Wait. We own a business??
Yes, little lady. We sure do.
I recently remembered something I had long forgotten. That I was bullied a couple of times growing up. And when I think about it now, the main thing that comes to mind is that not everybody wants to see you shine.
When I think about the journey of entrepreneurs and founders, all of the ups and downs, the periods of uncertainty we have to go through, it often makes me wonder: how come some of us are built for it and not others? And what are those commonalities, those through lines, that many of us share?
I think I finally have an answer. Or at least part of one.
I’ve been doing more self-growth work lately. Journaling every morning. And what came up wasn’t what I expected. Old memories. A girl grabbing me on the playground. Her skin under my nails. Memories I didn’t know I still had, surfacing like they’d been waiting.
What struck me wasn’t the memory itself. It was what came after it.
Because in that moment, there was a decision to make. Nobody could step in fast enough. I had to figure out, on my own, what I was going to do next. Show up again the next day even though I didn’t know what was waiting for me.
I was scared shitless. And I went anyway.
Here’s the thing about resistance. It doesn’t stop when you grow up. It just changes form.
I live and work online. I run a business from my laptop, currently from Madrid, and I share that life openly because it’s real and it’s mine. And yes, people have things to say about it. I’ve been called out for using the word expat. I’ve had people take shots at me for posting about a gym I found and loved here. Small things. Pointed things. The adult version of the playground.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWq0UYyjUl3/?igsh=dDlnc2V6eTBxZTE5
And every single time, I have a choice. The same choice I had as a kid. Do I go back outside or do I go home?
I go back outside.
Maybe this is the commonality: not that we never face resistance, but that we show up on the playground anyway.
Because that’s what entrepreneurship actually is, if we’re being honest. You are walking into unprotected territory every single time. Putting your work out there, your face, your opinions, your life. Not everyone is going to like it. Some people are going to let you know that directly. And there is no one coming to step in. You make a decision, often fast, often alone, and then you go back out the next day.
Some of us were trained for that. Not in a boardroom. On a playground.
But here’s what I’ve also learned. And this is the part that changes everything.
When you shine your light, yes, there will be people who can’t stand it. That was true at recess. It’s true on Instagram. It will probably always be true.
But there will also be people who find it. Who are looking for exactly what you’re carrying. Who have been in the dark, waiting for something to navigate by.
That’s what a lighthouse does. It doesn’t chase the ships. It doesn’t dim itself to make the resistant ones comfortable. It stays lit. And the right ones find their way to it.
We keep the light on. And although not everyone can stand it, the right ones will find it.
And honestly? There are plenty of them. New friends on this playground too.
Look at her. She had no idea what was coming. But she kept the light on anyway.
For every founder still on the playground. I see you. What keeps you showing up?
If this landed for you, here’s where we can go deeper.
I work with wellness founders and service providers who are great at what they do but stuck on how to package and promote it. If that’s you, the best place to start is a Single Strategy Session. One hour, your brand, a clear path forward.
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