Welcome to Our Blog

A Magical Place Filled With Insights and Tidbits to Help You Grow a Sustainably Scalable Business

Or Browse by Topic

blog image

Walking My Way to A Better Life: A Two-Month Experiment

March 11, 20244 min read

Entrepreneurship is a demanding journey.

From countless hours spent growing your business to the pressure of maintaining its progress, the struggle becomes part of your daily life.

You get caught in the hamster wheel of chasing success at the expense of your happiness, wellbeing, and in my case, health.

Now, what if there's a simple yet effective way to shift this narrative?

Imagine breaking free from the clutches of relentless burnout, reclaiming your vitality, and rekindling the joy that got lost somewhere between your startup spreadsheets.

I found my key to this transformative journey not within my office, but outdoors in the form of walking.

Here's how I used this underrated form of exercise to reinvent my life, health, and entrepreneurial spirit.

How Much, Why, and How It Helped...

  • 4 miles a day, everyday, for 2 months - It sounds simple but it took commitment and patience. Walking on a daily basis trained my body to move, breathe, and essentially, to feel better.

  • Fighting Chronic Illness - My path as an ADHD entrepreneur burdened with chronic illnesses like Mass cellular Activation Syndrome and POTS, was laden with chronic fatigue, low mood, pain and burnout. Walking became my ally against these constant challenges, telling me every day that it is possible to feel a little better than yesterday.

  • More than just Physical - Our mind craves movement as much as our body does. Those initial moments of panic - "What if you sprain your ankle? What if something bad happens?" - mitigated over time as I trained my mind to overpower these thoughts.

Protection is Key:

Safeguarding your exercise routine is vital, regardless of what it looks like.

For many, it might be an intense one-hour gym workout or lifting heavy weights.

But for me, my routine took a different shape, a simple 80-minute walk each day.

This routine might seem underwhelming to some, but for me, it held a sacred place in my daily schedule.

It wasn't about sweating, grunting, and pushing my body to its limits, but rather a measured, purposeful stride towards better health.

Sure, there were raised eyebrows and skeptical views, but that didn't discourage me.

From July through August, regardless of the weather or my mood, I kept up with my walking routine consistently.

Sometimes, it's the simplest routines that anchor us, and for me, it was these daily walks.

Rapid Results:

Before I started this fitness journey, I didn't walk much.

At most, I would go for a casual stroll once or twice a week. This shows that I wasn't consistently exercising, and my approach to walking was lackadaisical at best.

Yet, I decided to make a change. I committed to a more structured and regular walking routine. I carefully planned and followed a daily walking schedule.

The benefits came quickly. As soon as I started this new routine, I noticed several positive changes in my health and mindset. Being active and spending time outdoors helped me grow in many ways.

This change in routine brought about significant improvements in how I think. I started to think more clearly.

It was more than just an improvement — it felt like a total transformation. I started seeing problems differently, handling challenges better, and my self-perception improved a great deal.

Not only that, but my gut instinct or intuition seemed to get stronger. It felt like I opened up a part of my brain that I hadn't used before.

I began making better decisions, and this improvement wasn't limited to work; it spilled over into my personal life too.

In simpler terms, I went from casually walking a few times a week to following a structured daily walking routine.

This change resulted in immediate, noticeable improvements in my personal development, thought process, and intuition.

The Bottom Line:

If you, like me, are finding it strenuous to keep up with your startup's growth, or if self-improvement books aren't showing the results you want, incorporating a walking practice into your routine might be the solution.

Providing you with the tools for success is not just my goal, but my mission.

AND what better step could you take than joining The Neuro-Spicy Academy?

We go deeper into topics like this and back you on your entrepreneur journey with mentorship, courses, tools, and most importantly, a community that understands your challenges. Sign up free today and say hello to a brighter tomorrow!

mental benefits of walkingwalking for entrepreneurswalking for daily exerciseovercoming chronic illness by walkingwalking for personal development
blog author image

Melanie Branch

As a magical speaker, author, and coach, I'm on a mission to help women unlock their full potential, embrace their neurodivergent superpowers, and create a life that sparkles with magic. With years of experience navigating the business world as a neurodivergent entrepreneur, I know firsthand the challenges that can arise when trying to manage burnout, imposter syndrome, and overwhelm. That's why I'm here to offer my practical, holistic approach to self-care and success, as well as my passion for creating transformational experiences that leave you feeling inspired, empowered, and ready to take action.

Back to Blog

More Freedom... More Impact... More Income!

We want you to build your business confidently and sustainably.

No burnout. No overwhelm. No exhaustion.

Our frameworks and mentors help guide you from startup to exit and every step in the middle.

Seriously... there's nothing else out there like us.

We're a combination of highly-specialized mentors on a mission to help improve the entrepreneurial experience for neurodivergent entrepreneurs. We don't wait until we've "made it" to have fun. Fun is necessary for us to succeed.

So what are you waiting for?

Trust your intuition and if your gut is saying "DO IT" and your bank account can support that decision without causing you financial hardship, then...

Just had a (paid) call with a new client — she’s level one of my avatar — and the call was so chaotic (to me anyway) and I felt like I really sucked (hello imposter syndrome), but then she said ‘oh my god where have you been all my life’ and was so excited to work together and said this was the most helpful thing she’s had in a while.

I was like whatttttt!? I’m writing this in my journal of wins!

Jade was struggling to balance client's needs with her own — after joining, she went through a BIG level-up with her mindset and her business.


I’m working on the Content Ecosystem Map we were talking about last night… it is SO much better for me to see it this way… at least right now.

I’m working with ChatGPT and it is actually fun work and gets me excited. Thanks so much for this… my brain gets it!!!!

Gwen was balancing a LOT in her life and day job while trying to launch her business and build a legacy for her family — and we were happy to help!


I’m celebrating a partnership with Doctors for Providers! We had a meeting today and it went amazingly well. Now we have a VERY lucrative partnership. My new partner will be adding me to their resource page, my services will be offered on every discovery call, and they will do a social media blast announcing our partnership.

What’s best of all is they don’t have anyone like me, no other marketing company 🎉The cherry on top… they work with franchises!

💗 This wouldn’t have been possible without the resources and guidance I got from the mentors at The Academy.

Yari was awesomely dedicated, but also a bit directionless. She knew what she wanted, but not how to get there. Now she's confidently negotiating partnerships with people that can put her in front of her ideal clients!

We're On a Mission to Revolutize the Entrepreneurial Experience

We're here to change the game for neurodivergent entrepreneurs. It's about understanding deeply, unlocking potential, and building businesses that aren't just successful but fulfilling.

Together, we're creating a space where differences are strengths, where every challenge is a chance to innovate, and where everyone gets to live their best life through the journey of entrepreneurship.

4685 Happy Valley Rd, Unit #349, Flintstone, GA 30725

2024 Sparkitive, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Legal & Disclaimers

This is a safe space. We support people being awesome people, no matter their race, creed, gender, sex, country, religion, or choice in TV shows. The only people that aren't welcome here are the a-holes that don't agree with that.