Gen X Women in Business

This episode is a little late, and I’m owning it. Life admin, business admin and life itself got in the way, so today’s episode is about the thing I’m living in real time: why we often stall at 80% once we hit midlife.

If you’ve got a folder of drafts, a half-recorded episode or a launch email you’ve rewritten five times, I see you. We look at the four ways we stall (endless tweaking, “one more thing” before launch, waiting to feel ready, and moving on to the next shiny idea). We also look at why it hits harder in midlife, and how to finish things without waiting for perfect.

In this episode

• Why this podcast went out late, and why I’m calling it my 80%
• Endless tweaking, the “one more thing” loop and procrastiplanning
• Waiting to feel ready, and quietly moving on to the next shiny idea
• Why midlife makes it harder: reputation, high standards and a very full load
• Why we’re building, not climbing, and why we don’t start from scratch
• Three practical steps: define what “done” looks like, set a finish-by time and stop editing, and ask what the worst thing is that realistically happens
• The story of my “Hell Yes I’d Like To Guest” form and the reminder emails that all went out at once
• This week’s challenge: pick one thing that’s 80% done and finish it

Something to think about

What’s the one thing sitting at 80% right now, and what would “done” actually look like?

Your challenge this week

Pick one almost-finished thing and finish it. Want some accountability? Email me or DM me on socials. I’d love to be your accountability partner.

Next week

I’m so excited to share a nourishing conversation with Naomi Scott. Tune back in.

Listen and subscribe

If this one landed, follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. A rating or review helps other women find us too.

Where to find Belinda

• Instagram: BelindaBayliss.Co
• Facebook: Belinda Bayliss Co
• Website: www.belindabayliss.co
• Email: [email protected]

Want more hints and tips like this? Subscribe to the newsletter on the website. It’s belindabayliss.co (not .com) 

Two friends. Two great business ideas. Two very different reactions to a crowded market. Plot twist: both friends were me.

In this episode I’m sharing how my younger self talked herself out of an idea because “the market was too full”, and how the more mature version of me saw that same crowded market as proof of concept. We dig into scarcity versus abundance mindset, what each one looks like in your decisions, and why it matters for your business growth. I also share a story about what happened when a business that looked a lot like mine opened right next door.

In this episode

• The story of two friends with great ideas, and why a crowded market can be proof of concept
• What a scarcity mindset looks like: saying yes out of fear, short-term decisions, being risk-averse and growth avoidant
• Why scarcity can make growth feel like more work and more stress
• What an abundance mindset looks like: investing in the future, being patient, and trusting there is enough to go around
• How my mindset has shifted over the last 10 years, even though my income bracket hasn’t changed much
• Why abundance isn’t scared of growth, and how it opens the door to outsourcing, systems and automation
• All ships rise together: why collaboration beats competition
• What happened when a very similar business opened next door, and why I chose coffee over comparison

Listener reflection

When a new business opens near you that looks a lot like yours, do you feel the need to compete or the need to connect?

I’d love to hear what’s showing up for you most. Come and chat with me on socials.

Call to action

If this one landed for you, press follow on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss the next episode. And if you know someone who needs to hear it, send it their way.

Where to find Belinda

• Instagram: BelindaBayliss.Co
• Facebook: Belinda Bayliss Co
• Website: www.belindabayliss.co
• Email: [email protected]

Disclaimer

This podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not professional advice. Please consider your own circumstances before making business or financial decisions. Any opinions shared by guests are their own and are disclosed as such.

Mindset doesn't land the same way for every woman. If you were raised in the '70s, '80s or '90s, there's a good chance some of the beliefs running your business were installed long before you ever thought about being a business owner.

In this episode, I explore how growing up as a latchkey kid, being told to "figure it out yourself" and learning that rest comes last has shaped the way Gen X, Xennial and Millennial women show up as CEOs today. I share a couple of personal stories (including a 12-year-old on a very long bus ride in 1939), and why understanding where these beliefs came from is the first step to changing them.

