For the last few weeks I have been launching EXPAND, our comprehensive business training program, to a segment of my email list. I kicked it off with a 3-day live event that was an absolute blast and received rave reviews from live and replay attendees alike. But in the days that followed, I came upon a familiar feeling. One that arises pretty much any time that I set a goal. Apathy. If I was the Carly of a few years ago, I would start thinking something was wrong. I’d think that maybe I didn’t really want to bring people into this program (that I’ve been developing and refining for the better part of 3 years now and absolutely adore running). Or that I have mindset issues that need to be resolved. Or that obviously since I couldn’t “hold the energy” I was going to fail and nothing good was going to come through. But this time as the apathy seeped into my being, I was able to greet it with a warm hug. For this is the part of me that is afraid of being hurt or disappointed, and therefore it was doing what it has been taught to do in order to protect me from such “scary” feelings and experiences. The logic goes: If I completely disengage from the goal and disconnect from my desires, then I won’t be able to feel the pain of disappointment. It makes sense in theory, but in practice, much like many other self-protective responses, it actually ends up contributing to the exact outcome it is afraid of. Because if I disengage from the goal, then I’m not going to take action to achieve the goal. If I disconnect from my desires, then I won’t be motivated to look for and take hold of opportunity and insight. I hugged my apathy tight, and told it I see you. I shared with it that I was grateful for what it was trying to do. And then I asked if it would let me, my adult present day self, take the wheel—maybe it’d like to go play in the field with the butterflies and flowers (my sacred space in my inner world) instead? She ran off with glee (she didn’t want to be carrying the weight of seeing me and this launch succeed). In todays’ episode of The Sustainable Success Podcast, I’m sharing how I cultivate my capacity to hold tightly (not suffocatingly) onto the things that I actually DO desire to hold onto. Instead of letting them go out of fear of not receiving or experiencing them. Tune in today wherever you listen to podcasts to episode 012. Cultivating Expanded Capacity for Resilience, Resoluteness, and Recommitment.

Do you ever wonder what is your responsibility and what is your client’s responsibility when it comes to ensuring their success? Behind closed doors, I have had this conversation so many times, and now I want to share my insights. Join me as I share my thoughts on: Creating Conditions for Client Success (3:32)Emphasizing the importance of finding the "right fit client" who is already successful in their own right. Transforming clients through physiological readiness for lasting change. 2. Trusting Clients and Balancing Responsibilities (14:38) A case study on trusting a client's decision, leading to sustainable success. Balancing business owner responsibilities with client success while fostering passion in work. 3. Lowering My Program Price While Increasing Accountability (20:37) Plans to reduce my program price while maintaining quality. What made me come to this decision and how it ties to ensuring client success. If you ever wondered how to balance the scales that are oh so delicate, this episode really gets into the heart of it. “As we navigate the complexities of business, remember: Perfection may be unattainable, but progress is always within reach. Trust the journey, embrace responsibility, and let self-trust be your guiding star." Carly Jo Bell, The Sustainable Success Podcast, S6 E5

Launching is one of those strategies in business that people often feel like they HAVE to do in order to be successful at generating leads for their work. But just like all STRATEGIES, that simply isn’t true. And the reality is: even if you create some amazing launch with a 3 day challenge people are SO excited about and sales emails that sound SO good—without the foundations underneath this strategy, it’s very hard to make even the most “tried and true” launch strategy actually reliably work for YOU. In today’s episode of The Sustainable Success Podcast, I’m going deep into exactly what makes a launch successful (or not), and it’s NOT: the number of emails you send (tactic), the type of conversion event you run (strategy), the length of your pitch (strategy), or any of those other things that so many of the launch plans you’ll find online focus on. It’s the FOUNDATIONS (there are three of them) underneath the strategies and tactics being built within the correct-for-your-business context. I’ll show you exactly what I mean in Episode 010 of The Sustainable Success Podcast, Strategy du Jour: Launching (and the foundations you need first!).

