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The Whisper You’re Ignoring Might Be Your Next Business Evolution | EP 513

• Sheila Botelho

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🔗 Mentioned on this Episode: Show Notes 👈


If your business still “works” on paper—but you’re secretly restless, uninspired, or quietly questioning what’s next—I have something for you.


I share a story of one client who traded digital fatigue for real-life joy, launching a brick-and-mortar dream without sacrificing the success she’d already built. This is about pivoting from a place of alignment, not urgency—and tuning into the whisper that starts long before burnout.


Inside, you’ll get powerful reflection questions to help you uncover what your business is really asking of you next—without blowing up what’s working. You’ll also hear how our self-care for business strategy helps weathered founders reclaim vision, energy, and momentum—on their terms.



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Sheila:

You know that whisper that starts when everything looks successful on the outside, but something in you is quietly craving a change. I've seen this moment mark the beginning of the most powerful pivots for founders who've outgrown the grind. In this episode, I'll show you what that whisper really means, how to use it to fuel your next evolution without burning it all down, and what one client did to turn her digital fatigue into a brick-and-mortar dream. If your next level is calling, this might be your roadmap. Hi, welcome to the podcast. I'm Sheila Botelho and I'm committed to help you reconnect to your purpose, elevate your well-being and build your version of a happy, successful life.

Sheila:

Today's episode is a real one, and it might feel a little close to home. If you've ever found yourself in a season where your business is doing just fine, maybe even great, but inside you're feeling a little foggy, a little restless or maybe even bored, this isn't the early hustle phase. You're well beyond that. You've built the thing, you've made the money, you've served your clients, and yet something inside of you is whispering what now? If that's you, you're in good company. This is a natural part of the founder growth cycle. We outgrow our containers. The business we built may no longer match the person we've become. But instead of being dramatic and burning it all down, what if you just got curious? I want to share a story with you today that perfectly captures this.

Sheila:

One of my longtime clients had a thriving media business and nearly a decade in, she had built a solid reputation, a consistent roster of clients and a great income. But, in her words, she was in the digital grind and it wasn't bringing her joy anymore. So she moved to a new town and trying to create some change in her life, to address this thinking, maybe this is what I need. And she fell in love with the walkable downtown core. So as she explored her new neighborhood, chatting with shop owners, lingering in cafes, she realized how much she missed people, in-person connection, the energy of a community. So to get out of the funk, she started baking again, something she'd always done to show love, and she started delivering these baked goods to some of her new friends that she'd met, and even some of the shop owners, because she really had a great connection with them. And that is when it clicked.

Sheila:

There wasn't a single quality bakery in the area that served both everyday needs of the locals as well as offering a few special touches for gatherings, birthdays or school events. It felt like a whisper, but she started listening, she went back to her work, she started just serving her clients with a renewed kind of energy, thinking, okay, this is really all I needed was this connection piece, and it reinvigorated her business in a way that she never really anticipated. And then she, she felt it again, that flat feeling, and she started having that whisper start to become more of a conversation in her mind of something more that was waiting for her. So she took this idea that she had with her baking and she started small. She got curious with her baking and she started small. She got curious. She talked to people, found out what their true desires were and how perhaps this baking could actually serve more people. And she remembered that she had a contact from an old networking group who had always wanted to buy into a media wing for their business consulting firm. And that's when the idea sparked. Her business had grown by the invigoration that she had experienced in this move and having new connections, and so it was even more solid. She had new clients who had come in to work with her team and she realized this could be a golden opportunity for her. A few conversations later, she sold her company and she took that money, signed a lease in a beautiful corner space and started her bakery, bringing joy, nourishment and beautiful connection to a whole new group of people.

