From Toxic Productivity to True Freedom With Natanya Wachtel
On the latest episode of the Master Delegator podcast, host Kristy Yoder welcomed back powerhouse entrepreneur Natanya Wachtel. Natanya’s journey spans entrepreneurship, behavioral science, integrative wellness, media production, and family life.
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This rich conversation offered deep insights for business owners and solopreneurs striving to grow successful ventures while maintaining their mental health and personal joy.
Building Bridges: The Art of Integrative Entrepreneurship
Natanya describes herself as someone who “builds bridges between science and storytelling, business and advocacy, personal transformation and cultural impact.” Her organization, the New Solutions Network, is a collective reinventing how people and businesses operate, with a focus on healing—individually and societally.
Entrepreneurship doesn’t have to happen in silos. Bridging diverse fields (like science and storytelling) creates more innovative solutions.
Meaningful impact often comes from connecting seemingly unrelated disciplines.
Combining Science and Business for Real Results
A highlight of Natanya’s approach is her commitment to measurable results. With a background in behavioral science and life sciences, she ensures that even when recommending something non-pharmaceutical (like yoga or supplements), she backs it with empirical data. Business decisions and wellness recommendations are both rooted in evidence and outcomes.
Business owners should look for measurable markers of success, whether that’s in their client results or team well-being.
Use science as a tool—not just for traditional industries, but as a way to make better decisions and prove value in any business.
The Unseen Challenge for Entrepreneurs
Much of the conversation dives into a topic rarely addressed honestly: how relentless business demands impact mental health. Natanya poignantly reveals that even those who appear most resilient often face personal struggles.
She shares:
“All of us have it, right? Whether it’s someone sick in your family, yourself, whether you had a funding event, like all your… You know, a client went out of business and that was the way you were going to pay your basic bills… There are so many things that can get you off course.”
Mental health challenges are universal among founders and leaders—ignore them at your peril.
The only way through is to “keep trying and maybe look to the people around you to help fill in some of the gaps when you’re struggling.”
Practical Steps:
Regularly re-examine where you’re spending your time—if it drains joy and energy, consider reassigning or eliminating it.
Don’t try to do it all: Solopreneurs especially wear many hats, but seeking help is essential for sustainability.
Delegation Isn’t Just a Productivity Hack—It’s Essential for Sanity
Natanya makes a powerful point: “There’s only one of you,” and pushing yourself to manage every task alone is a recipe for burnout. She stresses the importance of delegating tasks to reclaim time, improve focus, and ultimately increase your earning potential.
She advocates moving past the fear of hiring help, even when profits are slim, noting:
“The sooner you can have a shared workload, the more ultimately you actually will be able to earn the money that you need…”
Delegation isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about protecting your well-being and making space for high-value work.
Small businesses and startups especially need to let go of the “badge of honor” around doing everything themselves.
The Myth of ‘Toxic Productivity’
One of the most striking topics in this episode is “toxic productivity”—the trap of equating self-worth with endless output. Natanya is candid about having experienced this herself: “I worked myself to death. Right. And, or, and nearly more than once pushing my, my mind and my body beyond what is actually [healthy].”
She traces this urge to keep hustling beyond all reason to deep-seated social and cultural values:
“It starts from good origins around…the American dream…work hard, be successful is a mantra, is a motto.”
Harmony Over Balance: Defining Your Own Success
Natanya makes the point that “work-life balance” is often an unhelpful buzzword. Instead, she frames it as “harmony”—the constant adjustment of your life’s puzzle pieces to match your values and the realities of the moment.
She emphasizes:
Recognize that sometimes business, family, or personal commitments will dominate—and that’s okay.
Define your own standards for productivity and peace, rather than measuring yourself against social media or other entrepreneurs’ public personas.
Relationships First: Reinventing the Business Model
Since her business’ inception in 2008, Natanya has evolved its core model. Instead of starting every engagement with products, services, or contracts, she now emphasizes relationship building.
“Now, we are meeting with people that we’re inspired by, or they come to us…because ultimately, we use behavioral science to empower commercialization…”
This organic, relationship-forward approach fosters partnerships that are more meaningful and can open new, unexpected doors.
Lessons:
Don’t underestimate the power of authentic relationships in business growth.
Sometimes the best collaborations arise from shared values and passions—not a formal pitch deck.
Delegation at Home and in Business
Delegating tasks within the family is a microcosm of good business practice. Natanya maintains strict routines (like set bedtimes and shared chores) to create a sense of ownership and teamwork, not just at work, but at home.
She points out: “Everyone has to help. And that gives us a shared sense of ownership and responsibility and connection and respect. And it’s kind of the same way in the business.”
Empowering Others to Lead
Another advanced level of delegation is empowering team members to make decisions and represent the business—rather than just offloading tasks.
“How do you empower people to be an agent on your behalf…to represent you and…your business…the way you would or at least close to it so you don’t have to worry about every little thing?”
This is central to scaling a business: Letting go of the need for complete control and accepting occasional mistakes is a vital growth practice.
Letting Go of Perfectionism
As a “recovering Type A,” Natanya advocates for embracing imperfection. She recognizes that letting things go awry (like printing errors or missed details) is part of building a sustainable operation—and it’s more valuable to maintain emotional resilience than to fixate on being perfect.
Harnessing Technology and AI for Delegation
Another actionable takeaway: Harness tools like AI and automation to take repetitive tasks—billing, invoicing, booking, content scheduling—off your plate. This isn’t about replacing creativity or critical thinking but allowing yourself to focus on high-impact work.
“I obviously, I’m a big proponent of using tech AI to help. At a base minimum, we use obviously software tools—Monday, Slack… Jasper AI, ChatGPT… But I want to say the caveat is creative. I still haven’t found personally anything to replace humans, but for tasks…”
Accessible Mental Resilience Tools
Natanya is the force behind the Evermore mental resilience app, designed (originally for youth, but now applicable for all) to help users “find their inner superhero” and move through mental blocks. This audio journaling tool uses psychological paradigms and behavioral science to help users process emotions and grow—without diagnostics or therapy labels.
Resource:
Evermore (evermore.io) is recommended for anyone needing a free, accessible boost in resilience, motivation, or organization.
Words of Wisdom: Be Kind to Yourself and Keep Going
In closing, Natanya offers humility and encouragement: “I’m not perfect and I’m working on it and I’ve just been around the sun a few more years than…some other people and sort of realized what was working and what wasn’t working for me to be able to show up the way I want to and if it helps anyone, awesome.”
Give yourself grace. Mistakes, burnout, and overwhelm are part of the journey—what matters is learning, evolving, and being willing to keep going, one step at a time.
Learn more about Natanya Wachtel:
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