There's a thing you say third. Job title first, the sensible credential second, and then the real one, softened with "as well."

Mine was tarot. Business coach, NLP and Timeline Therapy, and a bit of tarot on the side. I thought I'd been loud about it for months. Then I looked at the hard facts of where my clients had actually come from, and found they'd met me in rooms where that third thing was completely evident. Two clients booked me this fortnight, and neither of them came for the first two things.

In this episode I walk you through the four questions I asked myself. They take about four minutes and you can do them while you listen. By the end you'll know which part of your work you've been putting last, and the word you've been using to soften it. Whatever comes up when you ask what's stopping you is worth writing down. It often sounds like "who am I to do this," and that's a belief rather than a fact.

Because the order isn't ranking your skills. It's ranking how safe you feel using them.

Full show notes, transcript and the four questions written out: https://selenawoodward.com/blog/unconscious-blocks-in-business-third-thing/

The Clarity Shift runs free and live every month: https://offers.selenawoodward.com/the-clarity-shift-page

Imposter syndrome in business doesn't always look like failing. Sometimes it looks like winning awards for something you don't want.

Edufolios grew out of a bit of software I built to skip the paperwork I hated. It won national awards. It took funding. And one day, halfway through reciting my own mission statement, I watched myself from the outside and thought: no. I don't want this.

This one is a swap — Sue Giacobbe interviews me, and it's the whole arc. Teacher, to founder, to coach, and the thing I worked out in the middle that changed how I work with business owners now.

Your business is a mirror. It reflects back the parts of you that are ready to be seen. The systems matter, and so does the person running them, and they grow together — which is why I stopped doing the inner work and the outer work as two separate things.

For the founder who's done everything right and is quietly wondering why it still doesn't feel like hers.

What we get into:

- The people-pleasing belief that accidentally started a company

- The albatross, and the moment I saw it

- Why you can't blame a mirror

- The 80/20 most business coaches skip

- The Golden Buddha

- What happens when identity fuses to the role

- Regulation and grace, the two things I wish I'd known

If any of it lands and you'd like to sit in a room with me, The Clarity Shift runs monthly:

https://offers.selenawoodward.com/the-clarity-shift-page

No rush, lovely either way.

I'm Selena Woodward. I work with experienced women crossing the threshold from who they've been to what they're building — clearing the identity block with NLP, Timeline Therapy, tarot and channelled insight, then getting the offer, the messaging and the systems live.

https://selenawoodward.com

00:00 Teacher, founder, coach

02:41 Building edufolios

04:47 The albatross

07:16 Your business is a mirror

10:22 Breaking the ceiling

12:38 Fear, then the choice

15:52 Looking back kindly

20:26 The 80/20 coaches skip

24:02 The Golden Buddha

26:15 Identity fused to role

31:38 Pitching VCs in Boston

37:01 The twenty-year overnight success

41:42 The double-edged sword

45:12 Two things worth knowing

She had it all together on the outside — and inside, her mind never switched off.

Tammi Grossman spent 25 years in corporate leadership, 20 of them at director level, being the one everyone relied on: the one who figured it out, carried the load, kept everything moving at work and at home. From the outside, she had it handled. Underneath, she was exhausted and couldn't work out why.

In this conversation we get honest about the pattern so many high-achieving women are quietly running — the hypervigilance that gets rewarded as "dependable," the good-girl mask, the identities we keep wearing long after they stop fitting (Tammi calls them the winter coats you're still wearing in summer). We talk about why it isn't burnout or bad boundaries, it's a nervous system on alert — and what actually changes when you loosen the grip.

If you're the one who holds it all together, this one's for you.

About Tammi

Tammi is a certified coach trained in Neuro-Transformation Therapy (NTT) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). She helps high-performing women understand the patterns driving that constant "what's next" and how to let go of the mental pressure — without everything falling apart — so they can lead, grow, and actually live in the life they've built.

