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Why SMART goals don't work for visionary women (and what to do instead)

You’ve likely set goals before—maybe you even do it every quarter like clockwork. But let me ask you something: did those goals actually feel good in your body? Did they excite you? Or did they low-key feel like another to-do list passed down by some business guru in a Facebook group?

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’re ready to do goal setting differently—in a way that’s rooted in desire, not desperation. In embodied truth, not performance pressure.

This post isn’t just about how to set goals—it’s about how to set goals as a whole-ass human, as an embodied woman, as a soul-led entrepreneur building a life-first, values-driven business.

Let’s get into it.

Phase One: Somatic Connection—Getting Out of Your Head and Into Your Body

Before we even think about setting goals, we need to come back to the body. Why?

Because you cannot create a future from a body that is stuck in the past.

Your nervous system, your somatic cues, your embodied yes or no—that’s the stuff that will tell you whether you're setting goals from survival or from creation. From contraction or expansion. From the true self or the should self.

Try This: Somatic Grounding Before Goal Setting

Pick a body-based practice that helps you land in the now:

• Gentle breathwork

• EFT tapping

• Dancing to your fave playlist

• Shaking out the stagnant energy

• Yin yoga or deep stretching

• A somatic walk in nature

Ask yourself:
✨ Do I feel grounded enough to create from desire?
✨ Is this goal-making moment coming from my body’s wisdom—or my brain’s fear?

Let this be your check-in before you even pick up your pen.

Phase Two: Envisioning & Values Alignment

Once you’re somatically grounded, now it’s time to expand.

And no, I’m not talking about the fluffy, overused “just be your future self” energy we see everywhere. I’m talking about a real, visceral, embodied connection to what you’re actually here to build.

Your business is your vehicle—not your destination.

Why This Matters for Your Business Goals

If you don’t know the life you’re building toward—beyond the spreadsheets and Slack messages—you’ll end up setting goals based on someone else’s vision board.

That’s how you wake up hitting six figures but feeling numb.

We’re not doing that here.

Connect with Your Vision—Your Way

You don’t need to do it like anyone else. You can:

• Journal out your “day in the life” 12 months from now

• Do a vision-casting hypnosis (especially powerful if guided)

• Try a future self meditation or live scripting audio

• Create a private Pinterest board or visual map of your desired life

Then ask yourself:

• What kind of life am I actually here to create?

• What values must guide every decision I make?

• What impact am I here to have, beyond revenue or reach?

Because vision without values is just another productivity hack in disguise.

Phase Three: Redefining Success—Your Way

Here’s the thing most goal-setting templates skip: success that’s only measured in money is success that burns you out.

And look—I love a juicy revenue goal as much as the next empowered woman. But if that 50k month costs you your health, your presence, or your peace? It’s not success. It’s just stress in disguise.

✨ Redefining Success Across Your Whole Life

Here are some questions to help:

• How do I want to feel emotionally while building this?

• What does success look like in my relationships and family life?

• How do I want to show up in my health, creativity, hobbies?

• Am I honouring my energy cycles and nervous system capacity?

• What does spaciousness feel like in my body?

From here, choose 3–5 holistic success metrics. These are NOT just your “income” or “follower” stats.

They might include:

• I feel present and connected with my kids each day.

• I have at least 3 hours a week for a creative outlet I love.

• My nervous system feels regulated even during a launch.

• My business growth feels sustainable and spacious.

• I’m earning 20k months while working no more than 25 hours/week.

Now that’s what embodied success looks like.

Why Traditional Goal Setting Doesn’t Work (Especially for Women)

Let’s be real. Most goal-setting advice is still deeply masculine-coded: structured, rigid, “crush it” energy. It’s all about SMART goals, KPIs, performance outputs.

But for us? For the emotionally intelligent, highly intuitive, soul-led leaders? That kind of goal setting leaves something out: the actual YOU.

The feminine.
The body.
The desire.
The lived experience.

If your goals aren’t aligned with your body, your values, and your vision—your system will resist them.

You’ll:

• Procrastinate

• Self-sabotage

• Burn out

• Spiral into comparison

• Or just… not really care about the goal anymore

Because your body knows. Your nervous system knows.
And you can’t override that with a Trello board.

Rewiring Your Brain for Vision-Driven Success

This is where it gets juicy. When you craft your vision in detail—what it looks like, feels like, smells like—you’re not just dreaming.

You’re training your subconscious.

Here’s how it works:

Your brain doesn’t know the difference between a lived experience and a vividly imagined one.

So if you mentally rehearse your future vision with depth and clarity, your Reticular Activating System (RAS) starts filtering for the evidence that supports it.

That’s why we do this visioning work—it’s not woo. It’s neuroscience.

You want to become the version of you who lives that reality? Then your brain needs to experience it over and over again.

Embodied Goal Setting in Action: Your New Process

Here’s how to use all of this, practically:

1. Start with Somatic Grounding
   Choose a practice that gets you out of your head and into your body. Check for contraction or expansion before setting any goals.
   

2. Craft Your Vision
   Reconnect with the bigger picture. Journal it, visualise it, speak it aloud. Ask: What kind of life am I creating?
   

3. Check In with Your Core Values
   What are your non-negotiables for this season? Are your goals in alignment with them?
   

4. Redefine Success Across Your Life
   Choose 3–5 holistic metrics that matter to YOU. Anchor your actions in these—not just your bank account.
   

5. Plant the Seed in Your Subconscious
   Use visualisation, hypnosis, or scripting to bring your future into your felt experience. Train your brain to expect it.
   

6. Align Your Daily Actions (coming next)
   We’ll talk about this in the next phase, but for now: remember that every action is either aligned with your values and vision… or it’s not.

This is the Embodied Entrepreneur’s Way

This isn’t about working harder.
It’s not about getting more organised.
It’s about coming home to yourself—and creating goals from that place.

You are allowed to build a wildly successful business…
without burning out, people pleasing, or performing.

You are allowed to measure success by how deeply you love your life.

So let this be your invitation:

Set goals from your body, not just your brain.
From your desires, not your fears.
From your vision, not your comparison trap.

Because you?
You’re not here to play the game.
You’re here to rewrite the rules.

Ready to Go Deeper?

Want guided support as you create your vision, align your goals, and plant them into your subconscious with powerful hypnosis work?

✨ Work with me 1:1 or join the Soul-Led Success Academy – A program designed to help you build a business that aligns with your energy, desires, and values - Join the Waitlist here

💌 Explore all my offers above or DM me on Instagram (@jessica.read.ilc) and let’s talk about building the business that’s truly meant for you.