The Energetics of Success: Why You Panic After Hitting Your Goals (And How to Stay Grounded)
“I have a biz 911! Help!” The DM hit my inbox from a long time client-turned-friend. We hadn’t had an active coaching relationship in probably a year, but still - I knew her, I knew her brand and I had continued keeping up with her evolution after our three years of coaching commenced. When she reached out I knew I wanted to help.
This woman has built an incredibly powerful brand and name for herself in the past few years. I have been astonished with how quickly her hard work, consistency and commitment to excellence has paid off in hitting her client goals, income goals, regional awards and national recognition. She has been so much fun to work with and watch her glow up!
Recently she hit another huge milestone in her career. She had experienced an all-time high and honestly hadn’t even had time to celebrate it fully when new tests and triggers started emerging. Relatable?
The Energetics of the "Uplevel" (And Why You’re Feeling Panic)
More times than not, when we reach a new level of success, we are often quickly met with what I call “tests and triggers” (based off of the neuroplasticity work of Lacey Phillips and the TBM community). Tests are those shiny opportunities that seem too good to be true, usually appealing to the ego but feeling somehow “off” energetically. Like a $10k bonus out of nowhere if you agree to do something dishonest to get there. It’s a test to see if you can stand firm in your new level of higher self worth and alignment.
Tests can also emerge as attacks on your business, brand, energy or personal reputation. Maybe someone falsely accuses you of something or leaves a wrongfully hateful review. These can be very triggering, often hitting on a piece of inner child or shadow work that can cause you to either A) spiral back into harmful habits or coping mechanisms or B) ground you deeper into your new, healthier, more aligned way of responding and being in this world.
The universe isn’t testing you because it’s mean or angry - it’s testing you to make sure you can hold the new, expanded container of success you are walking in to.
Perhaps you’ve heard that most lottery winners go back to being poor within a year. They won the big bucks but they didnt change their mindset, energy or nervous system to be able to hold that much positive energy, success and financial gain.
Dr. Kate Northrup talks about this a lot as it relates to money. Your nervous system has to be regulated enough to hold new levels of success. This is where all of our favorite energy tools come in - neurolinguistic reprogramming, tapping, journaling, self expression, somatics, breathwork, visualization, etc. These tools are the stepping stones to get us to new levels, and then once that mountain top experience happens, they become essential to use to keep us there, so we can regulate and stay expanded before beginning to climb the next mountain. In a sense, this is the whole game of life. To be clear, I’m not saying that constant growth and income expansion is your purpose in life, nor should it necessarily be your goal in business. But your soul’s evolution and expansion is. Your capacity to hold more and more amounts of joy, peace, confidence and groundedness is the goal. Being more and more authentic and letting old wounds hurt less when triggered; that is how we heal; that is how we manifest in true authentic alignment with our soul’s purpose.
Why Your Instinct to Rebrand is Actually a Fear Response
A common thing I see business owners do here is take a knee-jerk reaction. I did this in 2022. I had done a lot of inner and outer work in 2021 which led to an all-time high in income, PR exposure and booking clients and corporate team trainings. This lasted for about eight months and then things started to cool off. I was doing the same things but clients were coming in more slowly and things were plateauing, not continuously going up-up-up.
I panicked. I reached out to the Brand Image Consultant I had spent months working with the year before. We had revamped my wardrobe, updated my brand and executed a brand-based photoshoot that had gone so incredibly well (this was less than a year earlier, mind you.) So in my state of panic, my brain thought, “hmm, maybe I need to rebrand or at least do another photoshoot to keep the energy going.”
Ya’ll. From years later on the other side of the table, I can’t tell you how often I see new business owners make this same mistake.
“Sales are flat, I think I’ll build a new website.”
“I’m not booking as many clients as I want so I think I’m going to shell out $500 I don’t have, to my cousin’s friend who designs logos. Mine’s fine but a more professional logo would probably bring in more clients.”
These thoughts are perpetuated by the fear-based marketing we hear all day long from well-meaning experts on YouTube and Instagram and TikTok. Nothing at all against them (heck, I give business talks on social media too) but here’s the caveat - they are broadcasting generic advice to a wide audience. They don’t know specifically where you are at in your business journey and they don't know your sales, cash-flow, ICA, USP or anything else. This is fear getting the best of you.
Hear me when I say: you don't need a new brand. You don’t need to tweak your website. You don’t need to book another high-ticket photoshoot.
Business is Nature, Not a Machine: Embracing the Season
You are simply in a season.
Business, like life, is more akin to nature than it is computers and robots. Computers and robots don’t sleep. They are always “ON” and always producing. Real life and real business doesn't work that way. Our businesses go through cycles and seasons - at all ages and stages. Don’t believe me, look at the stock market. Pick any major brand out there and look at their lifetime charts. Huge ups, huge downs, nothing is linear. It’s organic. It’s nature-based. Things grow and then they plateau. Sometimes they digress and sometimes they die out completely before rising again, if ever. This is real life, not computers you are creating. You are a business owner and ups and downs inevitably happen - not just in your first 5 years (although those can be the most intense and pivotal) but forever.
Photo by Pablo Martinez III
The work is not trying to stop the ups and downs, but rather learning to ride them and heck, maybe even enjoy them. As your experience grows so does your faith. Like a lifelong farmer, you’ll slowly stop panicking and learn to trust the slow seasons with the harvest seasons alike. Each has their place and each comes with their own gifts.
My "Survival Kit" for When Success Feels Scary
It’s super duper normal to panic and feel lots of feels after hitting a new milestone (in any area of your life) but for the purpose of this article we will focus on this instance in business.
