October 16, 2025 • 14 mins
🔗 Mentioned on this Episode: Show Notes 👈
What if the thing keeping you from your next level isn’t strategy, but overstimulation?
In this episode, I share why a dysregulated nervous system is the real expansion blocker for high-achieving women scaling their businesses. Through personal stories, client breakthroughs, and practical self-care strategy, I show how to spot the subtle signs of comparison overload and how to move through it with grace.
You’ll learn a 4-step framework from my Seasons Self-Care Cycle that helps you ground your energy, reclaim your creative edge, and trust your next move without needing another scroll session. If you’ve been spinning from too many options or wondering why your growth feels stuck even when you're “doing less,” this conversation is for you.
Text us! What landed for you from this episode?
🧭 Clarify your next season of growth: Start your Vision Map here
🎁 Get the Seasons Success Method & Meditation
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sheila (00:02):
So many people think their biggest competition is the
person with the biggeraudience, the slicker branding,
or the loudest launch.
But it's not.
The real competition is yourown dysregulated nervous system,
the one that scrolls, compares,and second guesses instead of
creating.
In this episode, I'll show youwhy your body, not the
(00:23):
algorithm, holds your biggestedge and how calming your
nervous system is the fastestpath to clarity, creativity, and
cash flow.
Hi, welcome to the podcast.
I'm Sheila Botello, and Ibelieve true success is built
from the inside out.
And today we are continuingwith our series called Expansion
(00:44):
Blockers.
If you've been growing yourbusiness for a while, you've
probably already noticed thatsuccess doesn't always feel
lighter as you go.
In fact, sometimes the more youachieve, the more friction you
feel.
The calendar fills, theopportunities multiply, and yet
something feels stuck.
(01:04):
Those friction points, thoseinvisible places where your
energy, your focus, or yourconfidence gets tangled, those
are what I call expansionblockers.
Those are sticking points andthey're invitations.
They're the body's way and yourbusiness's way of saying
(01:26):
something is ready to evolve.
We're going to continue lookingat some of the most common
expansion blockers that I seecome up from my high-achieving
clients.
Instead of just looking at therevenue, there is another level
of growth, peace, and impactavailable to them.
And each week, I'm going toguide you through one of them.
(01:47):
So what this looks like, how itsneaks in, what it feels like
in your body, and the practicesthat help you move through it
with clarity and ease.
So think of this like a kind ofa gentle audit of your inner
world, the part that driveseverything that you create
outwardly.
The expansion blocker we'reexploring today is something
(02:11):
I've seen in every season ofentrepreneurship.
And yes, I've experienced itmyself more than once.
And it's called comparisonoverload.
This happens when you know thatyou're capable and you know
you're experienced, you'vecreated real results, and yet
your eyes start driftingsideways and you start
(02:33):
scrolling.
You peek at what others in yourindustry are doing and not just
for market research.
And the irony is the moreaccomplished you are, the
sneakier this one becomesbecause it hides behind
research, analysis, and marketawareness.
So let me take you back to atime when I was deep in this.
(02:54):
I'd spent years workingspecifically in the wellness
space, supporting other wellnessprofessionals, and I loved it.
But I felt called to somethingbroader, helping high-impact
entrepreneurs in differentindustries blend business growth
with well-being.
And the moment I made thatdecision, my feed started to
(03:17):
really grow.
And everywhere I looked, therewere coaches, consultants, and
strategists who had been in thewider business arena for a
decade longer than I had.
Their websites looked perfect,their brands were cohesive,
their launches were glossy, andthey had so many stacks and
stacks of testimonials.
And because social media wasbecoming busier at the time and
(03:40):
noisier than it had ever been, Ifell into the trap of believing
that what I saw online was thefull picture.
Even though intuitively I knewthat that was not true.
My body was telling mesomething different.
And what I didn't realize thenwas that, of course, that's what
we all know as the highlightreel.
(04:02):
And it wasn't yet popular totalk about the messy middle, the
moments of uncertainty, thepivots, the behind-the-scene
chaos.
So I looked around and thought,I'm not ready.
I need to be more polishedbefore I can be visible at that
level.
It felt constricting in mybody, like there was a weight on
my chest.
And every time I'd start movingforward on my projects, I'd
(04:25):
glance sideways at what otherswere doing and feel the tension
begin to rise.
And here's what would happennext.
I'd second guess myself.
I'd think, maybe I should do ittheir way.
