Business Freedom through Rest, Delegation, and Operational Strategy with Alyson Caffrey
In this episode of The I Heart My Life Show, Emily Williams is joined by Alyson Caffrey, bestselling author of The Sabbatical Method and founder of Master Maternity Leave. Together, they dive deep into the myth that building a successful business means sacrificing your health, family time, or freedom. Alyson shares how her own wake-up call—answering emails from her hospital bed just hours after giving birth—led her to a revolutionary shift in the way she runs her company and supports her clients.
This conversation is packed with game-changing insights on how to design a business that thrives whether you're at your desk or off the grid. Alyson breaks down her three-tiered framework for delegation, explains how to start preparing for a true sabbatical (or maternity leave), and reminds us that your business should support your dream life—not hold you back from it.
Whether you're a solopreneur feeling stuck in the weeds or a seasoned CEO looking to reclaim your time, this episode will help you reset your vision, rewrite your operations, and remember why you started in the first place.
Key Takeaways:
Why rest isn’t a reward—it’s a requirement for true leadership and long-term business growth.
The three stages of delegation (Assister, Coach, Owner) and how to move into true CEO mode.
Why so many entrepreneurs resist letting go—and how that resistance can lead to resentment, burnout, and missed opportunities.
How to start preparing for a sabbatical or maternity leave—no matter your team size or current schedule.
The 90/90 Principle: A simple but powerful framework to reclaim your time and focus on what matters most.
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Host, Emily Williams is a success coach, author, speaker, and CEO of multiple brands.
After falling into a quarter-life crisis and struggling through a string of low-paying jobs (including serving up lattes at Starbucks), she finally decided it was time to follow her heart. So she packed her bags, moved to London (where she knew no one), and launched her own coaching business, I Heart My Life (without knowing if she’d ever make a dime). And that’s when her whole life changed course.
In her first month in business, Emily earned $442. She then went on to hit 6 figures before her 30th birthday, and—after just 18 months—successfully scaled what she'd started to a multi-million dollar empire.
Today, she remains the CEO of I Heart My Life, which has evolved into a media, educational and lifestyle brand through which she carries out her mission of helping thousands of women worldwide to create a life better than their dreams.
Connect with Emily on her websites:
And on socials:
I Heart My Life on Instagram
I Heart My Life on Facebook
I Heart My Life on LinkedIn
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The guest on this episode is Alyson Caffrey, a bestselling author, business optimizer, and founder of Master Maternity Leave. Known as the "Operations Swiss Army Knife" for entrepreneurs, she helps growing companies streamline their operations so they can scale without sacrificing time, energy, or personal freedom.
For over seven years, Alyson has worked with business owners to create sustainable systems that allow them to step away while their businesses continue to thrive. Her book, The Sabbatical Method, challenges the hustle mentality and introduces a framework for integrating rest as a core business strategy.
Through her work, Alyson empowers entrepreneurs—especially parents—to design businesses that support both growth and family life, proving that you don’t have to choose between success and rest.
Learn More about Aly on her websites:
https://www.alysoncaffrey.com/
https://mastermaternityleave.com/training
And connect with her on Instagram
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