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The Stress-free CEO

Susan Nilon

Start where you are. Build what matters.The Stress-Free CEO is a weekly newsletter created for women who are building businesses on their own terms. You'll find clear strategies, supportive advice, and practical tools to help you move forward with confidence. No pressure. No hype. Just the guidance you need to grow a business that feels right for you. Let’s build something meaningful together.

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A minimalist thumbnail with a lavender background and bold white text reading “The Missing Data: How Science Forgot Half the Population.” The design conveys intelligence, simplicity, and focus.
Featured Post

The Missing Data: How Science Forgot Half the Population

Why it took me 55 years to get a diagnosis that should have come decades earlier Hi Reader, For most of my life, I thought something was wrong with me. I was smart, capable, and driven, but always fighting my own brain. I would start projects with fire and finish them in chaos. I’d forget appointments, lose track of time, and work twice as hard just to keep up. I was told I was disorganized, emotional, or just not trying hard enough. It wasn’t until I was 55 years old that I learned the...

about 1 month ago • 4 min read
White text reading “Remembering Who You Are” centered on a vibrant watercolor background blending shades of orange, pink, purple, and blue, symbolizing warmth, growth, and self-discovery.

What to Do When You Need a Confidence Boost Hi Reader, Author’s Note:There are moments when even the most capable women forget who they are. This is a story about losing confidence, rediscovering it, and remembering my own worth. There was a period of time when I felt lost. My confidence was at an all-time low. Everything around me seemed to reinforce the idea that I wasn’t being valued. Opportunities weren’t panning out the way I hoped. The world felt loud, critical, and quick to remind me...

about 2 months ago • 5 min read
An illustration of a woman with a backpack standing at a crossroads with multiple paths stretching out ahead of her under an open sky, symbolizing uncertainty and choice.

Good morning Reader, It’s Okay Not to Know What You Want We live in a culture obsessed with certainty. From the time we’re young, people ask: What do you want to be when you grow up? As adults, the question doesn’t stop. It simply shifts to: Where do you see yourself in five years? The expectation is that we should always know, always be aiming at a clear target. But the truth is, sometimes we don’t know what we want. And that’s okay. Not knowing what you want is not a flaw. It is a natural...

about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Two overlapping speech bubbles on red: a yellow bubble with messy black scribbles and a white bubble with neat blue text-like lines, symbolizing turning conflict into clear conversation.

Three approaches that shift the tone and give your words greater impact. Hi Reader, Some of the hardest moments are the conversations we don’t want to have but know we can’t avoid. They might involve telling someone news they won’t want to hear, pushing back on an idea that doesn’t hold up, or addressing behavior that needs to change. These conversations feel heavy before they even begin, and once we’re in them, the pressure to defend ourselves or escape the discomfort can be overwhelming. In...

2 months ago • 4 min read
A confident young woman with curly hair and medium brown skin shouts into a red and white megaphone. She is wearing a burnt orange blazer over a white shirt, standing against a solid orange background.

The Hustle Lie: Why “Work Harder” Keeps Women Broke Hi Reader, We were raised on the script. Work harder. Stay later. Say yes. Smile while you do it. That is hustle culture’s favorite story, and women have been cast in the leading role for generations. From childhood, we were taught to prove our worth through performance. Be the “good girl” with straight A’s. Be the reliable daughter who picks up the slack. Be the worker who never says no. By the time we step into careers, we have been...

2 months ago • 5 min read
A professional meeting scene with six people seated around a conference table, a woman in a blue shirt speaking confidently under a spotlight, with the words “Claim Your Credit” written in bold white text at the bottom.

I Know I Said It, But It Sounds So Much Better When You Say It Hi Reader When someone takes credit for your work, it doesn’t just sting. It feels like a quiet betrayal. I first experienced it when I started working, eager to prove myself and willing to do whatever it took to succeed. I did the research, drafted the reports, and made sure nothing slipped through the cracks, only to watch someone else present my work as their own. If I ever hinted at the unfairness, the responses were always...

3 months ago • 5 min read
A colorful illustration of four women sitting together in a circle, symbolizing support, encouragement, and sisterhood, with the words 'The Strength We Find in Each Other' on a white background.

The Strength We Find in Each Other Hello Reader, Every week when I sit down to write this newsletter, I am reminded of how grateful I am for you. What makes it so meaningful is knowing there are women out there on the same path—women who are dreaming, building, and finding ways to create something new in their lives. Sharing ideas, tools, and encouragement with you has become one of the highlights of my week. In 2020, when the COVID lockdowns began, like many of you, I suddenly had something...

3 months ago • 4 min read
A woman in jeans and beige shoes carefully steps from one stone to another across a shallow river at sunset, symbolizing calculated risk and balance.

The Art of Taking a Risk Hi Reader, This week, I’ve been thinking about what it really means to take a risk. Not the kind of dramatic, all-or-nothing leap we often imagine, but the everyday risks we face when we step outside our comfort zones. Why I Call Myself a Risk Taker I consider myself a risk taker. That doesn’t mean I gamble everything or chase every impulse. It means I’m willing to step outside my comfort zone. For me, risk is taking a leap of faith even when the outcome is uncertain,...

3 months ago • 5 min read
Woman sitting at a desk with a laptop, holding her head in frustration while looking toward a clock on the wall showing 10:10, symbolizing stress over an upcoming deadline.

Why Setting Unrealistic Deadlines Turns Capability Into Doubt Hi Reader, I learned the hard way that over-promising happens when you commit to more than you can realistically deliver. Sometimes it means setting unrealistic deadlines you can’t truly control. Other times, it’s saying yes to too many projects at once, guaranteeing results you can’t fully influence, or agreeing to requests that pull you away from your real priorities. It often comes from a desire to please, impress, or prove...

4 months ago • 5 min read
A bold digital graphic with a dark blue background features a yellow warning triangle with a black exclamation mark at the top. Below it, large white text reads “Don’t Let Cybercrime Derail Your Business.” Smaller text underneath states, “Half of small bu

Protect Your Business From Cybercrimes Before It’s Too Late Hi Reader, You don’t have to run a tech company to be a target for cybercrime. In fact, small businesses and solopreneurs are more likely to be targeted because many haven’t taken the basic steps to protect themselves. I know this not from theory, but from experience. The Morning Everything Disappeared One morning, I turned on my computer and a message was displayed on my terminal. It was a ransomware demand for $5,000 if I wanted to...

4 months ago • 5 min read