Look around the online business world and you’ll see that most people are un/consciously defining “success” as “making the most amount of money, in the least amount of time, doing the least amount of work.” I remember the early days of my business, thinking that there was something wrong with me since I didn’t make “6 figures in 6 months.” I mean, heck, I barely even made 5 figures in my first 12 months (I ended the year having made about $14k…and yes, that was working full time in my business). Thankfully by the time that I was hearing messages about how you can “build a million dollar business in 3 years” — and my third year in business was “only” my first 6-figure year — I had begun extricating myself from the pervasive online business culture that I now call Speedy Success, and was able to truly celebrate and appreciate the long-worked-for 6-figure accomplishment. As I look back now with the benefit of 5 years experience at the helm of WholeCo, I honestly have so much gratitude for the fact that my growth has been, by many definitions, slow. Because the truth is, if I had risen to meteoric success like I thought I “should” be able to in those first couple years of business, I’m almost certain that I would have ended up burning out, breaking down, and very likely also deciding to burn everything down. My slow growth has been a gift. And in today’s episode of The Sustainable Success Podcast, I invite you to relish in the generosity, expansiveness, and beauty of “slow” growth as I share some of the benefits I’ve found in growing more “slowly” than is so often sold as the “goal pace” in this online industry. Tune in today to episode 009 - The Benefits of Slow Growth in Your Online Business. (If you’ve already listened, I’d love to hear your answer to that question I ask at the end 😉)

If you’re thinking about making an annual plan for your business, I’ll probably recommend that you don’t. Of course, I love me some nuance, so here’s what I mean: If you have NOT… Already done most everything that you want to do over this next year at least once—if not several times—and, for the most part, you know what to expect, AND Know that (pretty much) every single thing you want to do over this next year is, for the most part, already in the form/at that you want it to be in …then annual planning is more than likely NOT something worth investing your time and energy in right now. (And that’s a great thing!) Which means: for MOST of our clients here at WholeCo, annual planning makes absolutely no sense. I share why in this episode of The Sustainable Success Podcast—episode 008 Permission slip to skip annual planning—as well as the 3 things I recommend you do instead. When I’ve had this conversation with clients, they consistently walk away feeling SO MUCH FREER to just run their business as they want to, without being burdened by the weight of a big ol’ plan. I want that for you, too. Which is why I invite you to tune in today to this conversation.

I was in tears as I planned out todays episode of The Sustainable Success Podcast. Mostly because when I look back at this past year and see, really see, just how difficult it was, I can’t help but be so proud of my 1-year-younger self who moved through this year and handled each and every one of these things to the absolute best of her ability. There were so many moments throughout this past year that I questioned why everything was so hard. There were so many moments where I asked myself or a select few people close to me why the heck YET ANOTHER HARD THING was happening. There were so many moments where I could have chosen to give up. To throw in the towel. To just collapse under the weight of feelings of powerlessness to change the myriad of difficult situations I found myself in. And you know what I did instead? I kept going. Not in a “grin and bear it” way. Heck no. I was too exhausted for the pretenses that would require. But rather in a way that continually allowed me to honor the business—and the life—that I had right then, and then, and then, and then, and in every single moment. (Instead of doing what my angsty teenager self wanted, which was just to “be there already” and for it to “just be easy, FINALLY”) I share my practice for honoring the business you have today in this episode. The practice that I’ve used again, and again, and again throughout this past really-freaking-tough year. As you think about the year that’s ahead…just a few days away if you’re reading this when this episode first came out…a time that is SO filled with thinking about “where you want to be” and “what you want to create,” I invite you to begin by honoring the business you currently have. Tune in to episode 007 (the James Bond episode? lol) of The Sustainable Success Podcast today. I truly believe you’re in for a treat with this one 💛 Thanks for listening.

Manifest your way to success… Just kidding, this is NOT that episode. We going to look at the logistics between goal setting and how it can really shape the way you think and act. Join me in Episode 006 as I emphasize the crucial role of self-trust and foundational work in building a sustainable online business, exploring the nuanced aspects of goal setting and its impact on personal identity. In this episode I will be sharing: 1. Personalized Approach to Goal Setting (1:19) o Embark on my unique rebranding journey, where I set unconventional financial targets and track progress creatively. o I challenge the traditional approach to financial goals, inviting your input in our Facebook group. 2. Balancing Focus, Self-Worth, and Goal-Setting (7:48) o Discover how goals act as a compass for my focus and direction, preventing aimlessness. o Learn from my cautionary tale about not tying success solely to goal achievement, emphasizing the importance of the journey. 3. Prioritizing My Goals for Growth (15:04) o Understand how I align monthly financial goals with long-term objectives to ensure sustainable actions. o Explore my holistic approach to goal-setting, incorporating my personal values and inspiration. If you tired of relying on magic and are looking to nurture your way to sustainability while focusing on progress of perfection, this episode will really provide you with a lot of value. "As we navigate the twists and turns of our business journey, remember: Goals are not the destination but stepping stones, and every setback is an opportunity for growth. Embrace the process, trust yourself, and let your journey define your worth." - Carly Jo Bell, The Sustainable Success Podcast, Episode 006

