Tutum Talk with Cara Nance

Six years. Countless lessons. More growth than I could have imagined.

In this special solo episode of Tutum Talk, I'm celebrating six years of Tutum Leadership Coaching! As I reflect on the journey that began on October 31, 2020, I'm reminded that growth doesn't always happen in big, visible leaps. More often, it's found in the small, consistent actions we take, the moments we choose to keep showing up, and the grace we learn to extend ourselves along the way.

I take a trip down memory lane, sharing a glimpse into the early days of building Tutum, including the multiple jobs, cold emails, and unexpected experiences that helped shape the business. But this episode isn't just about entrepreneurship. It's about recognizing the progress we sometimes overlook, embracing the journey rather than rushing toward the destination, and remembering that we are human beings, not machines designed to constantly produce.

As we navigate our personal and professional lives, it's easy to become so focused on what's next that we forget to appreciate where we are and how far we've come.

So, wherever you find yourself today, I invite you to pause, reflect, and celebrate your own growth. Give yourself some love and grace. Recognize the small steps. And remember the power of simply showing up.

Thank you for being part of the Tutum journey. Here's to six years of learning, growing, connecting, and continuing to create space for thoughtful, heart-led leadership.

Because growth deserves to be recognized, even when it happens quietly.

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

💻 6 in 6 Experience: https://tutumleadershipcoaching.com/mastermind-registration

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

Change can be uncomfortable, uncertain, and even overwhelming. But what if navigating change starts with reconnecting to your vision and recognizing the progress you're already making?

In this episode of Tutum Talk with Cara Nance, I reconnect with Dr. Jesse Erdheim to explore how we can approach change with intention, build confidence through small wins, and embrace what's next without losing sight of how far we've come.

Inspired by the experience of someone in our shared community embarking on a new career chapter, Jesse shares practical wisdom for navigating transitions, overcoming negativity bias, and staying focused on what matters most.

We also explore how reflecting on our accomplishments can help us move through rejection and setbacks. Jesse shares a personal story about supporting his daughter through the challenges of musical theater, illustrating how documenting our progress can remind us of our growth, strengths, and potential.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Align with your vision: Get clear on where you want to go so you can navigate change with greater purpose.
• Count your wins: Recognize the small steps that move you forward, even when progress feels slow.
• Challenge negativity bias: Shift your attention toward what's working instead of focusing only on setbacks.
• Honor your past while embracing the present: Appreciate your experiences without allowing them to define or limit your future.
• Help others recognize their growth: Use reflection and tangible reminders of accomplishments to rebuild confidence after rejection or disappointment.

About Jesse Erdheim, Ph.D.

Jesse Erdheim, Ph.D. is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist with 20 years of experience working with individuals and groups to enhance well-being, resilience, and connection. He is passionate about empowering others to flourish using evidence-based strategies from Positive
Psychology, Mindfulness, and Behavioral Change. In his private practice, he works with individuals, couples, and groups to strengthen resilience, deepen connection and create intentional thriving lives.

Connect with Jesse Erdheim, Ph.D.

Website: https://www.jesseerdheim.com/

LinkedIn: Jesse Erdheim, Ph.D. (hyperlinked text)

📖 Check out Jesse's new book!  A FULL CUP: Reflections on Living Well ☕️ ❤️

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

💻 6 in 6 Experience: https://tutumleadershipcoaching.com/mastermind-registration

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What does it mean to live authentically and remain grounded in our values when the world feels heavy?

In this solo episode, Cara Nance shares personal reflections on identity, representation, compassion, and the importance of speaking up when something conflicts with what we believe. Through an exploration of Ubuntu and the practice of choosing again, Cara invites listeners to consider how everyday choices can foster greater connection, understanding, and humanity.

This is a conversation about choosing love over fear, honoring our authentic selves, and remembering that our humanity is interconnected.

