28: Are You Building Your Business From Scarcity Without Realizing It?

What if the reason your business doesn’t feel expansive, magnetic, or aligned… has nothing to do with your strategy - and everything to do with trying to COMPETE.

In this episode, I break down the powerful shift from competition to creativity and why this is the real unlock behind magnetic personal brands, aligned success, and sustainable growth. 

We dive into:

✨ Why competition creates scarcity, anxiety, and disconnection from your intuition
 ✨ The truth about “zero-sum” thinking (and why it’s keeping you stuck)
 ✨ How stepping into creativity unlocks energy, ideas, and momentum
 ✨ Why the most successful women aren’t following a rulebook
 ✨ How to reconnect to your unique essence and build a brand from it
 ✨ The role of curiosity, desire, and intuition in business growth
 ✨ How to stop comparing, copying, and second-guessing your path

This episode will shift how you see business, success, and your own path.

Because you are not here to compete.
You are here to CREATE.

And the moment you step into that energy… everything changes.

Want to go deeper? Apply for The School of Expansion - www.gabriellemartorana.com/TSOE

Send me a DM & let me know you tuned into the episode, I would love to hear from you - www.instagram.com/expandwithgabrielle

Transcript

00:04 Hello, hello. Do you want to know the biggest way that I've seen women be able to create this business, this personal brand, this version of themselves that is so magnetic, so impactful and so inspiring?
00:22 It's actually through this process of stepping out of the energy of competition and into the energy of creativity. So let me break this down.
00:32 When you see someone on Instagram, or you have a mentor, what I like to call a high flyer. So there's someone in your vicinity that goes after their big audacious goals and makes it feel normal, that reaches these levels of success, and it feels standard.
00:50 That just their way of operating and being is a full-blown expansion of your reality of what you even knew was possible.
00:58 You know those type of people, I have seen person after person, woman after woman, and myself included, shift out of the energy of competition and into the energy of creativity.
01:12 And everything that I just described is a natural symptom that follows. So why is that so powerful? Because when you are in the energy of competition, which is how we were raised, by the way, we were race to believe that business is a zero-sum game that you need to always be fighting for and competing
01:31 against other people who are going to take something from you. It naturally creates this energy of lack of anxiety, of pressure, and it disconnects you from your intuition, from your creativity, and from creating links and connections between other seemingly disconnected aspects of yourself and aspects
01:58 of your interests that would make a very very unique experience because you're so focused on what we know to be business which is fighting for competing against strategic marketing, bro marketing, all of these things.
02:17 And so we're in this energy of competition. and we're in this energy that we have been taught means there's a zero-sum tie so let's say there's only a hundred pieces of business to go around and if you want to make more money you have to take some of those pieces from somebody else.
02:36 This is not true. We live in an expanding ever-expanding limitless universe where there is more than enough potential work and space for every individual on this earth if there wasn't, you wouldn't be here.
02:49 You are here for a specific reason. You have this specific combination of attributes, qualities, and sacred desires. That is the perfect combination for whatever it is that you're going to deliver.
03:02 And what your life purpose is, what your dreams are. And the funny thing is that not everybody wants what you want.
03:09 You might think they do, but they don't. I was in the impression for a long time that everybody wanted to travel.
03:15 I was obsessed with wanting to travel for a while in my life, all I wanted to do was be a digital nomad and see the world.
03:20 And I thought that's what everybody desired. And then I will never forget having this conversation with one of my very good friends Alibz and Montana.
03:28 And her telling me that her absolute dream is to own this piece of property up in the mountains with her husband and her kids and just bask in the beauty of that area of that terrain and be with her horses every day and watch the sunset from her porch and she never wanted to leave her home ever again
03:47 if she didn't have to and I could feel the sincerity in her voice and I can feel the sacredness in the vision that she was painting and that's when it really hit me that oh my gosh somehow we've been convinced that we all want the same things and we definitely don't because at that moment of time that
04:06 was basically opposite of what I wanted and what I wanted was opposite of what she want it. So don't let yourself be convinced that everybody's after the same thing and that there's not enough to go around because it's not true and there is.
04:21 The other negative aspect of being stuck in this energy of competition is like what I said of you being disconnected to your creative unique potential.
04:31 So when you're focused on competing in this energy of lack, you literally close off the valve to creativity. And when you can follow a process to step out of competition and into creativity, all of a sudden inspiration flows in, energy flows in, the will and desire to do things take action, create, just
04:59 flood through your system. It's like you're turning back on this tap of water that just floods down, floods down your whole body, all of this, like, exhilaration, all of this energy you have access to again, because you've opened back up.
05:16 And I have seen the most spectacular, beautiful things created when this happens. So you know how there's some people who are just ruling their niche, ruling their sub-topic in the industry, and you're just like, I don't understand how she comes up with these amazing offers or these topics or these seemingly
05:38 unique or revolutionary ideas or like how is she doing this? There is no there's no manual who's guiding her. How does this success seem so easy and so lucky?
