EP113: The 5 Capacities That Make or Break Your Next Move

Before you say yes to the next big opportunity, ask yourself: do I have the capacity to follow through? In this episode, I share the 5 critical capacity buckets every high-achieving woman must evaluate before committing to a decision and building success on her own TERMS — time, energy, resources, money, and support. I walk you through how skipping even one of these can turn bold moves into performative burnout. You’ll also hear about two powerful bonus capacities — cognitive and strategic — that reveal why you may still feel stuck even when everything looks “right” on paper.

This is your no-fluff, pragmatic guide to making clear, aligned, sustainable decisions in life and business on your own TERMS.

Chapters

• 0:00 Business Blasphemy Introduction
• 2:07 Capacity: The Self-Sabotage Pattern
• 3:47 TERMS: Time and Energy
• 6:57 Resources and Money Capacities
• 10:27 Support and Bonus Capacities
• 16:47 Strategic Growth Reset Offer

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:30

Welcome to the Business Blasphemy Podcast, where we question the sacred truths of the online business space and the reverence with which they're held. I'm your host, sarah Khan, speaker, strategic consultant and BS busting badass. Join me each week as we challenge the norms, trends and overall bullshit status quo of entrepreneurship to uncover what it really takes to build the business that you want to build in a way that honors you, your life and your vision for what's possible, and maybe piss off a few gurus along the way. So if you're ready to commit business blasphemy, let's do it. Hello, hello blasphemers, welcome back to Business Blasphemy, the podcast. Where we don't follow the rules, we rewrite them.

Speaker 1: 1:11

I am Sarah Kahn, your host. I'm here today to save you from one of the most common self-sabotage patterns I see in ambitious women. Okay, I thought this would be a really good episode to talk about capacity, particularly because, if you follow the podcast on a weekly basis, you will know I didn't publish an episode last week because I did not have the capacity, and this is a through line that I've, you know, seen in a lot of conversations that I've had with high-performing women over the years. You know we keep making decisions that leave us frustrated or depleted or feeling stuck, and it's a conversation that a lot of people tend to avoid. Do you actually have the capacity to follow through on what you're about to commit to? And, honestly, it's one of the most common self-sabotage patterns I see in ambitious women right, saying yes without checking to see if they have the actual capacity to follow through. Now, let's be clear. I'm not talking about mindset, I'm not talking about fear. I'm talking about reality, and reality has very little to do with desire or ambition or vibes. Reality is reality, right? We love to talk about big, bold moves and big goals, and the thing is, bold doesn't mean reckless, right? If you're investing your time, your energy, your money or anything else especially if you're already running a business or a household or a career or all three you better be damn sure you've checked your capacity first. Now, when most people talk about capacity, they're talking about energetic capacity, right? Do you have the energetic or emotional capacity to undertake something? I want to talk about five capacities that I have identified that I really feel you need to assess before you say yes to anything, whether it's a course or a mentor, or a new coach, or a new offer or a partnership or a career move, whatever it is. These are the five questions that really determine whether your yes is going to be powerful or whether it's going to put you in a performative state. So let's walk through them.

Speaker 1: 3:16

My acronym is TERMS T-E-R-M-S. The first one. The T stands for time. This is an obvious one. Do you actually have the time to show up for this? Not the fantasy version of your calendar, not the, you know, once things calm down or I'll make time for it. No, no, no, right now, in your real life, with your job or your business, your family, your obligations, do you have the hours available to take this on and do it well? Because if you're already drowning in time, this isn't a strategy. It's actually sabotage.

Speaker 1: 3:54

Time is not something that we can manufacture just because we desire it or because we want to. Time is finite, right? You either have the time or you do not. So you really need to ask yourself where is the time for this going to come from? Because the truth of the matter is, the reality of the matter is you're probably going to have to say no to something else in order for you to say yes to this. So now you have to look at the things you've already committed to? What are you willing to let go of or sacrifice or stop doing in order to make time for this? Because you can't overcommit yourself, right? What has to get deprioritized in order to get this done?

Speaker 1: 4:30

So time is your first capacity bucket, and this is a really important one, because if you don't have the physical time to do it, it doesn't matter if you have the rest of the capacities. It's not going to work or it's going to make you very stressed, overwhelmed, overcommitted, right, and that's what we do not want. The second capacity bucket, what we do not want the second capacity bucket, the E is for energy. Time means absolutely nothing if you are too depleted to use it. And remember you do also need to have time to rest, because you can't do anything well if you don't have time to rest. That's the bottom line. I'm not even going to sugarcoat that.

