I recently received this message from a community member that I wanted to share with you:
“Having a baby soon and anxious about money! Not sure what to do with my business (I am a Licensed Counselor and recently started my own practice). Business is slow. Thanks, Tara”
Tara, first, congratulations on your upcoming baby! What an incredible life transition you’re navigating. And thank you for your honesty about the financial anxiety you’re experiencing. The intersection of new parenthood, entrepreneurship, and financial concerns creates a perfect storm of stress that so many people face, yet few talk openly about.
As both a parent and an entrepreneur myself, I deeply understand the weight of these concurrent life changes. There’s something particularly challenging about preparing to welcome a new life while simultaneously nurturing a fledgling business—especially when that business isn’t yet providing the financial security you’d hoped for.
Let’s dive into understanding what’s happening in your nervous system right now, how Tapping can help, and some practical strategies to navigate this important transition with more ease and clarity.
The Perfect Storm: New Parenthood Meets Entrepreneurial Uncertainty
When you’re preparing for a baby while also building a new business, you’re essentially navigating two of life’s most significant transitions simultaneously. Each alone would be enough to trigger your nervous system’s stress response—together, they can feel overwhelming.
Here’s what’s likely happening beneath the surface:
Your Brain on Nesting and Numbers
From an evolutionary perspective, your brain is currently wired to:
- Prepare for protection: As a soon-to-be parent, your brain’s threat-detection system is on high alert, scanning for anything that might endanger your coming baby—including financial insecurity.
- Crave certainty: Your brain wants clear answers about the future at exactly the moment when life is about to become more unpredictable than ever.
- Conserve resources: Your primitive brain equates financial resources with survival, so uncertainty about income triggers deep, primal fear responses.
The result? A nervous system caught in a stress loop where financial worries trigger protective parenting instincts, which then amplify financial anxiety, creating a cycle that’s difficult to break through logic alone.
The Entrepreneurial Rollercoaster Meets Pregnancy Hormones
As if the typical entrepreneurial ups and downs weren’t enough, pregnancy hormones can intensify emotional responses. This isn’t just in your head—it’s a very real biochemical reality that can make business uncertainty feel even more overwhelming.
Many mental health professionals who transition to private practice experience exactly what you’re describing—a slow start. This is normal in any business, but when combined with impending parenthood, that normal business development phase can feel like a crisis.
Understanding Financial Anxiety: More Than Just Money Worries
What makes financial anxiety particularly challenging is that it’s rarely just about the numbers. Money concerns often serve as proxies for deeper fears about:
Identity and Worth
For many professionals, especially those in helping fields like counseling, income becomes tangled with questions of professional worth and identity. Thoughts like “If my practice isn’t thriving, maybe I’m not as good at this as I thought” can silently undermine confidence.
Control and Uncertainty
Financial anxiety often spikes during times of transition because money represents control in an uncertain world. When we can’t control many aspects of a major life change (like how parenthood will feel or exactly when labor might begin), we sometimes hyperfocus on the things we think we can control—like income.
Future Security
When we’re about to become responsible for a new life, our definition of “financial security” often shifts dramatically. What felt like enough before may suddenly seem inadequate, triggering a sense of urgency that can actually make sound financial and business decisions harder to make.
The good news is that Tapping addresses both the emotional and physiological dimensions of this anxiety, creating space for clearer thinking and more intentional choices.
“Tapping addresses both the emotional and physiological dimensions of this anxiety, creating space for clearer thinking and more intentional choices.”
How Tapping Interrupts the Financial Anxiety Cycle
When financial worries take hold, your body’s stress response activates, literally changing how your brain functions. This stress response:
- Reduces activity in your prefrontal cortex (the rational decision-making part of your brain)
- Increases activity in your amygdala (your brain’s alarm system)
- Floods your body with stress hormones that keep you in a state of high alert
This physiological state makes it nearly impossible to think clearly about financial decisions or business strategy. You can’t think your way out of a stress response—you need to address it at the nervous system level first.
This is precisely why Tapping is so effective for financial anxiety. By stimulating acupressure points while focusing on your specific concerns, Tapping sends calming signals to your brain’s emotional centers, interrupting the stress cycle and creating space for your prefrontal cortex to come back online.
The result? You move from panic to perspective, from reactivity to responsiveness.
A Tapping Sequence for Financial Anxiety During Life Transitions
Let’s work through a Tapping sequence specifically designed for your situation. Before we begin, take a moment to notice where in your body you feel the financial anxiety. Is it a tightness in your chest? A knot in your stomach? A tension headache?