In This Episode, We Explore

• Authenticity and representation: Why seeing ourselves reflected in the world matters and the freedom that comes with honoring our identities.
• Living your values: The importance of naming what you stand for and responding when events in the world conflict with your values.
• Ubuntu and interconnected humanity: How the philosophy “I am because you are, and you are because I am” reminds us that our lives and well-being are connected.
• Choosing love over fear: How we can make intentional choices rooted in compassion, even during challenging times.
• The practice of choosing again: Inspired by Gabrielle Bernstein, Cara explores how we can take one small step toward a more helpful feeling or perspective without expecting ourselves to move instantly from despair to joy.
• Creating connection in everyday life: How our words, choices, and actions can help us build a more compassionate world.

A Few Reflections to Carry With You

As you listen, consider these questions:

• Where in your life are you being invited to show up more authentically?
• What values are most important to you, and how do your everyday choices reflect them?
• When fear, frustration, or despair shows up, what might choosing again look like for you?
• What is one small action you can take today to create more connection, compassion, or understanding?

You don't have to change everything at once. Sometimes, meaningful change begins with one intentional choice.

A Message from Cara

Our humanity is interconnected. We may not always agree, and we may not always know what to say or do, but we can choose how we respond to the world around us.

Choosing love doesn't mean ignoring difficult realities. It means staying connected to our values and looking for ways to respond with compassion, courage, and intention.

Thank you for being part of the Tutum Talk community. Your presence here matters, and I'd love to hear what resonates with you in this episode.

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

💻 6 in 6 Experience: https://tutumleadershipcoaching.com/mastermind-registration

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if the people who shape our educational journeys are just as important as the education itself?

In this episode of Tutum Talk, I’m joined by Dr. Taj Smith, a higher education professional, social justice educator, and advocate for creating more inclusive and supportive academic communities.

Taj and I talk about his own journey into higher education and the people behind the scenes who made a meaningful difference in his experience as a first-generation college student. Those experiences shaped not only his path, but also his commitment to creating spaces where students, faculty, and staff can feel supported, seen, and like they truly belong.

We explore the often-overlooked role of higher education staff, the energy and creativity students bring to our work, and what it looks like to foster diversity, inclusion, access, and engagement across an entire institution.

But perhaps one of my favorite parts of this conversation is Taj’s reminder that working in education means being a lifelong learner yourself. Whether he’s learning more about different cultures, engaging with deaf and hard of hearing communities, or adapting to the changing landscape of higher education, Taj approaches his work with curiosity, humility, and a willingness to keep growing.

And underneath all of it is a question that I think applies far beyond higher education:

Who are the people behind our journey, and how are we becoming that person for someone else?

In this episode, we talk about:

• Taj’s unexpected journey into higher education
• The people behind the scenes who support student success
• His experience as a first-generation college graduate
• Why student energy and curiosity continue to inspire his work
• Diversity, inclusion, access, and engagement in higher education
• Creating belonging for both students and employees
• The importance of professional development across an entire institution
• Learning from communities and experiences different from our own
• Why adaptability and lifelong learning matter in leadership
• The impact we can have when we create spaces where people feel supported and seen

Taj’s story is a beautiful reminder that education is never just about classrooms, degrees, or institutions. It’s about people. It’s about relationships. And it’s about the people who choose to show up along the journey and help someone else find their way.

If you’ve ever had a teacher, mentor, staff member, colleague, or leader who made you feel like you belonged, this conversation may remind you just how much that person mattered.

And perhaps more importantly, it may leave you asking:

Who might need you to be that person for them?

Connect with Dr. Taj Smith

Learn more about Dr. Taj Smith and his work in higher education, diversity, inclusion, and social justice education through his professional and social media channels.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-taj-smith-38570124/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtajsmith

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

💻 6 in 6 Experience: https://tutumleadershipcoaching.com/mastermind-registration

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

Sometimes the signs we need arrive in the most ordinary places.

In this deeply personal solo episode of Tutum Talk, Cara Nance reflects on the spiritual nudges she has been receiving from two beloved souls who are no longer physically here: her brother Devin, who passed away in 2007, and her beloved dog Schatze.

For Cara, those nudges have shown up as three dimes and an Elsa sticker.

She shares her belief that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, and that our souls are here for continued growth and development. She also explores what it feels like to move through a season of life where not everything makes sense, while still choosing to trust that there is something unfolding beyond what she can currently see.

