Monique Monique

What I Know Now About Mental Health and Business (What healing taught me about rebuilding a business I can sustain)

There was a cycle that used to dominate my entire creative life.

I would get a burst of energy, create nonstop, say yes to every opportunity…
And then I would crash. Hard.

I would disappear for months (this last time it was about two years).

No blog. No YouTube. No emails. Just silence.
Then I would come back, full of guilt and determination to “finally get it together.”
And the cycle would start all over again.

Back Then, I Thought It Was Just Me

During the Brown Vegan days, I believed I was just lazy. Undisciplined.
Everyone else seemed to be posting consistently, building, growing.
Why couldn’t I keep up? I cried about this often.

The truth?
I was struggling with my mental health. And I didn’t know how to build a business that worked with my brain, rather than pushing against it.

I was trying to match the energy of people who didn’t live with depression or bipolar disorder.
And it broke me. Over and over again.

The Breaking Point

When I started working more hours at the gas station to make ends meet, I figured I was done with business.
I was hopeless. Stressed about money and tired of feeling like I had to choose between quality of life and pursuing something meaningful.

That was the lowest point.
And also the moment that changed everything.

The Shift That Saved My Business

Now, I do things differently.

I batch when my energy is high.
I schedule content so I can rest without disappearing.
I let my blog and YouTube work for me instead of being a hamster wheel I can’t get off.
And most of all, I no longer guilt-trip myself when I need to pause.

But the most significant shift of all?

I started taking my mental health seriously.

For me, that means medication for bipolar disorder, paired with daily writing, managing stress, affirmations, and prayer.
All of it works together to help me stay grounded.

I no longer see my diagnosis as something to hide.
It’s just part of the map.

Now that I know the terrain, I can build a business that suits me.

This isn’t about pretending I’m fine.
It’s about building something sustainable from exactly where I am.

What I Would Tell You If You’re In This Too

  • Your inconsistency isn’t failure. It’s feedback. Pay attention to what burns you out and build around that.

  • You don’t have to earn your rest. Rest is part of the strategy.

  • Put the content down if you need to, but don’t just disappear. Take a real break, then get curious. What keeps making you pause? What needs to change so you can keep going without burning out?

  • Create systems that support you. Pre-write your emails. Schedule your blog posts. Record videos when your energy is high, so you can rest when it’s not. Systems and processes don’t make your business boring; they make it sweeter.

This Is the Business I’m Building Now

It’s softer.
More strategic.
And rooted in self-respect, not insecurity and indecisiveness.

If you're building something while navigating your mental health, know you’re not behind.
You're just building it differently.
And that might be the most powerful thing you could do.

Thank you for being here.

This free guide walks you through the simple, affordable tools I use to run my business.
Built to help, not to overwhelm.

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    Monique Monique

    Corporate Delayed Me. Creation Said Keep Going.

    Yesterday, someone bought my recipe and grocery list guide.

    It was my first sale under Just Monique.

    Not my first sale ever. I have sold digital products before, worked with sponsors, and built a following.

    But this felt different.

    It was my first sale since returning to my creative work after everything — burnout, financial reset, and learning how to build from a whole place again.

    The timing caught me off guard, in the best way.

    Earlier in the day, I found out I did not get the promotion I had been working toward at my full-time job.

    It was not unexpected.

    I had been out for two months on leave, so the decision made sense. I understood it.

    I'm disappointed because the raise would have helped…but that was the extent of it.

    Still, it was a clear reminder of something I already knew:

    I cannot wait for outside approval to move forward. I cannot build my future on someone else’s timeline.

    That afternoon, I opened my email and saw the sales notification.

    Someone said yes.

    That one sale reminded me that my work moves people. That when I show up and offer something helpful, even in the middle of uncertainty, it still connects.

    It still reaches the right person.

    There is so much I want to create with Just Monique. I want to build tools that help women start over without shame. I want to make resources that feel honest, clear, and hopeful.

    I want to keep telling the truth about what it looks like to rebuild your life while you are still in the thick of it, not after everything is polished…but right here in the middle.

    To the person who made that first purchase, thank you. You reminded me that what I am building matters.

    And to anyone else who is working a job while trying to create something on the side, I hope this encourages you.

    You do not have to wait for someone else to say yes before you take your next step.

    Even if things are moving slowly. Even if you feel behind…

    You are still building, and that counts.

    Thank you for being here.

    You can purchase the meal plan here.

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    Monique Monique

    Why I’m Filing for Bankruptcy

    After sitting with the numbers, I knew something had to change.

    My monthly income, after taxes, is around $2,500.

    My minimum debt payments are over $1,200. Even with extra income from Walmart Spark, I’m barely covering the basics. There is no breathing room, no margin, and no progress.

    I’ve decided to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

    It’s not something I take lightly. I’ve carried this financial weight for a while now. The bills. The high-interest loans. The constant pressure of trying to stretch what’s left.

    At some point, survival mode became the norm.

    I’m choosing to end that cycle.

    Most of this debt came from a year that tested me in every way. I was helping care for my son during a mental health crisis. My mother and I paid $500 a week for a hotel so he had a safe and stable place to stay. That didn’t include food or other essentials. I would make the same choice again if I had to, but the truth is, it came at a cost.

    During that same period, I fell into a deep depressive episode. I lost track of time. I stayed in bed for nearly a month. I missed payments. My credit score dropped. And no matter how hard I tried to catch up, I couldn’t keep everything from slipping.

    The moment that confirmed what I already knew didn’t come with drama. It came with a tire pressure alert. Two mornings in a row, I woke up to it. Usually, that kind of thing would shoot my anxiety way up.

    This time, I didn’t panic.

    I had a little money set aside (since I decided not to pay the credit card bills this month) and used it to repair my tire.

    That small act of calm told me I was ready for something different.

    I don’t want to spend the next five or ten years scrambling to make minimum payments to say I followed the rules. I don’t want to keep building a future on financial anxiety and shame. I want to rebuild with structure, clarity, and a sense of peace of mind.

    So here I am. Not proud, but not ashamed. Just honest.

    This is not about giving up.

    It’s about finally giving myself permission to reset.

    If you’re in a similar place, I hope this helps you feel seen. I’ll be sharing the whole journey from here.

    Not just the polished moments, but the process it takes to begin again.

    — Monique

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    YouTube, Business Monique YouTube, Business Monique

    13 Years of Creating Content (here’s what's different this time)

    Sometimes, showing up as you are—messy, tired, figuring it out in real-time—is more than enough. Give yourself permission to move through life without constantly grading your performance.
    — Myliek Teele

    There was a time when I was everywhere.
    YouTube. Instagram. Pinterest. Facebook. This blog. Weekly newsletter. Podcast.
    Creating content nonstop.

    Working with brands.

    Showing up the best way I knew how.

    I ran a blog and YouTube channel called Brown Vegan, and I built a solid audience by simply posting plant-based recipes.

    I sold a couple of inexpensive digital products, a few live workshops, and I had $10K in multiple brand deal invoices waiting to be paid into my account (a lump sum all at once happened a grand total of one time lol).

    From the outside, I was doing it.

    But behind the scenes, I was overwhelmed and exhausted.

    I didn’t have systems.
    I didn’t have consistent income streams.
    And I definitely didn’t have peace.

    The Reality Behind “Success”

    I relied on sponsorships instead of building my own paid offers.

    That meant I was popular, but broke more often than not.

    Speaking of some of those brands?
    Let’s just say they got more content, more clicks, and more deliverables than I ever got in return.

    I never felt like I could pivot into a real business.

    I was on too many platforms, trying to do what the experts said. Reach as many people as you can! Build the products, send the newsletter, blog, and post 5 times a week on Instagram. It never felt like enough.
    Not to mention, the struggles with my mental health made everything harder.

    I would get a burst of energy, create like crazy, burn out for months, then repeat the cycle.

    At one point, I had to take a job cleaning bathrooms at a gas station to pay my bills.

    That was my turning point.

    What I’m Doing Differently This Time

    I’m not rushing.
    I’m not chasing.
    And I’m not creating to prove I can.

    This time, I’m building a business that can breathe.
    One that doesn’t require me to be present all the time to generate income.
    One that’s rooted in purpose and aligned with how I want to live.

    Here’s What I’ve Learned (And What I’d Tell You)

    If you’re starting or rebuilding your business, here’s my honest advice:

    • Pick one (max two) social media platforms and go deep. Don’t spread yourself thin trying to be everywhere. You don’t need visibility on five platforms. You need consistency in one place.

    • Show up messy. You’ll never feel ready. Post it anyway.

    • Batch and rest. You can take breaks and be consistent if you plan for both.

    • Keep your day job forever (lol). If you want a side income, but aren’t desperate, you get to build at your own pace. That’s power. One of my biggest regrets was not seeking out a full-time job fast enough when I saw the writing on the wall.

    If you're still in your start-over season, know this:
    You’re not behind.
    You’re just building it differently this time.

    Thank you for being here.

    This free guide walks you through the simple, affordable tools I use to run my business.
    Built to help, not to overwhelm.

      We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.
      Read More