Geily Romero started her own business straight out of a corporate job, doing all things accounting. She began with straight bookkeeping because she knew she was good at it, but quickly learned she didn’t like it. She moved into business coaching with a financial edge.

king yaa started her journey into health coaching by helping new moms get their pre-baby bodies back. She realized something needed to change when these moms apologized for being late, missing a session, or being tired because their babies were up all night. She realized these womxn, in the most vulnerable time of their lives, were afraid king was judging them. It was time to combat toxic gym culture.

Adria DeCorte knew there was a problem when she spent three months of 80-hour weeks to produce a one-day event that netted her zero clients. She wished there was someone like present-day her to take a look and tell her what the problem was. She limped along for months before hiring a coach to show her what she didn’t know she didn’t know.

Dancing brought Erin Stutland unlimited joy when she was a schoolgirl. It quickly turned to pressure, however, when she majored in it during college. Her world was further rocked in the second semester of her freshman year, when her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Mindfulness became Erin’s passion and calling. Today she creates programs and writes books that help others discover the power of healthy, thoughtful movement.

Shenee Howard has been a brand strategist since 2011. Soon, she found herself coasting in her business. She was charging less than what she should, trying to be everything to everyone, and frequently breaking down because she couldn’t have what she wanted. She realized she needed to start following the advice she gave her clients—niche down and charge what you’re worth. Shenee was no longer willing to be exhausted by doing too much for too many people. No more was she willing to play small.

Kourtney Thomas’ experiences in business school and the corporate world led to a fixed idea of what a business should look like. She believed there were two buckets for businesspeople—one for their business world and another for their personal life—and never should the two intersect.

Denise Duffield-Thomas was working from 4:30 am until 10 pm five or six days a week because she thought she had to cater to everyone else’s preferences. She was afraid of setting boundaries, worried people would think she was a bitch (pretty ironic for someone whose business is called Lucky Bitch!).

In this episode, Parijat shares how the most difficult time of her life served as the impetus for starting a completely new professional endeavor. She’s now the leading high-risk pregnancy expert and author of author of the book, “Pregnancy Brain.”

Farideh Ceaser began her music career by singing on top of coffee tables when she was just two years old. She released my first solo album at 20, and another at 24. Eventually, though, her music career felt like knocking on door after door with none of them opening. It got to the point where she just wasn’t having much fun.

Mallika Malhotra began her photography business as an offshoot of motherhood. She had family across the country who wanted to share in every moment of her children’s lives, so she made sure the milestones were all documented. It wasn’t long before her friends started asking her to photograph their children, too.