Women of Worth

Redefining success: dance with life, lead with overflow, and let validation go

• Claire Fealy

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Ready to run your biz alignment, not adrenaline, and redefine success to create a business that feels light and a life that feels worth waking up for. Take your days from from stress-ful to stress FREE? 

Today we pull back the curtain on the shift from running a business on adrenaline to leading with alignment—and why that pivot changes everything for women CEOs who want impact without the burnout. 

We get honest about survival-mode tells: constant urgency, blurred boundaries, identity fused with work, and the hidden addiction to external validation. Then we reframe success through a more generous lens: life as a dance, not a destination, where joy, growth, and overflow fuel your leadership.

We walk through the three pillars of a thriving CEO. First, an abundance mindset built through daily rituals that retrain your brain and body for trust, gratitude, and self-validation—so performance flows from peace, not panic. 

Second, an aligned strategy that serves your current calling, not yesterday’s autopilot, making space for the audience you’re here to lead now and the offers that truly light you up. 

Third, automated systems that run your business on rhythm instead of stress, from focused morning routines and content repurposing to “Finance Friday” and end‑of‑day wins, freeing your creative energy for the work that moves the needle.

Expect practical insights, compassionate truth, and a permission slip to choose ease over urgency. If you’re ready to breathe again—to build a business that feels light and a life that’s expansive—this conversation gives you the language, the filters, and the first steps. 

Episode highlights

• redefining success as not wealth, but a life worth waking up for
• life as a dance versus a destination
• the trap of goal obsession and validation addiction
• signs you're stuck on survival‑mode
• the three pillars to thrive: abundance, alignment, automation

If this is speaking to your soul and you feel excited to expand into thriving, book your free strategy session with me. Drop me a DM on Instagram with “Thrive”, linked here, or apply directly here. 

If this resonated, share it with someone who needs it, and subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s deep dive on abundance mindset. 