Three Dimes and an Elsa Sticker

The three dimes have become a familiar sign from Devin. They show up unexpectedly, sometimes in the most mundane moments, and serve as a gentle reminder that Cara is not alone and that everything will work out.

And then there’s Elsa.

An unexpected Elsa sticker became another meaningful little nudge, connecting Cara to Schatze and reminding her that love, connection, and support can continue even after someone has crossed over.

Whether you believe these moments are signs from loved ones, meaningful coincidences, or simply invitations to pause and pay attention, Cara invites you to consider:

What signs might be showing up in your own life?

When the Path Doesn't Make Sense

Cara also gets candid about her current season of work and life, including Tutum Leadership Coaching, her work at the bar, and other opportunities that have found their way into her life.

It doesn't all fit neatly into a traditional career story. And she's learning to be okay with that.

"When none of it makes sense, that's when you're right on track."

She talks about the reality of diversifying income, particularly for coaches and entrepreneurs navigating an evolving economy, and the importance of releasing the shame or judgment that can sometimes come with having multiple streams of work.

"There's no shame in diversifying your portfolio for income."

Each experience can hold purpose, even when we don't immediately understand what that purpose is. Sometimes a job is about income. Sometimes it's about community. Sometimes it's about the people we meet and the conversations we have along the way.

And sometimes, you're coaching someone at a bar without ever intending to.

Trusting the Journey

At the heart of this episode is a reminder to stay open.

Open to the signs.

Open to the unexpected.

Open to the possibility that the path you're on doesn't have to make perfect sense right now.

And open to the idea that the people and souls we love may still find ways to remind us that we're supported.

Cara's journey is a deeply personal one, but the invitation is universal:

Pay attention. Trust yourself. Notice the nudges. And remember that you may be exactly where you're supposed to be, even when you can't yet see why.

Thank you for being here and for continuing to explore leadership, life, and all the spaces in between with me.

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

💻 6 in 6 Experience: https://tutumleadershipcoaching.com/mastermind-registration

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if you stopped trying to become who you think you’re supposed to be and started discovering more of who you already are?

In this episode of Tutum Talk, I’m excited to welcome Sheneka Johnson, MBA, ACC, a leadership development and mindset coach and fellow Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Sheneka is the first Gallup Certified Strengths Coach to join me on the podcast, making this conversation especially meaningful for me!

Sheneka and I explore what becomes possible when we understand and embrace our unique strengths, challenge the limiting beliefs that can keep us playing small, and intentionally invest in our own growth.

One of the ideas that stayed with me from our conversation is Sheneka’s reminder that “I’m one of one.” There is no other you. No one else brings your exact combination of experiences, perspectives, talents, relationships, and strengths to the table.

And yet, how often do we spend our energy comparing ourselves to others or trying to become someone we think we should be?

For Sheneka, strengths awareness creates an opportunity to name what is already present, build greater self-awareness, and begin to unlearn the beliefs and narratives that may have shaped how we see ourselves.

We also talk about the importance of investing in yourself, the influence of family and education on our personal growth, and what happens when we connect our internal alignment to the way we lead.

In this episode, we explore:

✨ What it means to truly embrace being “one of one”
✨ The transformative power of strengths awareness
✨ How understanding our strengths can shift the way we see ourselves
✨ Limiting beliefs and the process of unlearning
✨ Why investing in yourself is an important part of growth
✨ The connection between internal alignment and leadership
✨ How our experiences and backgrounds shape the way we show up
✨ What becomes possible when we stop trying to be someone else and start leading from who we are

This conversation is a beautiful reminder that you don't have to become someone else to unlock your potential.

Sometimes, the work is about becoming more aware of who you already are, learning how to use what you bring to the table, and giving yourself permission to lead from there.

If you’re curious about your strengths, navigating a season of growth, or simply wondering what might be possible if you stopped comparing your journey to someone else’s, I think you’ll find something meaningful in this conversation.

🎙️ Listen to Ep. 52 of Tutum Talk: One of One: Unlocking Your Strengths & Leading from Who You Are with Sheneka Johnson.

And then ask yourself:

What might become possible if I fully embraced the fact that I am one of one?

