit, we stuck to our schedules, and that’s been a lifesaver. Mentally, being an entrepreneur is tough. There’s a lot of failure, and you get more “no’s” than “yes’s.” You can start questioning yourself after a bad day or a bad week, wondering, “Why am I doing this?” For me, I’ve always been self-disciplined, but even then, I’d catch myself getting distracted. If I saw dishes in the sink or laundry to fold, I’d start doing them instead of focusing on work! It’s definitely a form of procrastination, and you have to keep yourself in check.
One thing I’ve learned is to tackle the things I least want to do first. I make sure those tough tasks are off my list early in the day, so I feel more accomplished. Having a schedule helps keep me on track, and mental health is a big priority for me. If things aren’t going well—like if technology isn’t working, which always seems to happen—I’ll step back. I’ll go for a walk, hit the gym, or sometimes just take a nap. It makes such a difference when I come back to work feeling refreshed and more inspired.
As an entrepreneur, you wear so many different hats, and it can be overwhelming. But when you take a step back, you realize you’re building up skills every day, even on the days that don’t feel productive. You’re learning leadership, communication, time management—everything. It’s a lot, but all those small steps add up over time.
Morgan: There’s just so much to it, you know? Bethany, you brought up so many good points and tips that I want to dive into a bit more. For those listening who are brand new to working for yourself, this is all really important stuff to keep in mind. There are so many different components to running a business—it’s not just about finding new clients. There's a lot more that goes on behind the scenes.
And for those of you who’ve been working for yourselves for a while, I hope this helps you realize you’re not alone. We all feel this way at some point—scattered, overwhelmed—it’s not just you. Creating structure in your business can make a huge difference.
I really want to dig into the idea of boundaries because I’ve been talking to my clients about this a lot lately. This year, I’ve been focusing more on creating structure and a solid schedule, both for myself and for my family. And I think, and I don’t know if I’m explaining this right, but when you go from working for someone else to working for yourself, it’s a huge shift. You go from having a pre-built structure in your life—set hours, set tasks—to having a completely blank slate. Suddenly, you’re the one who has to create that structure, and that can be really tough to adjust to.
That’s where I used to get stuck, and I think a lot of people do too. It’s just so different from what we’re used to when we’re working for someone else.
What has helped you create a good schedule and stick to it?
Bethany: Since my boys were so little at the time and I was in the middle of building out a membership program, I needed a lot of quiet time to create content. But with a three-year-old and a five-year-old, it’s not exactly quiet, so I had to get creative. I’d wake up before them, like at 4 or 5 a.m., go to bed a bit earlier, and just knock out those videos in the morning. That was always the hardest part of my day. After that, it was all about editing and piecing everything together.
Personally, I’ve always been into fitness, so I make sure to go to the gym, whether I’m pregnant or not. It’s really for my mental health more than anything. When I’m stressed or sitting at my desk all day, I start feeling like a crumpled-up bag of potatoes, and I just need to move. Even a simple walk makes me feel better. I like to get some activity in around the middle of my day—like between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.—because that’s when I have the most energy. And even though I could sit at my desk and work all day, I know I need to move my body.
When I get back from my workout, I’m usually hungry, so I’ll make myself a snack or lunch and eat at my desk while I work. But when it comes to dinner with my kids, that’s family time. No distractions—no phones, no TV. We sit at the table and just focus on eating together. I’m really big on making sure we have at least one meal a day where we’re all present with each other.
I’ve also found it’s best to keep things simple in business. Don’t overload yourself with too many systems, because they can get expensive, and sometimes they don’t integrate well. Use automation and tools that make life easier for you and your clients. AI has been a huge time-saver for me too—almost like having a personal assistant that can help with tasks and streamline things.
When it comes to managing your time, I always say tackle your biggest priority in the morning. That’s when you have the most focus. I know some people are balancing two jobs, maybe working for someone else during the day and working on their business at night. That’s just the reality of funding your business in the beginning. But for me, family is non-negotiable. I’m not willing to sacrifice that time. What I did have to work on was setting boundaries around my phone. I used to respond to messages right away, or let someone call me and chat for an hour, and it was eating up my day.