Work with Tammi

If you recognised yourself in this conversation, Tammi offers a free Clarity Call — a space to get honest about what's going on underneath and what's ready to shift.

→ Book a Clarity Call with Tammi: https://calendly.com/lovingu-coaching/your-free-clarity-call

→ Find Tammi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammigrossman/

Curious what's quietly running your own business? Take the free "What's Blocking Me?" quiz — two minutes to name the pattern underneath.

→ https://selenawoodward.com/quiz

More from Selena:

→ Clarity Call: https://connect.selenawoodward.com/widget/booking/UWxBFU2rjuqRn8iYm0O4

→ The Inner Business Podcast: @BizCoachSelena

CHAPTERS

00:00 The woman who has it all together

00:38 If you recognise yourself…

01:10 "I couldn't turn it off"

01:27 What could be handled — the nervous system on alert

01:54 The closet: identities you're still wearing

02:38 Winter coats in summer

03:18 What her inner world actually looks like

04:27 The good-girl mask

05:08 What is a "high performing woman"?

05:42 The healthy version

06:32 It's a smoke alarm, not bad boundaries

07:20 Why these patterns feel like strengths

07:55 Am I having fun, or just successful?

08:27 Getting back what lights you up

08:59 Fire twirling

09:41 The power of choosing

10:12 Why "just relax" doesn't work

10:32 Letting go isn't lowering your standards

12:07 Caring vs. carrying

13:30 The first step you can take this week

14:23 Who she gets to be on the other side

15:23 Where to find Tammi

Why do smart founders stay stuck in their own business, even when the systems work and the clients are happy? Often it isn't a strategy problem at all — it's the inner work behind what most people call self sabotage. What if the tiredness you feel isn't a problem to fix, but a message you haven't read yet?You look fine on the outside (the work's getting done, the clients are happy) and still something doesn't quite land. In this episode I walk through six patterns I see again and again in the founders I work with. Six versions of the same thing, each one wearing a different disguise: the website that's never quite ready, the strategy that keeps shifting, the voice that only lets the safe version onto the page. None of them are really about the website, the strategy, or the systems. They're about you, the person leading the business. That's the 80% most of us were never taught to tend, and it's the inner work behind what most people call self-sabotage.By the end you'll feel yourself in more than one of them. The one actually running the show is the hardest to see from the inside — and that's exactly what the quiz is for.Which of the six did you recognise first? Drop its name in the comments. I read every one.✨ In this episode you'll learn:→ Why 80% of your business is you, and only 20% is the systems→ The six patterns that quietly run a business from underneath→ How each one disguises itself as a website, strategy, or marketing problem→ Why the obvious fix never quite settles the feeling→ Why you'll recognise yourself in more than one — and why that's the catch→ How to find the one actually running the show⏱️ CHAPTERS0:00 The feeling is a signal1:16 80% is you, 20% is systems2:33 The Polisher3:44 The Clouded Path5:25 The Tight Grip6:25 The Quiet Light8:18 The Inner Critic9:50 The Prover11:20 So which one is yours?13:29 Take the quiz: What's Blocking Me?🔗 RESOURCES + LINKSTake the free What's Blocking Me? quiz — find out which of the six patterns your business has been reflecting back at you: https://offers.selenawoodward.com/whats-blocking-me-pageBook a free Clarity Call — look at that pattern with another set of eyes: https://connect.selenawoodward.com/widget/booking/UWxBFU2rjuqRn8iYm0O4Subscribe to the Inner Business Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@BizCoachSelenaAlso searchable as:how to stop self sabotaging your businessself sabotage in businesswhy am i stuck in my businessmindset for entrepreneursperfectionism in businessfear of being seen onlineimposter syndrome entrepreneurwhy i can't finish my websiteinner work for business growththe real reason your business isn't growingoverthinking in businesspeople pleasing in businessbusiness patterns that hold you backself sabotage patternsThe Inner Business Podcast is for purpose-driven business owners who know that real growth happens when your inner world and business systems develop together. Hosted by Selena Woodward — business coach, NLP practitioner, and founder of The Clarity Cauldron.#businesscoach #selfsabotage #businessclarity #innerbusiness #mindsetforentrepreneurs #alignedbusiness #burnoutfreegrowth #consciousbusiness #purposedrivenbusiness #womeninbusiness #nlppractitioner #perfectionism #impostersyndrome #innerwork #businessgrowth

