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The ladder felt clear, the gold stars kept coming, and the performance reviews said it all - until the applause stopped. Emma shares what happens when a 20-year corporate career powered by “good girl” conditioning collides with the realities of entrepreneurship, where truth beats polish and leadership comes from grounded presence, not perfection. This is a candid look at identity shifts many women face when leaving corporate: losing external validation, navigating sneaky people-pleasing, and learning to value your work without permission slips.

We unpack how childhood rules - be nice, be neat, be early - morph into behaviours that corporate culture rewards, then quietly sabotage a business: over-delivering, undercharging, and diluting your message to avoid offence. Emma breaks down the subtle practices that rebuild self-trust: pausing before yes, listening to your body’s cues, setting clean boundaries without essays, choosing imperfect action, and validating your own gifts. The result is leadership that feels calm and clear, pricing that reflects value, and offers that align with your voice and vision.

You’ll hear language for the shift from performance to presence and leave with practical ways to stop proving and start leading. If you’ve felt soul tired from holding it all together, this conversation offers a grounded path back to yourself - one small, honest choice at a time. Subscribe for more conversations on authentic leadership, share this with a friend who’s tired of chasing gold stars, and leave a review to tell us which practice you’re trying first.

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Ever wondered what really happens after you trade a steady salary for your own name on the invoice? We go beyond the highlight reel to unpack the two biggest shifts most people underestimate: money and time. I share what it felt like to move from guaranteed paydays to a “bills day,” how my spending habits evolved from store cards to five-figure coaching investments, and why redefining “enough” changed everything about how I build and scale. We talk break-even math, overhead creep, and the moment you realise that bigger revenue can demand bigger monthly fuel just to keep the engine running.

I dig into diversification as a form of self-protection-testing additional income streams only when they align with my values - and the mindset shift that turned selling into service. When you’ve seen clients transform, not making an offer starts to feel like avoiding your duty of care. That reframe removes the awkwardness around price and replaces it with integrity, clarity, and confidence. We explore how ROI shows up beyond spreadsheets in the form of courage, better boundaries, and higher-leverage choices.

Then we get practical with time. Corporate structure disappears overnight, and what replaces it has to be intentional. I share the simple anchors that keep me focused - personal training, dog walks, short creative sprints - and the permission to stop chasing eight-hour days for the sake of it. The early stage often means wearing every hat: finance, marketing, sales, delivery, brand. Learning enough to lead and delegate later is part of the journey, and the variety can be energising if you set smart guardrails. The tradeoff is real: less certainty, more autonomy. The upside is powerful: freedom to design your week, choose your clients, and build work that fits your life.

Thinking about a move or already in the messy middle? Press play for a clear-eyed look at money, structure, and the choices that shape a sustainable business. If something resonates, message me on Instagram at emmaclayton.xo, subscribe for the next deep dive on identity shifts, and share this episode with someone who needs a truthful nudge. Your review helps more women find the courage to create work on their terms.

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In part 2 of this conversation we unpack the subtle ways high-achieving women slip from care into over-responsibility, how identity fuses to a job title, and why the path back to balance rarely requires burning your career to the ground. Tracy returns to distil the hardest-won lessons from her 2016 crash in London and the calm, steady rebuild that followed - less martyrdom, more boundaries, and a relationship with rest that feels like strength, not guilt.

We talk through practical support that actually helps: independent coaching that challenges blind spots, therapy that steadies the mind, and immersive, in-person work that creates clarity fast. The conversation moves from conditioning that rewards the “mother hen” manager to smarter leadership habits - delegation that develops people, realistic deadlines, and the courage to stop pre-chewing tasks for your team. We also explore identity beyond titles and how tools like human design can offer a humane lens on energy, decision-making, and alignment without turning you into a label.

The heart of this episode is permission. Permission to speak frankly about mental health at work so the weight lifts. Permission to choose non-binary paths - stay and change how you show up, rather than quit in crisis. Permission to make space for play and lightness because joy is performance fuel. If you’ve felt the quicksand of overwork or the fear that rest equals weakness, this is your sign to pause, get support, and reclaim your pace.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Your story might be the permission someone else is waiting for.

Get Your FREE Success Roadmap: https://www.emmaclaytonxo.com

✨ Join the waitlist to hear about the Next Time Out Retreat
https://www.emmaclaytonxo.com/f/retreat-waitlist

Join us in the Secret LeadHer Files: https://www.emmaclaytonxo.com/courses/secret-files

Book your Game Plan here: https://www.emmaclaytonxo.com/courses/game-plan

Subscribe to the video podcast and watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1Q8bQIq6BaPnRh5mht8E_Cxa8nn5SJ3Q

Connect with me & become part of the listener community on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmaclayton.xo/