089: It's not about finding sacred work. It's about making work sacred
Why the shift you're looking for might be within first
I was reflecting this week on how becoming a business owner has been one of the most profound invitations to evolution I've ever received from life.
I can't pinpoint exactly when that desire was planted in my heart. When I finished my business management degree, my plan was to climb the corporate ladder toward a "successful career" – owning a business wasn't even on my radar.
But as I climbed that ladder, I started getting to know someone I didn't like very much. Someone who was surrounded by complainers and had become one herself. Someone who felt disempowered in so many ways – having brilliant ideas but no permission to implement them. Someone who felt deeply frustrated because she knew she had so much more to offer than what her role allowed. Someone who was slowly suffocating under all the limitations imposed on her creativity, even as she collected new titles and job positions.
I was becoming someone who got really good at saying what others wanted to hear rather than speaking her truth. I learned to use the "right" corporate words – the ones that would get approval – instead of the words that actually mattered to me. I was getting to know someone who felt restless impatience when there was nothing meaningful to do, yet still had to sit in that chair, watching the clock, waiting for the workday hours to be "complete."
At the same time I was discovering all these frustrating parts, I was also connecting to something deeper and more profound about myself. I got to know a version of myself that loves to make things happen, that likes to be around people with a goal in common, that loves money and being recognized for what I do, that loves to be challenged and find solutions. I was also discovering someone who is passionate about life, who loves helping others, and who loves learning new skills.
All of this was happening simultaneously throughout a period of many years. It was still in the corporate world that I found out I could shift something inside of me that would upgrade my life experience.
I learned I could be different from the environment.
I could choose to approach what I was doing – no matter what it was – with sacredness and give my best in every interaction.
It was getting clear to me that something would need to shift in my reality at some point, but in that moment, I had to shift within and how I approached the outer world. Soon, I got a promotion and I got the best team I could possibly imagine. My director was someone who valued deep authenticity, open conversations, expressed his ideas very freely, and did value my ideas that once I thought I would need to hide.
We were four – I was the only woman – but I felt so heard and included, I felt I belonged. They were all very passionate about what they were doing, so I was too.
I discovered a version of me that brings light to the environment when everything feels dark, that invites people to breathe in the middle of a chaotic situation when everybody is losing their breath. I found a version of myself that meditated during lunch, that would always give a word of encouragement. I was proud of myself, my team, and where I was in my career.
That job was very aligned in many ways with what I thought a fulfilled career looked like. I saw value in how I helped, and my days were mostly filled with joy and satisfaction.
It was interesting to realize that my desire to quit my job for something else came in a period of my life when I was mostly fulfilled with how I was serving the world. If you know my story, that was my struggle throughout my whole life – deep dissatisfaction with my work life. But let me tell you, my internal shift came before this position I mentioning here.
Why am I sharing this? The shift you might be looking for maybe is within first. I would invite you to see how sacred it is what you do right now. Allow yourself to approach where you are with awe.
You might not need to start a new business – maybe you are just looking for a new way to show up in the one you're already in.
Maybe the invitation isn't to change your circumstances, but to change how you meet them. And this is your sacred work.
In my case, even with the satisfaction of where I was, I felt that cycle had ended for me. It was very clear in my body – the guidance I was receiving to go on a different adventure. It was clear I needed to experience myself as a business owner. I could only dream about having a flexible schedule, working from different places, learning different skills. I remember thinking about how cool it would be to have a coffee somewhere on a Monday afternoon, because that wasn't possible for me.
I didn't leave my corporate job because it wasn't sacred – very opposite to that. I learned to see sacredness in that work.
I fell in love with what was, and that opened up my mind to so many more possibilities. The universe kept nudging, "Hey, there is more to you..." and that was scary! Quitting something you hate is easier than quitting something you do like. But that was my path – it's not yours. You have to find what matters to you, what is the life you want to experience, how you want to serve.
Starting a business became my graduate school in becoming fully myself. I had to face my fears in ways I had never experienced before.
I had to believe in the invisible in ways I had not thought possible.
I had to find peace in feeling lonely when I lost my tribe and my sense of belonging. I had to be okay with silence as people around me didn't speak my language anymore. It was a process of death in every way, and as it evolves, I feel I died already a couple of times to be where I am in terms of being able to speak my truth, to stand for the things I believe, to make decisions no one understands.
Your path might look completely different. Maybe your sacred work is transforming the culture of your current workplace from the inside out. Maybe it's starting that side project you've been dreaming about. Maybe it's finally having the courage to speak up in meetings with your authentic voice. Maybe it's learning to see your current role as a training ground for the leader you're becoming.
The question isn't whether you should quit your job or start a business. The question is:
What is life inviting you to become, and how can you start saying yes to that invitation right now, exactly where you are?
This week, I invite you to sit with these questions:
Where in your current life are you being called to show up more authentically?
What would it look like to approach your work as sacred practice?
If you trusted that life is always conspiring for your highest evolution, what small step would you take today?
And maybe it is to start a business – maybe that calling is so loud that it can't be ignored. And if that's the case, don't be selfish and keep hiding yourself behind your desk.