How do you review your business year before you set next year's goals? Start here.Most founders I know hit the end of the financial year and do one of two things. They either write a list of goals before they've processed what this year actually was, or they let the story of the year settle into whatever shape it landed in and carry that quietly into July.Neither of those is a review. They're just momentum without direction. In this episode I'm guiding you through the Backpack Activity, a reflection practice I learned from James Wedmore and have been running in my business circles for years. Every single time, the same thing happens, and it will probably happen for you too.This is not content to consume. It's work to do. Set aside 20 to 30 minutes, find a comfortable space, and come ready to write.✨ In this episode you'll learn:→ Why the founders who move most clearly into a new year aren't the ones with the best goal-setting system→ The two kinds of things living in your backpack right now→ Why progress is invisible when you're in motion — and how to fix that→ The three questions to sit with before you write a single goal for next year→ What to do with the things you've been carrying that were never yours to keep⏱️ CHAPTERS0:00 Introduction — two things founders do at end of year1:32 The Backpack Activity — what it is and where it came from2:01 What's inside — heavy items and light items4:15 What actually happens when you open the backpack5:18 A client story — the year she walked past her own wins7:43 The heavy items — what they're really trying to show you8:48 The three questions — pause and do the work here9:00 Question 1 — what is heavy, and what is it trying to show you10:50 Question 2 — what is light, shiny, golden12:05 Question 3 — what are you carrying that was never yours to keep13:37 Before July — your 20 minute promise14:10 Leadership Pattern Quiz + next steps🔗 RESOURCES + LINKSTake the free Leadership Pattern Quiz — find out which internal pattern has been running underneath your year:https://offers.selenawoodward.com/whats-blocking-me-pageBook a free Clarity Call — look at that pattern with another set of eyes:https://connect.selenawoodward.com/widget/booking/UWxBFU2rjuqRn8iYm0O4Subscribe to the Inner Business Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/@BizCoachSelenaAlso searchable as:end of financial year reflection for business ownersbusiness year in review activityhow to review your business yeargoal setting for coaches and foundersend of year business planningreflect before you planbusiness reflection exercisehow to set goals for next financial yearwhat to do before setting business goalsyear end reflection questionsbusiness planning for coachesinner work and business growthprocessing your business yearend of year journaling for entrepreneurshow to move forward in businessThe Inner Business Podcast is for purpose-driven business owners who know that real growth happens when your inner world and business systems develop together. Hosted by Selena Woodward — business coach, NLP practitioner, and founder of The Clarity Cauldron.#businesscoach #businessplanning #endofyear #businessreflection #goalsetting #businessclarity #alignedbusiness #nlppractitioner #purposedrivenbusiness #businessgrowth #innerbusiness #coachingbusiness #womeninbusiness #businessmindset #financialyear

I am a business coach. I have spreadsheets for my KPIs and a system for most things. And I run my business, at least in part, with rocks.

