June 12, 2025 • 13 mins
🔗 Mentioned on this Episode: Show Notes 👈
I share a personal story of expansion that may surprise you. If you’ve ever sensed that the way you’ve been building your business no longer aligns with who you’re becoming — you’re not alone. Many high-performing leaders are quietly realizing that their next level isn’t about more. It’s about better alignment, intentional space, and embodied leadership.
I’ll take you behind the scenes of the exact moment I began shifting my business strategy to prioritize well-being without sacrificing growth. You’ll hear how an unexpected insight (sparked by a well-timed book) led me to start saying fewer “automatic yeses” — and ultimately, positioned me for greater impact with less hustle. I also share a key gold-nugget mindset shift that my most successful clients lean on today to stay ahead in crowded markets.
If you’re ready to evolve how you lead, create more white space, and build a business that fuels both your revenue and your vitality — this episode will inspire your next moves. Tune in for grounded insights, real-world application, and a refreshing perspective on scaling sustainably in your current season.
Text us! What landed for you from this episode?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sheila (00:02):
Most people stay in situations that no longer fit
because they're afraid ofletting people down.
But here's what I've learnedEven when you stay the same, the
world will keep changing aroundyou.
The question is, will youevolve with it or resist it?
You don't have to becomesomeone else.
You get to become a deeper,more fully expressed version of
you, and when you create spacefor that, the right
(00:23):
opportunities, the rightopportunities, the right
connections they will meet youthere.
Hi, welcome to the Connect withSheila Botello podcast.
I'm committed to help youreconnect to your purpose,
elevate your wellbeing and buildyour version of a happy,
successful life.
On today's solo chat, I want toshare a story from my own
(00:44):
journey, and one that in manyways, set the stage for the work
that I do today.
It's a story about expansion,but not the kind of expansion we
typically hear about, where youpush harder, you do more, you
achieve bigger.
This was really about anexpansion that began in a much
quieter place, a space oflistening, a space where I was
(01:09):
noticing what was going onaround me, how I was operating,
and also a space of allowing,and it started more than a
decade ago.
At the time, I had a thrivingwellness business with my
husband and I really loved it.
I loved seeing the people havelight bulb moments about their
wellness, seeing them take careof their bodies, seeing the
(01:31):
results from them doing that,seeing their energy improve and
the choices in their lifeopening up because they had a
new lease on life.
But beneath that, a subtlewhisper had begun, a nudge that
wouldn't leave me alone, and itwas telling me there's more for
you here.
There's a bigger conversationyou're meant to be in.
(01:52):
There are people beyond yourimmediate circles who need to
hear this message.
And, of course, I'd just comethrough a really tumultuous time
with the loss of my sister andalso raising my kids through
that experience, and so therewere a lot of emotions to
navigate and my thought was okay, is this really something that
I need to be following, or isthis just this short season that
(02:15):
I'm in of processing everythingthat I've just been through?
And yet, as I've experienced somany times in my life and maybe
you can relate that intuitivewhisper started getting louder.
The only problem was I was sodeeply immersed in my life.
As it was, I was home educatingmy kids, I was volunteering
(02:37):
with some differentorganizations and saying yes to
almost every request that camemy way, filling my calendar to
the brim, and I had created arhythm of life that looked
really good on the outside, butI was starting to feel kind of
heavy on the inside, because I'mone of those people that needs
to have spaciousness, not onlyfor the ideas to land, but
(03:00):
really for sorting through andorganizing them but really for
sorting through and organizingthem.
And so it was in this seasonthat I picked up a book that
changed everything for me.
The book was called Thrive byArianna Huffington, and the
moment that I opened that book,it was as if someone had put
language to the very thing I hadbeen sensing.
(03:22):
Now.
She was talking about her ownversion of heading companies,
and she had had a really bigcrisis situation with her own
wellbeing in her work physically, and that's what woke her up.
And really, what this bookspoke about was a deeper
definition of success, one thatdidn't just include the
(03:42):
financial trappings or thenumbers on a spreadsheet that
were successful, but one thatincluded wellbeing, wisdom,
wonder and giving.
