After 6 months with business mindset coach, Tracey Jazmin, I sat down to reflect on 6 pivotal lessons I learned from coaching and how it changed the way I live & run my business.

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You would probably agree with me that running a business can feel like a giant, never-ending to-do list. And after a few years in, I hit that point where I thought, “Okay… what now?” I had built a brand and web design studio I loved, but I knew I wanted more. More clarity, revenue, and time.

Instead of exhausting myself by running in circles, I decided to hire a business mindset coach.

I had followed Tracey Jazmin for years — from her days as a wedding photographer here in Ottawa to her evolution into a brand photographer and eventually, a business mindset coach! Something about her journey stuck with me. She felt real. Grounded. Generous with her knowledge. Like someone I could sit with for hours and talk about life, business, marketing, and… even plants. Her approach was a mix of business strategy, mindset work, spirituality, and neuroscience (aka the dream combo for someone like me who’s practical but also introspective).

When we started working together, I thought I knew what I needed: a checklist. Strategy. A push to scale. Maybe even hire a team or shift into agency mode. But what I got? Was so much deeper than a roadmap.

Lesson #1: What Success *Really* Meant To Me

One of the very first exercises we did together was envisioning my life a year into the future. I sat with that vision, not realizing just how much of it would actually come true. But more than that, it forced me to pause and ask myself: What does success really look like for me?

Going into coaching, I thought success looked like scaling into an agency, building a team, and working with bigger clients in a big, shiny studio. That’s what the next step was supposed to look like, right? Especially as a designer running a growing business… it felt like the obvious path.

But the more I reflected and untangled the “shoulds” from what I actually wanted, the more clear it became: that version of success wasn’t mine. It was inherited: passed down from traditional success markers, cultural expectations, and what I’d seen modeled growing up as the eldest daughter of Chinese immigrant parents.

When I gave myself the space (and permission) to redefine what success meant to me, here’s what I discovered ⤵️

Success, for me, looks like:

• Making enough to live a comfortable, spacious life that supports my needs and allows me to give back in meaningful ways (like my dream of one day building a library for a school).

• Having freedom and flexibility, such as being able to take time off on weekends, evenings, or any random Tuesday afternoon if I feel like it.

• Choosing who I want to work with, and creating work that feels aligned, not just transactional.

• Traveling whenever I want without guilt or needing to “earn it.”

• Having time for hobbies and passion projects
  
• Time. Space. Joy. That’s luxury to me.

Here are some questions to ask yourself redefining success:

1. How do I want my business to support my life, not the other way around?
2. What am I unwilling to sacrifice, even in the pursuit of growth?
3. If I already had “enough,” how would I spend my time and who would I help?
4. What do I want to be remembered for? By clients, loved ones, or even myself?

Lesson #2: Everything I Desired Was Already Within Me

When I first started coaching, I thought the problem was strategy. That I needed more: more information, more formulas, more tactics. But as we worked through things, I realized the only thing standing in my way… was me.

😅

I didn’t need another “0-10K blueprint” or “sales script template”. I needed to trust myself more.

So many of the blocks I had around showing up, creating content, expanding were tied to old beliefs and conditioning. Traces of childhood memories, perfectionism, fear of judgment, and being the “eldest daughter” who had to get everything right.

Working with a business mindset coach helped me strip back all the noise and pressure and start rebuilding from a place of self-trust, where the “right way” wasn’t someone else’s method, but the way that actually worked for me.

I realized there is no one-size-fits-all path to building a business. We all work differently. We all define success differently. And the more I leaned into that, the more clarity I found.

Lesson #3: How Infusing Rest + Fun + Play = Work

My days used to look like this: roll out of bed, make coffee, head straight to my desk, work for 10-12 hours (sometimes more), crash with Netflix, repeat. Weekends? Also for working 🙃

On the outside, things looked great. I was booked out, hitting quarterly goals, growing the business. But inside? I was creatively drained and emotionally disconnected from my work. I felt like a machine: productive, but totally uninspired.

One of the biggest shifts I made during coaching was giving myself full permission to rest. To play. To take breaks without guilt and trust that stepping away wouldn’t slow things down.

Spoiler: it didn’t. In fact, I was making just as much (if not more) while working fewer hours. Not in a lazy way—but in a more intentional, aligned way. The more joy and spaciousness I brought into my life, the more creative and impactful I became in my business.

Since working together, I’ve also started exploring hobbies just for fun. I took up pottery, watercoloring, baking bread, and reading again—all things I used to see as a “waste of money” because they didn’t directly generate revenue. But now? I see them as essential to who I am. I even built a morning routine I’m completely obsessed with! It’s slow, nourishing, and completely mine.