Now, I’ve learned to push those calls and social media interactions to the evening, after dinner, when the kids are winding down. Over time, people start to understand your boundaries. They’ll stop calling and texting at certain times once they realize you’re not responding like you used to. It’s just like when you’re at a regular job—you can’t just stop mid-client or mid-patient to chat with a friend. You have to set those same non-negotiables for yourself in your business too.
Morgan: Yeah, that totally makes sense. It’s such a big mindset shift, right? I think a lot of it comes from a lack of confidence when you’re just starting out. When you're first getting your business going, it doesn’t really feel real, at least it didn’t for me. You almost have to convince yourself that this is a real job, and it needs real boundaries. Otherwise, it’s never going to grow to a point where it can pay you like a real job.
What I love about how you’ve set up your schedule is that you’re designing it in a way that serves you. You’re making sure it hits all the things that matter to you, so you can do your best work for your clients. That’s huge. I know when I first started, and what I see with a lot of people I work with, is we tend to look at our empty week and try to fill it based on what we think other people want from us. Like, we think we need to be available for appointments all day, every day. But in reality, that doesn’t help anyone.
It just ends up being really stressful, and you’re not giving yourself the time or space to experience the things in life that you actually wanted when you decided to run a business in the first place.
If someone is super busy, just like the two of us, how do we eat well Bethany?
Bethany: It’s super interesting because there’s a big misconception that people have about eating healthy. A lot of people think, “Oh, I’m busy, so I have to grab fast food or something quick on the go.” But that’s not really the case. What people don’t realize is that you can actually plan ahead, and it’s smart to do, especially if you’re super busy. You’ve got to give your brain the nutrients it needs to get through an 8- or 12-hour workday. You can’t expect your brain to function on nothing.
Your brain uses so much glucose, more than anything else in your body. If it doesn’t have that, it’s going to pull it from your body, and you’ll lose focus and energy. It’s a chain reaction—you lose energy, you lose concentration, and before you know it, you’re irritable or exhausted. If you’re hungry while you’re trying to give a talk or deal with a client, it can throw everything off. Low blood sugar can mess with your mood and your productivity, and it’s just too many variables to set yourself up for a bad day.
So for people who are constantly on the go and don’t have anything planned, I always suggest smoothies. It’s the quickest way to pack in a bunch of nutrients. You can throw in some healthy protein powder, a tablespoon of peanut butter, maybe some flaxseed or hemp seeds for healthy fats. It’s easy to drink while you’re working or heading somewhere.
I’ve noticed that a big issue, especially for women, is they don’t get enough protein during the day. A lot of people are living off carbs—crackers, processed foods—just enough to keep from feeling hungry, but not enough to fuel them for the whole day. So, one thing I suggest is prepping fruits and veggies ahead of time. Cut them up, put them in containers, and keep them at eye level in the fridge. When you’re hungry, you’re going to reach for whatever’s most accessible. The same goes for your pantry—keep healthy snacks like nuts, seeds, or peanut butter at the front so you’re more likely to grab them.
Another thing is dinner. So many people go too long without eating during the day, living off coffee, which is an appetite suppressant. Then they skip breakfast, have a late lunch, and by 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., they’re crashing. That’s when people overeat at dinner or end up snacking late into the night. It’s more emotional eating at that point—after a rough day, you just want to reach for the wine, chocolate, chips, whatever.
But if you can set yourself up for success with a schedule and have some healthy options ready, even if it’s just most of the time, you’re less likely to crash and burn later in the day.
Morgan: Yeah, I totally agree, and it’s kind of like everything else in business, right? The more you can plan ahead, the better off you're going to be. It’s just going to make things so much less stressful. Of course, it does take effort to meal plan and all that, but what helps me is remembering that I don’t have to do it perfectly or plan every single meal for the whole week in advance. That can feel overwhelming.
So, I usually start small—maybe just plan out breakfast or dinner for the week, and that’s good enough for now. You can always build on that as you go. It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing thing.
What tips do you have on sleep and recovery?
Bethany: Yeah, it's super common with entrepreneurship—it’s easy to turn into a workaholic. It can be really hard to step off that train because you feel so responsible for everything in your business. There's always this sense of, "I should be doing more," like there's always another task or project to tackle. But something I always remind myself is that the work will always be there. No matter what you do, there’s always going to be more to do.
