This is Phase 3 of building and selling out my first international personal brand retreat…

…and this is where everything unraveled.

Not externally. Internally.

Because this is the phase no one prepares you for:

👉 The self-doubt

👉 The pressure

👉 The "what the hell did I just sign up for?"

Inside this episode, I take you into the exact moment where:

I questioned everything

I wanted to cancel my own retreat

I felt completely out of my league

And my "safety plan" disappeared overnight

Because the retreat I was supposed to attend beforehand… (the one that was going to make me feel prepared)

Got cancelled. And suddenly:

There was no backup plan.

No "practice run."

No safety net.

Just me.

This episode is a real look at:

What happens when your plans fall apart right before expansion

How your ego tries to pull you back into safety

The emotional side of leadership no one talks about

Why high-level women still experience doubt (and don't always share it)

What it actually looks like to lead while feeling uncertain

The difference between suppressing emotions vs leading through them

And most importantly:

👉 How I shifted out of self-doubt and back into service

👉 Why serving others is what recalibrates your energy fastest

👉 The exact moment I chose to lead instead of spiral

If you've ever:

Felt like you're "in over your head"

Wanted to quit something you committed to

Or questioned yourself right before a big move

This episode is for you.

🎧 Phase 4 is where it all comes together… in real time, from Tulum.

This is Phase 2 of building and selling my first international personal brand retreat in Tulum…

…and this is where things got real.

If Phase 1 was the identity shift — Phase 2 was the logistics, money, and leadership under pressure.

Because here's what no one tells you:

👉 Selling it is one thing

👉 Delivering it profitably is another

Inside this episode, I take you into the messy middle where I had to:

Re-evaluate my pricing (and realize I undercharged)

Face the reality of costs (food, transport, excursions 😅)

Decide what I was actually available for financially

Get resourceful instead of reactive

We talk about:

Why I refused to go into the negative (and the standard I set)

How one intuitive message solved my biggest expense (and changed someone else's life)

The power of trusting your "nudge" even when it makes no logical sense

How I cut costs by asking better questions (not settling for the first answer)

Why I had to get comfortable asking clients to pay for add-ons

The truth about bartering, negotiating, and being resourceful in business

What it actually looks like to build something while figuring it out in real time

AND…

The part most people skip:

Investing $10K–$15K+ into support while building this

Hiring an OBM Delegating for the first time at this level

Expanding my nervous system to both hold and move bigger money

This episode is for you if:

You've ever sold something… and then thought "oh sh*t, now what?"

You're scaling but still figuring out the backend

You're ready for more… but your nervous system is catching up

This is the middle phase. The part where most people quit.

🎧 Phase 3 is where everything gets tested… and you're going to want to hear that one.

This is Part 1 of a brand new behind-the-scenes series where I'm taking you inside the real, unfiltered process of planning and selling my very first international personal brand retreat.

No fluff.

No "perfect strategy."

Just what it actually looked like.

Because what most people don't talk about is: It's not the logistics that stop you… It's the identity shift.

Inside this episode, I walk you through exactly how this retreat came to life — from the moment the idea dropped… to booking the villa… to the fear that hit immediately after.

We cover:

• How one Instagram scroll led to a full expansion in my business
• Why I invested in a coach before I "needed" to
• The moment I decided "I'm doing this" (and paid in full 😅)
• The instant yeses… and then the instant fear
• The real thoughts that came up: "Who am I to do this?"
• How I sold this retreat by making it about service, not self
• Why I brought in facilitators (and how that filled spots FAST)
• What most women do when fear hits… and what I did instead
• The nervous system expansion required for rapid growth
• What it actually feels like to receive multiple 4–5 figure payments quickly

This episode is for you if:

• You have an idea you can't shake… but you keep questioning it
• You're ready to expand… but your identity hasn't caught up yet
• You know you're meant for more… but fear is getting loud

This is the real behind-the-scenes of becoming the woman who does the thing.

🎧 And this is just Phase 1.

In the next episode, I'll walk you through what went wrong, what went right, what stretched me… and what changed everything.

Today we're talking about one of the biggest buzzwords online right now: Authority content. Everyone says you need it. Everyone says you need to "position yourself as the authority." But what if trying to sound like an authority is actually the very thing making your content feel forced, robotic, and disconnected? In this episode, I'm breaking down why I don't create authority content at all — and what I teach instead. Because real trust isn't built through trying to appear powerful. It's built through confidence, embodiment, leadership, storytelling, and truth. Inside this episode we cover: Why "authority content" often comes from insecurity The difference between authority vs embodied leadership Why personal brands are winning in 2026 How trust is built in an AI-saturated world Why robotic expert content is losing power The exact exercise to create 5–10 confidence-building posts today How storytelling showcases your genius better than bragging ever could Why the loudest people are rarely the strongest leaders If your content feels flat… forced… or like you're trying too hard to prove yourself… This episode will set you free. 🎧 Listen now and learn how to create content people actually trust.

There's a conversation happening right now around burnout…

And I don't fully buy it.