Speaker 1: 5:07

So when you're looking at your energy capacity, do you have the physical and mental stamina to take on this commitment? Energy, like time, is finite. You don't just get more energy because you want something badly enough, and it's not because you're lazy. You're fucking exhausted. And if you're not checking that, then you're setting yourself up to fail, and I don't like to use the word fail, but let's be completely honest with ourselves. If you're setting yourself up to fail and I don't like to use the word fail, but let's be completely honest with ourselves If you're trying to push through exhaustion, you're doing more damage to your health than I think a lot of us really want to admit. And like I heard someone say a long time ago, if you don't prioritize your health, you're going to have to prioritize your illness, and that is not something we want.

Speaker 1: 5:51

So ask yourself am I energized enough to do this well? Because if you can't do it well, there's no point in really doing it. And I understand the rhetoric around done is better than perfect. We're not talking about perfection, but we really are. When we say doing it well, we are really talking about getting it done. If you don't have the energy to do that really talking about getting it done If you don't have the energy to do that, there's really no point in starting. So ask what's draining me right now, and not in a negative way, but what is actually draining my energy on a day-to-day basis? And can I really afford to add one more thing? So time and energy do go hand in hand.

Speaker 1: 6:30

The third capacity bucket, the R, is resources. Resources are everything that make your life work beyond time and money. So things like childcare, things like the technology or the admin support, things like quiet space to think and reset and recenter yourself, the actual infrastructure of your life needed to follow through on something. You might have the time and you might have the desire, but if you don't have the systems or the team or the tools to execute, it's not going to matter. It's still going to put you into overwhelm and that's what we're trying to avoid. So ask what needs to be in place for this to work smoothly. I don't know the ins and outs of your personal life, but this is something you need to think about. Do you have the resources to do this in a way that doesn't add more to your bucket, that doesn't add more to your overwhelm? And do I have that, or am I going to be scrambling the whole way through?

Speaker 1: 7:27

So I'm going to pause here and just remind you that you're listening to what I'm hoping is a reality check, because I think a lot of us need it, especially if you're a woman who has been historically very ambitious, very driven, very high, achieving. It is really hard to acknowledge our humanness. And that is what I really want you to do this week Acknowledge your humanness. You are not weak, really want you to do this week. Acknowledge your humanness. You are not weak, you are not a failure. Just because you acknowledge the fact that you're human, you're actually doing yourself a service, a big service, by acknowledging your humanity and acknowledging the fact that you cannot do everything, nor do you need to, nor should you. All right, that was my PSA.

Speaker 1: 8:10

Moving on on capacity bucket number four money. Let's talk about it. Not can I afford it? Okay, but can I afford this right now, without resentment, without pressure and without guilt? So this isn't one of those things like can I just put it on a credit card, but do I have the money to actually do this without panicking and feeling stressed every month when that bill comes in? Do you have what you need financially to say yes without setting yourself up for overwhelm and stress? If you say yes and then you can't pay your bills or you're so financially stressed that you show up with fear and scarcity, you're not going to get what you came for and you're going to be in survival mode, and I've seen this so often in coaching programs and certification courses and really any kind of investment where people invest from that space of it's got to work. If this doesn't work, I'm screwed right. And then you're so focused on the actual investment that you're not focusing on how to leverage what you've actually invested in. So is this an aligned investment or am I spending to fix a deeper problem, like, am I betting on this because I believe in it or am I betting on it because I'm desperate for relief or a solution? Those are two very different ways to come at it, particularly if you are somebody who is very cognizant of their energy.

Speaker 1: 9:45

And then the final bucket is S for support. This one actually gets overlooked a hell of a lot, especially by high-functioning women who are used to doing it all alone. Let me be very clear with you you need support, not after things fall apart, but before you commit to something, whether that is emotional support, practical support or strategic support. The people in your corner who help you stay grounded and focused and well-resourced that's the support you need. So who is going to hold you up while you do this? And if no one comes to mind, then you have to ask are you ready to do this anyway? Not all of us have the privilege of a support system. If you do, then you need to ask where it's going to be required to support you.

Speaker 1: 10:42

Let me give you an example of this. If you're taking, let's say, a coaching course or a coaching program and they're meeting in the evening which I'm seeing more and more of because, let's be honest, our days are very overcommitted Do you have someone to watch your child in the evening, because most of us don't have childcare in the evening? Do you have someone who can make sure the kids are fed and watered, while you're spending an hour or 90 minutes or whatever on an evening, once a week or twice a week, to do the thing? Because if you don't have that, it's going to be very challenging and stressful for you, and I'm saying this from experience. Okay, if you're taking a job across the city, do you have someone who can support you in picking up your kid if you have to stay late one day, right, and you don't have childcare?