Like that looks really, reallygood.
Even though my clients weregetting results from my way,
from my mix of strategy,mindset, and energy work, I
(04:45):
started doubting that it wasenough.
And what's interesting is thatwhenever I turned off the noise,
when I stopped the comparison,when I stopped researching and
just served, I'd move forwardwith so much more ease.
My creativity started to flowagain and my results would
expand.
And of course, my communitygrew too.
(05:06):
But then, as soon as I slippedback into watching others too
closely, everything slowed downagain.
Maybe you can relate to that.
It's like your forward momentumgets hijacked by someone else's
highlight reel.
So what helped me shift wasn'tjust one moment in time, it was
(05:27):
a gradual remembering.
I started leaning into mycommunity, people in different
industries, different businessmodels.
Some of them had been doingtheir work for decades, others
were very new, but they all hadone thing in common.
They were committed to doingbusiness their way.
It was their stories thatactually brought me back to
(05:50):
center.
They reminded me that no matterhow many people do what you do,
no one can do it in the waythat you do it.
Your energy, your story, yourlived experience, your voice,
that is the true differentiator.
And I realized something that Istill share with clients today.
(06:11):
Your clients aren't theirclients.
The people who are meant foryou will resonate most with you.
And once that landed, I mean, Ican feel it right now.
My shoulders dropped.
I exhaled, and little by littlethe joy came back.
I saw the same transformationhappen with one of my clients.
(06:33):
I've seen it on a number ofoccasions, but I'll share one
story right now.
This was a performer who'dbuilt a beautiful in-person
career in the arts, on stages,in acting.
She wanted to add an onlinebranch to her business because
everyone around her was talkingabout scalability in digital
courses.
And she convinced herself thatshe needed to teach online to be
(06:55):
relevant.
She'd spent months buildingoffers that really didn't light
her up.
She was scripting videos thatfelt forced and trying to
replicate what was trending.
But no matter how hard sheworked, it wasn't clicking.
And when we talked, I asked herwhere she felt most alive.
And without hesitating, shesaid, in the room, on stage,
(07:19):
live with people.
So we designed a plan thathonored that.
She went back to hosting liveevents, creating small intimate
workshops.
And within weeks, her energyshifted, her bookings filled,
and her joy returned.
And here's the beautiful part.
Because she was so lit up,people began asking her for
(07:42):
digital access.
So then she was able to buildher online content after the
demand actually appeared.
And it was from her clients.
So she felt like she wasserving them because she was
giving them exactly what theywanted.
She didn't have to guessanymore.
It all became effortlessbecause it was rooted in her
true rhythm, not someone else'sformula.
(08:05):
And that's the essence ofdissolving comparison overload,
returning to your own pace andrhythm.
So let's talk about how toactually move through this when
it shows up.
Because comparison isn'tsomething you conquer once and
never feel again.
Trust me, this is gonna be alifelong thing.
We just need to make friendswith it.
(08:26):
It's something, though, thatyou can learn to catch early.
And the best way I know to dothat is through the seasons
self-care cycle.
It's very simple, but it worksbecause it brings you back into
your body and your body willtell you the truth.
So the first step is to pauseand give yourself some presence.
(08:50):
So the moment you feel thatfamiliar constriction, maybe
your chest tightens or yourbreath shortens.
Perhaps your mind races withthoughts like, I'm so behind.
I invite you to just pause.
Don't add a strategy on top ofit.
Just notice it.
Step two is ground and breathe.
(09:12):
Get into your body, feel yourfeet on the floor, take two or
three slow breaths.
Look away from the screen ifyou need to, put the screen
down.
Sometimes I literally will gooutside and just stand barefoot
on the grass.
And step three is re-anchor toyour vision.
Ask yourself, what was Icreating before I looked outside
(09:36):
myself?
Often comparison strikes whenyou've lost sight of your
original vision, the one thatcame from inside, not from your
feed.
And then finally, step four,move gently forward.
So take one small action thatis aligned with your truth, not
to prove anything, but toreestablish self-trust.
(09:58):
And that might mean writing oneparagraph, messaging one
client, or simply closing yourlaptop and resting.
Your nervous system is youredge.
It's not your competitor's feedthat is the edge.
The more regulated you are, themore creative, magnetic, and
strategic you actually become.
(10:19):
And if you think about it,every single thing that you want
in your business, revenue,reach, reputation, flows more
easily when you are reallyfeeling safe to expand.
