Why I Am Having This Conversation Now
Every so often a conversation sneaks up on you and reverberates when you are not looking. The temper tantrum of the toddler. You, yourself doing things behind your own back — ouch. And suddenly with that punch line smack to your face and the following nosebleed you look in the mirror and ask yourself: what am I doing this for?
The best part about my podcast is that I get to pick conversations with people I find interesting. Often they tell me what I need to hear and I get to share that with you. This episode was a ball-busting, gut-wrenching, nose-punching conversation. Immediately followed by my inner toddler throwing a temper tantrum. That poor unloved, mistreated little girl, who still reels from all this abuse. I may or may not have said in exasperation — why do I keep ending up here.
The Weight That Does Not Have a 90-Day Expiry
This may not make any sense without some context, so let me backtrack this past week. I am struggling. My husband is doing a talk about the fire and what it did to him. I took him through my system and structured the talk. While it is his talk, it is our story. We both realize in quite a few late-night tender moments that we have been hurting. A lot.
The fire was in January 2025. But it is not just our possessions. Who we were burned to the ground as well. Both of us immediately proceeded to try to get back to the way it was. But we are not those people anymore. It is too big. You cannot take something like this and, after the empathy window of 90 days expires, toughen up and move on. For those of you who know me — I most certainly do not need to be more resilient. I am pretty much a perfect ten on that scale. So if resilience is not the question, and overcoming and enduring is not the answer, then what is it.
When Everything Is Shifting at Once
I am facing what I fear is a massive betrayal from someone I trusted for twenty years. My own team is shifting. It has been a tough road to not go nuts with the political climate, all these fake bots designed for us to be at each other’s throats. The Edelman Trust Barometer confirms it — people do not trust anyone or anything. No wonder it leaves room for the crazy to do really crazy things.
I cite this not to be political but because I genuinely fear for our children and our grandchildren. If I said I would help you become a Founder of the Future, then I do need to stand up and speak my truth. Because I have certainly seen enough.
The Turning Point Nobody Talks About
We all get to turning points in our lives. Where we lose the feeling for it. Where it does not feel right anymore. Where you simply cannot do it any longer. Where you dread sitting at your desk, where you avoid the work, where the inner toddler wants ice cream and the playground and anything but what you are forcing yourself to do.
What is your this?
My husband is deeply involved with EO — the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Many of our closest friends are in EO and so many have supported us through this time. I have been running an Accelerator Group for years. I love it. And then I said I am going to stop it. You should have seen my husband scratch his head. He broke it down for me: so what you are saying is that nothing lights you up more than watching the lights come on in someone — and you want to stop doing it. You really should have seen his face.
Then he said: why don’t you ask them. So I did. I asked: who am I to you.
Of course I cried.
What I Know I Can Do
I realize over and over again that my gift is to see you before you see yourself. That no matter how wild, unconventional, or unformed your idea is right now, I can get it shaped into something that is uniquely yours in no time. I calculated it. I spend one year with a monthly three-and-a-half hour session with them. That is it. They will never be the same. They come out fabulous, powerful, and capable beyond anything they thought possible. I love it. I love them. I am so proud, so humbled that I can do this.
And yet I do not have enough business. I cannot figure it out.
What Rachel Said That I Already Knew
So when I spoke to Rachel Allen this week, she only said what I have been feeling for a while. Something has got to change. We cannot keep ourselves so busy doing all of this for no reason other than someone said that is what you must do. Would you even notice if I did not write one week or one month? Is this the fear we try to push away — that if we do not keep up this relentless noise we will be forgotten?
Then I talked to my AI. And it asked: what would you do? And I said I would write. I love automatic writing, where I do not go back and clean or organize it, where you are listening to my stream of consciousness. The most feedback I ever get is when I talk the way I talk. And I like to go really deep.
Someone in the group said: I feel that you want me to make the money, but it is more than that. And I said — I want you to be happy. And I want the money to be the compensation for your happiness that you spread. And as I say it I have to ask myself the same question. Does this work for me? And the answer is: I need to change. And maybe if you are reading this, you need to change too.
A Closing Reflection
What is the one thing you are still doing because someone told you that is how it is done — not because it is yours? Sit with that for a moment. You do not have to burn it all down today. But you do have to be honest about what it is costing you to keep pretending it is fine.
The Forge Masterclass Series
I have been forged in fire. Literally. And so I am calling it The Forge.
I have created a free three-part Masterclass and I want you to have it. Here is what we cover.
In the first masterclass we figure out the stage of your business and what belongs in each stage — so you can finally shut down the noise, stop doing things that do not belong where you are, and get clear on what matters right now.
In the second masterclass I take you through the $40 Million Blueprint — the same diagnostic framework I built from my own experience scaling and selling a company. I show you how to analyze your business at each stage, identify what the real issues are, and how to solve them. Not the symptoms. The actual problems.
In the third masterclass we talk about how to take what you have already built and turn it into sales. Not more content. Not more noise. Revenue from what exists.
This is free. It is waiting for you at YourBusinessMC.com. If this conversation landed for you today, that is your next step.
Let’s grow,
Beate
Beate Chelette is The Growth Architect & Founder of The Women’s Code, a training company specialized in providing companies an ROI on Balanced Leadership. She has been named one of 50 must-follow women entrepreneurs by the Huffington Post. A first-generation immigrant who found herself $135,000 in debt as a single parent, she bootstrapped her passion for photography into a highly-successful global business, and eventually sold it to Bill Gates in a multimillion-dollar deal.
Beate works with business leaders and supports organizations by developing and providing training the training, tools, and expertise to create and maintain a balanced, equal and inclusive work environment that fosters creativity, employee engagement and corporate growth.
Recent clients include Merck, Women’s Legislative Caucus of California, Cal State University Dominguez Hills, Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), NFTE, CreativeLive, the Association of Corporate Growth, and TracyLocke.
Beate is the author of the #1 International Amazon Bestseller “Happy Woman Happy World – How to Go From Overwhelmed to Awesome” a book that corporate trainer and best-selling author Brian Tracy calls “a handbook for every woman who wants health, success and a fulfilling career.
To book Beate to speak or train please connect here.