In this episode

• Why mindset lands differently for Gen X, Xennial and Millennial women
• What it meant to be a latchkey kid, and the independence it built early
• My story of carrying the family shopping home at 9 or 10, and what it taught me about "just get it done"
• Hyper-independence in business: not asking for help, not outsourcing, not delegating
• The "get it done no matter what" mindset and the cost to your time and energy
• Why vulnerability can feel like weakness when you grew up with an '80s business mindset
• Tall poppy syndrome, "seen and not heard" and the good girl rules that lead to self-silencing
• Rest as the reward, and why that's a fast track to burnout for small business owners
• "Success equals sacrifice" and the difference between working in your business and working on it
• The "so what": how neuroplasticity means you can unlearn and relearn beliefs that no longer serve your CEO role

Reflect on this

What was the story or narrative you grew up with about work, rest and success? And how is it showing up in the way you run your business today?

Listen and share

If this episode landed for you, follow the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. I'd love it if you shared it with a woman in business who needs to hear it.

Where to find Belinda

• Instagram: BelindaBayliss.Co
• Facebook: Belinda Bayliss Co
• Website: www.belindabayliss.co
• Email: [email protected]

Disclaimer

The Gen X Women in Business Podcast is produced for general educational and informational purposes only. Nothing in this episode is intended as professional, legal, financial or medical advice. Please seek advice from a qualified professional for your own circumstances. Where guests appear, the views and opinions expressed are their own.

Ever feel like you're straddling two worlds? Science on one side, gut feeling on the other?

This week I'm chatting with Tricia Woods. Tricia is a psychologist AND an intuitive counsellor. She's also an astrologer, human design guide and embodiment coach. Yep, she wears a few hats.

We talk about how she came to hold both the evidence-based world and the intuitive one, and why she doesn't think they have to compete. We get into human design (I'm a generator, and I'm still recovering), what perimenopause and menopause can actually open up, and why meditation doesn't require a quiet mind. Tricia also shares her best piece of advice for midlife women, and I'm still thinking about it.

If you're curious about something a little different, that you can use in your business and your personal life, this one's for you.

In this episode:

• How Tricia went from psychology to kinesiology to intuitive counselling, and back to psychology again
• Why we all have a gut feeling, and why most of us were never taught to trust it
• Holding an open mind as a psychologist, while working inside clear ethical boundaries
• Human design 101: the energy types (manifestor, generator, manifesting generator, projector and reflector) and what they mean for how you work
• Why generators wait to respond, and why Bel has no notes
• Astrology and human design as "manuals" for understanding yourself
• Tricia's late realisation that she is autistic, and how she shares that publicly
• Perimenopause and menopause as a time of growth, confidence and fewer cares to give
• Learning to mountain bike at 51
• Why you don't have to be good at meditation to get the benefits
• Tricia's wisdom for midlife women: bring your nine-year-old with you

Something to think about:
What did you love doing when you were nine? Running, climbing, dancing, making things? What would it look like to bring a little of that back this week?

About Tricia:
Tricia Woods is a psychologist and intuitive counsellor based in Perth, Western Australia. She is the founder of Embody to Rise, a monthly online membership for women. It includes an astrology overview of the month ahead, a guided meditation, movement, journaling prompts and group discussion. It runs on the first Tuesday of every month and costs $33 a month, and there is a community portal for chats in between.

Tricia is also running a free seven-day self-confidence challenge for sensitive folk, starting 12 October. Guided meditations land in your inbox each day. 

Register here

To learn more about Embody to Rise, click the link in Tricia's Instagram bio.

Find Tricia
Instagram: @tricia_woods
Facebook: Tricia Woods Intuitive Counsellor
Website: https://www.triciawoods.com.au

Mentioned in this episode:

• Human Design Made Simple by Emma Dunwoodie (also known as Emma Shackleton). Her website offers a free human design chart.
• Lisa Mosconi - The Menopause Brain 

Enjoyed this episode?
Follow the Gen X Women in Business Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss one. If it hit home, share it with a woman in business who needs to hear it. A rating or review helps more than you'd think.