If you push too hard, you’ll eventually hit a wall or burn out, and the work you’re doing at that point won’t be your best. I've been there—like, I’ll do something when I’m exhausted, and then later, I’ll watch the recording or review it and think, "I need to redo this." So now I've wasted time because I wasn’t in the right headspace in the first place.
That’s why I started giving myself Fridays to ease into the weekend. I noticed if I pushed myself too hard all the way through the week, by Friday, I was just burnt out. I wasn’t fully present with my kids—I was there, but not really there, you know? Giving myself that transition day lets me actually be with them, enjoy the weekend, and then by Monday, I’m recharged and ready to go.
There are definitely times when the creative juices are flowing and you get on a roll—I've had those late-night bursts where I’m inspired and just have to get ideas down. I’ll stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. working on something because I’m in the zone, and it feels great. I’ll go to bed feeling accomplished, and I actually sleep well because of it. But there have also been times where I’ve ignored those ideas, and then I can't sleep because my mind just keeps going back to it.
I think it’s important to lean into those creative bursts when they come, but also balance it with downtime. There are natural ebbs and flows—some days you're on fire, and the day flies by, and other days, it feels like you're just dragging and can’t seem to get anything done.
For me, I find I’m more creative and energized in the mornings, so I try to start my day early, around 6 a.m., and knock out the important stuff while my energy is high. After that, I’ll do a workout and then shift to less demanding tasks for the rest of the day.
When it comes to winding down, I need some buffer time before bed. I can’t just go straight from work mode to sleep—my brain’s too wired. Magnesium gel or bath salts really help, and I also like to spend a couple of hours before bed doing something low-key, like reading or watching a show, to help me transition out of "business mode."
Sleep is so important. You can’t run on four hours of sleep and expect to be productive all day long. If you're not getting enough rest or fuel, it’s just setting yourself up for disaster.
You were telling me about how you partner with healthcare providers and physical therapists…can you tell me about how that works?
Bethany: So, I mostly partner with other businesses. I work with all kinds of practices—chiropractors, physiotherapists, personal trainers, fertility clinics, doctors, psychologists—just a really wide range. One thing I've noticed is that many of these practices are missing the nutrition element. Whether it’s a physiotherapist working on the body or a psychologist focusing on mental health, more people are looking for holistic care that brings everything together. They want practices that address mental well-being, physical therapy, and nutrition, because it’s all interconnected.
If you're trying to help your body heal, recover, or rest, you need to eat well and move in the right way. That’s why combining expertise from different fields can be so powerful. What I offer to businesses is holistic nutrition services that they can feature on their website. Now they can say, "We offer nutrition support," which can help clients who may need to lose weight to ease the strain on their joints or are recovering from surgery or an accident.
It’s a great complement to the services they’re already providing, and I’m basically there to help tie it all together. With doctors, for example, I never recommend patients stop taking their medications. Instead, I work with them to integrate holistic nutrition and supplements into their treatment plan.
I also do business referrals where we work hand-in-hand, and I offer a good percentage cut to the practices that refer their clients to me. Once a month, I give them their share. It’s really about adding value to their business without them needing to do extra work. This approach is becoming more common, especially with telehealth services becoming so popular. Patients are looking for that one-stop-shop where they can get everything they need, and we help provide that.
Morgan: I think it’s such a great idea because, with the patients I typically work with—mainly athletes—their main goal is always to get back to working out, training, or playing their sport as quickly as possible after an injury. There’s always going to be some inflammation with an injury, but if we can team up, Bethany, and address things like sleep, nutrition, stress, and hydration alongside physical therapy, it’s going to make the recovery process so much smoother. The athlete or client I’m working with will be so much better off in the long run.
What I really love about this approach is that it's almost like having a full team supporting the client. They’ve got the PT to guide them through the physical side, but then they also have a nutrition expert on hand to help with everything else that plays into recovery. It’s such a valuable resource to have both working together through the entire healing process.
How to contact Bethany:
Instagram: nutritiousanddeliciousmom
YouTube: @nutritiousdelicious
Website: https://ndelish.com/
Listen to this episode on my podcast!
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