Rate the intensity of this feeling on a scale from 0-10, with 10 being the most intense.
Now, let’s begin Tapping:
Tapping on the side of the hand:
“Even though I’m anxious about money with a baby on the way, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though my practice is growing slower than I hoped, and now the timing feels critical with the baby coming, I honor how I feel and I’m open to finding clarity.”
“Even though I feel caught between my new role as a parent and my identity as a business owner, I accept all parts of myself and I’m open to navigating this transition with more ease.”
Eyebrow: “This financial anxiety”
Side of the eye: “My practice is growing too slowly”
Under the eye: “I’m worried about supporting my baby”
Under the nose: “What if my business doesn’t work out?”
Under the mouth: “I need answers now”
Collarbone: “This pressure to figure everything out”
Under the arm: “Before the baby comes”
Top of the head: “So much uncertainty at once”
Eyebrow: “I don’t know if I should focus on my practice”
Side of the eye: “Or put it on hold for a while”
Under the eye: “I feel stuck between these two important parts of my life”
Under the nose: “My business and my baby”
Under the mouth: “This overwhelming responsibility”
Collarbone: “I want to make the right decision”
Under the arm: “But I’m not sure what that is”
Top of the head: “All this pressure I’m putting on myself”
Eyebrow: “What if I could release this pressure?”
Side of the eye: “What if there isn’t one right answer?”
Under the eye: “What if I could trust myself to navigate this?”
Under the nose: “One step at a time”
Under the mouth: “My nervous system is just trying to protect me”
Collarbone: “But I can calm it down”
Under the arm: “I can make decisions from a clearer place”
Top of the head: “I’m capable of finding my path through this transition”
Eyebrow: “Other new parents have built businesses”
Side of the eye: “Even when the timing wasn’t perfect”
Under the eye: “I have professional skills that are valuable”
Under the nose: “My practice may be growing slowly”
Under the mouth: “But that’s normal in any new business”
Collarbone: “I can be both a parent and a business owner”
Under the arm: “In a way that works for my unique situation”
Top of the head: “I’m open to creative solutions I haven’t considered yet”
Take a deep breath and check in with your body. Notice if the intensity of the anxiety has shifted. If it’s still present, continue with another round, getting more specific about your particular concerns.
The Both/And Approach: Being a Parent AND a Business Owner
One of the traps we often fall into during major life transitions is “either/or” thinking—believing we must choose between being a successful parent OR a successful entrepreneur. This false dichotomy creates unnecessary stress and limits our creativity.
The truth is, many professionals thrive in both roles, though the path may look different than originally imagined. The key lies in what I call the “Both/And Approach”—embracing both identities while finding your unique integration of them.
Three Paths Forward for New Parent Entrepreneurs
Based on my work with professionals navigating similar transitions, I’ve observed three common paths that have helped others find their way:
1. The Pause and Pivot
Some new parents choose to temporarily scale back their business during the early months of parenthood, using this time to reassess their business model and identify ways to work smarter, not harder, when they return more fully.
This isn’t giving up—it’s strategic recalibration. For a counseling practice, this might look like:
- Maintaining a minimal client load during parental leave
- Using downtime to develop more efficient systems
- Exploring telehealth options that offer more flexibility
- Researching specialized niches that might allow for premium pricing
2. The Gradual Growth
Other entrepreneurs choose to keep their business moving forward, but adjust expectations around the growth timeline. They recognize that slower growth during early parenthood doesn’t mean failure—it means appropriate pacing for this season of life.
For a counseling practice, this might include:
- Setting realistic client goals based on your new reality
- Focusing on one high-impact marketing strategy rather than trying to do everything
- Building relationships with 1-2 key referral sources
- Considering a part-time employed position while growing your practice
3. The Support Surge
Some new parents decide to invest in additional support to help both their business and family thrive during this transition. While this requires financial resources, it often yields returns well beyond the investment.
This might look like:
- Hiring a virtual assistant for a few hours weekly to handle scheduling and administrative tasks
- Joining a group practice temporarily to reduce administrative burden
- Finding a business accountability partner in a similar situation
- Investing in childcare for specific blocks of work time
None of these paths is inherently better than the others—what matters is finding the approach that honors both your parenting values and your professional aspirations.
Tapping on the “Not Enough” Story
For many new parents facing financial concerns, there’s a deeper narrative at play—the story that “I’m not enough” or “I won’t be able to provide enough.” This core belief can fuel anxiety regardless of actual financial circumstances.
Let’s tap on that deeper layer:
Tapping on the side of the hand:
“Even though I worry I won’t be enough—as a parent, as a provider, as a business owner—I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though part of me fears I can’t handle both parenthood and entrepreneurship successfully, I honor these fears and remain open to discovering my capacity.”
