Breaking Free from Entrepreneurial Stress and Burnout with Shulamit Ber Levtov

Shulamit Ber Levtov is known as The Entrepreneurs’ Therapist. She is a culture change catalyst focusing on mental health in entrepreneurship – speaking, teaching and consulting nationally and internationally, and supporting individual women business owners through the emotional challenges of running a business.

 Shulamit’s unique approach combines her 30+ years of entrepreneurship and 24+ years as a mental health professional. She is a masters-level, licensed somatic trauma therapist and a trauma survivor herself. She also has certifications in the Trauma of Money and Financial Social Work.

In this episode:

• Shulamit shares her personal journey of burnout, realizing she needed to exit her business to prioritize her mental health, which led her to support other entrepreneurs.
• She explains that cash flow is the number one stressor for entrepreneurs, triggering a survival response in the nervous system, making it harder to think clearly and solve business challenges.
• Shulamit talks about the hidden isolation of entrepreneurship—many business owners fear being vulnerable due to stigma and worry that admitting stress will harm their reputation.
• She shares tips on finding emotional support, from noticing who offers kindness in your circle to forming a “biz bestie” relationship for mutual encouragement.
• She introduces the concept of “slow business” and encourages women to seek out communities that align with their values instead of hustle culture.
• Shulamit explains how financial stress is deeply tied to self-worth and safety under capitalism, and how recognizing this can help entrepreneurs shift their mindset.
• She offers a first step to handling financial stress: acknowledge your nervous system response, show yourself compassion, and stop blaming yourself for feeling overwhelmed.
• She shares that she has a free newsletter where she discusses all things mental health as entrepreneurs – sign up here:  https://www.shula.ca/newsletter