THIS IS ALSO A PODCAST INTERVIEW!
Sometimes burnout isn’t the end of the story.
Sometimes it’s the beginning.
In this week’s episode, Jess Parvin sits down with Ether Wellness founder Kari Mysker for an honest conversation about burnout, embodiment, Human Design, women’s health, entrepreneurship, and what it actually looks like to build a women’s wellness business from the ground up.
Kari’s story is one so many women will recognize: Doing all the “right” things. Holding it together externally. Pushing through stress and exhaustion. Until eventually the body says: enough.
What unfolded afterward wasn’t an overnight success story or perfectly linear transformation. It was something much more real — a gradual process of learning to trust herself, reconnect with her body, and create a business aligned with the life she actually wanted to live.
When Burnout Becomes the Turning Point
Kari shares how her entrepreneurial journey truly began during the pandemic after leaving a corporate job that no longer felt aligned. Even though the company itself was good, she realized something important: She didn’t want to wake up every day and live that life anymore.
Eventually the stress, anxiety, gut issues, and emotional exhaustion became impossible to ignore. One moment from the conversation really stood out: crying herself to sleep after work and realizing, “I can’t keep feeling like this.”
That’s the crossroads so many women quietly reach before making a major life shift. Not because they’re lazy. Not because they’re incapable. Because their nervous system and body are signaling that something deeper is out of alignment.
The Missing Piece in Women’s Wellness
As Kari began exploring yoga, embodiment work, nutrition, women’s health, and coaching, she started noticing something glaringly obvious:
Mainstream fitness spaces often completely miss the reality of women’s bodies. Especially hormonal health. Stress. Nervous system regulation. Cycle awareness. Safety. Embodiment.
Kari talks about discovering — at age 30 — that there are actually different phases of the menstrual cycle and realizing how little education many women receive about their own bodies. That realization became a major catalyst for the work she does now.
Instead of rigid, one-size-fits-all fitness approaches, Kari wanted to create something more sustainable, supportive, and realistic for women at different stages of life. Not punishment. Not hustle. Not forcing yourself through workouts your body hates.
Actual support.
Ether Wellness & the Need for Safe Spaces
One of the strongest themes throughout the conversation is safety.
Kari shares openly about experiencing “gym anxiety” and never feeling fully comfortable in traditional fitness spaces. That eventually shaped the entire vision for Ether Wellness.
Instead of creating a massive high-energy gym environment, Kari intentionally built a smaller, more grounded, more intimate wellness space where women could actually reconnect with themselves without overwhelm or overstimulation.
And honestly, you can feel that intention the second you walk into Ether.
The conversation explores how physical environments impact the nervous system — especially for women who are already burnt out, overstimulated, or disconnected from their bodies.
Sometimes healing doesn’t begin with a workout plan. Sometimes it begins with finally feeling safe enough to exhale.
Human Design, Intuition & Entrepreneurship
Kari shares how learning she was a Projector completely shifted the way she understood her energy, burnout patterns, and capacity. Instead of constantly trying to keep up with hustle culture, she began learning how to work with her energy rather than against it.
That shift changed everything.
One thing I do want to point out: Projectors are often incredibly efficient and action-oriented when they’re aligned. That was definitely true for Kari.
Once she became clear on her vision, things moved quickly:
Coaching certifications
Yoga teacher training
Retreat experiences
Building Ether Wellness
Creating Gather & Grow
Expanding into community events and collaborations
But none of it happened through forcing.
It happened through increasing self-awareness and learning how to trust what her body was telling her.
The Reality of Building a Brick-and-Mortar Wellness Business
In this episode, we also get honest about entrepreneurship.
Not the Instagram version. The real version. Kari talks openly about:
Financial risk
Pivoting constantly
Fear and uncertainty
Learning through trial and error
Refining offers over time
Flexibility
Patience
The emotional roller coaster of owning a physical business space
One thing she says really captures the entrepreneurial mindset perfectly: “Failure is lessons learned.”
That’s such an important reframe.
Because entrepreneurship rarely unfolds exactly how we imagine it will. The people who sustain themselves long-term aren’t necessarily the ones who never struggle — they’re the ones willing to adapt, reflect, and keep listening.
Gather & Grow & the Power of Women’s Community
One of the most beautiful parts of Ether Wellness has become Gather & Grow — a monthly women’s networking and connection event co-facilitated by Jess.
Interestingly, Kari originally saw community gatherings as more of a “future idea.”
But organically, it became one of the most meaningful parts of the business.
And honestly, that says something important: Women are craving spaces where they can simply be human together. Not perform. Not compete. Not hustle. Just connect.
Kari shares how moving through entrepreneurship helped her realize how much women need intentional spaces for authentic conversation, support, collaboration, and belonging — especially after years of isolation, burnout, and hyper-independence.
Midlife Wellness & Learning to Come Home to Yourself
Toward the end of the episode, our conversation shifts into midlife wellness and the upcoming Midlife Madison panel event: Thrive in Midlife: Understanding Your Physical Wellness in Perimenopause and Beyond.
Kari shares such an important perspective: Midlife can become an opportunity to learn your body all over again. What worked in your 20s or 30s may no longer work. And instead of seeing that as failure, it can become an invitation into deeper self-awareness.
More flexibility. More compassion. More listening. More support.
One of the strongest takeaways from this part of the conversation: small sustainable changes matter more than overwhelming perfection. Not all-or-nothing. Not zero-to-sixty wellness plans. Tiny consistent shifts.
Because real wellness isn’t built through punishment. It’s built through relationship.
Connect with Kari Mysker & Ether Wellness
Kari offers:
Women’s strength and embodiment coaching
Semi-private wellness training
Nervous system-supportive movement
Gather & Grow women’s networking events
Wellness workshops and retreats
Community coworking and studio memberships
The upcoming Autumn Reset mini retreat
Learn more: https://etherwellnessmadison.com/
Instagram: @etherwellnessmadison
YouTube: @karimysker
Gather & Grow: https://etherwellnessmadison.com/gather-grow-madison-womens-network/
Some topics we cover:
- Burnout and entrepreneurship
- Building a women’s wellness business
- Human Design and Projector energy
- Embodiment and nervous system regulation
- Gym anxiety and women’s fitness spaces
- Building a brick-and-mortar business
- Community and Gather & Grow
- Midlife wellness and burnout recovery
Join the new Soulpreneur Collective: https://jessparvin.com/the-soulpreneur-collective/