And as I read, something in mesoftened and something also
strengthened.
It really was like receivingpermission to pursue what I
already knew in my bones wastrue, and that was a moment that
(04:07):
the deeper work began.
I didn't just, of course,suddenly abandon everything that
I was doing Obviously Icouldn't do that but I did start
asking better questions.
When things came up in front ofme, I started paying attention
to where I was saying yes, fromhabit and not alignment, and I
began noticing where my calendarfelt really draining and not
(04:30):
nourishing.
And over time, slowly but surely, I began this process of
creating space.
It felt kind of weird at firsttoo.
It actually wasn't easy.
I had built relationships andcommitments over years and there
was a part of me I know maybeyou can relate to this too I was
(04:50):
afraid to let people down.
But this time it was different.
It was as if I had outgrown theversion of me that needed to
say yes out of fear orobligation, and in its place was
someone who was ready to sayyes to her deeper calling.
And so I started lovinglyreleasing.
(05:12):
I stepped away from certainroles.
I declined new opportunitiesthat just did not align, and
there were even some friendshipswho had been long held,
friendships that there just wasless and less space for, and it
was like a natural letting go.
That just happened over timeand it was right on time and I
(05:36):
ended up building intentionalwhite space into my life.
And here is the beautiful partas soon as I created that space,
a brand new energy rushed rightin and I was introduced to
several incredible women leaderswho were doing revolutionary
work, and it was so aligned withthe new direction I was moving
(05:58):
toward.
I literally called it in.
I think about it now and it'snot like I sat down and had a
plan of I'm going to reach outand search for these types of
people or organizations ormemberships to be a part of
types of people or organizationsor memberships to be a part of.
They just literally emerged infront of me.
So they also the cool thingabout this they were not trying
(06:19):
to convince me of anything.
They were simply embodying thisnew paradigm of leadership and
business that I also was feelingcalled into.
And when I was in theirpresence, watching how they led,
how they lived and how theyhonored their wellbeing
themselves while also buildingincredible impact, I mean I just
felt like it was exactly what Ineeded.
(06:42):
It was like a breadcrumb on mypath that I could follow, and I
was no longer doing this inisolation.
All of a sudden, I was beingheld in community, in proximity
to women who reflected back tome what was possible, and I'm
talking women from all walks oflife, the creative arts, the
(07:03):
corporate world, people who wereleading foundations, like all
kinds of individuals doing suchinteresting work.
And this is what I see againand again, not only in my own
life, but in the lives of somany people that I work with now
, especially women.
Frankly and it's this we oftenstay in situations that are no
(07:29):
longer a fit.
We stay because it feels safe,we stay because we don't want to
disrupt the status quo and,frankly, we stay because it's
what we know.
But here's what we need toremember Even if we insist on
staying the same, the world willcontinue to evolve around us.
(07:52):
The world will continue toevolve around us, and when we
resist our own evolution, westart to create this kind of
friction within ourselves, andthen obviously, it trickles into
our businesses andrelationships.
But expansion isn't aboutabandoning who we are.
This is something that, I think, held me back a bit too.
I knew that certainly, throughlife, we change, but I wanted to
(08:15):
make sure that I kept mygrounding, and so, when I
thought about this, I started torealize it really was more
about becoming a deeper, morerooted, fully expressed version
of myself, and it's true for youtoo.
Expansion is really abouthonoring what we value now and
(08:36):
not clinging to past versions ofourself that no longer fit the
life we're being called to lead.
So I want to invite you to askyourself this question today
where in your life or businessmight you be holding onto ways
of operating that no longer fit?
Where might you be staying outof habit when your intuition is
(08:59):
inviting you to expand, andwhere might you need to create
space to make room for what'snext?
It's not about running away.
It truly is about knowing thatthere's something more for you
waiting on the other side ofwhere you are now and often the
(09:20):
feeling of discomfort that youneed to step through to get
there.
And I also want to speak tosomething else here, something
that's really important,especially in our fast moving,
hyper digital world.
When we make this decision toevolve, our minds often will
leap ahead Like they're ready tomove at lightning speed.
