The Top 5 Guided Journals for Female Founders Who Want to Build Their Dream Business

No matter how much success I experience or what kind of external validation I receive, there’s still that voice in my head that says ‘You’re not good enough.’ I know I’m not alone because KPMG cites that 75% of women leaders experience imposter syndrome at some point during their careers.

It’s why I’ve spent the last year so fiercely committed to shifting the narrative in my head.

And it felt especially validating to hear Emma Grede, co-founder and CEO of Good American and founding partner of Skims, (also, my current girl crush) on the Mel Robbins podcast where she said:

“The most important relationship you'll ever have is the relationship you have with yourself. And so you’ve got to be real careful that your biggest enemy isn't living between your two ears, right? 

When you start a daily practice that says I am going to speak to myself [kindly], this is going to rewire you. It's a beautiful way to think about talking to yourself in a kind and cheering and empathetic way, it’s a form of excellence with yourself.”

It confirmed to me that taking five minutes before and after work to acknowledge myself is a habit worth keeping. I mean, I’m certainly not going to argue with one of Forbes’ Richest Self-Made Women.

Entrepreneurs who make journaling a part of their routine tend to report better clarity when dealing with various internal and external pressures. This practice of self-reflection also reportedly helps with effective planning and decision-making.

Why Guided Journals Are Great for Female Founders

A consistent journaling routine helps you stay focused, eases stress, strengthens emotional resilience, and supports your overall well-being.

So many women founders balance leadership, creativity, and caregiving roles while managing the constant mental load of “what’s next.” Journaling offers an opportunity to pause, process, re-centre, and recognize the inner milestones that don’t always show on the outside.

More than productivity, journaling is about perspective. It helps you stop measuring yourself only by revenue and instead recognize the inner work that sustains long-term success: confidence, self-trust, and belief in your own vision.

I love seeing social media posts where the Female Founders Journal is tagged alongside other popular guided journals, showing that they all have their unique qualities that contribute to an overall feeling of wellbeing.

As an avid journaler (long before creating my own) here are the top five guided journals that I recommend for women entrepreneurs who are ready to build their dream businesses. The common thread is that they’re all guided journals, but each serves its own unique purpose.

Please note that this blog post does include affiliate links!

1. My Wild & Wonderful Life: A 5 Year Journal of Endless Possibilities, by Carrie & Co.

Best for: getting clear on your vision and documenting your journey

Without focusing on your vision, your North Star, every day is just responding to what life and work throws at you.

Which is why I’m a fan of Carrie & Co’s My Wild & Wonderful Life five-year journal because it’s all about leaning into your vision and where you want to go. It’s a great journal for documenting your story—how powerful would it be to look back five years from now when you’re WILDLY successful and come back to your humble beginnings?

I love the idea of focusing on my future self, staying connected to my vision, and having prompts to keep me from feeling stuck which always makes journaling so much easier.

2. The Bedside Business Plan, by Jana & Brad Boyko

Best for: creating your business plan without overwhelm

Designed for aspiring entrepreneurs, the Bedside Business Plan takes the yawn out of creating a business plan and turns it into a more approachable exercise through journaling. If you don’t have a business background, you won’t feel intimidated responding to the easy journal prompts that will guide your full business plan.

It gives a step-by-step guided process to figure out things like:

• your offer

• your ideal client

• your industry, and

• your marketing 

Plus, it’s a Canadian guided business journal, just like we are! 🍁

3. The Female Founders Journal, by Pearl Spark Pages

Best for: women entrepreneurs who want to turn self-doubt into self-belief

I mean, of course I was going to include the Female Founders Journal as one of the top guided journals for confidence and success, designed women in business!

When I was shopping the shelves of Indigo bookstore last September, I wasn’t looking for another journal that focused on goals, I was looking for one that builds the confident CEO who achieves them. 

There wasn’t one specifically for female founders. One that would help us push past imposter syndrome, build confidence, and grow our dream business confidently.

So I created it.

When you strengthen your self-belief from the inside out, it doesn’t just change how you feel, it changes how you show up in your business and for yourself.

The Female Founders Journal is designed to help you:

• shift your mindset

• celebrate your progress, and 

• keep moving forward without second-guessing yourself every step of the way. 

You stay locked in on your vision daily, the morning prompt supports you in affirming yourself before the day begins and celebrating your wins, big and small, as the day ends.

As one reviewer put it, “By far the best journal for female business owners! I just finished my first 3 months and did the reflections and... just... wow. Being able to look back on what I had written down made me see how much I had really done and I'm so proud of myself!”

If you’re craving a therapist-approved journal that helps you step into CEO confidence in 90 days guaranteed, this is it.

Access a complimentary seven-day digital preview of the journal here.

4. The Overthinking Journal, by Pulse of Potential

Best for: managing stress and quieting the mind

My mind pretty much never shuts off. If I wake up at 3:00 a.m., I may sneak into the living room to work on an award application, or read a business book to make the most of being awake.

So I was super excited to find out about The Overthinker guided journal, which is designed to:

• reduce stress

• work with endlessly racing thoughts, and 

• create clarity

Photo Credit: Pulse of Potential

And bonus points to finding one of the other few therapist-approved journals on the market!

If you want some peace of mind and to reduce stress in minutes, add to cart.

5. The Five-Minute Journal, by Intelligent Change

Best for: cultivating daily gratitude

We’re absolutely going to acknowledge the OG in this post.

The Five Minute Journal is pretty much the reason why the ‘Journal’ section exists in bookstores.

Photo Credit: Intelligent Change

Designed to make gratitude a habit, in just five minutes a day you focus on:

• what you’re grateful for

• what would make today great

• your daily highlight, and 

• what you’ve learned

It’s beginner-friendly and creates a pattern of repetition which can turn into consistency.

Especially with the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, this journal promises to make you feel happier and less stressed in a handful of minutes.

Final Thoughts

Building your dream business starts with believing you’re capable of leading it. Journaling is a science-back, simple and effective way to nurture that belief. Each time you put pen to paper, you strengthen the inner-voice that says ‘Yes, I can!’.

Whether you spend five minutes or 15, what matters most is showing up for yourself, your growth, and the impact that you want to create.

And the one thing that I always stress about using the Female Founders Journal is that the pages aren’t meant to be filled and then forgotten, and that can apply to all of the ones on this list. They’re living proof of your success, growth, and accomplishments. Flip back through them and use them as evidence to remind yourself of how awesome you are, one page at a time.