How To Start A Business That Feeds Your Soul (Without Burning Down Your Life)
You Don't Need Permission to Change Your Life — You Need This
I just got back from the Watershed Music Festival in George, Washington, and five years later, it hit me like it did the first time—except deeper.
Back in 2021, my husband Jeremy and I were testing out our life design plan. We rented an RV for six weeks to see what freedom felt like. Our very first stop? Watershed.
At the time, I didn’t even know I was in love with country music. Jeremy had taken me to Nashville, and something about it cracked me open. I followed the breadcrumb. Ended up under the sky, in the middle of nowhere, hearing Dierks Bentley sing about the difference between living and just existing:
"Some days you're just alive, some days you're livin’."
This year, Dierks performed that song again. And I stood there with tears in my eyes. Because now? I’m living. I made the leap. I built a business around my essence. And I shed the final remnants of wondering if I made the right choice.
I did
.
And I want that for you.
This post is for the women I talk to every day who are ready to pivot—but feel stuck, scared, or unsure of what they’d even pivot into. It’s for the ones who’ve done the courses, hired the coaches, maybe even left the job already… but haven’t made the move. Because the clarity, confidence, or business plan hasn’t dropped from the sky.
If that’s you, keep reading. This is your watershed moment.
Step One: Identify If You’re Fantasizing or Actually Ready
Let’s start with some real talk. If you’re fantasizing that this “next thing” is going to fix everything—you’re in danger territory.
I see this all the time. Someone leaves their career because they feel dissonance. It no longer fits. They’re craving purpose and meaning. But instead of building something from their soul, they build from urgency, pressure, or ego. And they end up recreating exactly what they tried to escape—stress, burnout, and resentment.
Here’s a red flag to look for:
You keep hoping one change (a move, a course, a certification, a hire) will make everything better
You fantasize but never execute
You say you’re ready but do nothing all day, then spiral into self-doubt
If you’ve changed jobs, cities, relationships, or careers—and still feel stuck—this is your moment to pause. Because you don’t need a new plan. You need a new pattern.
Step Two: Shed What’s No Longer True
Every pivot requires a shedding.
You can’t bring your old identity into your next chapter and expect it to feel different. You have to peel off the layers of who you thought you needed to be—so you can become who you already are.
But that’s easier said than done.
Because what’s often standing in the way isn’t just logistics—it’s beliefs. Stories. Programming. Unconscious vows. So let’s name them.
Here are some of the limiting beliefs my clients have had to shed:
The idea that their worth is tied to performance, productivity, or income.
The fear that doing something joyful, artistic, or creative is irresponsible.
The belief that they’re “too late” to try something new.
The assumption that they have to get it perfect before they even begin.
The story that they’re not smart enough, skilled enough, or business-minded enough.
The terror that people will judge them for leaving a "successful" path.
The guilt that investing in their dreams is selfish.
The belief that money will dry up if they make the pivot.
The fear that they’re just not capable of pulling it off.
These are real. They’re baked into our nervous systems. Many of them were formed by the time we were seven. And if they’re left unexamined, they will quietly run the show—even when your soul is screaming for something different.
This is why your pivot starts inside, not with a website or a business plan.
Here’s the truth: If you want a soul-aligned business, you have to stop building from fear and start building from resonance. You have to stop clinging to control and start practicing trust.
And yes, that sounds “woo.” But it’s also wildly practical. Because what you’re doing right now isn’t working. So why not try something that’s rooted in your actual essence?
This is where things really begin to shift. When you trade fear for curiosity. Control for creativity. When you stop asking, “What will they think?” and start asking, “What lights me up?”
Step Three: Design Your Life and Work (Before You Create Another Job You Hate)
Here’s where it gets instructive. If you’re even thinking about a pivot, start here.
1. Do a Life View and Work View
If you want a business that supports the life you actually want—not just a different flavor of burnout—you have to get clear on what that life looks like. Period.
Without this clarity, you’ll default to building what you’ve always built: a life based on shoulds, expectations, fear, and comparison. You’ll chase what looks successful on Instagram instead of what feels nourishing in your body. You’ll follow someone else’s blueprint and wonder why you still feel stuck.
