Why I’m So Passionate About Work Supports Life, Not the Other Way Around?

Have you ever found yourself grinding away, believing that success comes from how hard you push? I did too—until I realized that mindset was grinding me up in the process.

My passion for helping entrepreneurs design businesses that support their lives, instead of taking them over, comes from deeply personal experiences. You see, I grew up in a family shaped by "hustle culture." My grandfather, Slim Starling, was an entrepreneur in the 1950s who never stopped working. He built drive-in theaters to increase gas station sales, and that success came at a cost—his family, including my father, were all pulled into the relentless grind of running the business.

Watching my father work seven days a week, from dawn to dusk, left a lasting impression on me. Even as a little girl, I knew something was wrong with this way of life. Yet, I found myself repeating that very pattern. In my 30s, I was juggling graduate school, a career, and an endless stream of responsibilities. I told myself that hard work was the path to success—but it left me anxious, exhausted, and missing out on life’s moments.

When I became pregnant with my first daughter, I knew something had to change. I started my own business, determined to be in control of my time. But it wasn’t that simple. The demands of entrepreneurship were just as relentless. Then, one night while rocking my newborn to sleep, I read The E-Myth by Michael Gerber, and I had an epiphany: Hard work isn’t the key to success in business. Building systems and focusing on what truly matters is.

That moment set me on a path to redefine how I approached work. Over time, I discovered that working smarter, not harder, gave me the life I wanted—one where I could be present for my family without sacrificing my business success. And I made it my mission to share that with others.

At Tap the Potential, we help entrepreneurs build businesses that support their lives. I’ve spent years honing our approach, the Tap the Potential Solution?, so you don’t have to struggle through the same 'school of hard knocks' that I did.

My life’s work is dedicated to showing business owners that there’s a better way. You don’t have to sacrifice your personal life for your business. You deserve both.

Take a breath, let it out, and realize—you can have a business that supports your life, not the other way around.

Ready to take your life back from your business, but don’t know where to start? Take our Better Business Better Life Assessment to learn what areas of your business are already thriving, and what areas of your business you need to focus on to set yourself up for success.?

About the Author

Sabrina Starling, PhD, PCC, BCC, The Business Psychologist, is the international bestselling author ofthe How to Hire the Best series and The 4 Week Vacation?. Keynote speaker, founder of ?www.tapthepotential.com, and host of the top-ranking Profit by Design podcast, she and her team help entrepreneurs take their lives back from their businesses. They are on a mission to have 10,000 entrepreneurs take the Work Supports Life? Pledge.