Sheila:

Now this is what I want you to take from this. Your next chapter might not come from a whiteboard session or a vision board. It might show up on a walk, in a craving in the thing that you do when no one is watching. So if your business feels flat and you can't name why, it might be time to stop pushing through and start listening. Now, not every business pivot looks like a bakery, but every expansion does start with alignment. There are all these different things that we can do in order to come up with the idea of what's next. And, just like this client of mine, it began with her being reinvigorated outside of her work and it actually made her feel really good in her business again, and that could have been all she needed. It just so happened she had another dream that was waiting in the wings for her. It just so happened she had another dream that was waiting in the wings for her and it was time she knew, by tuning into her intuition and really being clear that she could trust herself. Because she had built that self-trust muscle over the years in so many other ways, she could trust herself to make this decision too, and it has gone on to serve her really, really well. So let's name it.

Sheila:

There are so many different scenarios you might find yourself in right now, especially if you're a seasoned founder in the middle of a mid-year identity shift. You might be running a successful business, but secretly bored by it. But secretly bored by it, stuck in content cycles that no longer reflect who you've become, feeling resentful about the very offers that once excited you. Maybe sensing the need to change your pricing, but afraid to rattle the current client base. Maybe you're tired of performing a version of leadership that doesn't feel fully you anymore. Or you're waking up with a full calendar but very little true desire. Or you're knowing your brand needs to evolve, but you're unclear what's next. Or perhaps you're fantasizing about walking away from it all altogether, but you don't actually want to burn it down. If any of that resonates, take a breath with me right here. What you're feeling? It's not wrong, it's a signal.

Sheila:

One of the trickiest seasons in business is when what you built still works, but it no longer feels aligned. The sales come in, the team runs, the content lands, but you're gone from the center of it because you've shifted and the business hasn't caught up yet. This isn't a red flag, it's actually a green light to take a pause, to pause long enough to reclaim your alignment. Here's what I invite you to ask yourself today what version of me built this business, and is that version of me still in charge? You can also ask where am I most energized in my work right now? Is it creation, connection, leadership, innovation or something else entirely? A third question what am I tolerating that used to feel exciting? Is it a certain type of client, a delivery method, a platform? And lastly, what kind of life do I want this business to fund, and am I actually living that life or just planning for it? You can jot these down and voice note your answers. But here is the deeper invitation Before you try to fix anything, get honest, because clarity isn't found in your to-do list or in your next pivot.

Sheila:

Clarity lives in your body, in your patterns and in the space between pushing and pausing. Let me leave you with an image I often come back to when I'm on the edge of expansion. Imagine your business is a river In the early years. You're in the middle of the current, paddling like crazy. There's whitewater, chaos, momentum. Everything is really urgent and honestly, that energy is part of what built the momentum and it's thrilling.

Sheila:

But as you grow and as your business matures, the wisdom comes from moving to the riverbank. For a while you still see the current, you still feel the pull, but you don't have to be in the rapids to direct the flow On the riverbank. You observe with perspective, you choose your next move from a grounded place. It's in that stillness that alignment becomes possible. You see, not every pivot requires drama, which is so counter-cultural, because I think many of us look back at our lives when big changes have happened and often there has been lots of drama and we feel like we can't really make a move unless there's something pushing us out the door. But not every expansion starts with a new logo or a new niche either. Sometimes that expansion it's about getting quiet enough to hear yourself again.

Sheila:

If this episode spoke to you, I invite you to head over to the show notes because I've linked a few ways. I can support you, depending on where you are in your journey. If you're craving structure and a seasonally aligned rhythm in your business, you'll find details there. If you want to stay plugged into monthly support and tools to keep growing without burning out, you'll find details there also. And if you are feeling that urge for a more intimate, personalized expansion with close proximity to me, there's ways for you to reach out to me there as well to me. There's ways for you to reach out to me there as well.

Sheila:

Whichever path you choose, just know this you're not too much for wanting more and you're not too late to align again. I'm walking this with you. These are conversations I have with myself regularly and I will continue having them as long as I live, because we're humans and we grow and we shift and we change and I don't know about you, I wouldn't have it any other way. You're allowed to do less, you're allowed to feel more and you're allowed to win your way. Thanks so much for listening. I hope you have a beautiful rest of your week and I'll see you on another episode. Big blessings, thank you.