We’re well into the final quarter of 2025, a year that has stretched and tested so many of us—and I want to offer both encouragement and a reminder: finishing strong should never come at the expense of our well-being. November is National Entrepreneurship Month, a time to celebrate the visionaries who fuel our economy, spark innovation, and create opportunities. But as you focus on building your brand, launching new ideas, or scaling your business, it’s just as important to protect the foundation that makes all of it possible, your health.
One of the most powerful acts of self-care is recognizing burnout before it takes root. Right now, I’m reading The Quiet Burn by Lynn Blades, a thoughtful guide to spotting the subtle signs of overextension and creating sustainable vitality.
That lesson became personal for me this summer. I contracted shingles—brought on by pushing myself too hard and not asking for help. It was a wake-up call that rest and alignment are truly non-negotiable.
Like many ambitious women, I find vacations to be a much-needed reset. In July, my family traveled to Montego Bay, Jamaica to celebrate my nephew’s 13th birthday. It was the perfect pause: poolside reading, wading in the ocean with the little ones, and cheering as my nieces and nephews leapt fearlessly from the cliffs at Rick’s Café. For those few days, I felt renewed—able to set aside the stress of apartment hunting in Charlotte, managing finances in a tough year, and navigating personal challenges.
But within 48 hours of returning home, what seemed like a simple stye in my eye spiraled into something far more serious. After two urgent care visits, I was diagnosed with shingles on my face. I had always assumed shingles only appeared on the body, but it can also affect the forehead, eye, and one side of the face. What followed was 10 days of painful swelling, blisters, and sleepless nights. My left eye swelled completely shut, and the nerve pain made rest almost impossible.
I later learned that shingles around the eye is a serious condition and it can damage the cornea and light-sensitive nerves, sometimes leading to permanent vision loss. Thinking back, I remembered the light sensitivity I felt in the airport as I was leaving Jamaica and brushed it off as nothing more than adjusting after wearing dark prescription sunglasses all week.
I was stunned at how bad my body felt. I’d never been this sick before, not even with the flu. To hear doctors warn of the risks of vision loss, stroke, or even hospitalization shook me to my core. According to the CDC, one in three Americans will experience shingles in their lifetime. While it’s more common in older adults, stress can trigger it at any age. Shingles-related complications send thousands to the hospital each year, and though rare, they can be severe, including vision loss.
The scars on my face, likely from a bacterial infection during the outbreak, remain as a reminder of that season. And I will never forget when a doctor told me, “Shingles in the eye can have adverse effects on the brain. It’s rare, but it’s real.” As an entrepreneur who has made a living for the past two decades using my intellectual property, hearing that my brain could be affected gave me the alarming clarity I needed. What I learned is simple but essential: stress, when left unchecked, always demands a price.
This month, as we honor entrepreneurs who strengthen the economy, spark innovation, and create jobs, I urge you to pursue your goals without sacrificing your health. Rest is important. Seeking help is crucial to seeing your visions realized. You can’t do it alone. No longer should we burn the candle at both ends in an effort to chase our ambitions. After this ordeal, my number one ambition is to live a long life with health and vitality.
As we head into the final weeks of the year, I’m choosing rest, balance, and self-awareness just as intentionally as I’m choosing productivity.
I hope you’ll do the same.
Dawn Michelle Hardy is the founder of Passport to Wellness, a self-care brand curating global spa boxes, and The Literary Lobbyist, a boutique PR agency with over 20 years of amplifying diverse voices in publishing.
Discover her Spa Boxes at PassportToWellnessBox.com and her
Book Publicity Services at TheLiteraryLobbyist.com.