In this episode I'm showing you exactly what's on my desk and why — through the lens of NLP Prime Directive 17: the unconscious mind is symbolic. It uses and responds to symbols. Which means every object in your workspace is already communicating something to your nervous system. The question is whether you're being intentional about what that something is.I take you through each crystal, what state it anchors, and why this isn't woo — it's applied NLP. Plus what happens when I use crystals in my business circles (this one still surprises me every time it happens).Is there something on your desk that carries meaning for you? Drop it in the comments — I'd love to know what it is.✨ In this episode you'll learn:→ What NLP anchoring actually is and why it matters for your business→ Why the objects around you are already running your nervous system→ A tour of every crystal on my desk and what each one anchors→ The Mookaite story — what I did before an intense NLP training room→ What happens in my business circles with crystals every single time→ How to start being intentional about what your workspace communicates⏱️ CHAPTERS0:00 Introduction1:28 Prime Directive 17 — The Unconscious Mind Is Symbolic2:55 What Is an NLP Anchor?3:59 Carnelian — Courage, Focus & Motivation5:06 Mookaite — Vitality, Inner Strength & Confidence7:00 Rose Quartz — The Inner Work Nobody Sees8:11 Black Tourmaline — Protection & Grounding9:10 Pyrite — Creativity, Abundance & Balance10:17 Selenite — The Foundation10:48 What Happens in My Business Circles12:43 The Question That Changes Everything13:36 Leadership Pattern Quiz + Clarity Call🔗 RESOURCES + LINKSTake the free Leadership Pattern Quiz — find out which internal pattern your business has been reflecting back at you:https://offers.selenawoodward.com/whats-blocking-me-pageBook a free Clarity Call — look at that pattern with another set of eyes:https://connect.selenawoodward.com/widget/booking/UWxBFU2rjuqRn8iYm0O4Subscribe to the Inner Business Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/@BizCoachSelenaAlso searchable as:crystals for business ownersnlp anchoring explainedhow to use nlp in businessunconscious mind and businesswhat is an nlp anchorsymbols and the unconscious mindintentional workspace for entrepreneursnlp prime directiveshow to create anchors nlpbusiness rituals that actually worknervous system and business performanceinner work for business growthnlp for coaches and business ownerswhy your environment affects your business stateapplied nlp for entrepreneursThe Inner Business Podcast is for purpose-driven business owners who know that real growth happens when your inner world and business systems develop together. Hosted by Selena Woodward — business coach, NLP practitioner, and founder of The Clarity Cauldron.#businesscoach #nlp #nlppractitioner #businessclarity #alignedbusiness #businessalignment #burnoutfreegrowth #nextlevelbusiness #consciousbusiness #nervousystemandbusiness #innerbusiness #nlpanchoring #neurolinguisticprogramming #womeninbusiness #purposedrivenbusinessTAGS: business coach Australia, NLP practitioner, NLP anchoring, neuro linguistic programming, business clarity, aligned business growth, burnout free business, next level business, business alignment, nervous system and business, inner work for business, intentional workspace, crystals and business, applied NLP, NLP for entrepreneurs, business coach Adelaide, Selena Woodward, The Clarity Cauldron, Inner Business Podcast, purpose driven business

When a client gets on a sales call and tells you the money isn't there — they also read your copy to get there.

Your copy is a filter. Not just for what you do and who you help, but for the emotional state your ideal client is in when they find you. The language you use calls in the version of the person that matches it.

In this episode I'm walking you through why "I can't afford it" is almost never about the money, how towards and away-from motivation shapes which clients show up in your sales calls, and what to shift in your copy so the right person arrives already able to say yes.

This is Part 4 of the series on marketing and the unconscious mind.

🔗 Book a Clarity Call: https://connect.selenawoodward.com/widget/booking/UWxBFU2rjuqRn8iYm0O4🔗 The Clarity Shift — free, live, 16 June: https://offers.selenawoodward.com/the-clarity-shift-page🔗 What's Blocking Me quiz: https://offers.selenawoodward.com/whats-blocking-me-page

The Inner Business Podcast is for purpose-driven founders and coaches who know that real growth happens when your inner world and business systems develop together. Hosted by Selena Woodward — business coach, NLP practitioner, and founder of The Clarity Cauldron.

