096: You Are Doing Better Than You Think
This is not about catching up, it’s about coming home
What if responsibility wasn’t heavy? What if it was sacred?
We had a call this week with a client I deeply admire. She’s doing incredible work — growing her list, allowing herself to be seen, doing on-site research for her program, staying on schedule with her content, and holding a clear, powerful message.
Every quarter, we do these check-in calls, a moment to pause and assess progress against the original plan we created together. It’s a chance to celebrate what’s working, clarify what’s next, and adjust course with intention.
To prepare for these calls, our clients fill out a short reflection form. It helps us drop in deeper and understand where they really are.
Ouch… it was hard.
Even though she’d made remarkable progress, what stood out most to her were the things she hadn’t done. And I could feel the frustration. The questioning. The self judgment.
Why do we do that to ourselves?
Why does the word responsibility so often feel like a weight?
When did responsibility start to feel like pressure instead of power?
Maybe it’s even unconsciously keeping people from stepping fully into their power. Because if responsibility means pressure and punishment, who wants to claim that?
And that got me thinking…
Responsibility doesn’t have to be heavy. It can be sacred. It can be empowering. It can be rooted in love, not in fear.
There’s a kind of responsibility that fuels you, the kind that says, “I get to own this. I get to build something that matters. I get to shape my reality with presence and choice.”
That’s the path I’ve chosen to walk, not always there though.
And it’s the understanding from which Phil and I built Sacred Business Flow.
Not from a place of perfection, but from a devotion to showing up, again and again, with compassion and commitment.
Real responsibility doesn’t weigh you down, it sets you free.
Still… I know that other version of responsibility too.
The one that’s coated in guilt, tightness, and pressure.
The one that whispers, “You’re not doing enough,” even when you’re doing you’re best.
What if we could hold responsibility with more softness?
Not just when we take a break or fall off the plan… but especially when we’re reflecting and realizing how far we feel from where we hoped to be.
When the roadmap starts to feel overwhelming instead of helpful. When your structure feels more like a burden than a support. When your own dreams start to feel like deadlines.
And in those moments, instead of acknowledging what’s alive and unfolding, we slip into a loop of judgment:
"I should be further along." "Why haven’t I figured this out yet?" "Maybe I’m not meant to do this."
That’s not leadership. That’s internalized hustle in sacred disguise.
Let’s just pause here, for a moment. As I write these words, I’m doing this for myself too.
One deep breath in. A longer exhale. And a quiet, wholehearted gratitude for the ability to choose this pause.
Gratitude for having a plan I can return to, one that holds me with direction but not rigidity.
A structure that supports my flow, not one that dammed it up or flattened it.
Life keeps teaching me that:
It’s the gentle limits of the river that keep the water moving forward.
Without those banks, it would spread out, stagnate, and become still like a lake.
It’s not the pressure that moves us, it’s the clear direction held with kindness.
And from that place, I choose differently.
I choose to respond instead of react.
I choose to love myself even when I can’t do everything I said I would.
I choose to be kind to myself when I need to rest.
I choose to trust my own inner rhythm, instead of comparing my steps to someone else’s sprint.
My responsibility is not to be perfect.
My responsibility is to look within, to listen, to respond, to honor the sacredness of my own path.
That’s the kind of leadership I want to embody.
So if your challenged ego is whispering that you’re missing opportunities…
That you’re late…That others are already ahead, doing better, shining brighter…That at your age, you should’ve figured it out by now…
Then let me say this, not from ego, but on behalf of your soul:
You are doing just fine.
You are exactly where you’re meant to be.
Your timeline is not broken.
You haven’t missed your chance.
Be proud of yourself.
Not just for what you’ve achieved, but for who you’ve become when no one was watching.
You are here to learn to love yourself more deeply, not to compete in a race that has no finish line.
You made it.
The destination wasn’t a job title, a bank account, or an audience.
The destination was here. Planet Earth. This moment. This breath.
This body.
You are light.
You are sacred.
And you’re allowed to enjoy the journey.
Your Sacred Business is not asking you to hustle harder.
It’s inviting you home.
To the truth of your enoughness. To the power of your presence. To a rhythm that honors your humanity and your light.
Because from that place, everything flows.
You’re doing better than you think.
With Love,
Carolina
Who We Are Celebrating
Andrew David Shiller, MD
This week I'm celebrating
- check his Substack here! He helps people reclaim function, life, and purpose despite illness and injury through integrative medicine that addresses body, emotion, mind, and spirit.David's journey is incredible - he's a mechanical engineer who became an MD specializing in rehabilitation and pain management. He's trained in osteopathy and mindbody medicine, with 25 years of vipassana and yoga practice. He's been practicing functional/integrative medicine for 25 years and studies Torah and Kabbalah, exploring how consciousness, medicine, and healing intersect.
I love seeing people combine so many areas of expertise and pack it all into such a powerful way of serving the world. David has this unique gift of connecting science and spirituality in his healing work.
Here is what I want to share this week …
How to Live Book by Derek Sivers
Speaking of choosing differently... I recently discovered Derek Sivers' book "How to Live," and it's been such a gift to my perspective. It's playful and profound at the same time — the kind of book that makes you laugh out loud while completely scrambling your certainties.
Here's what's beautiful about it: Sivers will present one philosophy of living with such clarity and conviction that you find yourself nodding along, thinking "Yes! This is exactly how I want to live!" Then, in the very next chapter, he'll share the complete opposite approach with equal passion and wisdom. And somehow, that feels true too.
It's like watching the paradox of life unfold on the page. There's no single "right" way to be human. There's no perfect formula for responsibility, for success, for showing up in the world.
What there is, is what we desire to experience. And what lit you up last year might feel heavy today. What felt like the answer six months ago might now feel like a question worth releasing.
It's okay to change your mind. To change your approach. To change your entire business model, if that's what calls to you.
We say "change is the only constant," yet we resist it so fiercely — especially when it comes to our own evolution. We cling to old versions of our plans, our identities, our definitions of success, as if changing course means we failed the first time.
Great reading in my opinion :)
Sacred Business Stories - Jeffrey Davis
We had the honor of having Jeffrey participate in our Sacred Business Stories this week. He's the author of Tracking Wonder and Founder of Tracking Wonder Consultancy. It was such a joy to see how he helps people navigate complexity with wonder.
Sometimes we take life too seriously, which blocks us from seeing solutions that are right in front of us. Wonder might be the key to finding them quickly while actually enjoying the process, even during tough challenges.
It's a must-watch! He shares a powerful exercise during our conversation, and I actually did it this morning :)
Finding Your Way Through Uncertainty with Wonder: A Conversation with Jeffrey Davis
After 25 years of teaching leaders how to harness wonder and curiosity for breakthrough ideas, Jeffrey Davis has discovered something worth sharing: the people who flourish amid complexity aren't the ones with all the answers - they're the ones who've learned to dance with not knowing.
P.S. You can read all previous editions of the newsletter here, and you can upgrade your subscription here.
What’s next?
Carolina 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.
Insightful 🙌 we talk of the same stuff so you are recommended to any one who subscribes to me!!!!👌let’s spread the word of the good
I always feel like I should be further along.
So over the years, I’ve learned to put it in perspective, rather than beating myself up over it.