Lesson #4: Letting Go Of The How

I’ve always been a planner: a dot-every-i, cross-every-t kind of person. (Former wedding and event planner here—so yeah, planning is in my DNA.) I like knowing exactly what’s next. But during our sessions, Tracey gently encouraged me to loosen my grip on the how.

• How people would perceive my work.
• How offers would land.
• How I would grow, expand, evolve.

Instead of trying to control every outcome, I was invited to just create. To trust the process. To lead with curiosity rather than control.

That shift, from forcing to flowing, began to help me show up more authentically online, create offers that actually lit me up, and stop comparing my journey to everyone else’s.

When we let go of how it’s “supposed” to look, we can make space for how it actually wants to unfold.

Related Post: How To Invest In Yourself As A Business Owner

Lesson #5: My External IS A Reflection Of My Internal World

This one hit hard.

At one point during coaching, Tracey reflected something back to me that I hadn’t realized before: the things I believed about myself (about my worth, capacity, voice) were directly shaping my business.

• If I believed I had to prove myself? I overworked.
• If I didn’t trust my voice? I stayed silent.
• If I feared being judged? I kept myself small.

Once I saw that pattern, I started asking different questions. Instead of “What should I be doing?” I asked, “What do I believe about myself right now?” And that’s when the deeper work began through journaling, nervous system regulation, mindset work.

One thing I’ve come to realize is that mindset work isn’t a one-and-done kind of thing. It’s an ever-growing journey. There are still moments where I catch myself falling back into old thought patterns or doubting myself but now I’m able to recognize it, pause, and shift with more compassion and clarity. That level of self-awareness has not only impacted how I run my business, it’s also improved how I show up in my personal life and relationships.

Lesson #6: Embody Being A Human

This sounds obvious… but what I realized was that we don’t need to be a polished, perfect, know-it-all version of ourselves in order to lead a successful business.

What people connect with most? Our humanness, quirks, and values. Our voice. The way we see the world.

For a long time, I thought I had to “show up” a certain way to be taken seriously, especially in the branding space. But working with a coach reminded me that the most magnetic version of me… is just me. The person behind the screen. The one who takes long nature walks when stuck, binge-reads romcom novels, loves watercoloring on a Sunday afternoon, and finds joy in everyday rituals.

And guess what? We’re not as boring as we think we are.

That realization led me to want to build a more of a personal brand, one that reflects who I really am and not just what I do. And now, it’s becoming a huge part of the work I want to do with clients: helping them build brands that blend business and life.

Because the most sustainable brand we can build is the one rooted in who we already are.

What I’d Tell You If You’re Considering Business Coaching

If you’re thinking about working with a business mindset coach, here’s what I’ll say: it’s one of the most transformative investments I’ve ever made in myself and my business but it’s also not a magic wand.

A coach won’t build your business for you. They won’t hand you a perfect strategy tied up in a bow. What a great coach will do is reflect things back to you, help you stretch your perspective, and support you in stepping into the next version of yourself.

But you’ve got to be ready to do the work.

Before you dive in, here are some questions to ask yourself and the coach you’re considering:

⭐️ Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. Why am I really seeking support right now? Is it clarity? Confidence? Strategy? Mindset? Something deeper?
2. Am I willing to be honest with myself and face the uncomfortable stuff?
3. Can I make space in my schedule — not just for sessions, but for integration and reflection?
4. Do I have the emotional and mental bandwidth to do this work right now? (Because mindset coaching is powerful but it can be confronting.)

⭐️ Questions to Ask a Potential Coach:

1. What’s your approach or philosophy when it comes to coaching?
2. Do you have any coaching credentials that you hold?
3. What are your areas of expertise as a coach?
4. What’s expected of me as a client in this space?
5. What does success look like in your container and how do your clients typically grow?

And here are a few tips I’d share from experience:

• Come in with an open mind: You may uncover things you didn’t expect, about your patterns, your beliefs, your inner blocks, and that’s a good thing.
  
• Be willing to check your ego at the door: There is most likely some unlearning to do. You can’t shift what you don’t acknowledge.
  
• Make the time: Growth doesn’t happen in a 60-minute Zoom call once a week! It happens in the days between when you’re implementing, reflecting, stretching.
  
• Be patient: This isn’t about quick wins. It’s about building a business (and life) that actually feels good to live inside of 🙂
  
• Don’t expect your coach to give you all the answers: The best coaches ask the right questions. They guide you back to your truth, not their “formula”.

If you’re on the fence about working with a business coach, I hope this gave you an honest glimpse into what it can really look like. It’s not always about fast wins or big launches (though those might happen too). It’s about learning to trust yourself again, getting out of your own way, and building a business that actually feels good to run.

And if you’re someone running a small, boutique design studio like me, or you’re simply curious about coaching with Tracey, I’m always happy to share more about my experience. Feel free to send me a DM on Instagram or reach out via email.

You don’t have to build your dream business alone 🖤