(09:42):
Minds often will leap aheadLike they're ready to move at
lightning speed, but our bodiestruly, truly need time to
integrate, and I want to saythat to you and I want you to
know.
It's totally okay.
It's actually the best part.
It's just part of the process.
It's what allows us to remainhuman, to stay connected to our
essence, even as we step intobigger arenas of leadership and
(10:04):
impact.
Now, one of the most pivotalexperiences for me in this
regard actually came years later, during a trip to Lisbon.
I never would have expected itwould happen this way, but I
just find it so interesting howwe learn these things.
So I had just completed abusiness retreat and my family
had flown in on my birthday andwe'd had a lovely meal and the
(10:29):
sun was shining and it was just.
It was stunning.
That summer, and as I wasreflecting on just everything
we'd been experiencing already,I suddenly experienced my first
hot flashes, and at first Ithought it was really just the
heat or maybe travel fatigue,because, like it was hot, it was
the middle of July.
(10:49):
But as I sat with it, Irealized there was more beneath
the surface and it was really mybody telling me you're in a new
season.
Now you cannot lead or operatethe way you always have.
You need new rhythms and youneed deeper nourishment.
And there's so much more tothat story, oh my goodness.
(11:12):
Stay tuned I'll be sharing.
But that experience has stayedwith me because, as much as the
world tells us to push harder tooverride our signals, true
expansion honors the wisdom ofthe body and in many ways, this
is the gift of the time thatwe're living in.
Because, who knows, maybe allof these technological
(11:36):
advancements will finally giveus the precious time we have
been craving for decades tounplug, to reconnect deeply to
our souls, our source, ourenvironment and with each other.
But it begins with us.
We don't need to change who weare at our core, but we do get
(11:57):
to become the next truestversion of ourselves.
That, in my understanding, isthe path to fulfillment.
That's the path to sustainableimpact.
So today I encourage you, I urgeyou listen to the nudges,
create the space, allow yourselfto evolve and trust that, as
(12:21):
you do, the right people, theright opportunities, the aligned
support that you most need willmeet you on that path.
I hope this resonates with youtoday and I so appreciate you
being here listening.
I would love to hear how thisepisode landed for you, so go to
the show notes and you'll see aplace where it says text me,
(12:42):
and I'd love to hear what comesup for you as you're listening.
Also, feel free to go over andgive a review on Apple or
Spotify so that I can keepbringing aligned conversations
your way.
When you leave those reviews,that actually boosts it up in
the algorithm so that people areable to see the podcast.
I so appreciate you.
Stay true to you and I lookforward to seeing you on another
(13:09):
episode.
Big blessings.
Most people stay in situations that no longer fit
because they're afraid ofletting people down.
But here's what I've learnedEven when you stay the same, the
world will keep changing aroundyou.
The question is, will youevolve with it or resist it?
You don't have to becomesomeone else.
You get to become a deeper,more fully expressed version of
you, and when you create spacefor that, the right
(00:23):
opportunities, the rightopportunities, the right
connections they will meet youthere.
Hi, welcome to the Connect withSheila Botello podcast.
I'm committed to help youreconnect to your purpose,
elevate your wellbeing and buildyour version of a happy,
successful life.
On today's solo chat, I want toshare a story from my own
(00:44):
journey, and one that in manyways, set the stage for the work
that I do today.
It's a story about expansion,but not the kind of expansion we
typically hear about, where youpush harder, you do more, you
achieve bigger.
This was really about anexpansion that began in a much
quieter place, a space oflistening, a space where I was
(01:09):
noticing what was going onaround me, how I was operating,
and also a space of allowing,and it started more than a
decade ago.
At the time, I had a thrivingwellness business with my
husband and I really loved it.
I loved seeing the people havelight bulb moments about their
wellness, seeing them take careof their bodies, seeing the
(01:31):
results from them doing that,seeing their energy improve and
the choices in their lifeopening up because they had a
new lease on life.
But beneath that, a subtlewhisper had begun, a nudge that
wouldn't leave me alone, and itwas telling me there's more for
you here.
There's a bigger conversationyou're meant to be in.
(01:52):
There are people beyond yourimmediate circles who need to
hear this message.
