The career story I HATE sharing

When I was changing careers for the FOURTH time,  I had stacked the cards against myself.

Emotionally

Mentally

Financially

I went from being burned out (running a nonprofit) to starting a coaching business…

…and emotionally I was overwhelmed, unsure if people would even want a "life coach."

Mentally I was spent because I was spinning in uncertainty all the time.

Even simple things were hard to remember like brushing my teeth, let alone showing up on social media to advertise. 

And financially I was ashamed, living in a van on unemployment (long Covid-y story for another day) with $150 in savings and no other safety net.

One morning I woke up at a free campground, surrounded by a wide spectrum of people living out of their vehicles by choice AND necessity, and I cracked.

I thought, “Holy crap I'm technically homeless.”

(I.e. without a home NOT by choice.)

We had started van-lifing by choice, but now we actually couldn't afford to live in a house.

It felt like we had no options.

So, at 41, I called my mom for the first time in about a decade to sob.

I was nowhere near where I thought I'd be, and I just wanted a lifeline OUT.

Then, I had the realization that no one was coming to save me.

It was both gut-wrenching and freeing.

Because I knew I was fully capable of creating any kind of life that I wanted.

And, for me, that meant learning how to create a business that would support that.

But trying to do it scared was zapping my courage, creativity, and energy.

And my ego wouldn't let me ask for help or make things easier.

I decided to just STOP spinning, and DECIDE to be all in on creating a coaching business…

…and then the solution to my exhaustion hit me.

When I started businesses in the past I always had 4 things going for me:

✅ 1. Zero financial stability to risk - I had nothing to lose and everything to gain

✅ 2. Time and energy - Seems easier to come by in your 20s and 30s

✅ 3. Confidence - I was always confident in my ability to learn quickly.

✅ 4. Courage - this goes back to #1 so I was never really afraid of failure.

So I created a plan to solve for each piece of that and get moving again.

Instead of spinning my wheels trying to build a new business with zero confidence and energy, I made a plan to: 

⚡️ Address my $$ shit

⚡️ Create more time and energy

⚡️ And rebuild my confidence (and courage)

That plan was the magic.

Because when I had any unexpected hit try to pull me off track into a river of misery... (because that WILL happen)

😒...surprise! You need 4 new tires!

😠...uh oh, you've got a hater on Instagram that thinks coaching is a scam!

😭...oh noooo, you're zapped after your 9-5 and feel too tired to build this darn business!

Anytime my mind wanted to pull me into despair, I pulled out my plan and refocused my efforts.

I knew EXACTLY what to do, and kept making small steps.

And here's what happened…

I gained the time, energy, confidence, and financial stability to go full-time in my business in ONE YEAR. 

That's it.

My first full-time year in business I made more than I ever had before - in my life.

Yup, in all 40 years on earth.

But it's not just about the money.

Had I given in to my fears and self-doubt, I would never have experienced the fulfillment of positively impacting the lives of 100s of people in over 2000 sessions in the last 3 years.

And worse off... their careers, their dreams, their marriages, friendships, and even parenting would not have been positively impacted either.

Because I created a simple plan and learned how to follow it no matter what, the world around me benefitted… 

…and I grew into a person I'm proud to be.

Win-win.

So my question to you is this...

In your career and life journey, where are you giving into fear and self-doubt?

And what's your plan to overcome that?

Piper Watson is a 4x entrepreneur, pivot coach, and mentor to the unconventional. Her proven process has helped other creative professionals and empathetic entrepreneurs, who KNOW they're meant to do more…

 …discover what that is and do the damn thing - simply and confidently.

Learn more at piperwatson - dot - com.