The Career Shift That Changed Everything for Me (and My Clients)
Last week I shared about a hard truth you might be familiar with: success doesn’t always equal fulfillment.
Today I want to dive deeper and share a shift I learned that has helped many clients to transform their careers.
I used to think the answer to feeling successful was doing more.
I hyper-focused on productivity at the expense of freedom and joy, the very reasons I started my own business in the first place.
I’d spend days and weeks overthinking and over-polishing my newsletters, or chasing what other coaches were doing and trying to copy them.
Everything changed when I started asking myself: What actually deserves my energy?
That shift required both inner work (building self trust and shifting limiting beliefs) and outer systems (designing my week around what’s most meaningful and moves the needle in my business).
Here’s what I’ve learned (and what I see my clients discover inside IOLA):
👉🏼 To spend less time in the grind of productivity, pay attention to how much time you’re currently spending in your Genius Zone.
Focus on the work you love and only you can do best, and let go of the rest.
One IOLA client realized she was spending too much time in her Competence Zone—things she was good at, that others appreciated her for, but that drained her.
Once she shifted her schedule to focus on her Genius Zone (face-to-face time with her patients), everything changed. 'Naming my Genius Zone transformed how I spend my time,' she said.
You might not want to rock the boat at work. But you can start with gradual adjustments, don’t delay. You know the saying:
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."
👉🏼 Spot the real bottleneck: your saboteurs
Often it’s not your workload, it’s your inner Judge whispering: Keep your head down. Don’t rock the boat.
The shift is pausing and interrupting that voice. Try anchoring in your Sage self with a statement like: “I am safe. I deserve to enjoy my work. I can choose how I work.”
Then take one meaningful project you’ve been avoiding and break it into smaller steps. Use a Pomodoro timer and pause your notifications. during your Genius Zone Sprint.
👉🏼 Redefine what success means to you (here is how I redefined mine)
Instead of forcing yourself to “get more done,” let the goal be “prioritize work that matters and feels aligned.”
Decide what you refuse to sacrifice (your health, relationships, creativity) and honor your non-negotiables.
As Brené Brown says:
“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.”
Following this approach, a client designed two deep-work blocks in the morning (when her energy is highest), then eliminated one recurring evening meeting to have more time with her kids.
Another client, who had been waiting for the perfect three-hour block, finally gave herself permission to “start messy” with 25-minute sprints. The resume she had avoided for months finally got written.
What could happen if, for the rest of this year, you focused on what truly deserves your creative energy, and removed or delegated what doesn’t?