So breathe that one in.
Take some time to just reallythink about that and anchor into
(10:40):
it.
And when you do, ask yourself afew questions.
Where in my business am Icomparing instead of creating?
Where am I holding back becauseI think I should look a certain
way?
What truth am I avoiding when Iscroll?
And what would trusting my ownpace look like this week?
(11:04):
Remember, everyone doubtsthemselves.
It's being human.
That's just what we do.
The people that you admireonline, they have felt the same
fear, the same questioning.
The only difference is thatthey move forward anyway.
Comparison can actually be aninvitation to expand your
(11:24):
self-trust.
So when you see someone doingsomething extraordinary, instead
of thinking, I should be doingthat, ask what part of me wants
to come alive in that same way.
Let their courage activate yourown courage instead of
diminishing it.
Self-trust isn't something thatyou find, it's something you
(11:47):
build by taking aligned steps,even when it's uncomfortable.
So here's what I've found.
Comparison usually shows upright before a new season of
growth.
And it's actually a signal thatyour next vision is forming.
But often that vision can befuzzy at first.
So when you don't have clarity,your mind reaches outward to
(12:11):
fill that gap.
And that is where the visionmap comes in.
The vision map that I'vecreated helps you turn off the
noise and tune back into whatyou truly want.
It's like a compass, it drawsthe truth out of you and then it
lays out the steps that willmove you forward.
Inside the vision map, you'llfind simple prompts that put
(12:33):
your ideas, your desires, andyour next steps into focus.
And it's not about copyinganyone's path.
It's actually about uncoveringyours.
When you map your vision thisway, you strengthen your
self-trust muscle because you nolonger are outsourcing your
direction.
You're owning it.
So if you've been feeling thatcomparison tension, I invite you
(12:56):
to explore the vision map.
You'll find the link in theshow notes or inside the Seasons
Success app.
Give yourself the gift ofclarity.
And so I invite you to, again,go away, take some deep breaths,
think about this, and justrepeat this to yourself.
My pace is perfect.
My vision is unfolding indivine timing.
(13:18):
My nervous system is my edge,not my competitors' feed.
You don't have to rush.
You don't have to prove.
You just have to keep comingback home to what's true for
you.
Thank you so much for beinghere, for listening, and for
doing this inner work.
This is the stuff that makesall the outer results possible.
(13:40):
And if this episode resonated,share it with a friend who's
building her next season ofsuccess.
And if you feel called, explorethe vision map.
It's the perfect next step tohelp you recalibrate to your own
rhythm.
Until next time, keep choosingwhat truly lights you up.
And I'll see you then.
So many people think their biggest competition is the
person with the biggeraudience, the slicker branding,
or the loudest launch.
But it's not.
The real competition is yourown dysregulated nervous system,
the one that scrolls, compares,and second guesses instead of
creating.
In this episode, I'll show youwhy your body, not the
(00:23):
algorithm, holds your biggestedge and how calming your
nervous system is the fastestpath to clarity, creativity, and
cash flow.
Hi, welcome to the podcast.
I'm Sheila Botello, and Ibelieve true success is built
from the inside out.
And today we are continuingwith our series called Expansion
(00:44):
Blockers.
If you've been growing yourbusiness for a while, you've
probably already noticed thatsuccess doesn't always feel
lighter as you go.
In fact, sometimes the more youachieve, the more friction you
feel.
The calendar fills, theopportunities multiply, and yet
something feels stuck.
(01:04):
Those friction points, thoseinvisible places where your
energy, your focus, or yourconfidence gets tangled, those
are what I call expansionblockers.
Those are sticking points andthey're invitations.
They're the body's way and yourbusiness's way of saying
(01:26):
something is ready to evolve.
We're going to continue lookingat some of the most common
expansion blockers that I seecome up from my high-achieving
clients.
Instead of just looking at therevenue, there is another level
of growth, peace, and impactavailable to them.
And each week, I'm going toguide you through one of them.
(01:47):
So what this looks like, how itsneaks in, what it feels like
in your body, and the practicesthat help you move through it
with clarity and ease.
So think of this like a kind ofa gentle audit of your inner
world, the part that driveseverything that you create
outwardly.
The expansion blocker we'reexploring today is something
(02:11):
I've seen in every season ofentrepreneurship.
And yes, I've experienced itmyself more than once.
And it's called comparisonoverload.
