The Sheila Botelho Show
Sheila Botelho is a business strategist guiding visionary leaders to more profit, freedom, and self-trust. With decades of experience in wellness, sales, and transformational coaching, she helps founders grow businesses that generate wealth and impactâwithout burning out or dimming down.
On this show, Sheila sparks future-focused conversations about growth, leadership, and the shifting landscape of business in an era of rapid change. Her self-trust-centered approach equips founders to align strategy with soul, scale sustainably, and create a legacy of influence and abundance that touches every area of life.
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The Sheila Botelho Show
Expansion Blockers: How to Move When You're Frozen in Possibility | EP 533
đ Mentioned on this Episode: Show Notesđ
Pivot Paralysis is one of the most common (and least talked about) blocks that high-achieving women face once theyâve already created success.
In this solo chat, I share how this invisible Expansion Blocker⢠can show up when you're surrounded by opportunities but unsure where to place your next big bet. Youâll hear how itâs manifested in my business, my clients' experiences, and how to shift out of it using my Legacy Framework and Seasons lens.
If youâve been circling the same decision for weeksâŚor months, this episode will help you move forward from a place of clarity, not urgency.
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Have you ever had so many great ideas swirling that you just froze? In this episode, I'm naming what I call pivot paralysis and walking you through how it shows up, how I've moved through it, and what I see happening with people who are already successful but stuck in the what now phase. If you've been circling a decision or second guessing your next move, this one's for you. Hi, welcome to the show. I'm Sheila Botelho, and this podcast is all about success from the inside out. If you're new here, thanks for tuning in. If you've been listening for a while, I'm so grateful you continue to show up for these conversations because this is the place where we explore how to grow a thriving business and life without losing sight of your energy, your purpose, and your joy. Today I'm kicking off something new that I'm really excited about, a series I'm calling expansion blockers. Now, what do I mean by that? Well, if you've been in business for a while, maybe you're at the multi-six figure or seven-figure mark and you already know what it takes to build and to grow. You've done it. Your business is working. You're not a beginner anymore. But what I see, and what I've personally experienced, is that even when things look good on paper, there are these invisible friction points that sneak in. They're very subtle. They don't necessarily look like failure. In fact, on the outside, everything might look fine. But on the inside, you know something is off. That's what I mean by the term expansion blockers. They're not obvious problems. They're not something you'd even say out loud, but they're there, keeping you from stepping into your next season of growth. And here is a very important piece. These blockers don't mean that there's something wrong with what you're doing. They don't mean that you've taken a wrong turn. They actually mean that you're ready. You are being invited into a new way of expanding. Over the next several weeks, I'll be unpacking one expansion blocker at a time so you can notice them in your own life and begin to shift them. And today we're going to start with one that I know so many people will relate to: pivot paralysis. So let's talk about what pivot paralysis actually is. It's that moment when you know that you need to adapt. In this case, in these times, perhaps to AI, to shifting by your psychology, to changes in your market. But if you don't know where to place your next big bet, you can feel blocked. You see all these opportunities, they all look exciting, they all also look urgent. And instead of moving forward, you freeze. It's not that you are lazy by any stretch, if anything, you're probably doing a lot more than you need to be doing. It's not that you don't care. In fact, usually pivot paralysis shows up because you care so much. You want to get it right. You don't want to waste time, you don't want to waste energy or resources on the wrong pivot. You've put so much effort into getting to where you are. And so what happens? Well, you research more, you join more masterclasses, you have more conversations with other business owners and other coaches and other leaders of movements, and you open up more tabs on your browser. You fill up your notebook with ideas. But in the end, nothing actually gets executed because you're looking at all of these different things while you are operating your business. It feels like buzzing energy, but with your wheels spinning in the mud. You are moving, you're taking some actions, but you're really not getting anywhere. I want to take you back to when I first entered the online space. It was like this new universe had completely opened up to me. I suddenly saw so many paths that I could take. Some people were leaning heavily into marketing, something that I had done for quite a while. I was actually in direct response marketing back in the day. Others in sales. And others were deep in the wellness space, teaching health and self-care. Others were writing books, and still others were building corporate partnerships. But here's what happened. I took a look at all of them and thought, I could do that. I could do that too. Ooh, I could do that. I genuinely loved every single thing I saw, all of it. I had years of experience in sales and I loved it. I still love sales. I loved writing. Hello. I love songwriting too. It just comes naturally. And I was diving into social media marketing