Overview of Her First $100K Episode 288: How to Stop Burning Out While Building Your Dreams with Michelle Razavi
This conversation with Michelle Razavi, co-founder of Alavi, focuses on how ambitious women can build big businesses without sacrificing their nervous system, peace, or personal life. Michelle and host Tori Dunlap discuss energy management over time management, regulating stress responses, setting boundaries with technology, delegating effectively, and navigating entrepreneurship as a woman of color in a system that often underestimates women.
Key Themes and Takeaways
1. Energy management matters more than time management
Michelle argues that the real skill high-achieving women need is managing energy, not just scheduling time.
- Ask:
- When do I do my best work?
- What drains me?
- What environments, people, or tools deplete my energy?
- Productivity is not the same as being busy.
- The goal is to move the needle with focused, high-quality effort rather than checking boxes all day.
2. Hustle mode eventually breaks the body and mind
Michelle explains that the “work harder, sleep less, push through” approach can work early on, but it eventually leads to burnout, resentment, and physical symptoms.
- She frames burnout as a nervous system issue, not a character flaw.
- When the brain is in fight-or-flight, the prefrontal cortex can’t function at its best.
- As CEO, she sees it as her responsibility to keep herself and her team regulated so they can think clearly and execute well.
3. Growth requires discomfort
A major theme is that discomfort is often the sign of growth, not failure.
- Michelle compares business building to fitness:
- workouts feel uncomfortable before they make you stronger
- progressive overload is effective because it’s challenging
- The same applies to:
- money
- leadership
- business growth
- visibility
- Feeling unsteady often means you’re learning something new, not that you’re incapable.
4. Timing and readiness both matter
Michelle reflects on how frustrating it can feel to want success “now,” but later realize that earlier versions of herself would not have been ready for the opportunities she wanted.
- She’s grateful that major milestones, like getting into Whole Foods and Costco, happened when they did.
- The timing gave her more:
- experience
- financial stability
- nervous system resilience
- operational discipline
- The message: rejection may be protection, and the right opportunity often arrives when you’re ready to handle it.
5. Boundaries with technology are essential
Michelle shares practical ways she protects her energy from constant digital access:
- phone out of the bedroom
- automatic Do Not Disturb at night
- no Slack/email first thing in the morning
- scheduled social media usage only
- limiting exposure to triggering accounts and news
Her core idea: the phone should not control you.
6. Delegation is necessary to scale
Michelle says many women resist delegating because of control issues, perfectionism, and ego.
- The first major delegation for her was social media inbox management.
- She and Tori both emphasize that you don’t need someone to do your job at 100% to make delegation worthwhile.
- Michelle references the idea of hiring someone who can do the work at 80%, which frees up time and mental space to grow the business.
7. Women need more grace in business and leadership
Michelle and Tori discuss the double standard women face:
- women are expected to build, lead, and be perfect
- mistakes are punished more harshly
- women of color face even more skepticism and underfunding
Michelle’s response is to keep reminding herself:
- she has always figured things out
- she is more capable than she thinks
- imperfect progress is still progress
Nervous System and Regulation Tools Discussed
Michelle offers several grounding techniques for stress, panic, or reactivity:
- Ask: “Can this wait?”
- Notice physical signs of stress:
- elevated heart rate
- sweaty hands
- tight shoulders
- shallow breathing
- Use practical reset tools:
- talk it out with a trusted co-founder, lawyer, or friend
- write it down
- pause before reacting
- run a response through ChatGPT or another tool if helpful
- Use body-based regulation when needed:
- walking
- running
- yoga
- shaking out energy
- sitting on the ground
- grounding exercises
- Try the 5-4-3-2-1 senses exercise to come back to the present moment
Relationships, Seasons, and Trade-Offs
Michelle challenges the idea of “balance” as something static.
- She prefers the idea of seasons:
- busy seasons
- seasons of growth
- seasons of motherhood or personal change
- Strong relationships survive when there is honesty about bandwidth.
- The people worth keeping will understand when you can’t be fully available.
- She emphasizes that ambition and connection can coexist, but not always equally at the same moment.
Building Alavi: What Has Changed
Michelle shares that Alavi has grown into a multi-million-dollar brand now carried in major retailers, including:
- Costco
- Whole Foods
- HEB
- Thrive Market
- Central Market
- regional expansion across multiple U.S. markets
Alavi’s mission is to make indulgent treats with more protein and fiber and fewer junk ingredients, so customers can enjoy dessert while still feeling good.
Final Advice for Women Who Feel Ambition Is Costing Them Peace
Michelle’s simplest recommendation is:
- Put your phone away.
Her larger point is that women have powerful intuition and creativity, but constant digital stimulation blocks that access.
One small shift to start this week
- Create a physical and digital boundary with your phone:
- move it out of reach
- turn off notifications
- keep it out of the bedroom
- set specific times for checking messages and social media
The goal is not to abandon ambition, but to protect the energy needed to sustain it.
Notable Quotes and Insights
- “It’s less about time management and more about managing your energy.”
- “Your prefrontal cortex cannot function if your amygdala is in fight or flight.”
- “Sometimes you need to slow down a little to accelerate.”
- “Can it wait?”
- “You have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.”
- “We can go further and faster together.”
Overall Message
This episode is a practical and validating reminder that women do not have to choose between ambition and well-being. Michelle’s approach is rooted in regulation, self-awareness, systems, and realistic self-compassion. The real path to sustainable success is not more hustle — it’s better boundaries, smarter delegation, and learning how to protect your energy while still building big.