Your only goal in life is to enjoy it—and everything you need to thrive is already inside you.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the women of this. I am your host carefully picture of mindset and confidence code. This comes as all the stuff. Because the only person that gets to decide your work is you. Hello, and welcome back to this week's episode of the Women of Worth podcast. And welcome to the new era. If you missed last week's podcast, I explained the pivot that I'm making in my business and how I am feeling called to serve CEOs, women in business who are here to make an impact. And yeah, I'm not going to go over all of the reasons again. So go back and listen to the last episode if you missed it. But what I've come to realize is this is my biggest personal transformation. How I went from running a business on adrenaline to running a business in alignment. And I'm going to go over that in today's episode: like what it looks like running your business in survival mode, running your business on adrenaline. And then I'm going to talk on what it's like to live, like run your business on alignment and how to thrive as a CEO. I know that I am here to help impact-driven women get out of overwhelm and feel like the most confident, badass CEO ever, and help them to build businesses that feel light. Like businesses where you can breathe again. That's what I feel like the clients I've worked with that have had this transformation, it's like they can breathe again. One of them said, I've finally given myself permission to live stress-free. Um, and it is that build not just a business, but a life that feels light, that feels expansive, and that feels enjoyable. I'm always saying your only goal in life is to enjoy it. Taking your days from stress full to stress free and living a life that is worth waking up to and that you can't wait to wake up to. The thing is, when you thrive, your business thrives. It starts with you. And I've been doing a lot of like realigning over the last even few months, but even last few days, I've really been doubling down on what success means to me and what happiness means to me. And I was doing a lot of research on like people who have achieved, you know, they've gotten to the heights of success and how they actually define success. And I'm gonna share some of the versions with you because they have just given me life this week, like absolute life. And it's that success is creating a life where all parts of your day are worth waking up for. So I thought that like if I had a really successful business, a thriving business, that that would be a life worth waking up for. It's and I really, really realized it's having morning rituals that are worth waking up for. It's, and this was another definition that I got for it, it is that success is when you are as excited to go into work as you are to leave work. I thought that was so powerful. Where it's like um you're as excited to go into work. So the life that you have built outside of work is just as exciting, is just as enjoyable as, you know, and I've fallen into that trap. So many people do. When you do what you love, you think that that's enough to thrive. You think that that's enough to live an amazing life, and it's when all parts of your life, like I put life in three categories health, happiness, and helping others. And it's when you know, I got so obsessed with helping others and my business and building a successful business, but it's when all three are in balance your health, your helping others, and your happiness, right? Um, another definition that I absolutely loved, and I'm reading these every morning to just keep that energy up and the frequency flowing, but it's that life is a dance and that it's not a journey from A to B, right? So, say I set a goal and I need to, you know, I have six-figure business and I need to just get there. I'm at A and I want to be at B, right? And we're so used to thinking of life in linear mode, like that life is getting from A to B, right? But when you see life as a dance, that life is not like a destination, it's a dance, right? We're all like we'll all end up at the same destination, six feet under, right? Like we're all headed to the same place. Um, but it's when you see life as a dance, and that your only goal is to enjoy the dance, get better at dancing every day, and invite others in to enjoy you in the dance. That's exactly what I'm doing right now with this podcast. I am enjoying the dance, I'm enjoying creating this, I'm enjoying having this conversation with you, even though it's a one-sided conversation, it's a monologue, but I'm enjoying it. I'm picturing you in front of me, right? Um I am enjoying the dance of creating this podcast. Every day I am getting better at what I do. I'm getting better at dancing, right? And I'm inviting you in to enjoy the dance with me. How flipping powerful is that? It's getting out of destination consciousness, like where we're obsessing over destination. And I was listening to one of my favorite spiritual teachers, is Michael Singer. He wrote the book, The Untethered Soul. And I was listening to him last night about shifting out of the goals mindset. We are so wired for goals from when we go to school, like the goal is the next test, you know, the junior cert, the leave-in cert, college, um, a house. Like we're so goals driven, right? And especially when you run a business, it's all about your targets, your goals, all of this, right? And that's what's making us so miserable. Like that's what makes us so anxious and depressed because the present moment is never enough. We're never happy here. We need to get there. Like, stress is being here but wanting to be somewhere else, right? But when we see life as growth rather than goals, and goals are like they create growth, but when we obsess over the destination, we forget to enjoy the dance, we forget to like soak up. There's so much joy in your day when you are focused on growth and gratitude and giving from your overflow, right? So I just thought I'd share the shifts that I've been making from, you know, just redefining success for myself, redefining, you know, what happiness is, what like, yeah, thriving actually is. So I'm going to share with you when business owners come to me and they're running their business in survival mode. I'm going to share what that sounds like because I know that if you're in that place, that this will be such a relief for you of like, oh my God, this is not just me. And it is so especially with women. As women, we are constantly like we are conditioned and