In this solo episode of the "She’s Crafted to Thrive" podcast, host Nikita Williams tackles the common dilemma faced by women entrepreneurs with chronic illnesses: whether to disclose their health condition to clients. She begins by acknowledging the personal and stigmatized nature of chronic illness and the internal fear that clients might view the entrepreneur as unreliable. Williams reframes this fear, arguing that everyone has life challenges that can affect work, and that the real barrier is a mindset that equates illness with incapacity. She shares how openly sharing her own story has actually deepened client connections. The core advice centers on three practical pillars: (1) shifting mindset to see chronic illness as a shared human experience rather than a liability; (2) establishing clear business systems—back‑ups, virtual assistants, interns, and documented workflows—to mitigate any impact of health fluctuations; and (3) setting transparent client expectations, such as a 24‑48‑hour response window and a contingency plan for days when she cannot personally respond. Williams also addresses potential client prejudice, suggesting entrepreneurs evaluate whether a client who rejects them for health reasons is worth retaining. Throughout, she emphasizes self‑compassion, rejecting perfectionism, and encouraging women to give themselves grace while building resilient businesses. Listeners are invited to share their own experiences of disclosure and client reactions.
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Welcome to She's Crafted to Thrive. I'm your host Nikita Williams, and this show is for all the ladies who are making and creating things that they love. You will hear conversations about the real everyday struggles of juggling life and business while trying to maintain passion and harmony. As women, we have the skill of getting things done, but sometimes we get in our own way. It's here where you'll see that you're not alone. You'll discover that success does not mean perfection. Fear and negative Thoughts and challenges are all a part of the journey. And on this podcast, you'll find the inspiration and tools you need to have a life and business that thrives.
Hey, hey, hey, guys, thank you so much for joining me for this brief solo cast of an episode of She's Crafted to Thrive. I wanted to address a question that I have heard, I have had, I have seen in like multiple groups and in many places. I have had this thought cross my mind multiple times, but I wanted to talk about it here, especially because I know you guys will kind of feel me on this or have some comments to share with me, and I can't wait to hear what you guys think. But I have a question, and I think you guys want to know what that is by now. So the question is, should I tell my clients that I have chronic illness? Yeah, so that's the question. You know, I have seen this question in different places on Facebook groups and Instagram stories and, um, you know, just talking to people, even having this conversation a little bit in a previous episode with my friend Renee. Um, and here's the thing, um First of all, chronic illness is such a personal thing, so there's that. So there's that idea that it's a very difficult thing to even be ready to share with people. And if you have a business, you know, I think the fear that we have within ourselves— and I do believe this is where this question comes from— is that if my client or potential clients know that I have a chronic illness, they're not going to want to work with me because they think I'm incapable of doing the work. Is that true? No. Um, is that a prejudice? Yes. Is it a prejudice that we have of our own ability? I think at times that is true. I think at times we hold ourselves to the thought process that because we have a chronic illness and chronic issues that happen with us on a daily basis, it means that we have limitations. But here's a different spin on it I think we all should think about. And I'm not gonna, you know, I'm not gonna lie, I've had this thought and I've had these feelings before, and it's taken me a long time, I feel like, to get to this point where I feel like, hey, let me say what I have going on and be free and okay with it. But here's the thing, everybody has something, right? Like, whether it's chronic whether it's pain that's chronic, whether it's, you know, a newborn baby, whether it's a new job and you have a side hustle, whether it's financial issues, whether it's relationship issues, no matter what it is, all of those things can affect our work. It can affect our businesses. And so the idea that just because we have a chronic illness means that clients or people won't work with us. I just think it's a mindset shift that we need to make. Like, I think it's something we need to stop telling ourselves so that we allow fear to get in our way of actually going out there and actually trying to see it. I've had people say this in a Facebook group, and I've seen it in a Facebook group, and I've asked the question, has anybody told you this? Has anybody been like, oh, I noticed something is wrong with you, and so I don't want to work with you. No, I've never had that. I've never actually had anyone say— yeah, no, I've had someone say, well, I can't be your client because you're never available, because they don't know, right? Like, nobody knows what's happening to another person. And if we are sharing our story, for example, I share my story now way more, and the very fact that I share my story has allowed me to actually connect with way more people and serve people that I really like serving, who are people who understand and know that everybody has something, whether it's a chronic illness or just life stuff. So the idea that we should not embrace our story— and I'm not saying go out and say and tell all your business and there are some people that feel very comfortable with sharing everything, um, and there's no qualms with them. Like, they don't have any problem with that, and they don't really see that people have a problem with it either. Um, so I guess my point in talking about this is that if you have this fear that because you have a chronic illness, I think it's a fear that we need to figure out within ourself. So if you feel that your chronic illness makes it difficult for you to fulfill the services that you provide, why not create systems where that is no longer a fear that really has any validity? So if you have a creative business and you need backups or you need, um, interns, or you need someone to kind of be like the other person of you in case you can't do what this thing is that you do, then create it, set it up, do it. Because honestly, there's no one else out there externally really telling you that. And if they are externally telling you, like people outside of you, potential clients, are saying, well I believe that you can't really help me because you may or may not be able to help me because you are incapable of doing it. Show them the proof. So you have clients, you have testimonials, you have work that you have actually done. The very fact that you have a website up, that you have Instagram and you post daily, shows that you're consistent. And that's to another point. The way you show up shows people that, hey, I might be living with this chronic illness, but that doesn't mean I'm not capable of taking care of my business, my family, and you, which is a part of my business. So I think it's just a mindset shift that we all need to kind of think about, that this whole idea that people don't want to work with us because we have a chronic illness and