#81 - 8 years in business: 6 truths you only learn when theory dies

Eight years in business did not make me wiser.
It made me faster at spotting bullshit — especially my own.

Running a business is not a strategy game.
It’s a soul journey with invoices.

In this episode, I share six learnings I spent years waiting to hear out loud.
Not frameworks.
Not inspiration.
The kind of lessons you only learn once you’re already leading, deciding, paying, and living with the consequences.

We talk about:
– why confidence only comes after exposure
– why doubt never disappears and why that’s not a flaw
– how money impacts your nervous system and why privilege matters in this conversation
– why perception is not branding fluff but leadership responsibility
– how standards protect you — and what happens when you’re the one who slips
– and finally, what to do when you’re stuck with impossible people and power games you didn’t choose

This episode is not for beginners.
It’s for people who are already carrying weight — and feeling the quiet cost of leadership.

If theory stopped helping lately, this will land.

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EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – When theory dies

02:10 – Confidence is a side effect, not a prerequisite

06:30 – Discomfort and doubt are permanent

11:20 – Money, privilege, and nervous systems

17:30 – Perception, influence, and consistency

22:30 – Standards, disappointment, and repair

27:40 – Impossible people and the cost of staying

32:00 – The real takeaway