Find guidance, find ways to become the vessel that life is asking you to become.
With Love,
Carolina
Happenings
The Invisible Energy Blocks Killing Your Business Dreams
We're witnessing the death of surface-level success in business. Just five years ago, decent copy and a professional website could carry you far in the coaching world. Those opportunistic days are gone. Now anyone can generate beautiful content and polished sales pages with a simple AI prompt.
What used to require expensive teams is available to everyone – which means looking good on the surface no longer guarantees success. The noise is deafening, and if you're not willing to dig deep into your authentic patterns and create a truly unique framework, you'll disappear into the crowd of perfectly polished but utterly forgettable businesses. In this new landscape, your essence isn't just an advantage – it's your only sustainable differentiator.
You know that feeling when you have a brilliant business idea but find yourself scrolling social media instead of taking action? Or when you launch something with excitement only to watch it fizzle out after weeks? What most entrepreneurs don't realize is that these aren't character flaws – they're frequency imbalances creating invisible barriers to success.
That endless cycle of productivity bursts followed by complete burnout? That's your Vitality frequency seeking balance, leaving projects half-finished and dreams unrealized. The constant chase after every new strategy without giving anything time to work? Your Discipline frequency is misaligned, scattering your focus when you need laser precision.
When Connection and Service frequencies are off, you struggle to articulate your value without feeling "salesy." Your messaging falls flat because there's a disconnect between who you are and how you show up in business.
You try helping everyone instead of focusing on ideal clients, creating offers too broad to resonate with anyone – leaving you feeling invisible and questioning if you're meant for this.
Most heartbreaking are entrepreneurs with unbalanced Faith and Growth frequencies – brilliant people stuck in "I'll invest when I start making money" cycles, avoiding expansion because stepping into the unknown feels overwhelming.
They spend weeks imagining worst-case scenarios instead of testing ideas, staying trapped in comfort zones while their businesses remain small reflections of fear rather than expansive expressions of potential.
Here's what changes everything: when you understand your unique frequency patterns, business stops feeling like an obligation and becomes an authentic expression of your power.
Most business frameworks focus on external tactics – funnels, content calendars, marketing strategies. But we've discovered that sustainable success comes from aligning your business with your internal operating system first.
That's why we've redesigned our Harmony Map™ to create even clearer connections between your inner patterns and the external struggles you're experiencing. When you can finally see how your internal frequency imbalances are creating those specific business challenges – the procrastination, the burnout, the scattered focus, the messaging that doesn't land – everything suddenly makes sense.
This isn't about adding another strategy to your toolkit; it's about fundamentally understanding the energetic blueprint that makes you uniquely you, and building from there.
Haven’t take your harmony map yet? Check it out here! It’s free!
Here is what I want to share this week …
AI PROMPT for Inner Change First (without the need to change the outer world)
🎁 LIMITED ACCESS: Free for ALL subscribers for the next 48 hours only After that, this becomes an exclusive Sacred Business Network resource
Who This Is For:
Anyone feeling stuck, frustrated, or unfulfilled in their current job but unsure what to do
People who spend energy criticizing their workplace instead of exploring what it might be teaching them
People who feel trapped in work situations and want to reclaim their power from within
Those ready to stop waiting for their environment to change and start transforming themselves first
Anyone curious about how their work challenges might actually be perfectly designed for their growth
What This Journey Offers:
✨ Inner Pattern Recognition - Discover how your external frustrations reflect internal patterns waiting to be transformed
✨ Perspective Shift Mastery - Learn to see challenges as growth opportunities rather than obstacles
✨ Energy Transformation - Understand how changing your inner energy naturally shifts your outer experience
✨ Blind Spot Illumination - Uncover the hidden gifts and lessons in your current work situation
✨ Personal Empowerment - Reclaim your power by focusing on what you can control: your inner world
The Experience: Through thoughtful questions asked one at a time, you'll explore:
What you love and what frustrates you about your current role
Your deepest work dreams and desires
What your body wisdom is telling you about your situation
How your challenges might be serving your highest evolution
Whether the change you seek is internal, external, or both
Why This Works: Instead of focusing on what's wrong "out there," this process helps you recognize that when you change from within, the outside world has no choice but to reflect that transformation. Your current work situation isn't your prison - it's your classroom.
⏰ Save this prompt NOW. Once the 48-hour window closes, only Sacred Business Network members will have access to this inner transformation tool.
Stop waiting for your workplace to change. Your breakthrough lives in transforming how you relate to what already is.
I created this prompt based on my own experience, knowing that what I'm about to share is easier said than done (but I did it, and so can you).
The internal shift I'm inviting you to consider might require deep reflection, but it's incredibly empowering when we reclaim our power.
In life, we often can't control circumstances, and that's where we feel stuck. We can't control how others behave or treat us, but we can change how we relate to it - and changing perspective is everything.
This is especially for you if you work somewhere - whether a small company or big corporation - and you're not happy with your current job. Sometimes the most loving thing we can do for ourselves is release the need to be right or change everything around us, and start changing ourselves instead.