About Sheneka Johnson

Sheneka Johnson is a leadership development and mindset coach who helps high-achieving women overcome internal barriers, deepen their self-awareness, and create meaningful transformation. As a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, Sheneka brings a strengths-based approach to helping people recognize and leverage what makes them uniquely themselves.

Connect with Sheneka

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/emergecoachingsolutionsllc
Instagram: @emergewithsheneka
Facebook: Emerge Coaching Solutions, LLC
Website: www.emergecoachingsolns.com

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

💻 6 in 6 Experience: https://tutumleadershipcoaching.com/mastermind-registration

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What happens when you’ve achieved the career success you thought you wanted, but something inside you is still asking, “Is this all there is?”

In this episode of Tutum Talk, I’m joined by Chealsea, a keynote speaker and digital course creator who spent more than 30 years in the tech industry, including 14 years at Google, where she helped launch multiple multimillion-dollar products.

From the outside, Chealsea had built an incredibly successful career. But in her mid-to-late 40s, she found herself sitting on her couch wondering why that success wasn’t translating into the fulfillment she expected.

That question became the beginning of a much bigger journey.

Chealsea shares what it looked like to examine the beliefs she had carried for years, especially her deeply rooted fear around money and the belief that she could never make as much outside of tech. Rather than forcing herself to immediately have all the answers, she began shifting the story from “I’ll never make as much money” to “I’m open to the possibility of finding a different path.”

And that small shift opened a door.

In our conversation, we explore:

✨ How limiting beliefs can shape the choices we make without us even realizing it
✨ The connection between our past experiences and the fears we carry into adulthood
✨ What happens when external success doesn't equal internal fulfillment
✨ Why fear doesn't necessarily mean we're on the wrong path
✨ How changing the questions we ask ourselves can create new possibilities
✨ The importance of moving from learning to action and actually pursuing the things that call us
✨ Why seeking support, whether through coaching, mentorship, or community, can make a difference
✨ What it means to give yourself permission to want something different
✨ And perhaps most importantly, why it’s never too late to rewrite your story

Chealsea’s journey is a powerful reminder that sometimes the biggest thing standing between us and possibility isn't a lack of ability. It’s the story we’ve been telling ourselves about what is possible.

And changing that story doesn't necessarily mean blowing up your entire life overnight.

Sometimes it starts with simply becoming curious.

What if this belief isn't true?
What if there’s another way?
What if I’m open to the possibility?

Because possibility creates space for action. And action is where transformation begins.

If you’re at a crossroads in your career, questioning what success means to you, or simply feeling the nudge that there might be something more waiting for you, I hope this conversation gives you permission to get curious about the stories you’re carrying, challenge the ones that no longer serve you, and take one brave step toward what’s possible.

Connect with Chealsea

Chealsea is currently offering The Aligned Ambition Career Reinvention Program, a 6-month coaching experience designed to help mid-career women get clear on what their next chapter is and build a real, financially sound plan to move toward it without blowing up their lives.

🌐 Website: www.chealseaw.com
📱 Instagram: @chealsea_w_

Learn more about Chealsea, her work, and The Aligned Ambition Career Reinvention Program through her website and Instagram.

About Chealsea

Chealsea is a keynote speaker and digital course creator with more than 30 years of experience in the tech industry, including 14 years at Google. After building a successful corporate career and helping launch multiple multimillion-dollar products, she turned her attention toward helping women recognize and shift the subconscious patterns and limiting beliefs that can keep them from pursuing bigger opportunities and more fulfilling lives.

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

💻 6 in 6 Experience: https://tutumleadershipcoaching.com/mastermind-registration

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if starting something new after 40 isn't starting over, but starting from experience?

In Episode 50 of Tutum Talk, I’m joined by Yaritza Báez, MBA, Business Growth Strategist, for a conversation about entrepreneurship, reinvention, and the possibilities that can emerge when women trust what they already know and begin building something that fits the life they want to live.

Yaritza helps women over 40 build meaningful and profitable coaching and service-based businesses through practical strategy, accountability, and consistent action. In this conversation, we explore why midlife can be such a powerful time to pursue entrepreneurship, especially for women who are ready for something different after years in traditional careers.