05:49 That's another thing is that a lot of people will see this type of success and movement. I think it's luck.
05:55 It's not luck. It's energy. It's a frequency. It's a frequency of being creativity instead of competition. And when you're in that energy of creativity, you're in the energy of I do what I want.
06:07 I follow my instincts. I follow what lights me up. I am the creative genius. All of this is created for me to grow and expand and experience you become the main character of your story again.
06:22 And there is this beautiful power, this rooted confidence that comes from embodying that and living that, living this knowledge that this is for you.
06:39 All these desires that you have, all these dreams that you have, all these ideas that you have are for your evolution as the human being.
06:47 You have these sacred desires for a reason they're part of what What is going to give you the energy and the desire to continue to evolve and expand and to grow and to see what this lifetime has to offer you?
07:01 And so when you're following that, when you're not playing by some imaginary rulebook, when you're not following what some other person did, following what some other person says is the strategy if anybody tells you there's one way to do things run because there's a million ways to make a million dollars
07:21 . That's the God's honest truth. And so it's so important to be self-led here. It's so important to be self-anchored here.
07:31 And that's a lot easier said than done. I get that because we have fears, we have anxieties, we have panics, we have things that we need to move through.
07:41 Old woundings, old limiting beliefs, old parts of the paradigm that need to be rewritten. But if you follow your sacred desires, if you can switch your focus from being in this energy of competition to all of a sudden you being the designer of your reality, you getting to dictate what would be the best
08:03 case scenario, what would be the coolest thing to do right now? What would light me up? What would be the best way for me to create this experience or impact or facilitate this to my people and whatever capacity that could be.
08:18 It could be through art, through music, through programs or courses, through people, through events, whatever wherever you are and that.
08:26 What's the coolest most epic, most peaceful way that you can deliver your guests, that you can follow your desires, that you can lean in to more of you.
08:40 Maybe it's weaving in these seemingly unrelated modalities, or niches, or concepts, but you just are obsessed with both of them and you don't even know why but it just feels like the right thing to do next.
08:52 That's when you're in the energy of creativity. That's when you're following your own path. Your sacred desires are like lanterns guiding your path.
09:02 But we can't feel and response, reactiveness actually, in this competitive world, in this always having to keep up with the Joneses.
09:19 In this, what's the newest take on marketing that I need to do now? I'm never doing enough. Oh my gosh, they used to say it was Instagram lives every day and now people are telling me I need to have a podcast and now people are telling, you know, no.
09:32 What's your favorite medium? What's your funny because every single time that I see people lean into that energy, they just blast off like a rocket ship.
09:43 It's the craziest thing. It's because there is no rulebook. There are no rules. Yes, we learn from each other. Yes, mentorship is a real thing.
09:54 Yes. All of that is real. But there's so many different ways to do things. And I think that because the way that we are raised, we're used to having a very very clear structured outline of what to do next.
10:08 I mean think of the way that we went to school. From the age of five to the age of 21 plus every single next step was outlined for us.
10:20 You know you're in preschool first and then you go to kindergarten then first grade then second grade and then you got a middle school and then you got a high school and then you got a university and it's just so clear you know what every single next step is going to be and people tell you that's how
10:32 you'll be successful that's how you'll be happy follow this process then we could talk about all the drama that comes with the people who do that and then find themselves unhappy and how confusing that is but you could see how we've been conditioned to see the full path in front of us and know what all
10:54 the next steps are before we need to take them and that feeling's safe and that feeling like we're in control but really the process and path of life is not like that it's more intuitive it's more responsive it's more creative and it requires more faith and more bravery for you to feel things and then
11:18 take action feel and move feel and move but you only really get those insights, those creative hips and downloads, when you can step out of competition and into creativity into you being the writer of your own story, into you making it up as you go because that's all anybody is doing.
11:41 They're just making it up as they go. And then you're seeing the ripple effect of that. Those women who are very successful, very magnetic, hitting these milestones that you're desiring, you're just seeing the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-year delay on the results showing up from them having followed this process for
12:06 however long. But the secret sauce is this essence of creation, that you are the creator. What do you want to create what is calling to you, what lights you up?
12:23 What is interesting? Curiosity is one of my favorite favorite indicators that I am on the right path is when I am feeling curious about something and then I feel lit up and excited about it even though it can make absolutely zero sense to me in the moment.
12:38 Why the heck I am studying? What about the studying lately? Lean learning. why I am studying design school at Stanford.
12:47 I don't know, but I think it's super cool and I'm sure it's going to make sense later. And that's always the hint to me that I'm in this energy of creativity and I put my blinders on because I will say if I go on Instagram for too long, if I start getting wrapped up in other people's stories with other