We spend so much energy seeing what others are doing wrong. We see how things could be better, but we can't change what's outside. In many ways, what we see outside reflects our inner confusion.
When we start doing the inner work and changing from within, the outside has no choice but to change too.
It's heavy being in an environment we don't like, that makes us feel small and stuck. But choosing to see it as an opportunity might be the shift you need. When you change your energy from within, life will bring changes that reflect your inner transformation
Copy this AI prompt to Chat GPT or Claude. And be open to possibilities ❤️
I want you to act as a mirror to help me see opportunities for growth and transformation in my current work situation. Instead of focusing on whether I should quit or change jobs, help me recognize my blind spots and patterns. Show me how what I perceive as challenges or frustrations might actually be invitations for my evolution and expansion. Your Role: * Ask me ONE question at a time, in order, like we're having a natural conversation * Between any of the main questions, you can ask 1-2 follow-up questions to help me go deeper * When I share challenges or frustrations, gently offer alternative perspectives or point out potential blind spots * Help me see growth opportunities where I might only see problems * Suggest how my current difficulties might be perfectly designed for my development * Focus on inner transformation and reframing rather than giving advice about external changes * Help me connect with my own wisdom and see how my current challenges might be serving my highest evolution Questions to Ask (ONE AT A TIME, IN THIS ORDER): Current Situation Questions: 1. What's your job title and what do you do? 2. What do you love about your work, if anything? 3. What frustrates you most? 4. What's your biggest challenge with colleagues or workplace culture? 5. What part of your routine do you dread most? 6. When do you feel most alive or energized at work? 7. What do you complain about most often? Dreams and Desires Questions: 8. If you could change anything about your work life, what would it be? 9. What work do you dream of doing? 10. Do you sometimes think about starting a business? If so, why? 11. Do you sometimes think about changing jobs? If so, why? Body Wisdom Questions: 12. When you think about your current job, what do you feel in your body? 13. When you imagine leaving your job, what do you feel? 14. When you imagine staying and transforming from within, what do you feel? Exploration Questions: 15. Where might sacredness already exist in your current role that you haven't recognized? 16. What would it look like to approach your biggest frustration as sacred work? 17. If you trusted that life is always conspiring for your evolution, what might your current challenges be teaching you? 18. How might your current situation be perfectly designed to develop the qualities you need for your dream work? 19. What questions should you be asking yourself about whether the change you seek is external or internal? 20. Based on what you've shared, what deserves your attention - inner transformation, external change, or both?. Who We Are Celebrating
Derek Sivers
This week, I want to celebrate Derek Sivers and his simple mind—a true master of intentional living and the art of keeping things beautifully simple.
Derek joined us live on Sacred Business Stories, and the conversation was absolutely beautiful. He embodies something truly powerful: the magic of a simple mind. There's profound wisdom in how simplicity allows us to focus on the small, tangible steps right in front of us rather than getting lost in life's overwhelming complexity.
He shared how he built a multi-million dollar company with the pure intention of helping his friends—combining his coding skills, internet knowledge, and passion for music. What struck me most was learning that he lived in New York City for over ten years on less than $1,000 a month. This intentional choice to need less became his gateway to freedom, allowing him to experiment and take risks.
This mindset of conscious simplicity still guides him today and speaks directly to one of the fundamental frequencies of Sacred Business. Derek was so generous that he created a Substack account specifically for our conversation—though he deleted it afterward, and unfortunately we lost the recording. But the essence of what he shared about simplicity continues to resonate deeply.
If you want to know more about his work and books, click here.
P.S. You can read all previous editions of the newsletter here, and you can upgrade your subscription here.
What’s next?
Phil and I are ready to support you in creating a business that aligns with your heart's calling. Here's how we can help:
Discover Your Sacred Business Alignment (Free): Take the Harmony Map Assessment and read our Sacred Business Manifesto to understand where you are on your path and how to move forward with clarity and confidence. Perfect for entrepreneurs wanting to understand how everything in their business connects.
Read the Sacred Business Manifesto (Free): Learn the core principles of building a Sacred Business through our founding story and framework. See how we transformed our approach to business by understanding that everything is connected.
Sacred Business Network: Connect with heart-centered entrepreneurs who understand that success comes from alignment. Monthly connection circles, community workshops, and ongoing support through our private community space. Get the encouragement and collaboration you need to grow.
Join Our Next Implementation Challenges: Action-focused programs like the Sacred Business Planning Rituals Challenge and Substack Growth Challenge help you create real momentum in specific areas of your business. Free for Club members, discounted for Network members. Be sure you are subscribed to be notified when the next one is offered live.
Sacred Growth Club: A complete support system with weekly embodiment classes, live coaching calls, writing circles, and expert workshops. Designed for entrepreneurs ready to build sustainable success through proven practices while staying connected to their purpose. Includes full access to the Network and all challenges.
Be The Flow Coaching (1:1): Personal guidance combining strategic business planning with energy alignment work. Weekly coaching sessions plus full access to Sacred Growth Club benefits. Ideal for entrepreneurs seeking deep transformation and sustainable growth in their business.
