229. I'm Back!

Episode Summary:

In her first solo episode in nearly a year, Kristen Boss returns to the mic to share why she stepped away from her podcast, the healing journey that followed, and what led her to rebuild — not just a brand, but a new, more authentic way of showing up in business and life.

Kristen reflects on the hidden burnout that came not from overworking, but from being out of alignment with her message and identity. She vulnerably shares how scaling a personal brand accidentally led to commoditizing herself - and how that impacted her sense of self-worth, joy, and purpose.

This episode is raw, honest, and the beginning of a new chapter. Whether you’re in a winning season or a wilderness one, Kristen invites you to reflect, reset, and reconsider what success really means.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – The return: why Kristen is back behind the mic
• 01:20 – Taking a break: the original pivot and unanticipated detour
• 02:10 – The healing journey: paint by numbers and quiet reflection
• 03:45 – The itch to build again and what it uncovered
• 05:16 – Realizing she commoditized herself and lost alignment
• 06:52 – How scaling a personal brand came with unintended costs
• 08:32 – The evolving message and the trap of being the product
• 10:55 – Burnout from misalignment — not overwork
• 12:43 – The quiet agreements we make to avoid pain
• 13:32 – Swinging too far: hiding from her personal brand
• 15:32 – From aspiration to authenticity — choosing to be relatable
• 16:24 – Why she waited to tell the full story
• 18:10 – The danger of leading with success instead of story
• 19:12 – You’re never above anything — Kristen’s cautionary tale
• 20:09 – How she still fell into hustle… after writing a book on it
• 21:10 – The work of becoming: recovering from hustle culture
• 22:02 – What's next: the implosion, the pivot, and the lessons
• 23:44 – The Emerald City myth: arriving and still feeling empty
• 25:42 – Recommitting to entrepreneurship — but doing it differently
• 26:37 – A learning season, not a winning one — and why that matters
• 27:28 – Warning signs she ignored and the new path forward

Key Themes:

• Why success without alignment leads to burnout
• The hidden cost of building a personal brand without boundaries
• What it means to pivot with integrity and without a plan
• Why healing must precede building
• Recovering from hustle… again

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