“Even though I’m comparing myself to some idealized version of a parent and business owner who has it all figured out, I accept my real, human self who is learning and growing.”
Eyebrow: “This fear that I won’t be enough”
Side of the eye: “That I can’t provide enough”
Under the eye: “That my business isn’t successful enough”
Under the nose: “That I’m not established enough before becoming a parent”
Under the mouth: “All these ‘not enough’ stories”
Collarbone: “That keep me feeling anxious and stuck”
Under the arm: “These impossible standards I’ve set for myself”
Top of the head: “This pressure to have it all figured out”
Eyebrow: “What if ‘enough’ looks different than I imagined?”
Side of the eye: “What if I’m already enough, exactly as I am?”
Under the eye: “What if my child needs me more than material abundance?”
Under the nose: “What if this transition is exactly what will help my business evolve?”
Under the mouth: “What if my timing is actually perfect?”
Collarbone: “What if I can trust myself to figure this out?”
Under the arm: “What if both my business and my family can thrive in their own way?”
Top of the head: “I give myself permission to define success on my own terms”
“I give myself permission to define success on my own terms.”
The Gift of the Uncertain Path
Tara, here’s something I’ve observed in my own life and in working with others: the most meaningful journeys rarely follow a straight, predictable path.
The uncertainty you’re feeling now—while uncomfortable—may actually be fertile ground for discoveries about yourself, your business, and your path forward that you couldn’t have planned. Many successful business owners look back on periods of uncertainty or transition as pivotal moments that ultimately led to more aligned and fulfilling work.
Your counseling background gives you a unique advantage in this journey. You already understand human development, emotional processes, and how to hold space for transformation. Now you’re being invited to apply these same skills to your own transition.
The combination of impending parenthood and entrepreneurship isn’t just a double challenge—it’s also a double opportunity. This intersection has the potential to deepen your clinical insight, inform your business model, and help you create a professional life that genuinely reflects your values and priorities.
And remember—your path doesn’t need to match anyone else’s timeline. The slow growth of your practice isn’t a failure; it might be exactly the pace that will ultimately allow both your business and your family to thrive.
Moving Forward: Small Steps, Big Impact
As you continue using Tapping to navigate this transition, consider these small daily practices that can create significant shifts over time:
- Morning check-in: Before starting your day, spend 2-3 minutes Tapping while asking, “What does my nervous system need today to feel safe and supported?”
- Decision filter: When facing choices about your business or finances, tap while asking, “What would this decision look like if I trusted that everything is unfolding as it should?”
- Evening release: Before sleep, tap on releasing any financial or business concerns from the day, allowing your nervous system to rest and regenerate.
Remember that this period of uncertainty is temporary. The decisions you make now don’t have to be permanent—they simply need to support you through this transition as you welcome your little one and continue building your professional life.
Your capacity to navigate this complex time with self-compassion and flexibility will not only serve you but will become part of the emotional legacy you pass on to your child—showing them what it looks like to pursue meaningful work while honoring your wellbeing and your family’s needs.
Resources for continued support:
- The Tapping Solution App – Features specific meditations for financial stress, anxiety during pregnancy, and career transitions. I especially recommend:
- Stress and Anxiety About Finances – This is a powerful Tapping meditation to help address any stress or anxiety you may be feeling about finances, debt, and money. Releasing stress around these topics allows you to become more resourceful as you navigate this next chapter.
- Pregnancy Emotional Support: Stress About the Stress – If you’re feeling stressed about being stressed during your pregnancy, then this meditation can help you move forward with greater peace and ease.
- I’m Stressed About Change, I’m Stressed About Money, and I’m Stressed About Uncertainty are both great to help you release stress about this transition, and to help you feel more grounded and centered.
- Tapping into Courage – This might feel like an unexpected recommendation, but people LOVE this session, and courage is vital to provide the energy to make the changes you want in your life!
- Relax and Recharge Quick Tap – This super short (2 min) session is great when you feel overwhelmed, or just need to hit pause and get quiet. It’s amazing how much can shift in just a few minutes, and these moments of calm allow us to move forward with greater clarity and intention.
- Find a Certified EFT Practitioner – For personalized support during this transition.
Note: You can access these meditations by clicking the links above using your mobile device, or type the name of the meditation into The Tapping Solution App’s search function.
Have you experienced the intersection of financial concerns and a major life transition? How did Tapping help you navigate that challenging time? I’d love to hear your stories and insights in the comments below!
Until next time… Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner