When your Hardest Season Builds the Strongest Version of You – with Abbe from Koko Cosmetica

What happens when the hardest season of your life becomes the foundation for your strongest one?In this deeply honest and reflective conversation, Abbe from Koko Cosmetica returns to the podcast two years after her first appearance, and she is not the same woman. Since we last spoke, she’s navigated postpartum depression, grown her salon to five years strong, welcomed a third baby, survived the FIFO juggle, and stepped into a calmer, more grounded version of herself as both a mother and business owner.We talk honestly about postpartum mental health, delegation in business, the pressure to keep expanding, sustainable systems, and the uncomfortable truth that growth often requires letting go.If you are a mother in business, a salon owner feeling stretched, or a woman quietly navigating your own hard season, this one will feel like a hand on your back.What we cover:The reality of postpartum depression as a business ownerWhy discomfort is often the birthplace of growthLetting go of a business idea that no longer fitsDelegation as both leadership and self protectionCreating sustainable systems in motherhood and businessThe power of separating work and home energyThis episode is a reminder that you can survive the mud, grow through it, and come out clearer, calmer, and stronger on the other side.Timestamps:00:00 Episode Summary 04:03 Meet Abbe Again: Five Years in Business, FIFO Life & New Baby 05:44 Putting Projects Down: Pausing the Clothing Brand to Focus 07:43 Choosing Baby #3 After Postpartum Depression Fears 11:31 A Healing Postpartum 13:53 Spotting the Signs: Anger, Overwhelm & Business Pressure 20:37 Sustainable Business Habits: Delegation, Stock & Systems 29:12 Motherhood + Business Balance: Separation, Routines & Small Wins 33:04 Ditching Social Media - Replacing Scroll Time with Podcasts 34:13 The 1% Reminders That Change Your Day 35:18 Family Systems That Save Your Sanity 36:49 Delegation Without Perfection 42:27 Close the Loops: Tackle One Annoying Area to Build Momentum 43:57 Why Uncertainty Is Needed to Level Up 48:06 Seasons of Business 50:33 Putting Projects Down and Staying True to You 55:02 Redefining Success & LegacyMentioned in this episode:💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM ImportsWe’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful:➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon.➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon.It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft.Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇MCMhttps://www.salonrising.com💛 A Limited Time Offer From Our Amazing Sponsor, Timely 💛➡ Timely is the easy to use booking and payments system that puts salon owners in control of the whole client experience from the first booking to final payment.➡ Salon Rising listeners get a 14 day free trial plus 50% off their first 3 months.➡ And until August 1st, when you activate with Payments, you'll also get a free Touchscreen terminal, worth $349 + GST.Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to get started. Once you're set up, your Timely contact will take care of the rest. 👇Timely