We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Ruth Martin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

A few years ago, a perfectionistic client of mine asked me about 75 Hard and if it would be good for them to try it. Not knowing exactly what it was, I pulled it up on Google and immediately laughed (we have this type of relationship where I can call her out). Inspired by her desire to have a form of accountability, I created a challenge called 75 Kind and posted it on Instagram.

I tried the personal challenge of doing intentional self care, reading a self compassion statement, tackling an avoided task, and being more mindful of water and nourishment EVERY DAY. Yes it was a lot, but the laundry baskets were a less full, my body felt better, and my inner critic was challenged more often. That’s when I realized that overthinkers and overdoers like me need a system for accessing self care and self compassion.

Living in Nashville, it’s easy to see a shirt, sticker, or poster honoring the queen herself, Dolly Parton. In the process of refining the brand, the song “9 to 5” kept coming up as I read more and more about burnout and burnout recovery. Reflecting on my experience of 75Kind and working on burnout management, I noticed taking care of myself was a FULL TIME JOB.

Nine to Kind was born. Also, anything giving a nod to Dolly is guaranteed to be good :)

Nine to Kind is that reminder that our good enough is pretty damn good. It speaks to the amount of effort we put in daily for others (and need to share that effort with ourselves). Nine to Kind is about the actions we take that say “it’s okay to rest” and “things in life can be easy and that’s not laziness.”

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been on the go since the moment I could walk. My life has been a whirlwind of achievements, deadlines, and a to-do lists. I experienced burnout as early as age 10…but we didn’t acknowledge burnout at the time. I quit gymnastics at the peak of my time there because the constant pressure and all day dedication didn’t sit well with someone who wanted to go to the sleepover. After that, the burnout cycle continued with Student Government, collegiate cheer, and the radio industry.

I’ve worn many hats: mother, therapist, speaker, and—unfortunately—chief perfectionist and professional procrastinator. Burnout? Yeah, we’ve been on a first-name basis for years. While juggling my growing therapy practice and the chaos of motherhood, I finally hit my breaking point. My body practically staged a protest, demanding a break. So, I listened. This kicked off a years-long journey towards a more compassionate way of living. Picture me taking leisurely walks, savoring my coffee, and actually enjoying time outside my therapy office and speaking gigs.

But there was one thing that kept taunting me: my planner. It was filled with untouched spaces and unchecked boxes, mocking me daily. It felt like my planner was teasing and taunting me daily. And guess what? My clients, who were mostly perfectionists and people pleasers, were in the same boat. They’d whip out their planners during sessions, and I could see the stress lines deepening on their faces.

Then it hit me—planners were likely the only thing my clients looked at more often than Instagram. These planners, with their unmarked tasks, were a constant reminder of what they hadn’t achieved. There had to be a better way. A planner that wasn’t just about ticking off boxes but considered the whole person behind those tasks. A planner that would promote self-compassion and flexibility.

Nine to Kind was born! I rallied a group of like-minded folks, and together we created a planning system for people like us—the ones doing the most. Nine to Kind isn’t just a planner; it’s a community. We’ve built a space where we can all feel supported and understood. The Possibility Planner, Nine to Kind’s signature offer, encourages you to set intentions and recognize your worth beyond your to-do list. When you close your planner each day, we want you to know that you are enough no matter how many tasks you checked off.

My transformation from burnout to balance has been quite the ride, and it’s taught me the power of self-compassion. With Nine to Kind, I’m not just helping myself; I’m helping others find that same peace and fulfillment. I’m proud of the product the Nine to Kind Possibility Planner is, but I am more proud that I am truly embodying its core principles (and have it documented in my planner).

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Have you ever noticed that when things are going well, we get suspicious? About a month ago, I was driving to a speaking keynote and noticed how I was buzzing..but not burned out. My life is still really full, but arranged in a more manageable way. Life for the moment felt easy, and I felt like I was doing something wrong.

This skepticism taught me two things:
1. Doing things that are aligned and come easier to me is not laziness. Hard work doesn’t have to break us.
2. Getting used to living in a more balanced way takes time, and detoxing from urgency as a motivator.

I grew up outside of Memphis, where we all have some sort of chip on our shoulder. It was common for anyone to get roasted on any day, that banter was honestly a bit of how we showed affection. What I didn’t realize is that underdog mentality caused a bit of shame when life was working out for me or I was living in a way with ease. That led to me being reliant on things like proving myself, showing the hard work (a.k.a burnout), and self criticism as a way to motivate myself.

It took me a long time to get used to a kinder approach. While I still love the underdog, I had to allow myself to be in a place where I wasn’t fighting to belong. I had to sit in my worthiness and allow life to be a bit more in my favor.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I think it’s important to be open and candid about the costs of business, and acknowledge privilege when we have it. I live in a double income household, and I have an understanding that if I were to get into a bad place there are safety nets. Recognizing that is an important factor into recognizing my openness to risk.

Mindset wise, I am the type of person who will always look for some way to bring in the income. Having that belief that I will always find a way to make it work also helped my fears when launching Nine to Kind.

My initial capital was funded by profits in my outpatient therapy practice and keynote bookings. Also, my Southwest Credit Card is the MVP of all of this. We are still in our first year and making progress towards more sustainable funding through the sales of the planner and increasing my speaking engagements.

I have a feeling I will be someone that pursues a portfolio of income sources. In the future, they may not relate so closely (I would love to do a tshirt line or something) but I like novelty.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ninetokind.com
• Instagram: @laurenruthmartin // @nine.to.kind
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-ruth-martin/

Image Credits

Headshot, Photo of books on head, Photo of planners: Coy Sellers
Photo of me holding the planner open: Diana DeFatta