In this episode, I'm coming in fresh off a powerful trip to Sedona — full of insight, expansion, and some real, honest reflection around what high-achieving women are actually experiencing when they feel "burnt out."

Because what if you're not burnt out at all?

What if you're just bored?

Inside this episode, I'm sharing:

The uncomfortable exercise that revealed what ambitious women struggle to admit Why constantly moving the goalpost is keeping you disconnected from your success The difference between striving vs. operating from overflow My realization that burnout and boredom might actually be the same thing How to identify when your next level is trying to come through you Why your body is craving expansion — not rest The fastest way to shift out of stagnation and back into momentum How to tap into the kind of ideas that feel scary… but exciting

This episode is an invitation to stop trying to fix yourself…

And start listening to what your next level is asking for.

Because sometimes the answer isn't to slow down.

It's to play.

⸻

💭 Key Takeaway:

You're not exhausted because you're doing too much.

You're exhausted because you're no longer challenged by what you're doing.

Your next level isn't going to come from doing more of the same.

It's going to come from doing something that wakes you up.

Feeling the pull for more? Take the Character Codes Leadership Quiz and find out exactly how your next level wants to show up → Character Codes Leadership Quiz

There's a moment right before massive growth… and most women completely misread it.

In this episode, I'm walking you through the real signs I see — after 20+ years in sales, marketing, and leadership — that a woman is on the edge of a 10X breakthrough in her business.

And here's the truth: it doesn't feel like confidence or clarity.

It feels uncomfortable. It feels uncertain. It can even feel like something is wrong.

Inside this episode, I break down the subtle (and often overlooked) shifts that happen right before your next level — and why most women don't make it through this phase.

If you've been feeling "off," pulling back, questioning things, or craving change… this might not be a setback.

It might be your takeoff.

• Why "something feels wrong" is often a sign of expansion — not failure
• The hidden pattern of problem-seeking that keeps women stuck
• What it means when you start pulling back or getting quieter
• The identity shifts that happen right before your next level
• Why you feel the urge to purge, change, or reinvent parts of your life
• The emotional wave (and even grief) that can come before growth
• The exact moment most women turn back — and how to move through it
• How to recognize your 10X season and lead yourself through it

You're not off track. You're not out of alignment.

You're expanding into a version of you that requires more leadership than ever before.

The question is — will you trust it… or retreat?

In this episode, we're talking about the real reason your sales don't feel consistent…

And it's not your strategy.

It's your leadership.

Because here's the truth: Most women are being taught to sell the same way.

But you are not meant to sell like everyone else.

Inside this episode, I break down:

• Why copying other people's sales strategies is slowing your growth • How your unique leadership style impacts the way you sell • The difference between selling from influence vs. conviction • Why trust, resonance, and connection come from alignment — not tactics • How your "character codes" shape your authority and sales • The biggest mistake ambitious women make when learning sales

When you learn how to lead yourself differently… sales stop feeling forced.

They start feeling natural.

Join us inside X-Factor Sales Mastery - Level Up your Leadership and radically increase your sales

https://go.ashleycarey.me/X-Factor

In this episode, we're going deeper into the truth behind "not having enough time."

Because it's not actually a time problem.

It's a leadership problem.

If you've ever said:

• "I don't have time"

• "I'll do it when things slow down"

• "I didn't get to it today"

This episode will shift your perspective fast.

We dive into:

• Why time is never the real issue

• How your standards are shaping your results

• The hidden ways you're leaking time daily

• Why holding a higher standard feels uncomfortable (and why that's required)

• The difference between boundaries vs. self-abandonment

• How your decisions — not your schedule — determine your growth

This is about radical ownership.

Because when you change your standards and tighten your boundaries…

your time, money, and results follow.

PART 1 of this episide - it gets cut off at the end and is continued in Part 2

I'm breaking down exactly how I:

• Cut 3–5 hours of work per week

• Started going to Pilates 2–3x a week

• And STILL scaled my business

Because here's the truth:

You don't need more time.

You need better boundaries.

Inside this episode, we dive into:

• The "time leaks" quietly costing you money

• Why doing MORE is actually slowing your growth

• How tightening your standards increases client results

• The exact shifts I made in my schedule, calls, and content

• How I created more revenue with less working time

• Why working on yourself will grow your business faster than working in it

If you feel busy… overwhelmed… or like there's never enough time…

This episode will shift everything.

In this episode, we're getting real about something most people don't want to admit:

You already know what to do.

But somewhere along the way…

you were taught to second guess yourself.

To follow someone else's rules.

To "tone it down."

To fit into a version of success that never actually felt like you.

We dive into:

• The advice that made me hold back in my brand

• Why "perfect" content is actually repelling buyers

• How over-consuming coaching can disconnect you from your own voice

• The difference between being a coach vs. building a personal brand

• Why personality, depth, and real life are what actually convert now

• How to stop dimming your uniqueness and start standing out

If you've been overthinking your content…

or feeling like something isn't landing the way it used to…

This episode will bring you back to yourself.