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When Success Looks Good But Feels Heavy: The Truth Behind My $40K Collapse

Let me take you back to a moment that changed everything. It was November 2014. I'd just wrapped up my second year running Canberra's only health and fitness exhibition. Two thousand people walked through the gates. Over 100 exhibitors. A fitness influencer (before influencers were a thing). From the outside, I looked like the poster girl for success.

But as I sat on my lounge room floor, counting cash and pretending I felt proud, the truth hit me like a freight train: I hadn’t even broken even. My dream event had cost me $40,000—and I didn’t see it coming.

I hid the truth. I didn't tell my partner. I plastered on the smile. But shame seeped into my bones. I didn’t just lose money—I lost my confidence, my identity, and the belief that I was capable. I shut down the business and returned to a "normal" job, quietly abandoning the entrepreneur within me.

Sound familiar?

The Burnout We Normalise

Back in the 9-5 grind, I was quickly promoted to a senior leadership role with 48 staff. I had my first daughter, returned to work, and watched her spend 11 hours a day in daycare. I was running on stress, pride, and pure autopilot.

Until my body forced me to stop.

One sunny winter day in 2017, I dislocated my knee while folding washing. What followed? A concussion, pulmonary embolism, blood thinners, a full leg brace, chronic pain, a panic disorder, gut issues, migraines, emergency room visits... you name it. My body completely broke down.

And still, I told myself this was "normal."

Because when you're a high-performing woman with big dreams and bigger responsibilities, you learn to push through. You wear burnout like a badge of honour.

"The Rebirth"

In the depths of my panic disorder, I discovered EFT Tapping. What started as a tool for my team became the key to unlocking a version of myself I hadn't met yet. The woman who could run a business from her body, not just her brain.

I built my business again—this time, armed with nervous system regulation tools, subconscious work, strategy, and hope. But even with all the training, I still brought my old patterns with me:

• Launching from fear, urgency, and pressure

• Ghosting my offers when they didn’t land

• Undercharging and overdelivering

• Convincing myself I wasn’t good enough

Sound like your story too?

We can have all the strategy in the world. But if we don’t feel safe to be seen, to receive, to succeed—none of it works.

The Identity Shift That Changed Everything

Two and a half years into my business, something shifted.

I woke up one ordinary day in August 2023 and just knew: this business is going to work. Not because of some new funnel. But because I decided to become the woman who could hold what she wanted.

I stopped letting old patterns drive my decisions:

• No more hiding under $40K shame

• No more launching from scarcity

• No more questioning if I was cut out for this

Instead, I created from energetic leadership, emotional regulation, and nervous system safety.

What happened next?

• My first $50K launch (within two months)

• My private practice booked out with dream clients

• Every offer I launched brought in $10K minimum

• I stopped hiding. I owned who I was.

And from that embodiment, the Energies of Success Framework was born.

Why Strategy Alone Isn’t Enough

Most women think they have a strategy problem. But what they really have is a capacity problem. A nervous system problem. An identity gap.

Your business can’t outgrow the version of you that’s still running it from survival.

When you build from:

• Burnout

• Proving energy

• Fear of being seen

• Shame from past failures

You stay stuck. You self-sabotage. You plateau.

You don't need another launch plan. You need a regulated nervous system. You need emotional healing. You need space to expand into your next level.

Meet the Energies of Success Framework

This is the body of work that was born from my collapse and rebuilt from alignment. Inside this framework, we work with:

• Nervous system regulation

• Embodied leadership

• Energetic alignment

• Strategic clarity

We don’t just chase goals. We become the woman who holds them.

Because a successful, sustainable, soul-led business doesn’t come from hustle. It comes from wholeness.

Reflection Questions: Start Here

If you’re ready to shift into your next level, ask yourself:

1. What version of success am I still trying to prove?

2. Where am I still holding shame from a past experience?

3. Who do I need to become to hold the vision I’m building?

4. What would change if I built a business that truly loved me back?

Write your answers and let them land.

Next Steps: Let’s Build From Wholeness

If you’re ready to:

• Finally feel safe in your success

• Create clean energy in your business

• Build from alignment, not urgency

• Step into your next level without fear of burnout

Then let’s have a conversation.

🔹 Transcendence Mastermind – A high-level space for embodied entrepreneurs scaling to sustainable five-figure months. Find out more here: https://jessicaread.com/mastermind

🔹 1:1 Mentoring – Deep identity, energetic, and business support to realign your path - Apply Here

DM me @jessica.read.ilc or book a Breakthrough Session via the link below.

Because the life and business you crave? It doesn’t require more hustle. It requires a regulated body, a clear vision, and an identity that knows it’s already yours.

You are the Embodied Entrepreneur. And this is just the beginning.