Where to find Belinda
Instagram: BelindaBayliss.Co
Facebook: Belinda Bayliss Co
Website: https://belindabayliss.co
Email: [email protected]

Disclaimer
The Gen X Women in Business Podcast is produced for general educational and informational purposes only. Nothing shared here constitutes professional, psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment, and should not be treated as such. If you are experiencing mental health concerns, please seek support from a qualified professional. Where guests appear on this podcast, their opinions and views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Belinda Bayliss Co or the Gen X Women in Business Podcast. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

Bel sits down with Tiffany Rochester - clinical psychologist and co-parenting coach - for a conversation that covers the family court system, the power of choosing your lane, and why midlife might be exactly the right time to build the thing nobody else is building.

Tiff never planned to run a business. But when she looked at how families going through separation were being served - or not being served - she realised the work she wanted to do didn't exist anywhere she could walk into. So she built it. And what she's built is genuinely different. Multidisciplinary teams. Collaborative law processes. A five-week co-parenting intensive grounded in contextual behavioural science. And a very clear hell yes criteria for every single person in her orbit.

This one is warm, honest, and full of the kind of wisdom that only comes from someone who has been in the room for a long time and has the courage to say the things that need to be said.

In this episode:

• Why unhealthy relationships can end in healthy ways - and what it actually takes to get there
• How collaborative law brings lawyers, financial advisors, and psychologists to the same table (and why that changes the entire experience for families)
• What happens when only one parent does the work - and why it can still shift things for the whole family
• The hell yes rule Tiff applies to everyone in her business - clients, accountants, bookkeepers, the lot
• What a business coach showed her that she couldn't see herself, and why she thought she was thinking big enough
• AI as tech support, not ghost-writer - and why neither of us is handing over our voice
• What it looks like to go from organising a school strike at 17 to presenting at international conferences in midlife
• The piece of advice that gave Tiff permission to choose her lane - and stop trying to carry every cause at once

Something to sit with:

Where in your business or your life are you still trying to do all the things? And what would it actually feel like to choose?

Connect with Tiffany Rochester:
Instagram: Co-Parenting Companion
Facebook: Co-Parenting Companion
Website: https://www.coparentingcompanion.au/

Where to find Belinda:

Instagram: BelindaBayliss.Co
 Facebook: Belinda Bayliss Co
 Website: www.belindabayliss.co
Email: [email protected]

This podcast is produced for general educational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice of any kind. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own.

Mindset as Business Strategy - Yes, Really

If someone told you that mindset matters more to your business than your marketing knowledge or your accounting skills, would you believe it? Belinda would. She does. And this episode is her making the case for it.

This one came out of a conversation with her launch coach, who asked a completely fair question: why would someone look at mindset and connect it to business strategy? Belinda's answer was simple. Mindset is the strategy. Everything else sits on top of it.

In this episode Belinda digs into what mindset actually is, why applied mindset is where the real work happens, and how a model from systems thinker Donella Meadows helps explain exactly why changing what you see in your business starts way further down than most people think.

In this episode:

• What mindset actually is - and why the label is just a shortcut to a way of thinking or responding
• Carol Dweck's growth vs fixed mindset framework and why it matters in a business context
• The Reddit thread that stopped Belinda in her tracks - and what the comments revealed about collective beliefs around business
• Why a return to NGO life reminded her exactly why she loves being her own boss
• Adam Grant's research from Hidden Potential on character skills vs cognitive skills - and the finding that stopped her cold
• The Donella Meadows iceberg model, applied to business: what sits above the waterline, what's underneath it, and why the mindset layer drives all of it
• A real example of shifting from fixed to growth mindset around email boundaries - and what actually changed as a result
• Neuroplasticity and the fact that you are not stuck - your brain can and does rewire

Something to sit with this week:

What mindset are you currently holding about your business - and what is it costing you? Or how is it actually working for you?