And, of course, I'd just comethrough a really tumultuous time
with the loss of my sister andalso raising my kids through
that experience, and so therewere a lot of emotions to
navigate and my thought was okay, is this really something that
I need to be following, or isthis just this short season that
(02:15):
I'm in of processing everythingthat I've just been through?
And yet, as I've experienced somany times in my life and maybe
you can relate that intuitivewhisper started getting louder.
The only problem was I was sodeeply immersed in my life.
As it was, I was home educatingmy kids, I was volunteering
(02:37):
with some differentorganizations and saying yes to
almost every request that camemy way, filling my calendar to
the brim, and I had created arhythm of life that looked
really good on the outside, butI was starting to feel kind of
heavy on the inside, because I'mone of those people that needs
to have spaciousness, not onlyfor the ideas to land, but
(03:00):
really for sorting through andorganizing them but really for
sorting through and organizingthem.
And so it was in this seasonthat I picked up a book that
changed everything for me.
The book was called Thrive byArianna Huffington, and the
moment that I opened that book,it was as if someone had put
language to the very thing I hadbeen sensing.
(03:22):
Now.
She was talking about her ownversion of heading companies,
and she had had a really bigcrisis situation with her own
wellbeing in her work physically, and that's what woke her up.
And really, what this bookspoke about was a deeper
definition of success, one thatdidn't just include the
(03:42):
financial trappings or thenumbers on a spreadsheet that
were successful, but one thatincluded wellbeing, wisdom,
wonder and giving.
And as I read, something in mesoftened and something also
strengthened.
It really was like receivingpermission to pursue what I
already knew in my bones wastrue, and that was a moment that
(04:07):
the deeper work began.
I didn't just, of course,suddenly abandon everything that
I was doing Obviously Icouldn't do that but I did start
asking better questions.
When things came up in front ofme, I started paying attention
to where I was saying yes, fromhabit and not alignment, and I
began noticing where my calendarfelt really draining and not
(04:30):
nourishing.
And over time, slowly but surely, I began this process of
creating space.
It felt kind of weird at firsttoo.
It actually wasn't easy.
I had built relationships andcommitments over years and there
was a part of me I know maybeyou can relate to this too I was
(04:50):
afraid to let people down.
But this time it was different.
It was as if I had outgrown theversion of me that needed to
say yes out of fear orobligation, and in its place was
someone who was ready to sayyes to her deeper calling.
And so I started lovinglyreleasing.
(05:12):
I stepped away from certainroles.
I declined new opportunitiesthat just did not align, and
there were even some friendshipswho had been long held,
friendships that there just wasless and less space for, and it
was like a natural letting go.
That just happened over timeand it was right on time and I
(05:36):
ended up building intentionalwhite space into my life.
And here is the beautiful partas soon as I created that space,
a brand new energy rushed rightin and I was introduced to
several incredible women leaderswho were doing revolutionary
work, and it was so aligned withthe new direction I was moving
(05:58):
toward.
I literally called it in.
I think about it now and it'snot like I sat down and had a
plan of I'm going to reach outand search for these types of
people or organizations ormemberships to be a part of
types of people or organizationsor memberships to be a part of.
They just literally emerged infront of me.
So they also the cool thingabout this they were not trying
(06:19):
to convince me of anything.
They were simply embodying thisnew paradigm of leadership and
business that I also was feelingcalled into.
And when I was in theirpresence, watching how they led,
how they lived and how theyhonored their wellbeing
themselves while also buildingincredible impact, I mean I just
felt like it was exactly what Ineeded.
(06:42):
It was like a breadcrumb on mypath that I could follow, and I
was no longer doing this inisolation.
All of a sudden, I was beingheld in community, in proximity
to women who reflected back tome what was possible, and I'm
talking women from all walks oflife, the creative arts, the
(07:03):
corporate world, people who wereleading foundations, like all
kinds of individuals doing suchinteresting work.
And this is what I see againand again, not only in my own
life, but in the lives of somany people that I work with now
, especially women.
Frankly and it's this we oftenstay in situations that are no
(07:29):
longer a fit.