This happens when you know thatyou're capable and you know
you're experienced, you'vecreated real results, and yet
your eyes start driftingsideways and you start
(02:33):
scrolling.
You peek at what others in yourindustry are doing and not just
for market research.
And the irony is the moreaccomplished you are, the
sneakier this one becomesbecause it hides behind
research, analysis, and marketawareness.
So let me take you back to atime when I was deep in this.
(02:54):
I'd spent years workingspecifically in the wellness
space, supporting other wellnessprofessionals, and I loved it.
But I felt called to somethingbroader, helping high-impact
entrepreneurs in differentindustries blend business growth
with well-being.
And the moment I made thatdecision, my feed started to
(03:17):
really grow.
And everywhere I looked, therewere coaches, consultants, and
strategists who had been in thewider business arena for a
decade longer than I had.
Their websites looked perfect,their brands were cohesive,
their launches were glossy, andthey had so many stacks and
stacks of testimonials.
And because social media wasbecoming busier at the time and
(03:40):
noisier than it had ever been, Ifell into the trap of believing
that what I saw online was thefull picture.
Even though intuitively I knewthat that was not true.
My body was telling mesomething different.
And what I didn't realize thenwas that, of course, that's what
we all know as the highlightreel.
(04:02):
And it wasn't yet popular totalk about the messy middle, the
moments of uncertainty, thepivots, the behind-the-scene
chaos.
So I looked around and thought,I'm not ready.
I need to be more polishedbefore I can be visible at that
level.
It felt constricting in mybody, like there was a weight on
my chest.
And every time I'd start movingforward on my projects, I'd
(04:25):
glance sideways at what otherswere doing and feel the tension
begin to rise.
And here's what would happennext.
I'd second guess myself.
I'd think, maybe I should do ittheir way.
Like that looks really, reallygood.
Even though my clients weregetting results from my way,
from my mix of strategy,mindset, and energy work, I
(04:45):
started doubting that it wasenough.
And what's interesting is thatwhenever I turned off the noise,
when I stopped the comparison,when I stopped researching and
just served, I'd move forwardwith so much more ease.
My creativity started to flowagain and my results would
expand.
And of course, my communitygrew too.
(05:06):
But then, as soon as I slippedback into watching others too
closely, everything slowed downagain.
Maybe you can relate to that.
It's like your forward momentumgets hijacked by someone else's
highlight reel.
So what helped me shift wasn'tjust one moment in time, it was
(05:27):
a gradual remembering.
I started leaning into mycommunity, people in different
industries, different businessmodels.
Some of them had been doingtheir work for decades, others
were very new, but they all hadone thing in common.
They were committed to doingbusiness their way.
It was their stories thatactually brought me back to
(05:50):
center.
They reminded me that no matterhow many people do what you do,
no one can do it in the waythat you do it.
Your energy, your story, yourlived experience, your voice,
that is the true differentiator.
And I realized something that Istill share with clients today.
(06:11):
Your clients aren't theirclients.
The people who are meant foryou will resonate most with you.
And once that landed, I mean, Ican feel it right now.
My shoulders dropped.
I exhaled, and little by littlethe joy came back.
I saw the same transformationhappen with one of my clients.
(06:33):
I've seen it on a number ofoccasions, but I'll share one
story right now.
This was a performer who'dbuilt a beautiful in-person
career in the arts, on stages,in acting.
She wanted to add an onlinebranch to her business because
everyone around her was talkingabout scalability in digital
courses.
And she convinced herself thatshe needed to teach online to be
(06:55):
relevant.
She'd spent months buildingoffers that really didn't light
her up.
She was scripting videos thatfelt forced and trying to
replicate what was trending.
But no matter how hard sheworked, it wasn't clicking.
And when we talked, I asked herwhere she felt most alive.
And without hesitating, shesaid, in the room, on stage,
(07:19):
live with people.
So we designed a plan thathonored that.
She went back to hosting liveevents, creating small intimate
workshops.
And within weeks, her energyshifted, her bookings filled,
and her joy returned.
And here's the beautiful part.
Because she was so lit up,people began asking her for
(07:42):
digital access.
So then she was able to buildher online content after the
demand actually appeared.
And it was from her clients.
So she felt like she wasserving them because she was
giving them exactly what theywanted.
She didn't have to guessanymore.
It all became effortlessbecause it was rooted in her
true rhythm, not someone else'sformula.