wired to be over-responsible for others and under-responsible for ourselves, right? So when women come to me, this is what they say. Your business is like a toxic relationship. Like when it's going great, life is great. When it like when shit hits the fan, it's like every part of your life is affected by your business. And what they describe it as is like it's all you talk about. Like your business is just full of problems. So if you've ever been in a toxic relationship, this analogy fits. Like you can relate to this, right? Like your business is just all you think about, it's all you talk about, it's problem after problem. And it's you don't know how to not go at such an intense pace because everyone wants a piece of you. So what I found with these women is they're so good at what they do, and that means that like they don't know how to set healthy boundaries, they don't know how to protect themselves, right? Um another woman said, like, I'm known for what I do. How do I give this up? And that's the problem. Like, I had that as well with my business, where you get such a hit of like what is it? You get such a hit of, like, you do get so much joy from like when you're really, really good at what you do, and you're like, I'm so good at this. Like, how do I set limits on this? How do I like this is all like you confuse who you are for what you do? Like you, you think that you are what you do, like you know, what I do is coaching, but who I am is clear. I am not what I do, right? And another woman said, like, you feel jealous of others who have more freedom. Like, you look at people who, and I, oh my god, I so relate to this with teaching. I would be so jealous of my teacher friends, where you know, they would be talking about their holidays, and it would just be like, Oh, I just need to go back to teaching. I just, yeah, I need to go back to teaching. Um, they would say that they feel content but exhausted, and it is that I love what I do, but I am exhausted. Another one said, I wish I felt as successful as how others see me. So people see the shiny outer success, and you hide the struggles and the stress behind a smile. You wish that you felt calm, confident, and peaceful. That's how people see you, but it's not how you feel on the inside. And another one said, I wish that I had less to do every day, that I enjoyed more of the things that I love without guilt. So it's this feeling that unless you are working constantly, that you can't be successful, that if you are not stressful, if you were not stressed enough, that you won't be successful. And that was me when I was living, when I was building my business in survival mode, and I was running on adrenaline and stress. It's like you're thinking about your business 24-7. Everything feels so frustrating. Like you get an email and you're just like, you've no capacity, you've no, like it's just everything feels like an emergency, everything feels like life or death. Um, I had such a fear of failing. I had so much to prove. I was running my business for validation, not my core values, who I am, what I care about, what I am here to do. And when you are living your life, running your business for validation, validation is an addiction. You actually become addicted to, oh my god, Claire, you're so amazing. Wow, you changed my life. Like you become addicted to that external validation. You have to give it to yourself. The more you validate yourself, the less addicted you are to the external validation, to the external outcomes, honestly. And then you give to others from this place of peace, from this place of overflow, from this place of joy and gratitude. Like I am so grateful that I get to share all of this with you on my podcast. I am not giving this to you to get praise or to get money or to get clients. I'm not doing that. I'm doing this because it feels so good, not because I lack anything. That is success. That is true. Like that's what success really is. Um, and I want to show you, I want you to not even show you, I want you to decide today that you are done building a business and living a life that is out of alignment and that is in survival mode. So for me, and this is helping you get out of it today and deciding today that you are done with that way of living. And what I find is that I do think building a successful business, it does take survival. Like you do go into fight or flight, you do go into your scrappy survival, right? That will only get you so far because that is not sustainable. You cannot run on caffeine and chaos for the rest of your life, right? And this is when women come to me, they realize and they recognize holy shit, this is not sustainable. I can keep doing this, right? So you're at that point where you know that the habits and the person that got you to this level of success is not the one that will get you to the next level of success. So for me, a thriving CEO, so not surviving, we are going from surviving life and surviving business to thriving. A thriving CEO has three things. Number one, an abundance mindset, right? So you need to rewire your mindset and not once, but daily. I have daily rituals where I am rewiring my brain and my body to trust the process, to trust that the universe always has my back. I am rewiring my brain and body for pure abundance, right? Like overflow. So it is getting your brain and body out of lack and scarcity and feeling safe, feeling relaxed, feeling like you could take on the world today. It starts like the thriving CEO, thriving starts in your mind. It starts with your beliefs. If you believe that there is never enough time, that you like are going to run out of money, that like if you're driven by fear, you will never feel free, you will never be at peace, at ease. So thriving starts in your mind. It starts with your rewiring your beliefs and getting out of lack and scarcity. Over the next few weeks, I'm gonna go deeper into these, but I just want you today to recognize the three things that you need to thrive, not just in business, but in life. The second one is an aligned strategy. You need a strategy that is aligned with your soul's purpose. This is what I have been doing over the last few months. I have been realigning. So instead of just showing up in my business and just sharing and giving and, you know, selling and like just do going on autopilot. So the opposite of alignment is autopilot. You are just going through the motions with no emotion, right? You are just like you're you're in survival mode. You're just wake up, eat, work, sleep, repeat, right? There's no joy in the journey. There's