Your website copy is doing something to your reader's brain that you almost certainly didn't intend.Not the obvious negatives we covered last week. Three layers deeper than that.Because as I kept going with the prime directives of the unconscious mind, I found three more that stopped me in my tracks. Three that show up quietly in copy every single day — and yes, they're shaping how your reader feels, whether they stay on your page, and whether they want to work with you.This is Part 3 of the series on marketing and the unconscious mind. If you haven't watched Episode 73 yet, start there — it'll make this land harder.✨ In this episode you'll learn:→ Why your website might be exhausting visitors before they even read a word→ How vague calls to action create doubt instead of direction→ Why imagination is one of the most powerful conversion tools you're probably not using→ How to write copy that lets your reader rehearse the outcome before they've booked a call with you→ The real reason a confused reader says no (and it has nothing to do with your offer)⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00 Your brain on bad copy01:14 Prime Directive 19 — the path of least resistance04:56 Why your pop-ups and busy pages are costing you05:36 Prime Directive 10 — the unconscious mind loves to serve08:29 Prime Directive 11 — imagination is treated as real10:20 The thread that runs through all of it12:08 The Clarity Shift🔗 RESOURCES + LINKSBook a Clarity Call — if you've just looked at your own copy and felt something shift, this is exactly what we'd look at together:https://connect.selenawoodward.com/widget/booking/UWxBFU2rjuqRn8iYm0O4Join The Clarity Shift — free live monthly session for founders who can feel something underneath is running the show:https://offers.selenawoodward.com/the-clarity-shift-pageTake the free quiz — What's Blocking Your Business Growth:https://offers.selenawoodward.com/whats-blocking-me-page▶ Watch Part 1 — Episode 73: Your Brain Ignores the Word "Don't"▶ Watch Part 2 — Episode 74: I Rewrote My Whole Homepage. Here's Why.Also searchable as:copywriting for coacheswhy your website isn't convertinghow to write copy that connectsNLP copywriting techniquesunconscious mind marketingwebsite copy that convertscalls to action that workhow to write a homepagecopywriting for business ownersforward focused copywritingneuroscience of sales copyethical copywritingwebsite conversion tipsmarketing copy that feels goodmessaging for coaches and consultantsThe Inner Business Podcast is for purpose-driven business owners who know that real growth happens when your inner world and business systems develop together. Hosted by Selena Woodward — business coach, NLP practitioner, and founder of The Clarity Cauldron.#copywriting #websitecopy #copywritingtips #marketingforcoaches #nlpmarketing #unconsciousmind #businesscoach #salescopy #brandmessaging #homepagecopy #marketingtips #consciousmarketing #messagingmatters #womeninbusiness #innerbusinesspodcast

Want to write copy that connects — without it feeling heavy or icky to write? The problem might not be your words. It might be what those words are installingHave you ever read back a piece of your own website copy and felt a little clench in your body? That's not you being precious about words. Your unconscious mind is catching something your conscious mind hasn't named yet.In this episode I'm showing you the three ways negative language hides in your copy — including the ones that look completely fine on the surface. We go live on my own homepage: the before, the after, and exactly why I changed what I changed.This is Part 2 of a series on marketing and the unconscious mind. If you haven't watched Episode 73 yet, start there — it'll make this land harder.✨ In this episode you'll learn:→ The three types of negative install hiding in your copy right now→ Why the most loving reassurances often do the most damage→ The one-sentence test to run on any line of copy→ How to reframe deficit language into forward-facing copy that actually connects→ A live before-and-after teardown of my own homepage (including the five installs I didn't see)⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00 The install you didn't notice00:42 Why this happens (the 20th prime directive)01:12 Type 1 — The obvious negative02:58 Type 2 — The reassurance that installs the wound05:44 Type 3 — Hiding in plain sight07:05 The fix — name the gift, never the gap07:49 My homepage before and after10:24 What's coming next week🔗 RESOURCES + LINKSBook a Clarity Call — if you've just looked at your own copy and gone "oh no," this is exactly what we'd unpack together:https://connect.selenawoodward.com/widget/booking/UWxBFU2rjuqRn8iYm0O4Take the free quiz — What's Blocking Your Business Growth:https://offers.selenawoodward.com/whats-blocking-me-page▶ Watch Part 1 first — Episode 73: Your Brain Ignores the Word "Don't" https://youtu.be/wUfeW1ZEDngAlso searchable as:How to write copy that connectsForward focused copywritingWhy your website copy isn't convertingSales copy that feels good to writeHow to reframe negative marketing languageCopywriting for coaches and consultantsNLP copywriting techniquesWebsite copy review and rewriteHow to write a homepage that convertsUnconscious mind and marketing copyNeuroscience of sales languageEthical copywriting for business ownersHow to write copy without the ickMarketing copy tips for female foundersMessaging that lands with your ideal clientThe Inner Business Podcast is for purpose-driven business owners who know that real growth happens when your inner world and business systems develop together. Hosted by Selena Woodward — business coach, NLP practitioner, and founder of The Clarity Cauldron.#salescopy #copywriting #marketingforcoaches #websitecopy #neuroscience #brandmessaging #copywritingtips #businesscoach #marketingtips #womeninbusiness #nlpmarketing #consciousmarketing #homepagecopy #messagingmatters #innerbusinesspodcast