they're worried that, you know, one day we're gonna be in the hospital. They could one day be in the hospital. Let's be real, y'all. There is no guarantees in life. This is one of those things that I've always, you know, really appreciated, you know, and I'm sure I'm gonna get some flack or something about this, but there's this thought process that everybody should do this kind of path or go this kind of path. You know, people say you gotta grow up and go to college and that's what you do, and then you have a job. But how many people are unemployed? Who have master's and doctor's degrees. They thought they had a plan. They thought they had it all planned out. They thought all of these things, right? It doesn't matter what path you choose. If that's the path you choose, just know that there are going to be obstacles along the way. And that's life, right? That's life. Chronic illness, finding a job, taking care of your family. Putting food on the table, there will be obstacles, there will be falls, there will be times where somebody is going to say something that you don't like. There are going to be haters. There are going to be— no matter what you're doing. So the idea that having a chronic illness puts you on top of the list for someone to say that, oh, I can't work with you. I really want you to take a step back and one, think about who is that question and that voice coming from? Is it coming from yourself? And if it is, you can do something about it. One, you need to start changing your mindset. Like I said earlier, start thinking about things differently. Realize everybody has stuff. Then if you really feel like I actually really physically have a hard time completing my work, create systems and workflows in your business so that it makes it easier and you have a backup and an automatic plan in place for you to do your job. And you don't have to do that alone. You can hire a virtual assistant. You can get an intern that will help you set up those systems. It's possible. So there's no reason to feel like, okay, because I'm in the circumstances or these things are happening to me. No. Think about this as like, this is a part of my life. How am I going to deal with it and how am I going to move forward? That is how you change that mindset. You don't focus on the problem, you focus on the solution of the issue. And then secondly, if you got other people or other clients potentially telling you to your face, hm, or whatever the case may be, that they don't want to work with you because of your chronic illness, one, ask yourself this question: do you want to work with them? Because Let's be honest, it's being kind and gracious. Everybody actually understands and knows that we all have something. We all deal with challenges. We all deal with multiple things, right, that we have no control over. So if a potential client is like, I don't want to work with you solely because you have a chronic illness, do you want them as your client? Secondly, if it's a question of like, okay, I know, like, I know you have chronic illness. If they just ask in a very like, is there— do you have systems or do you have something in place? Have you ever had a problem with fulfilling your job or your request of whatever you're doing for this client? Speak with confidence, share what you do, what you have in place for your business, and just let them know and feel comfortable with what you actually do. But for you to do that, you have to be comfortable. You have to go back to step number 1, which is to make sure you have the things in place in your business, or that you run your business a certain way where expectations are set in the beginning. So what I like to tell my clients and my people that I've worked with, even in podcast episodes, you know, when I'm about to interview a guest, or, um, when I'm doing coaching, I tell people, look, I usually have a 24 to 48 hour you know, period of time answering people, or if something's going to change, it's— something's going to change, I will send an email within 24 to 48 hours to the best of my ability. However, because I do live with a chronic illness that things can change sometimes way sooner than 24 to 48 hours, I will send you an email and I will do my very best to get back to you within that day or have someone get back to you on my behalf. Okay, so I've set it up. I've already set up the, the, the expectation in the very beginning. Look, this is how I work my business. You are important, your business is important, but, you know, life happens, and this is what's going to happen if something like that should happen where I'm incapable of doing my job for you. So it's all about expectations, it's all about setting the expectation And it's all about mindset. I just don't want people to feel, and especially women, I think we have this, this thing, and I think we've talked about this so many times where we feel like we have to do all the things and we have to be perfect and that we have to somehow miraculously never make a mistake and never have problems and all of this. It's partly because we've allowed it to be this way. And we've also been programmed and told through media and work and things like that, that, you know, no matter what is going on, you got to take care, do your business, because, you know, just because you're PMSing, it doesn't mean you can stop. Well, chronic illness is not a PMS. I mean, it could be. For some of us who have endometriosis like me, PMS was a real thing. Like, it really was a thing. However, that should not stop people from giving you the respect and kindness and graciousness that you would give to anybody who, you know, maybe their car was in a car accident, or maybe something happened at the house, or maybe somebody got sick. You know, chronic illness is just another one of the things, and I feel like sometimes we make chronic illness like the thing that makes it so much worse than everybody else, and nobody's gonna understand. And I really do feel like that is a conversation we have with ourselves in our head. So I want to hear from you guys after this very brief quick episode. Have you ever had this question? Should I tell my clients that you have a chronic illness? My answer is yes and no. It depends on you. It truly does. What are you comfortable with? And if you do tell a client, great. Tell them what you have in place. If you don't tell a client, great. You still have to set expectations. You still have to tell people, you know, what happens in case of something happening. They don't need to know what it is, but that's life. Like, everybody has to do that with a business or not a business, at home, at work. That is life. So I want to hear from you guys. Like I said, tell me if you've ever had this thought. Tell me if you've had one of those crazy people who are like, I don't want to work with you because you say you got a chronic illness. I really want to know that's something that's actually happened to you and how you handled, handled it. But in the meantime, I just want you guys to know that you are enough. That no matter what your story and what your journey is, everybody has a journey, everybody has a story, and nobody's perfect. And so it's impossible for any of us to be always 110% on all the time. It's just not possible. So do what you can, set your expectations, set your systems, set your workflows, give yourself grace. And look for others that do the same for you. So that's it on this episode of She's Crafted to Thrive. Thank you so much for listening, and remember, yes, you are crafted to thrive. Be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