no like you're completely disconnected from your body. That's autopilot, that's adrenaline. When you come into alignment, like at the minute, I feel so aligned, so, so, so aligned with my soul's purpose. So, my strategy, my business strategy is aligned with my soul's purpose. It's aligned with what lights me up the most. And that is the big pivot that I've been making in my business. And not being afraid. Like I thought I had to do a big rebrand. I'd such a fear of leaving people behind, like abandoning the audience that like there, I'm like my business is nothing without my audience, right? But it's trusting. Like when you come into alignment, you trust, no, this is what I'm here to do. This is what my soul, like, this is my next level, this is what I'm being called into, right? And the last thing that a thriving CEO has is automated systems. My business runs on systems, not stress, right? I have daily systems, I have weekly systems, I have monthly systems, I have quarterly systems. My business runs on systems, not stress. So that I can have space in my day to strategize, to create, right? Systems set you free. The more you automate, the more space you have in your day. So, for example, I have a morning system. Like what I do in the morning, I reconnect with my vision, my mission. Um, like I've automated systems for the podcast, for repurposing content. I have automated systems for finances, um, like finances Friday, where I check in with my finances, I see what's working, what's not. I wrap up the week. Oh, one of my favorite systems, by the way, is my end-of-day celebration system, where I I write on, it's just a Google Doc. I write on my top three wins of the day mission, mastery, and money. So, as in what was the win? Like, how did I move the needle on my mission? So, my mission is creating a world without burnout, where women thrive in peace and purpose and power and do iconic things and build an income and an impact beyond their wildest dreams. Like, that is like I connect with that every morning and every evening I celebrate the small steps that I made towards that. So, my systems, that structure, it creates safety, it creates space, it is so bloody powerful. So, when you have the abundance, when you have the alignment, when you have the automation, your business is both sustainable and enjoyable. The most important thing, your only goal in life is to enjoy it. You feel confident, you feel relaxed, you feel happy, you lead with love and not lack. You are given from your overflow, not the depths of your well, right? And you are glowing, glowing, glowing with gratitude. Um, it is just it is so, so, so powerful. And that is like I've I've done so much alignment, I've done so much abundance work and automation in my business, and I know now, like now I have the capacity, now I have the space. I've been doing this. It's funny, like, because I didn't in my like business, I didn't speak to CEOs, but they found me, and that is a sign, like that is a sign, and their transformations were incredible. And this was before I'd even designed this or done anything on this, right? So this is your permission slip that you don't have to do business in survival mode, you get to thrive, not just in your business, but outside of your business. I am here to support you, to feel your best and most powerful self. I'm here to make this your living, breathing reality. If I can do this, anybody can. I'm coming from complex PTSD, raging ADHD. I swear if I can do this, anybody can. If this is speaking to your soul and you feel excited to expand into thriving, right? I want you to book your free strategy session with me. This is a 30-minute call where we get clear on your biggest mindset block, and I give you the strategy to get unstuck, and you leave the call with more clarity, more confidence, and more peace than you have ever felt before. I swear, people on strategy sessions they get to the end of the call and they're like, oh, whoa, I thought this was the problem. It's not. This is actually my real problem. And they realize that, like, yes, they are the problem, but they are also the solution, right? And it's like this, their shoulders relax. They're like, oh, they see the path forward. Like, I give them the three-step strategy. I'm like, okay, first thing you need to do, one, okay, got it. Second thing you need to do, two, okay, brilliant, have that. Third thing, right? You go off and you have that plan. If you want my support to put that plan into action, then we talk about working together. If you decide, Claire, yep, this is class, I got the clarity that I came to this call for, I got the strategy, I'm gonna go off and do this on my own. You are more than welcome to. This is zero obligation. Um, and it is that like I always do strategy calls from my overflow. My goal on the call is not to sign you as a client. My goal on the call is to give you a transformation, it's to like show you how possible this is in three easy steps, right? So I just want to clarify that if that is speaking to your soul, if you feel excited to expand, drop me a DM over on Instagram. You can write Thrive and I will share the next steps with you, or I will put the link in the show notes straight to apply for the strategy session. That is it for today. Just as a recap, a Thrive and CEO has three things: an abundance mindset, an aligned strategy, and automated systems. When you have those three things, thriving both inside and outside of your business is a walk in the park. I promise you. If you found today's episode helpful, I would be so grateful if you could share it with even one person. Bonus if you share it to your stories, and don't forget to tag me so that I can say thanks. Help me to help more women build a life and a business that is worth waking up to, that they can't wait to get up every morning and do iconic things and make the income and impact that they were born to make and that is beyond their wildest dreams. Thank you so much for joining me on today's podcast. And next week I will be going into the abundance mindset, everything you need to do for that. And I would love to know your takeaways. Message me, let me know. Um, let me know over on Instagram. You can drop me an email, claire.feely at gmail.com. And I will see you in next week's episode. Your only goal in life is to enjoy it. You are enough exactly as you are. Everything you need to thrive is already inside of you. I promise. See you next week.

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Claire Fealy

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