Choosing Independence: What Building My Own Business Taught Me About Leadership
Why trusting experience, values, and alignment matters more than chasing titles
There’s a quiet moment that happens before any big change.
It’s not loud or dramatic. No confetti. No applause.
It’s usually just you — tired, reflective, and realizing that the life you’re living no longer fits the woman you’ve become.
For me, that moment came after more than a decade in an industry I knew well. I had built a successful career, earned trust, and proven myself time and time again. On paper, everything looked “right.” But internally, I felt a pull toward something more honest, more aligned, and more mine.
That pull led me to build my own independent business.
Choosing Independence (In More Ways Than One)
Starting something of your own later in life is both empowering and terrifying. You’re no longer chasing a title — you’re chasing alignment. You know too much to pretend it’s easy, but you also know yourself well enough to trust that you’ll figure it out.
Independence, I’ve learned, isn’t about doing everything alone. It’s about having the freedom to choose how you show up, who you serve, and what values guide your work.
For me, independence meant:
- Serving people with honesty instead of pressure
- Building relationships instead of transactions
- Creating a business that fits into a full life, not one that consumes it
Leadership Looks Different When You’ve Lived It
We often talk about leadership as confidence, decisiveness, or authority. But real leadership — especially for women — often looks quieter.
It looks like listening before speaking.
Setting boundaries without apology.
Showing up consistently, even when no one is watching.
As a woman, a mother, and now a grandmother, my leadership style is rooted in lived experience. I understand responsibility. I understand resilience. And I understand that people don’t need perfection — they need clarity, trust, and follow-through.
Redefining Success on My Own Terms
Success used to mean stability and security.
Now, it means sustainability and peace.
It means work that feels aligned.
Clients and relationships built on trust.
Time for family, creativity, and rest.
Building something of my own didn’t just change my career — it changed my confidence. It reminded me that it’s never too late to pivot, to begin again, or to choose yourself without guilt.
A Message to Women Standing at the Edge of Change
If you’re in that quiet moment — the one where you feel a nudge toward something different — I want you to know this:
You don’t need permission.
You don’t need to have every answer.
You’re not starting over — you’re building forward.
Trust the wisdom you’ve earned. Trust the version of you who survived what you thought you couldn’t. Choosing yourself isn’t selfish — it’s foundational.
When women build lives and businesses that align with who they truly are, everyone benefits.