Your sales copy feels icky to write — and it's not a confidence problem. There's a neuroscience principle behind why your business messaging feels off, and once you see it, you can't unsee it.Have you ever written a piece of sales copy and felt physically icky reading it back? You're not bad at marketing. Your body is reading something your conscious mind hasn't named yet.In this episode I'm walking you through the 20th Prime Directive of the unconscious mind: your brain literally cannot process the word "don't." Which means every time you write "don't miss out" or "stop spinning your wheels" in your marketing, you're installing the very thing you're trying to remove.Once you see this, you can't unsee it. And it changes how you write every piece of copy from here on.✨ In this episode you'll learn:→ The 20th Prime Directive of the unconscious mind (and why it matters for your marketing)→ Why "don't miss out" and "stop playing small" are doing the opposite of what you think→ The pink elephant test that proves it on yourself in 10 seconds→ Why naming the problem isn't the same as anchoring a negative→ How to spot the negatives hiding on your own website right now⏱️ CHAPTERS0:00 Why your sales copy feels icky1:07 The Prime Directive your brain runs on2:09 The pink elephant test6:39 What to do instead🔗 RESOURCES + LINKSBook a Clarity Call — if you've just looked at your own copy and gone "oh no," this is exactly what we'd unpack together:https://connect.selenawoodward.com/widget/booking/UWxBFU2rjuqRn8iYm0O4Take the free quiz — What's Blocking Your Business Growth: https://offers.selenawoodward.com/whats-blocking-me-pageSubscribe to the Inner Business Podcast---Also searchable as:Sales messaging without sleazeWhy your marketing copy feels offNeuroscience of sales languageHow to write sales copy without the ickMagnetic messaging for coachesBrand messaging tips for business ownersHow your unconscious mind processes languageWhy "don't miss out" doesn't workStoryBrand messaging principlesClarify your message without being pushyNLP for marketing copySales copywriting for heart-led business owners---The Inner Business Podcast is for purpose-driven business owners who know that real growth happens when your inner world and business systems develop together. Hosted by Selena Woodward — business coach, NLP practitioner, and founder of The Clarity Cauldron.#salescopy #messaging #marketingforcoaches #neuroscience #brandmessaging #copywriting #storybrand #businesscoach #marketingtips #womeninbusiness #salesmessaging---TAGS: sales messaging without sleaze, magnetic messaging, business messaging, brand messaging, marketing message clarity, clarify your message, neuroscience of marketing, sales copy for coaches, NLP marketing, StoryBrand messaging, why your sales copy feels icky, how to write sales copy that converts, copywriting for coaches, business coach Australia, Selena Woodward, female business coach, inner business podcast, marketing without sleaze, conscious marketing, ethical sales copy