The Christmas Wishes Every Female Founder Is Making Right Now
By Shannon Kate Murray, Founder & Editor of High Flying DesignThere’s a Christmas list most business owners never write down. It isn’t about tech upgrades, productivity planners or shiny new notebooks - tempting though they may be. This list lives quietly, between the final email of the day and the moment the laptop finally clicks shut.
It’s less things I want and more things I need. Not more ambition. Not growth at any cost. But ease, space, support and rest.
As the year comes to a close, many female founders find themselves reflecting not just on what they’ve built, but on what it’s taken to get there. The long days that blur into the evenings. The mental load of holding everything together. The kind of tiredness that doesn’t disappear until the house is quiet and you realise how long you’ve been holding your breath.
Somewhere along the way, many women in business have learned to equate success with endurance - even when it comes at the expense of their wellbeing. Pushing through becomes normalised. Rest becomes something to earn, rather than something to protect.
So if Father Christmas were really paying attention this year, this is what might be on the list.
A Proper Day Off
Not a half-working day disguised as rest, or a “quick check-in” that quietly turns into hours online. A pause, without guilt or justification. Because rest isn’t a reward for productivity - it’s what makes long-term success possible.
Visibility That Reaches the Right People
Not viral reach or constant output, but being seen by those who understand the value of your work and are ready to engage with it. Not louder marketing. smarter, calmer visibility.
Clients Who Show Up - and Follow Through
Conversations where people arrive prepared. Advice that’s trusted and acted on. Work that feels like a collaboration, not a negotiation for respect.
Sleep That Restores, Not Just Pauses
The kind that quiets the nervous system and allows your mind to switch off fully. Because clarity, creativity and confidence don’t come from exhaustion - they come from rest.
Less Background Anxiety
Not a business without responsibility, but one that doesn’t live permanently in your chest. Where success doesn’t feel like it’s costing your health.
An Inbox That Doesn’t Run Your Life
Fewer notifications. Clearer boundaries. Systems that support your work instead of dominating it.
Clear Direction, Not More Ideas
Decision fatigue is real, and most founders aren’t stuck because they lack ambition - they’re stuck because they’re carrying too much. Sometimes the most valuable support is knowing what actually matters next.
Reassurance that they’re not behind
Not missing some secret everyone else seems to have figured out. That the pace they’ve moved at this year - however uneven it felt - was still valid. Still enough.
And Time to Feel Human Again
Coffee that’s still hot when you drink it. Movement without rushing. Evenings where your brain isn’t still working.
Because a business should support your life - not quietly replace it.
As the year draws to a close, the question isn’t what you’re building next - but what kind of life you want your business to support.
You don’t need to overhaul everything in January. But naming what you truly want is often the first step towards building a business that feels good on the inside as it looks from the outside.
And if nothing else this Christmas, may your list include a little more ease.
More to read this season:
A Simple Visibility Strategy for December - how to be seen without overwhelm
Simple PR Tasks to Do Over the Holidays - low-effort, high-impact PR ideas
The FIRE Formula: A Framework for Sustainable Growth - how to build without burnout
Finish Strong: Redefining Success for Women in December - reframing the year’s end