We talk about the importance of getting clear on your purpose and the problem you want to solve, building a strong foundation without trying to do everything at once, and surrounding yourself with people who can provide support and accountability. We also explore the value of setting realistic goals, taking consistent action, and staying grounded and adaptable when the entrepreneurial journey doesn't go exactly as planned.

But beneath all of the strategy is something even more important: permission to believe that what's next is possible.

Whether you're dreaming about starting a business, growing an existing coaching or service-based business, navigating a career transition, or simply wondering what this next chapter could look like, this conversation offers encouragement and practical wisdom for taking the next step.

In this episode, we explore:
Why entrepreneurship can be a powerful path for women over 40
Turning your life experience, passions, and purpose into a business
Finding clarity around the problem you want to solve
Building a strong business foundation without becoming overwhelmed
The importance of accountability, mentorship, and community
Setting realistic goals and taking consistent action
Staying grounded while remaining adaptable
Avoiding the pressure to do everything at once
Building a business that supports the life you actually want
Trusting yourself and embracing possibility in your next chapter

Meet Yaritza Báez

Yaritza Báez, MBA is a Business Growth Strategist who helps women over 40 build meaningful and profitable coaching and service-based businesses. Through practical strategy, accountability, and a focus on consistent action, she helps women create momentum and grow businesses that fit their lives.

Yaritza also hosts My Entrepreneurial Journey with Yaritza Báez, where she shares honest insights and lessons from building a business in midlife.

Learn more about Yaritza:
https://www.yaritzabaez.com/

Connect with Yaritza on LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/in/yaritzabaez-business-growth-strategist

Follow Yaritza on Instagram:
@yaritzabcoach

Listen to My Entrepreneurial Journey with Yaritza Báez:
buzzsprout.com/2423027

Free training: Why You're Not Getting Clients Yet (and What to Fix First)
Visit YaritzaBaez.com to access Yaritza’s free training.

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

💻 6 in 6 Experience: https://tutumleadershipcoaching.com/mastermind-registration

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What if some of the stories you've been telling yourself aren't actually yours to keep?

In this deeply personal solo episode of Tutum Talk, Cara Nance reflects on the stories, beliefs, and experiences that shape how we see ourselves—and what can happen when we become willing to question, rewrite, and reimagine them.

Drawing from her own experiences with moving, life transitions, self-discovery, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, Cara explores the ways childhood beliefs can quietly influence our adult choices, relationships, work, and relationship with abundance.

She shares the unexpected story of mowing lawns and babysitting, and how a seemingly ordinary childhood experience became a powerful metaphor for the beliefs we carry about earning, worth, work, and what we believe is possible for us.

This episode is an invitation to pause and get curious:

What stories are you carrying?

Where did they come from?

And what might become possible if you allowed yourself to believe something new?

Cara also reflects on the tension between taking action and trusting divine timing, the courage it takes to be honest with ourselves, and the importance of creating safe spaces for the tough and brave conversations that lead to real growth.

Most importantly, she offers a reminder she is learning to practice herself:

“I get to believe that good things will continue to happen to me.”

In This Episode, Cara Explores:

• How Internal Family Systems (IFS) has helped her better understand herself and her internal world
• The ways childhood experiences can shape our adult beliefs and behaviors
• The surprising story of mowing lawns and babysitting—and what it taught her about work, earning, and abundance
• Why reflection and self-awareness are essential parts of personal growth
• Moving as both a physical experience and a metaphor for transition, change, and growth
• How we can begin identifying and rewriting limiting beliefs
• The difference between taking aligned action and trying to force an outcome
• Learning to trust timing, the process, and the possibility of good things happening
• The importance of creating safe spaces for tough, brave, and honest conversations
• What it means to make room for abundance—not just financially, but in all areas of life
• A Question to Take With You

What story are you carrying that might be ready to be rewritten?

And perhaps an even more important question:

What would change if you allowed yourself to believe that good things could continue to happen to you?

Sometimes the work isn't about forcing ourselves to believe something completely new.

Sometimes it's simply becoming curious enough to ask whether the story we've been carrying is still true.

Sometimes growth isn't about becoming someone new.