Enjoying the podcast?

Hit follow or subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. And if it's landing for you, leaving a review genuinely helps more women find the show.

Want more during the week?

Belinda sends out a weekly newsletter called The Midweek Pause - a collection of thoughts, questions, and ideas landing in your inbox every Wednesday. Head to www.belindabayliss.co to sign up.

Where to find Belinda:

• Instagram: BelindaBayliss.Co
• Facebook: Belinda Bayliss Co
• Website: www.belindabayliss.co
• Email: [email protected]

The Gen X Women in Business Podcast is produced for general educational and informational purposes only. Nothing shared here constitutes professional psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should not be treated as such. If you are experiencing mental health concerns, please seek support from a qualified professional. Where guests appear on this podcast, their opinions and views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Belinda Bayliss Co or the Gen X Women in Business Podcast. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

Episode Description

Bel's back. And this episode isn't a regular one. There's no framework, no tips, no guest. Instead? An honest conversation about what happened when life stopped and what six weeks away from the business revealed.

In late July, Bel's son had a serious accident. She stepped back, pivoted into mum mode, and let the newsletter, the podcast, and a planned mentorship launch wait. What she didn't expect was how much clarity and gratitude would come out of that experience, not just for her son's recovery, but for the way her business was able to hold when she couldn't.

This one's for every woman in business who's wondered whether the flexibility is worth the chaos of doing it all yourself. Sometimes it really is.

In this episode:

• Why Bel went quiet - and what her therapist described as "the moment the world stopped"
• The decision to delay her mentorship launch and why she has zero regrets about that
• What being a solopreneur actually looked like in a crisis - an instand pivot that didn't involve forms or excuses - or phone calls. 
• The grief, the distraction, the avoidance  - and the slower than expected return to business mode
• Why entrepreneurship isn't the easy path, but sometimes it's exactly the right one
• Gratitude as a landing place after six weeks of chaos

Reflection Question

If your world stopped tomorrow, how would your business hold up? And what would that tell you about the way you've built it?

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode — and if it resonated, leave a review. It genuinely helps more Gen X women in business find the show.

Where to Find Belinda

📷 Instagram: @belindabayliss.co 👥 Facebook: Belinda Bayliss Co 🌐 Website: www.belindabayliss.co 📩 Podcast enquiries: [email protected]

Want more? The weekly newsletter is live on the website — short, readable, and worth five minutes of your time.

The Gen X Women in Business Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Content shared is general in nature and does not constitute professional psychological, business, or financial advice. Please seek appropriate professional support for your individual circumstances.

Something feeling off in your business? Not dramatically broken, just... ick? That feeling might be misalignment doing its thing. In this episode, Belinda unpacks what alignment and misalignment actually look like in practice, walking through five signs your business is out of sync and five signs it's working the way it should. If your messaging feels wobbly, your decisions feel hard, or you're tired in a way that doesn't quite add up, this one's worth a listen.

In this episode:

• What alignment actually means in business terms, and why it comes down to your why, your how, and your what
• Why "ick" is a legitimate signal worth paying attention to
• Five misalignment cues: inconsistent messaging, inauthenticity and copying others, attracting the wrong clients, stop-start energy, and plain old exhaustion
• The IBM vs Apple story and what it teaches us about trying to be someone else's business
• Five alignment cues: clear and consistent marketing, easier decisions, sustainable momentum, a business ecosystem that makes sense, and growth that feels expansive rather than terrifying
• Why saying no to an opportunity can be the most aligned choice you make
• How alignment and misalignment show up beyond business, in friendships, careers, and everyday life

Reflection question:

Where in your business or your life does alignment feel present right now, and where does it feel like something's missing?

Call to action:

If this episode landed for you, share it with a woman in business who might need to hear it. And if you've got questions or thoughts on alignment, Belinda would love to hear from you.

