Strength. Strategy. Success.
In every powerful woman’s career, there’s a moment of truth when she realizes the path she’s on no longer belongs to her. The signs are subtle at first: dwindling excitement, an undercurrent of dread, a growing sense that the work that once lit her soul on fire now only drains her.
Yet too often, women respond by doing what they’ve always done: push harder. They confuse effort with direction. And when the thought of changing course arises, they label themselves as “quitters.” But here’s the truth: you’re not quitting—you’re evolving.
This article is adapted from an episode of “Walking Away From Success to Find Real Power,” The Smoke Show with Kattie Fleece, where we dive deeper into the mindset shifts that turn career pivots into power moves.
The Decision I Never Saw Coming
For more than 20 years, I wore one title with pride: entrepreneur. I built my business from nothing. No loans, no handouts. I navigated economic uncertainty, solved impossible problems, and shouldered the weight of payroll even when I had no idea how I’d make it work. Being my own boss was in my DNA, or so I thought. I said it with conviction over drinks with other entrepreneurs: I’ll never work for someone else.
Until one day, that truth expired.
The passion was gone. The fire that justified 80-hour weeks, missed family moments, and constant crisis management had burned out. And the questions that kept me stuck—What will people think? What about my team? My reputation?—were the same ones keeping me from growth.
The Pivot That Changed Everything
I sold my brick-and-mortar business and shifted online. For years, I looked for a new opportunity that would be undeniable. Then Supra Human happened. The chance to lead the women’s division at Supra Human, the largest and fastest-growing online coaching company in the world, organically happened.
It gave me:
- Freedom from operational headaches I no longer wanted.
- Focus on what I do best: connecting, sharing knowledge, and driving vision.
- Impact on thousands more women than I could have reached before.
This wasn’t surrender. It was a strategy.
Entrepreneurship, Redefined
True entrepreneurship isn’t about owning a business; it’s about owning your decisions. Walking away from my own company was the most entrepreneurial move I’ve ever made. It required the same traits that built my success:
- The courage to disrupt.
- The vision to see potential that others missed.
- The strategy to leverage my strengths in a new arena.
And it taught me this: Real power is mobility—the ability to assess your position honestly and make moves others are too afraid to make.
The Questions That Set Me Free
If you’re standing at your own crossroads, these questions might break through your resistance:
- If I removed everyone else’s opinions, what would I choose?
- Am I staying because I love it, or because I fear what change might mean for my identity?
- What advice would I give my daughter, sister, or best friend in my position?
- Which parts of my current role energize me, and which drain me?
- If I make the change and it fails, what’s the worst that could happen? Could I recover?
- Ten years from now, will I regret not making this decision?
Your answers might surprise you.
Honoring the Past, Building the Future
The woman you were made the best decisions she could with the information she had. Honor her. But don’t let her choices imprison your present. Choosing a new path isn’t betraying your past, it’s building on it.
Why the Pivot Is the Power Move
Behind you lies the path that brought you here. Ahead of you are possibilities that may require you to disappoint others. Choose disappointment over regret every time. Because a decade from now, you won’t answer to the people you didn’t want to upset—you’ll answer to the woman who trusted you to make the right call when everything in you was screaming for change.
Listen to “Walking Away From Success to Find Real Power,” on The Smoke Show for the complete conversation, then visit SmokeShowBody.com to take the first step toward building the ultimate version of you.