Sometimes it's about rewriting the story of who you've always been.

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

💻 6 in 6 Experience: https://tutumleadershipcoaching.com/mastermind-registration

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited

What happens when you stop performing and start showing up as who you really are?

In this special episode of Tutum Talk with Cara Nance, we're going behind the business—and behind the scenes—with two people who know each other in a way most business partners and friends never could: sisters Mary Jacobs and Tiffaney Webb.

This conversation is honest, funny, vulnerable, and deeply human. Cara, Mary, and Tiffaney talk about what it's really like to build a business, navigate personal growth, become more visible, and figure out who you are along the way.

Because entrepreneurship isn't just about building a business.

It has a way of building—and revealing—you, too.

As Tiffaney approaches her first year in business, she shares the very real moments of wondering, “What the F am I doing, girl?” and the courage it takes to keep going anyway. Mary reflects on how difficult it can be to hide from yourself when you're doing your own inner work—and how the things you've tried to push down have a funny way of showing back up.

The conversation also explores authenticity and visibility, especially the vulnerability of allowing more of your real self to be seen online and in business. What happens when you stop trying to be “on” all the time? What if, instead of building from a performance, you built from truth?

And, of course, there's the sister dynamic.

You'll hear what it's like for Cara to watch people discover that Mary and Tiffaney are sisters, the unique connection that exists between them, and the ways sisterhood has shaped their individual journeys.

This is a conversation about sisterhood, entrepreneurship, authenticity, self-discovery, personal growth, vulnerability, and the courage to become who you really are.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do in business—and in life—is stop performing and simply come home to yourself.

In This Episode

• The surprising sister connection between Mary Jacobs and Tiffaney Webb
• What entrepreneurship can teach us about ourselves
• The vulnerability of building a business from the ground up
• Why you can't always hide from the parts of yourself you've pushed down
• The courage it takes to become more visible and authentic
• Letting go of the pressure to constantly be “on”
• Building a business from truth instead of performance
• The relationship between personal growth and professional growth
• How sisterhood influences our identity, confidence, and journey
• What it means to become more fully yourself

Meet Mary Jacobs
Mary Jacobs is the founder of Tao of Oneness, where she explores awakening, wholeness, and the journey of reconnecting with the truth within.

Mary is also the author of:

The Tao of Oneness: A Memoir of Awakening the Truth Within

Holistic Self-Care: Embracing the Mind, Body & Soul

Connect with Mary

Website: https://www.taoofoneness.com/

📖 Mary's Books

The Tao of Oneness: A Memoir of Awakening the Truth Within
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HFV9F6CH

Holistic Self-Care: Embracing the Mind, Body & Soul
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H1FXML79

🌑 Eclipse Season Newsletter

Mary's latest newsletter explores “The Sacred Space Between Eclipses…”

Meet Tiffaney Webb

Tiffaney Webb is the founder of Stillness & Skin, where skincare becomes an invitation to slow down, reconnect, and care for yourself.

Tiffaney is currently offering $15 off the New Client Stillness Essential and also offers a free course, “Understanding Your Skin.”

Connect with Tiffaney

Website & Free Course: https://www.stillnessandskin.com/courses

Connect with Cara Nance & Tutum Leadership Coaching

Cara Nance is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and founder of Tutum Leadership Coaching. Through strengths-based coaching, team development, workshops, and retreats, Cara helps leaders and teams move from chaos to clarity and connection.

If you're ready to better understand your strengths, strengthen your leadership, and create a workplace where people can do their best work, 1:1 coaching may be your next step.

🌐 Website: https://www.tutumleadershipcoaching.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranance

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tutumleadershipcoaching

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tutumleadershipcoaching/let-s-connect

🎙️ Subscribe to Tutum Talk with Cara Nance wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who believes leadership begins with people.

Together, we can create workplaces, schools, and communities where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

About Tutum Talk:

Tutum Talk with Cara Nance is a podcast for leaders who lead with heart - even when they doubt themselves. Through honest conversations about presence, intuition, courage, and connection, Cara helps listeners build leadership rooted in humanity, not perfection.

Music provided by Music_Unlimited