One Year Into the Leap
A year ago, on my 35th birthday, I decided that “someday” was now. I committed to building a business from the parts of work I’d always loved most: coaching, helping teams run better, and having real conversations that go deeper than small talk. That became TURTZED, the podcast, coaching, consulting, and courses. It sounded simple. In reality, it meant rebuilding my life from the ground up.
Starting With a Vision That Didn’t Exist Yet
When I left my old path, there were no clients, no episodes, no brand. I had to show up every day as if the business already existed. I knew I loved strategy and people development. I knew I wanted to speak and connect. The belief had to come before the proof.
Beating the 20 Episode Stat
Every article said 99 percent of podcasts don’t make it past episode 20. That number stuck. My first goal was just releasing one episode. Then it became 20, not for the statistic but to prove to myself that I could learn how to create something consistently, even when it was messy.
Finding a Brand While Still Finding Myself
Building TURTZED meant building a brand around me — while I was still figuring out who I was. I brought in a designer, a photographer, a copywriter. Trusting others felt risky, but every time I let go, the work got better. Letting experts do what they do didn’t erase my voice. It amplified it.
Telling My Story Out Loud
I knew I couldn’t ask guests to be honest if I wasn’t willing to go first. Those first episodes were my story, the parts my family hadn’t even heard. Speaking those truths was freeing and heavy. Therapy is one thing. Sharing publicly is another. Both changed me.
Learning Through Every Mistake
GarageBand crashes. Lost edits. Re-recording because I was crying too hard. Episodes cutting off early. Each problem taught me something. Old me would’ve seen every mistake as failure. Now I see them as reps, annoying, painful reps, but reps.
Investing Money, But Really Investing in Myself
Buying a full website instead of a simple page wasn’t about money. It was about asking, do I believe in myself enough to invest in myself? Saying yes changed everything. Each piece, the site, the branding, the first episodes, became a brick in the foundation.
Letting Go of Perfection and Letting In Rest
I promised myself I’d never miss a week. By episode nine, I got sick and physically couldn’t record. Missing that Wednesday felt like failure, but it taught me something bigger: if I don’t take care of myself, none of this works. Rest is part of the work.
Learning to Feel Proud
My whole life, I skipped past wins. This year, I tried something different. I let myself feel small moments of excitement, a first guest, a kind message from a listener, a small milestone. One morning, it all hit me at once. I cried. I felt proud. For the first time, I let myself feel what I’d built.
The Reminder I Hope You Carry
This year has been hard, slow, imperfect, honest, and one of the best of my life. If there’s anything I hope you take with you, it’s this: you’re allowed to want something different. You’re allowed to start small, to make mistakes, to ask for help, to invest in yourself before the proof shows up.
You don’t have to build a business. You just have to tell yourself the truth about what you want, take one step toward it, and learn as you go, one day, one episode, one decision at a time.