We stay because it feels safe,we stay because we don't want to
disrupt the status quo and,frankly, we stay because it's
what we know.
But here's what we need toremember Even if we insist on
staying the same, the world willcontinue to evolve around us.
(07:52):
The world will continue toevolve around us, and when we
resist our own evolution, westart to create this kind of
friction within ourselves, andthen obviously, it trickles into
our businesses andrelationships.
But expansion isn't aboutabandoning who we are.
This is something that, I think, held me back a bit too.
I knew that certainly, throughlife, we change, but I wanted to
(08:15):
make sure that I kept mygrounding, and so, when I
thought about this, I started torealize it really was more
about becoming a deeper, morerooted, fully expressed version
of myself, and it's true for youtoo.
Expansion is really abouthonoring what we value now and
(08:36):
not clinging to past versions ofourself that no longer fit the
life we're being called to lead.
So I want to invite you to askyourself this question today
where in your life or businessmight you be holding onto ways
of operating that no longer fit?
Where might you be staying outof habit when your intuition is
(08:59):
inviting you to expand, andwhere might you need to create
space to make room for what'snext?
It's not about running away.
It truly is about knowing thatthere's something more for you
waiting on the other side ofwhere you are now and often the
(09:20):
feeling of discomfort that youneed to step through to get
there.
And I also want to speak tosomething else here, something
that's really important,especially in our fast moving,
hyper digital world.
When we make this decision toevolve, our minds often will
leap ahead Like they're ready tomove at lightning speed.
(09:42):
Minds often will leap aheadLike they're ready to move at
lightning speed, but our bodiestruly, truly need time to
integrate, and I want to saythat to you and I want you to
know.
It's totally okay.
It's actually the best part.
It's just part of the process.
It's what allows us to remainhuman, to stay connected to our
essence, even as we step intobigger arenas of leadership and
(10:04):
impact.
Now, one of the most pivotalexperiences for me in this
regard actually came years later, during a trip to Lisbon.
I never would have expected itwould happen this way, but I
just find it so interesting howwe learn these things.
So I had just completed abusiness retreat and my family
had flown in on my birthday andwe'd had a lovely meal and the
(10:29):
sun was shining and it was just.
It was stunning.
That summer, and as I wasreflecting on just everything
we'd been experiencing already,I suddenly experienced my first
hot flashes, and at first Ithought it was really just the
heat or maybe travel fatigue,because, like it was hot, it was
the middle of July.
(10:49):
But as I sat with it, Irealized there was more beneath
the surface and it was really mybody telling me you're in a new
season.
Now you cannot lead or operatethe way you always have.
You need new rhythms and youneed deeper nourishment.
And there's so much more tothat story, oh my goodness.
(11:12):
Stay tuned I'll be sharing.
But that experience has stayedwith me because, as much as the
world tells us to push harder tooverride our signals, true
expansion honors the wisdom ofthe body and in many ways, this
is the gift of the time thatwe're living in.
Because, who knows, maybe allof these technological
(11:36):
advancements will finally giveus the precious time we have
been craving for decades tounplug, to reconnect deeply to
our souls, our source, ourenvironment and with each other.
But it begins with us.
We don't need to change who weare at our core, but we do get
(11:57):
to become the next truestversion of ourselves.
That, in my understanding, isthe path to fulfillment.
That's the path to sustainableimpact.
So today I encourage you, I urgeyou listen to the nudges,
create the space, allow yourselfto evolve and trust that, as
(12:21):
you do, the right people, theright opportunities, the aligned
support that you most need willmeet you on that path.
I hope this resonates with youtoday and I so appreciate you
being here listening.
I would love to hear how thisepisode landed for you, so go to
the show notes and you'll see aplace where it says text me,
(12:42):
and I'd love to hear what comesup for you as you're listening.
Also, feel free to go over andgive a review on Apple or
Spotify so that I can keepbringing aligned conversations
your way.
When you leave those reviews,that actually boosts it up in
the algorithm so that people areable to see the podcast.
I so appreciate you.
Stay true to you and I lookforward to seeing you on another
(13:09):
episode.
Big blessings.
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