The Invisible Load of a Female Founder

By Carlyn Cooper, Insync Kids OT

When I joined EO three years ago, I didn’t have a dramatic crisis or a big turning point. I was just, tired of carrying it all on my own.

Running a growing an OT business is rewarding, but it’s also isolating. Add to that being a woman leading a large team in an industry that’s predominantly female and the weight can feel even heavier. You care deeply, you take things personally and you hold the emotional temperature of the room.

But then you go home and hold the logistics of the house as well.

Even with a supportive partner, the mental load sits front of mind. There are the kids, the schedules, the team dynamics, the client outcomes, the staff wellbeing, the finances and of course the vision. I didn’t realise how much I was carrying until I stepped into a room where I didn’t have to.

Finding a Different Room

I wasn’t looking for a business coach. I was looking for a boardroom without ego. A space to bounce ideas without it being industry-driven or competitive.

When I first applied to EO, I didn’t even fully understand what it was, there wasn’t a lot of information. But when I went to my first test drive, what struck me was how down-to-earth everyone was. There were no big egos and no posturing. Just real business owners.

The early days in forum were messy. We were all new. We didn’t really know what we were “supposed” to be doing. But over time, something shifted. It became the one place I could say, “This is shit” and no one would try to fix me.

They’d just share their experience and somehow, that perspective would change everything.

The Weight of Caring

One of the biggest shifts for me has been understanding how much I care and how much that has both helped and hindered me.

As a women in business, I think we carry heart-investment differently. I care deeply about my team, I feel responsible for them. I take things personally and I didn’t even realise how much of that was already ingrained in me.

EO gave me exposure to different perspectives, especially male perspectives in business. There were not better, just different.

I began to see that I could still care deeply, but I didn’t have to carry everything. I could set boundaries and I could separate the emotional weight from the business decision.

That perspective didn’t make me colder, it made me clearer.

Bringing It Home

One of the most unexpected transformations came through the SLP (Spouse/Life Partner) forum when my husband joined.

He comes from corporate and I’ve been in small business for over a decade. We speak different languages sometimes.

Having him in a room with other partners, hearing honest conversations about the invisible load women carry, about the different seasons of business and family life, shifted something.

He gained perspective and that strengthened us. EO didn’t just support my business, I realised it was also supporting my marriage.

From Over-Carrying to Leading

Over the past three years, I’ve realised something important. Being a strong female leader doesn’t mean absorbing everything.

It doesn’t mean being endlessly available, it doesn’t mean proving yourself.

It means perspective.
It means boundaries.
It means vulnerability in the right rooms.
It means understanding that you don’t have to solve everything alone.

My forum gave me that.

This international community inspires me, the conversations challenge me and the vulnerability grounds me.

Slowly, I’ve shifted from carrying everything on my shoulders, to leading with clarity instead.

I still care deeply, but now, I don’t carry it alone.