at the time, and it clicked for me right away, even though it was new. And of course, wellness was my foundation. I'd already been in that world for years. So every path I looked at, I thought, yeah, that could be me. I could bring so much value there. But here's what happened: because I saw so many possibilities, I got stuck. Instead of choosing something, I kept circling all the options. I told myself that I was researching, I was learning, and that is true. I was doing those things. I was also networking. And I love networking. And yeah, some of that was true too. But the real truth was I wasn't making the moves that I really wanted to be making. In my body, I felt this buzzing energy. I was lit up. I was full of ideas, but I was stuck at the same time. I was anxious, but I was hopeful. Some days I was so incredibly excited about where things could go. Then other days, the overwhelm was so loud that I had to just step away, get out into nature, and leave it all behind me for the day. And behind all of this was this constant voice. Time is ticking, Sheila. You should have figured this out already. So, what did I do? I tried to logic my way out of this. I researched further, in fact, quite endlessly. I do love researching, even in my spare time. I signed up for trainings. I had so many conversations. And while, yes, I picked up some very helpful insights and I'm grateful for everything I learned. The reality was that I wasn't moving forward. I was running in circles. Thankfully, I had a business running already in the wellness space. So that was great, but I wasn't making the traction that I really wanted to. And I wasn't being very gracious with myself about it either. I felt so frustrated, like I was wasting my time. The turning point came when I unplugged. I went on vacation. It was a family vacation. And when I was on that trip, I spent time with people outside of my online business bubble, outside of the wellness bubble and sales and marketing. I listened to their stories. I went deep into asking questions about like why they did what they were doing in their life and hearing about their family, hearing what got them to this place, how they made their choices, the reasons for choosing the careers and their life paths, what their passions were. These are things I love to do. If you know me, we and we hang out. This is where we go. We go deep fast. And as I listened, I started to see my own story reflected back. It was so beautiful. I wasn't even trying to get clear on that vacation. I literally just wanted to step away from it all and to clear my head. But I began to realize what if the very thing that felt unclear, the thing no one else was quite doing in the way I envisioned was actually the thing that I was meant to lean into. When I stepped back, I realized that my deepest pull was in the wellness space, specifically in self-care for business. And now this is very important what I did though. When I chose, I made a choice, right? Everything unlocked. And that is the key. Everything unlocked. I felt it, the noise quieted, the opportunities that weren't aligned faded into the background. And then, as is known to happen, the right people started showing up because I was finally moving with clarity. That choice didn't mean I abandoned all the other parts of me. Of course, being in business, you're going to use sales, you're going to be writing, and you're going to be marketing. I'm doing all of those things, and I have continued to. But I let wellness be the foundation at that time. And that gave me direction. So if you're in pivot paralysis right now, I want you to hear this. You do not have to do everything. You don't have to chase every opportunity. You only need to choose what is true for you right now. You know how I talk about your version of success being the most important one? Well, that's only going to happen when you focus on your most important and aligned work in the world. Now I've seen this happen in so many of my clients too. And as I'm talking about this, I would love to hear how this is feeling? Is this something that is feeling familiar to you with what you've experienced, or perhaps someone you know? Because it is very, very common. So one woman came into my program with so much energy for her new idea. And it was exciting. It was different from her corporate background. And she was so lit up. But because it was new, it was also uncomfortable, right? We've been there. The new things, as exciting as they are, when we have to put boots to the ground and move forward. Ooh, it feels uncomfortable. She started talking to friends and family, people who were not entrepreneurs, who did not understand the online space and really what she had in her mind to create. And their doubts got to her. They said things like, Are you sure? That seems really different from what you currently do. Are you really prepared for that? Are you, are you, you know, qualified enough for that? Isn't that risky? So, what did she do? She started diving into free master classes and following other coaches online. And each one sounded so good. Each one had a compelling reason to pivot. And so she did. She pivoted, and then she pivoted again. And soon she was frozen. Sounds a lot like what I went through, except she did it several times in a row. She wasn't moving forward in any direction because every option felt urgent and important. So she'd just start to make some headway, and then she'd see something else that caught her eye that she just had to learn about and apply immediately. And then it would shift everything that she was doing her messaging, the actual things she was offering. She was constantly going back to square one. So finally, one day, she reached out to me incredibly frustrated and ready to throw in the towel all together on this entrepreneurial thing. She's like, My