Recently I had a similar experience and found myself feeling very very vulnerable, tender and soft - and not necessarily in a safe way. It felt like if someone were to show up and say something negative I might burst into tears and spiral into shaming myself or feeling low self confidence. Recognizing this within myself immediately, and cognitively knowing the energetics of leveling up as described above, I doubled down on my tools.
When you hit a new milestone, your nervous system can feel like it’s in overdrive. To keep your expansion sustainable and safe, I recommend incorporating these rituals into your routine. Here is what I do to stay grounded, and how you can do it too:
Daily Grounding: Start your morning by anchoring into your physical body before you check your phone. Whether it’s five minutes of meditation or just holding a warm cup of tea, this creates a "safety anchor" that helps you hold your new level of success.
Mindful Moving: During times of transition mindful moving is a must! Don't skip the movement that helps you process stress. For me that meant not allowing myself to skip my private yoga practice where I intuitively feel pockets of stress and tension moving through my body.
When I feel extra tension building, I trade my standard yoga practice for "somatic shaking"—turning up the music to rage, cry loudly, dance boldly, shake, twerk, twist and scream. I’ve also been incorporating loud roaring like a lion to help eliminate people pleasing tendencies. All of these tools help clear the physical residue of a "level up" out of your fascia and muscles. I always feel bigger and bolder after too.
Journaling for Clarity: Use your journal as a safe container for the "scary feels." When I feel the urge to pivot or panic-buy a new website, I write it out until the fear loses its grip. I find that journaling in the pockets of the day can help process big emotions and aggravations. [Link: Use the Sparkling Success Journal to track your inner evolution.]
The Power of "Nothingness": You know those small moments of space throughout the day? The ones where you have 10-15 minutes to kill before your next appointment, client, chore, etc. Rather than scrolling, texting, watching Gilmore Girls or choosing a minorly productive task, try intentionally giving yourself permission to pause. Do nothing. Sit and stare out the window. Sit on my porch and let your mind go blank. I think this more than anything helped keep my nervous system regulated when I was last uplevelling. Remember, this isn't wasted time—it’s nervous system regulation, and it is essential for your growth.
Sensory Nourishment: Surround yourself with tangible things that light you up. These simple things can become the greatest source of joy - lighting candles while you work or cook dinner, applying essential oils to your skin in the morning, taking time to massage each body part with coconut oil when you get out of the shower. Find an herbal tea that fills your cup literally and metaphysically (I am really loving “Exhale Darling” by Wandering Woman Organics lately.) These small rituals of love help the five senses come alive. Our senses help us ground into the present, which is another form of regulating the nervous system and letting this new level become a feeling of safety and normalcy in due time.
I’m also always a huge huge fan of taking a mindless, meandering walk whenever you can, even if it’s only for 5 minutes. Bubble baths too, obviously, and drinking lots and lots and lots of water.
When you uplevel your body is quite literally detoxing itself. Old ways of being are being released from your brain tissue, your fascia, your muscles and skins and bones and from your mind, emotions and energy. This is an incredible process taking place on a biological level whether you realize it or not. Get lots of rest and drink lots of water. Let nourishment become your priority during this time. Love yourself like your life depends on it! Through this level of intentional self care you are keeping yourself grounded and regulated as you transition from caterpillar to butterfly. All of your energy is being used to transform and transmute. This may mean saying no to social activities or going inward for a while. It can also mean surrounding yourself with people who love you and who you trust to cocoon you while you go through this transition. These are not suggestions, these are essentials!
Success is an energetic game, sweet soul. You must truly and deeply take care of your soul as you evolve and become more and more of your truest self.
Creating a Container of Safety for Your Expansion
Safety is imperative to expansion.
Your job is to create a safe space for yourself as much as possible. Safety is mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. Are there pockets in each of these categories that need your attention? Do you need to set a boundary, release something or let go? Perhaps you need to take an action step, be more intentional or create a new habit to support your safety in one of these categories. Listen to your intuition and let your still small voice be your guiding light.
Wherever you are in your expansion journey, my love, I hope you’ll commit to grounding, loving and nourishing your sweet, sweet soul. You are too precious not to take good care of. You deserve calm, nourishing, beautiful soul-aligned success as much as any other woman on this plan. Give yourself a safe and gorgeous space to experience this in. I promise you, you are worth it.
Ready to Bridge the Gap Between Soul and Strategy? ✨
If this post resonated deep in your bones, it’s a sign that you’re ready to stop the "panic-pivoting" and start leading from a place of grounded, intuitive power.. You’ve done the inner work, and now it’s time to bring that same level of intentionality to your business structure..
That’s exactly why I created the Slow Marketing Studio.
Designed specifically for Soul-Driven Entrepreneurs and Heart-Centered Leaders, the Academy is your sanctuary for merging spiritual wisdom with practical entrepreneurial growth.. Whether you are an Aspiring Innovator looking for a solid foundation or a Clarity-Seeking CEO ready to regulate your nervous system for your next big uplevel, we have a seat saved for you..
Inside the Academy, you’ll find:
Intuitive Strategy: Learn to use your inner guidance as your business compass..
Holistic Growth: Tools to expand your potential while honoring your values and vision..
Conscious Community: Surround yourself with a tribe of "Sparkling Hippies" who celebrate your evolution and hold space for your expansion..
Don't let a "biz 911" or a temporary plateau trick you into shrinking back.. It’s time to create a business that reflects your soul's purpose and honors your unique rhythm..
Join Slow Marketing Studio Today and let’s turn those "tests and triggers" into your most radiant success yet! ✨
Looking for more tools to track your evolution? Don't forget to grab your Sparkling Success Journal—the ultimate magnet for ambitious souls ready to shine brightly on their own terms..