At the beginning of December 2022 my audience size was about 600 people. I had 600 people in my Facebook group and less than 400 on my email list. Through one bundle that month, I grew my audience to about 2,500 people. In fact, I grew my audience by way more than that, but 2,500 people is the number that have since stayed on my list for the next year. Just a few months prior I had wrapped up 4 years in business. 4 years in business, a 6-figure and a multi-6-figure year…all with an audience of less than 600 people. And during that time, I put basically NO energy into growing my audience — because from where I stood, not only did I not need to (my business was doing just fine), I also knew that I wasn’t ready to. But when I submit to this bundle, which I knew would have a large impact on my audience size, I did so because I knew I was READY. Or rather, I knew my business was now ready to expand beyond our small audience and bring our message to even more people. So much of the online business world speaks about audience size as though it’s what defines your ability to be successful in business. Of course, yes, absolutely, getting more eyes on your offers can absolutely contribute to expansive success. But that’s the difference: it can contribute, it does not create. And if you want to create success in your business, you need to have the foundations in place first — and THEN grow your audience to “pour fuel on the flames” of what’s already working. Essentially: growing your audience is not how you solve not making sales. (Unless, of course, you have literally ZERO audience. But even with a dozen people in your audience, if they are the right people, you can make sales.) Today on The Sustainable Success Podcast, I’m sharing how to know when you are ready to prioritize growing your audience. Because friends, we’ve already got enough shoulds, shiny objects, and strategies du jour to deal with — the last thing we need is to add the shiny object of “audience growth” to our lengthy to do lists when that’s not going to ultimately be productive and lead you toward your business goals. Tune in now!

How much should you charge for your services? How much time should you leave between coaching sessions? Should you market on Instagram or LinkedIn? Do you need to start a membership? Is now the time to start networking? Square or Stripe for payment processing? Convertkit or Flodesk for email? Running a business is full of a LOT of decisions. You know this, I know this. I don’t need to convince you of this. But over the last 5 years, I’ve begun to notice something really peculiar: as I’ve become more and more vocal about how there are no “right” decisions, there are only “right for you” decisions, the very idea of there being a “right for you” decision has become a bit of a stumbling block for some of my clients and community — “because how do I know what the right decision is for me?!” That’s why I recorded today’s episode of The Sustainable Success Podcast. Episode 004 - How to make the right-for-you decisions in business (& life!) In this episode I share: How to determine if this is even a decision you need to be making right now (or if you’re making this decision as a distraction from doing something that you TRULY need to be doing) My favorite way for making seemingly impossible decisions feel so much simpler (seriously, I use this in every area of my life, even beyond my business) How to cultivate self-trust through the process of making (and sticking with) decisions Tune in today.

The pursuit of money or the pursuit of happiness? Are they the same? Join us as we delve into the heart of the matter: finding that consistent thread of motivation that fuels every step, and how my five-year journey ignited a profound revelation about the role of money in our pursuits. When Money Isn't Everything (1:56) Ah, the allure of money. It's a powerful motivator, but is there a point where it loses its grip? We explore the intriguing idea that even though money is a common motivator, there comes a time when it takes a back seat to something even more potent. My realization that loving my work became my primary driver offers a unique perspective on finding resilience in challenging times. The Key to Sustainable Success (6:09) Imagine a life where success means getting paid handsomely for doing what I adore, in the way I prefer, with my chosen collaborators. This dreamy concept is my definition of sustainable success. We dissect the three vital keys that unlock this treasure trove of accomplishment, with the cornerstone being none other than doing what I truly love. The Journey Within Your Genius Zone (10:51) Our journey leads us to explore the four quadrants of work: incompetence, competence, excellence, and genius. As we focus on the latter two, we uncover the magic that happens when I tap into my genius zone and do work that resonates deeply. Carly's inspiring story underscores the importance of threading that consistent motivation, aligning passion with reality. Stepping into the zone of work I adore isn't an all-or-nothing deal; it's a journey, a spectrum. We unravel the stories of expanders who are courageously tipping the scales toward their passions and ambitions, reminding us that doing work you love is a transformative experience. “I do think we all kind of have that, yes, I need to make money. And so that is a motivating factor. But there is a point that I've seen other business owners run into, where money stops being a motivating factor.” - Carly Jo Bell, The Sustainable Success Podcast Episode 003