goodness, I thought that I worked so hard and being corporate was the hardest thing that working for myself, I'd have more freedom. And she felt like she had just created an anchor for herself instead of a rising star. So when we finally had a heart-to-heart, I asked her straight. I said, Do you actually want this business? Or would you rather just go back to corporate? Because guess what? Corporate can be fantastic. If you love what you do, and hey, business, corporate, wherever you are, like there's nothing that doesn't have some element of things maybe we don't really feel like doing or really 100% enjoy. That's just life. But if the majority of it lights you up, hey, go for it. So when I asked her that question, she said, No, I want this. I really, really want this. So then I asked her, of the two directions you've been spinning between, because it was really boiled down to two different things she had pivoted into. Which one feels truest to you? And she realized it was the very first one. The one she started with, the one that had traction before she even abandoned it, the one that lit her up, the one that she left corporate for, her inner knowing knew it knew the truth. Her aha moment was realizing not every pivot is hers to make. And once she owned that, we simplified. I mean, certainly we had a little bit of a an experience of going through the regret she was feeling, working through those emotions, letting her feel them, and also helping her release them, knowing that regardless of where she found herself, she could look and pull the silver linings out of the whole experience. All of the things she learned. She did learn quite a bit. Even if she wasn't going to be implementing everything immediately, it would come in handy. And frankly, it was something that actually made her a lot stronger and more committed to making this work. So, as I mentioned, we simplified how she would move forward. We removed the noise and she unsubscribed to a lot of things that were just not really serving her, but they were really distracting her. As much as she appreciated the leadership of the people who were, who were teaching her, she knew where she could go and she found some beautiful voices that she could reconnect with later. She just knew she needed to focus, really focus on building her own momentum again for her business. And that is what pivot paralysis looks like in action. These two stories I just shared, it is such a powerful example because you can see the ideas weren't bad. They were actually all really good ideas, but they weren't all hers to carry, at least not all at the same time. She could start with one, make it work, move it forward. And then if she felt she wanted to branch off, she could later on, but once she had proof of concept from her first idea. So how do you move through pivot paralysis? Well, this is where the legacy framework comes in. Instead of asking what's trending, what's urgent, you start asking, does this align with my five to 10 year legacy? So, so, so powerful when you take a zoom out look at your life that way and your business. There's questions you can ask yourself, like, what opportunities have I been circling without acting on them? Like you may have some right now, and you're like, okay, what is happening? What are the ones that I really want to do that I'm lit up about? But there's something that's keeping me from that. And what is that? Only you're going to know the answer to that. Another question you can ask is which of these truly support my long-term vision? Like, which are just distractions pulling me off course? And if you could make only one move this quarter, which one would feel the most aligned when you think about long-term? I invite you to take a moment, think about that, journal about it. You will be so surprised how clear the answer becomes when you shift your lens from urgency to legacy. Because what I've found is that not every pivot is yours or mine to make. And when you think about that, like as you hear that, it can feel like a huge relief. This too, you don't have to carry it all. You don't have to carry it all. In fact, how do you know what is yours to carry? Your legacy and your plan, your future desires will decide for you. Pivot paralysis is just one expansion blocker that shows up once you've already created success. And the good news is you don't have to solve every blocker at once. My goodness, it takes a lot of energy just to get up and move through to the work on your heart every day, right? Usually one or two blockers are key. And you'll find when you see them clearly, everything else begins to shift. Because not all of the blockers may be ones you're dealing with right now, but guess what? You might deal with some later on because our lives are seasonal and cyclical and they just go and they flow. So if this resonates with you, I invite you to explore the vision map. It is the first step in clarifying your next season and seeing where your energy actually belongs. You'll find the link in the show notes for that. And if you feel called, I'd love to hear your story. Reply to my weekly email. You can subscribe there and the link in the show notes, or you can message me on Instagram. Tell me where pivot paralysis has shown up for you. These stories, I live for these stories because you'll be, as you share them, you'll be realizing how you actually maybe have grown just a little bit more than you thought you would because of being sidelined a little bit when you're in paralysis mode. It's not like a deep, dark chasm when we're there. We actually do learn a lot about ourselves. Often, though, we don't learn in the moment, we learn as we look back on that moment. So remember, your next move does not have to be perfect, it just has to be yours. So thank you for listening, and I will see you on the next episode.