13:06 people's timelines, I can very easily go I can say that energy of competition and fear of maybe they're taking opportunities from me, maybe they're going to beat me to something, maybe they're going to be known in the industry as the lean learning expert making this up, but it's like I put this pressure
13:28 cooker on myself. And I can feel it and I hate it, but I do it. And then I have this level awareness where I feel those sensations in my body.
13:39 And I have to remember that it's not who I am. That's who I was. It's not who I am. That is not the version of me that I'm evolving into.
13:46 That is not the version of me that has what I desire. The version of me that has what I desire is relaxed and at peace and knows that my timeline is my timeline.
13:57 It's nobody else's. And there's nothing anybody else can do say, create, become. That is going to affect my timeline. That's the most beautiful thing.
14:06 I had a woman that I used to love to follow her name is Elena and she talks about this concept of a buried treasure that is meant only for you.
14:16 And basically the story goes how would you feel if you knew there was this chest of success, of riches, of whatever it is that you desire freedom, time, money, impact, whatever it is is in this chest and it's waiting for you.
14:32 And then it's buried somewhere and it's going to take some time and some action and some processes and some excavations to get there, some dedication and some diligence to dig.
14:43 But it's there and it's waiting for you and you are the only one that has the key to this box.
14:48 And so it doesn't matter how long it takes you to get there. It doesn't matter how many other boxes are buried around and what they contain.
14:55 This box is sitting there waiting for you. And I love this story because I felt like it really took off that pressure of competition because there isn't such a thing as competition that's the funniest part that literally doesn't exist.
15:10 It's something that humans have made up some construct that's very limiting, very limiting belief, very suppressive, not expansive, and that you came here for a reason you're on your own timeline, your own process.
15:25 And so you're allowed to make yourself the main character. Zoom in on what you desire, how you want to show up, how you want to express your gifts, how you want to give.
15:38 I mean, you have this one life, right? And you have this time. Whatever you dedicate your time to, you're basically trading your life for right?
15:48 Because our life is our time. That's our greatest asset is my time and I'm spending my time right here with you.
15:56 I am trading my life, my life force energy, my focus, these precious minutes and moments to create this with you.
16:06 I'm doing it because I love it, because it's fun, because it excites me, it exhilarates me, it gives just as much back to me as it to you.
16:15 And that feels very harmonious. And that feels very aligned. But I am trading my life for this. I think a lot of people don't see that.
16:26 They don't understand that when they're working in some job, but they hate in some environment that is so sucking, they don't realize you are treating your life for that.
16:36 You have one life. We have X amount of minutes when you're trading them. So what are you trading your minutes for?
16:43 What are trading your life for? Does that feel exciting to you? Does it feel aligned with your creativity, with your potential, with your purpose?
16:54 With something that matters to you? And this, when you get in harmony with this, when you think this way, when you operate this way, it is so utterly ridiculously magnetic.
17:08 I'm reading another book called Be written by this woman. I think her name's Jessica. She's basically talking about personal branding but from a very spiritual perspective of basically what I'm describing in this episode is that your personal brand and is your deepest, most authentic connection to self
17:32 , and it is honing your ability to express that visibly, verbally, publicly. But that's what a true personal brand is, at least the type that I wanna have, is a physical representation of my essence, of what I'm about, what I believe in, what I think is important, and all the weird little unique things
17:57 that I'm super into that we've all together to create me. Because it is really unique. Your essence is very unique.
18:07 My essence is very unique. I have this very bizarre combination of a love for academia and study and reading a bajillion books a year and learning and curiosity paired with earth wisdom and ancient wisdom and cacao and indigenous culture and these earth-based practices and rituals, very very ceremonial
18:34 , very ritualistic, shaman energy, and then we've in some Baja California surf and fish tacos and some salsa dancing and Spanish and then a little bit of New Yorker thrown in there with some like go get them like big picture energy and then of course I have my Sicilian roots I mean there's all these 
18:53 very funny very bizarre combination of things very artsy I love fairies I believe in fairies I feel so alive and I'm in the forest or in the ocean I mean this is the most weird strange little combination of things.
19:10 But these are all pieces of my essence. What are pieces of your essence? How can you use those as those little lanterns to guide you to step into this energy of creativity of focusing on what you want, what you think would just be the coolest thing ever, and stepping completely out of should have to,
19:31 well, she's doing this and she's successful, so I have to do it that way, competition, energy. And when you do, you're going to be so excited to experience this flood of energy and inspiration.
19:48 And eventually, I'm sure financial and tangible success. But that'll just be the cherry on top. That'll just be the icing on the cake, because the emotions and the sensations and the fulfillment and the satisfaction that you will receive way before that, will be worth it.
20:06 I hope you enjoyed today's episode. If you did, I would love to hear from you. I am expand with Gabrielle on Instagram.
20:15 If there's anything about this energy of creativity versus competition that really spoke to you today, I would love to hear about it.
20:22 Personal stories would have you. I love receiving messages. I can't wait to hear from you I'll see you next time