This is where design thinking meets soul work.
The Life View and Work View aren’t fluff. They are how you begin designing a business and lifestyle that serve you—one that’s rooted in alignment, not approval. Without them, your pivot has no compass.
So take your time. Get our your journal. Tell your AI bestie and ask it to put it together in the form of a personal Manifesto.
Above all, be honest. Don’t write what you think you should want. Write what’s true, even if it feels wild or contradictory or scary.
LIFE VIEW – Ask Yourself:
What does a good life mean to me?
What do I believe about time, freedom, relationships, nature, community, health?
What do I no longer believe?
What am I done pretending I want?
What rhythms and rituals make me feel most alive?
WORK VIEW – Ask Yourself:
What is work for?
What kind of people do I want to work with?
What kind of problems do I love solving?
How do I want to feel when I log off for the day?
What values must be present in how I earn and serve?
What do I want work to make possible in my life?
This is the reflection that helped a former CPG marketing exec I work with—Laura—completely reframe her approach to business. After leaving corporate, she initially felt like she had made a mistake. Her consulting work felt flat. She was exhausted and disillusioned. But when she completed her Life View and Work View exercises, everything shifted. She realized she was still chasing an outdated definition of success—one shaped by her Ivy League education and the corporate ladder she had mastered. She let go of the belief that success had to look polished, buttoned-up, and high-pressure. Instead, she began designing her business around what truly mattered to her: freedom, joy, deep connection, and creating work that felt meaningful. Today, she’s growing her business in a way that aligns with her values and her energy—and making money that feels good to earn. That clarity began here.
This process lays the foundation for everything else. Without it, you’re building on sand. With it? You’re designing a life and business that feel like you.
And for me, once I did this step I knew without a doubt that the multi-million dollar business I had built was no longer aligned.
3. Prototype, Don’t Perfect
This is where so many people get stuck. They have the idea. They feel the spark. They can see the life they want to build—but then? They freeze.
Why? Because the idea of taking action triggers all the fears we just talked about: What if it’s messy? What if I get judged? What if I screw it up?
So instead of testing the idea in a low-risk way, they try to plan their way into certainty. They map out a full-blown business, get lost in branding, hire a designer, start researching social media strategies... and never actually do the thing that gives them clarity: trying it.
You don’t need a brand board. You need feedback. You don’t need clarity. You need a tiny experiment.
A prototype is the smallest, scrappiest, easiest version of your idea that allows you to gather real data—from yourself and others.
It’s low-risk. It’s fast. It’s flexible. And it builds momentum.
Here’s what that could look like:
Offer one local class (like my client who’s teaching sourdough baking in her town)
Host a pop-up dinner, hike, or event that reflects your deeper interests
Teach a one-time class at your local community center
Ask five people in your network for 15-minute informational interviews
What matters is not how polished it is. What matters is that you take action and notice:
Did I love doing this?
Did people respond?
Did I feel energized or depleted?
What would I change next time?
Because this isn’t about “launching” a business. It’s about building trust in yourself.
It’s about becoming the woman who says, I don’t need to have it all figured out—I just need to go first.
When I wanted to investigate what it would look like to run a business that wasn’t 100% focused on dating, I didn’t start with a big launch or a polished program. I ran a value trade experiment.
Here’s what that looked like:
📩 Subject Line:
Successful women, professional women, and entrepreneurs: I may have something you’re interested in…
The Offer:
I let my audience know that, in preparation for my book launch and dialing in my business, I was doing market research for a new program—and wanted to offer a value trade.
The value I gave?
A tailor-made strategy to “delete” anxiety and stress, and tap into a deep well of calm that’s uniquely theirs. This was a brand-new tool that had already been a game changer for clients who had tried everything—years of therapy, endless self-help—yet still struggled with exhaustion, racing thoughts, self-doubt, and fear.
I also walked them through the “D” in my D.R.E.A.M Process—helping them uncover the essential problem keeping them stuck in burnout, spinning their wheels, and feeling like they were working harder without ever feeling better.
