9. Pivoting vs Burning it All Down and Starting Again

In this episode, I’m talking about why I chose to start over instead of pivoting to something new. Coming back from a sabbatical, I realized that most of the pain I felt came from my niche and was getting in the way of my creative self-expression. Pivoting my subject matter—whether it’s relationships, philosophy, or kink—wasn’t going to solve the root problem. I don’t want to be an expert where people associate me with just one thing, and I don’t want my online identity and persona to be defined by my niche.

My friend, Carly, said to me, “Your business can just be a part-time job. It doesn’t have to be your source of fulfillment, and it doesn’t have to define you.” This shifted everything for me.

In Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, she talks about not relying on your art to make a living. She says, “It’s dangerous to infantilize yourself... You can look after yourself in this world while looking after your creativity at the same time.” I realized everything up until this point was a fantasy of getting rich, so I could be free to commune with creativity. The moment I realised all of my pain and suffering had come from this fantasy, it’s like I was able to finally let it go.

This episode dives into:

• Why I’m not pivoting or scaling, but starting over
• My quest to figure out the ‘artist business model’
• The "Two Trains Theory"—how I’m balancing a business that supports me while pursuing my art
• Why I’m intentionally taking an 80% pay cut and transitioning from “business owner” to “self-employed”

I hope this episode gives you permission to not scale, to step back if needed, and to reframe what progress looks like on your own terms.

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Hi, I’m Phoebe 🙋🏽‍♀️ and I’m a Communications Strategist with a background in writing and filmmaking, meaning I’m a certified storyteller and ninja of the human psyche.

I’m so excited to embark on this journey of the human experience with you.