Where to find Belinda:

Website: www.belindabayliss.co Instagram: @belindabayliss.co Facebook: Belinda Bayliss Co Podcast email: [email protected] Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Disclaimer:

The Gen X Women in Business Podcast is produced for general educational and informational purposes only. Nothing shared here constitutes professional psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should not be treated as such. If you are experiencing mental health concerns, please seek support from a qualified professional. Where guests appear on this podcast, their opinions and views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Belinda Bayliss Co or the Gen X Women in Business Podcast. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

What's the cost of staying where you are?

Not just financially. The real cost. The energy cost. The quiet toll of holding onto something that no longer fits.

In this episode, Bel gets into something that comes up again and again in conversations with women in business - that niggling sense that things have shifted, but the reluctance to actually do anything about it. Whether it's a job, a relationship, a business, or an actual jacket in the back of the wardrobe that you refuse to part with.

We humans don't like change. We'll sit in discomfort far longer than is good for us. And for female founders especially, the attachment runs deep - because the business was built from the heart, not just the spreadsheet.

In this episode, Bel covers:

• Why we stay in situations that no longer serve us - and what that's actually costing us
• The jacket story (you'll understand when you hear it)
• The difference between the business that fit the version of you back then, and the business you need now
• What it looks like when female founders talk about impact over income - and why that matters
• The "Drains Me / Nourishes Me" activity you can do today with a piece of paper and a pen
• Why Bel puts a date on that piece of paper - and why you should too

Reflection question: What are you holding onto right now that no longer fits - and what is it actually costing you to keep it?

Hit play on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and if something landed for you, Bel would love to hear about it.

Where to find Belinda

Website: www.belindabayliss.co
Instagram: @belindabayliss.co
Facebook: Belinda Bayliss Co
Email: [email protected]

The Gen X Women in Business Podcast is produced for general educational and informational purposes only. Nothing shared here constitutes professional psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should not be treated as such. If you are experiencing mental health concerns, please seek support from a qualified professional. Where guests appear on this podcast, their opinions and views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Belinda Bayliss Co or the Gen X Women in Business Podcast. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

What does choir camp have to do with business strategy? More than you'd think.

In this episode, Bel shares what happened when she stepped well outside her comfort zone and joined Soul Song Choirs earlier this year. As a self-described non-singer who didn't even make it through high school musical auditions, spending a weekend at choir camp was, by her own admission, an experience times ten.

But somewhere between the harmonies and the clapping at the wrong moment, two business insights landed hard.

The first is about age. One of the things that struck Bel most at camp was how impossible it was to guess anyone's age. In a room full of women spanning 40 to 70, nobody was sitting on the sidelines waiting for permission. And if you've ever caught yourself thinking "why would I start that now?" or "isn't it a bit late for me to be doing this?" - this one's for you.

The second is about doing the thing that scares you. Whether it's showing up on social media, launching a podcast, pivoting your business, or creating a new program - most of us know the fear. We also know we've survived harder things. Bel talks about why Gen X women in particular have more proof of their adaptability than they give themselves credit for, and how that matters more than most of us realise.

This episode is also an honest reflection on what it feels like to be in a business that no longer fits. If you've built something that made sense for your 30-year-old self but feels misaligned now, you're not alone, and you're not stuck.

In this episode:

• Why Bel joined a community choir (and what that has to do with you)
• The age thing - why it's a mindset issue, not a timing issue
• Doing scary things: social media, podcasting, pivoting, and starting fresh
• The question Bel asks herself instead of "what if it doesn't work?"
• Why Gen X women have more proof of their resilience than they realise

The question worth sitting with this week: What would it feel like to be in a business that is actually aligned with who you are right now?

Where to find Belinda:

Website: www.belindabayliss.co Instagram: @belindabayliss.co Facebook: Belinda Bayliss Co

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional psychological advice. If you are experiencing mental health concerns, please reach out to a qualified health professional.