The trade?
A 45-minute call where all I wanted was to understand the biggest challenges they were facing in creating an aligned, fulfilling, meaningful life. No selling. No pitch. Just a mutual exchange.
I made the criteria clear:
Financially stable, six-figure-earning women.
A “nagging feeling” that there has to be a better way.
No settling. No waiting. Ready to take action now.
The results?
I had deep, targeted conversations that revealed exactly what people needed, what was holding them back, and how I could design my next offer to meet them where they were.
The point is:
You don’t need a 12-step business plan.
You don’t need a logo.
You don’t even need a website.
You need an idea, a low-risk way to test it, and the courage to send it into the world.
3 Quick Value Trade Prototypes to Try
1. “Pick My Brain for 20” Swap
📩 Subject Line:
“Got 20 minutes? Let’s trade.”
💡 The Offer:
“I’ll give you my best tip for [specific result you help with] in exchange for hearing your biggest challenge in [related area]. No strings, just a mutual exchange of insight.”
✅ Example: A wellness coach could offer a personalized 3-minute morning routine in exchange for learning how busy professionals fit self-care into their day.
2. “Mini Makeover” Trade
📩 Subject Line:
“Want me to tweak this for you?”
💡 The Offer:
“I’ll review and give you one simple improvement you can make to your [LinkedIn profile, dating profile, resume, Instagram bio, etc.] that will instantly make it more magnetic. In exchange, I’d love to hear what’s most frustrating for you about [topic you’re researching].”
✅ Example: A career coach could offer to rewrite a LinkedIn headline in exchange for insight on what’s stopping people from applying for jobs.
3. “Done-in-a-Day” Strategy Swap
📩 Subject Line:
“I can map this out for you…”
💡 The Offer:
“I’ll help you create a simple, step-by-step plan for [specific challenge they have] in one day or less—no fluff, just clarity. All I ask in return is your honest feedback on the process and whether it would be valuable if expanded.”
✅ Example: A business coach could map out a client’s first paid offer in exchange for learning how they currently try to monetize their skills.
The Magic of Value Trades
The win isn’t just what you give or get—it’s the insight, connection, and language you gather for your next step. These tiny tests are how ideas evolve from “I think this could work” to “I know this will work.”
Don’t overthink it.
Just prototype it.
Because clarity comes from action, not theory.
Step Four: Rewrite the Story About Risk
You might be thinking:
“What if I fail?”
But the real question is:
“What if it works?”
Let me tell you about Bailey Zimmerman—a name that might’ve already felt electric at Watershed this year, even if you didn’t know his whole backstory.
Bailey started out literally laying gas pipelines in rural Illinois. He grew up in a small farming town, worked in a meat processing plant and then switched to the physically demanding work of political union gas line construction Music wasn’t a plan—it was a flicker. One day he recorded himself singing Black Stone Cherry and posted it on social media The next day, his phone blew up—a songwriter reached out, and suddenly that spark demanded attention.
Bailey quit the pipeline gig, borrowed a few thousand dollars from his mom to record, and dropped Never Comin’ Home professionally. Within hours, the clip went viral, and he was signed to a label.
This year? At age 25, he headlined Watershed alongside giants like Dierks Bentley —and told the crowd:
“There’s a lot of people out there that have failed many times, but one time, you’re not going to, and it’s going to change your life.”
This isn’t just some country lyric. This is living proof that belief + action beats planning + paralysis every time.
For your pivot, here’s the moment that matters:
You don’t need a safety net. You need courage. You need to say I’m going to try this, and trust that clarity, momentum, and direction are created in the doing—not before it.
And if you’ve been waiting for someone to give you permission? Consider this your Bailey Zimmerman moment. You can start before you’re ready. You can believe in yourself more than your fears. And you can begin—right now.
Ready for Your Watershed Moment?
Start here:
Take the Decode Your Destiny Quiz to discover your soul map.
Journal this tonight: What am I really afraid of—and what if it works?
Because some days you’re just alive. And some days… you’re livin’.
PS. I also shed the haircut I have had for the last five years. The result — bangs!
