What happens when your business success collides with life’s biggest transitions and you choose to lead with heart instead of hustle?

In this episode of Warm-Blooded Founders, host Chris Sherrick sits down with Ellen Hockley, a three-time entrepreneur whose journey spans sustainable event planning, postpartum activewear, and now business consulting. Ellen shares what it means to lead as a warm-blooded founder someone who values authenticity, connection, and emotional intelligence just as much as execution and growth.

From the outside, Ellen’s story looks like a classic entrepreneurial arc: successful business, pivot during crisis, build again. But the real story is richer and more human. She opens up about selling her first company after the pandemic upended her event planning business, navigating the highs and lows of running Evergreen Activewear as both a founder and a mother, and now helping other solopreneurs find their way through the noise.

This conversation isn’t about pretending it’s all smooth sailing. It’s about the real stuff—how to stay grounded when everything changes, how to build a business that works with your life instead of against it, and how to make decisions that protect your energy and your values.

Chris and Ellen explore: → What warm-blooded leadership looks like in practice

→ The emotional and logistical complexity of selling or closing a small business

→ Why traditional startup narratives leave out the realities of parenting while building

→ How community support can transform the solopreneur experience

→ Why therapy, coaching, and founder self-care aren’t optional—they’re foundational

Ellen also talks about the invisible load founders often carry especially women and why giving yourself permission to rest, re-evaluate, and reimagine your path is a sign of strength, not failure. She shares how taking a real maternity leave reshaped her approach to leadership, and how local community building became one of her most powerful tools for growth and resilience.

This episode is a must-listen if you’re: → A founder balancing business and family

→ A solopreneur seeking more meaningful support

→ Wondering what to do next with a business that’s no longer aligned

→ Tired of “crush-it” culture and craving something more sustainable

It’s not about winning at all costs. It’s about redefining what winning even means and building something you can be proud of, in work and in life