(08:05):
And that's the essence ofdissolving comparison overload,
returning to your own pace andrhythm.
So let's talk about how toactually move through this when
it shows up.
Because comparison isn'tsomething you conquer once and
never feel again.
Trust me, this is gonna be alifelong thing.
We just need to make friendswith it.
(08:26):
It's something, though, thatyou can learn to catch early.
And the best way I know to dothat is through the seasons
self-care cycle.
It's very simple, but it worksbecause it brings you back into
your body and your body willtell you the truth.
So the first step is to pauseand give yourself some presence.
(08:50):
So the moment you feel thatfamiliar constriction, maybe
your chest tightens or yourbreath shortens.
Perhaps your mind races withthoughts like, I'm so behind.
I invite you to just pause.
Don't add a strategy on top ofit.
Just notice it.
Step two is ground and breathe.
(09:12):
Get into your body, feel yourfeet on the floor, take two or
three slow breaths.
Look away from the screen ifyou need to, put the screen
down.
Sometimes I literally will gooutside and just stand barefoot
on the grass.
And step three is re-anchor toyour vision.
Ask yourself, what was Icreating before I looked outside
(09:36):
myself?
Often comparison strikes whenyou've lost sight of your
original vision, the one thatcame from inside, not from your
feed.
And then finally, step four,move gently forward.
So take one small action thatis aligned with your truth, not
to prove anything, but toreestablish self-trust.
(09:58):
And that might mean writing oneparagraph, messaging one
client, or simply closing yourlaptop and resting.
Your nervous system is youredge.
It's not your competitor's feedthat is the edge.
The more regulated you are, themore creative, magnetic, and
strategic you actually become.
(10:19):
And if you think about it,every single thing that you want
in your business, revenue,reach, reputation, flows more
easily when you are reallyfeeling safe to expand.
So breathe that one in.
Take some time to just reallythink about that and anchor into
(10:40):
it.
And when you do, ask yourself afew questions.
Where in my business am Icomparing instead of creating?
Where am I holding back becauseI think I should look a certain
way?
What truth am I avoiding when Iscroll?
And what would trusting my ownpace look like this week?
(11:04):
Remember, everyone doubtsthemselves.
It's being human.
That's just what we do.
The people that you admireonline, they have felt the same
fear, the same questioning.
The only difference is thatthey move forward anyway.
Comparison can actually be aninvitation to expand your
(11:24):
self-trust.
So when you see someone doingsomething extraordinary, instead
of thinking, I should be doingthat, ask what part of me wants
to come alive in that same way.
Let their courage activate yourown courage instead of
diminishing it.
Self-trust isn't something thatyou find, it's something you
(11:47):
build by taking aligned steps,even when it's uncomfortable.
So here's what I've found.
Comparison usually shows upright before a new season of
growth.
And it's actually a signal thatyour next vision is forming.
But often that vision can befuzzy at first.
So when you don't have clarity,your mind reaches outward to
(12:11):
fill that gap.
And that is where the visionmap comes in.
The vision map that I'vecreated helps you turn off the
noise and tune back into whatyou truly want.
It's like a compass, it drawsthe truth out of you and then it
lays out the steps that willmove you forward.
Inside the vision map, you'llfind simple prompts that put
(12:33):
your ideas, your desires, andyour next steps into focus.
And it's not about copyinganyone's path.
It's actually about uncoveringyours.
When you map your vision thisway, you strengthen your
self-trust muscle because you nolonger are outsourcing your
direction.
You're owning it.
So if you've been feeling thatcomparison tension, I invite you
(12:56):
to explore the vision map.
You'll find the link in theshow notes or inside the Seasons
Success app.
Give yourself the gift ofclarity.
And so I invite you to, again,go away, take some deep breaths,
think about this, and justrepeat this to yourself.
My pace is perfect.
My vision is unfolding indivine timing.
(13:18):
My nervous system is my edge,not my competitors' feed.
You don't have to rush.
You don't have to prove.
You just have to keep comingback home to what's true for
you.
Thank you so much for beinghere, for listening, and for
doing this inner work.
This is the stuff that makesall the outer results possible.
(13:40):
And if this episode resonated,share it with a friend who's
building her next season ofsuccess.
And if you feel called, explorethe vision map.
It's the perfect next step tohelp you recalibrate to your own
rhythm.
Until next time, keep choosingwhat truly lights you up.
And I'll see you then.
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