Speaker 1: 11:30

And I know that I'm using kids as an example, not everybody who's listening has children, but there are other things that you're committed to. Maybe you have pets at home. I know I have a friend who has two dogs and she doesn't always have the capacity to be working somewhere that's going to require her to be there all day, because she needs someone who's going to be able to look after her pets. And, you know, maybe financially she doesn't have the capacity to put the pets in a kennel during the day or have someone come and watch them during the day, like that's also important, right, there are a lot of? And again, like I can't speak to your specific circumstance, I can only speak to my experience and the experiences that I have of friends who have talked to me about their experiences. So you need to look at your individual, specific, unique circumstance and ask yourself the questions Do I have the time to do this, to commit to this fully, not just now, but like the entire length of whatever commitment this is?

Speaker 1: 12:25

Do you have the energetic capacity, the physical and mental stamina to take this on? Do you have the resources, physical and mental stamina, to take this on? Do you have the resources, whether it's child care, technology, admin, whatever Do you have what needs to be in place for this to work smoothly? Or are you going to be winging it? Because, believe me, winging it is not as sexy as people make it out to be. Do you have the money? Can you afford this right now, without resentment or pressure or guilt or that desperation? Never invest from that place of desperation. And then, do you have the support? Who's going to hold you up? No-transcript.

Speaker 1: 13:02

So those are the five capacities that I've identified that are super, super important to check in on your time, your energy, your resources, your money and your support. They are not obstacles, they are not excuses, they are your reality check. Look after my kids at home after hours, like after school, was somehow me not wanting to commit to something, but I didn't have the resources or the support for someone else to take care of that. I couldn't commit to evening classes because I didn't have that capacity right. My partner was working opposite hours to me, so it didn't work. We're in a different position now, but at that time it wasn't possible.

Speaker 1: 13:50

Don't let people make you feel like your capacity is somehow an excuse. It is not, because if even one of them is out of alignment, your decision has to change. You either need to pause, you need to rework the plan, or you need to say no altogether. That is not quitting, that is not being weak. That is leadership. So here is the real question, right, the one that you can probably ask above all else Are you making decisions from clarity or from compulsion? Because if it's compulsion, no amount of investment is going to get you what you think you're buying. And you know, I say this with love and a little bit of a butt kick. But if you've been throwing time and money and energy at things and still feeling like you're spinning, then start here. Audit your capacity, audit your time, your energy, your resources, your money and your support. That's how you stop recycling the same decisions and finally build something that is actually sustainable.

Speaker 1: 14:51

Now, because you've listened this far, I'm going to give you very quick bonus capacities to think about Cognitive capacity. This is about mental bandwidth. Are you mentally in a place where you can think clearly, make decisions, process information and really integrate what you're learning or doing? Because if your mind is cluttered with 57 open loops and unprocessed trauma and all the constant mental load of managing everybody else's needs, then, no, your cognitive capacity is probably shot and no, throwing yourself into another course or program is not going to fix that. So do you have the space to think and process right now, or are you just collecting information that you're never going to use again.

Speaker 1: 15:27

And then there's strategic capacity. This is the other bonus one, and this one's a real difference maker. Strategic capacity is your ability to discern whether doing this is actually going to move you closer to the life or business that you want, or whether you're doing this because you're scared or bored or trying to catch up to someone else's version of success. Because without strategic capacity, you're making reactive decisions, you're chasing shiny objects and you're getting stuck in loops. So the question to ask here is is this aligned with my long-term goals or is this just a distraction I need, dressed up as an opportunity Because you're not willing to face the reality? Look, you don't need more hustle. You need a very clear, aligned plan and the actual capacity to make it happen. So if that's something you need help with, drop me a line.

Speaker 1: 16:20

I do a strategic growth reset. It's 90 minutes. We can evaluate all of your capacities and put together a plan that helps you see how you can get to your goals in a realistic manner. And the strategic growth reset comes with a tool that I have personally created that looks at all of the necessary pillars of growing your business and helps you assign time spent to each of those pillars on a weekly basis, depending on how much time you have each week. It's a business time optimizer calculator that I created and that's part of it's an exclusive part of the strategic growth reset. So if that's of interest, head to the show notes and let's have a conversation.

Speaker 1: 17:03

All right, that is the hard truth for today. Share this with the friend who keeps buying $3,000 programs. She never finishes. You know the one. And if this episode gave you clarity, I would really appreciate it if you'd go ahead and leave a review or send me a message using the link in the show notes. I'd love to hear what clicked for you. All right, like I always say, you can have success without the BS, but sometimes you got to burn it down and rebuild it better. I'll talk to you next week. That's it for this week. Thanks for listening to the Business Blasphemy Podcast. We'll be back next week with a new episode, but in the meantime, help a sister out by subscribing and if you're feeling extra sassy rating this podcast, and don't forget to share the podcast with others head over to businessblasphemypodcastcom to connect with us and learn more. Thanks for listening and remember you can have success without the BS.