Episodios

  • 170: #170 Starting Again When You Don't Know What's Next

    170: #170 Starting Again When You Don't Know What's Next
    Jan 8 2026

    It’s January 2026 and the internet is screaming fresh start! and big year energy! - but this episode is the quieter truth underneath that.

    Because sometimes the most honest place you can be in business is this: you know what can’t continue… but you don’t yet know what’s replacing it.

    In this episode of Messy Business, I share what it’s actually felt like to close my main programme at the end of December - a decision that came from capacity, health, burnout, shingles, life being life… and the realisation that carrying on would’ve meant showing up as a husk of myself. I talk about the mix of emotions (relief, sadness, fear, pride), and why that huge sense of lightness is often the clearest sign you’ve made the right call.

    We explore the difference between ending something gracefully and burning everything down dramatically - and why ending doesn’t mean failing. Sometimes it simply means the structure no longer fits who you are and what you can hold.

    I also talk about what I’ve outgrown: the business model that relied on scheduled Zoom calls. Not the people, not the support - the structure. Because it wasn’t the calls themselves that were the problem… it was the fact they existed in the diary, acting like a constant constraint when life was already full.

    This episode is a reminder that being good at something, or being known for something, doesn’t mean it’s still right. And it’s also a gentle nudge to stop keeping things alive purely because past-you set them up.

    Along the way, I share what I do know about 2026 - even without a shiny plan:

    • I’m not building my business around endless Zoom calls
    • I’m not creating content for algorithms
    • The podcast stays front and centre
    • I’m leaning into more creativity, flexibility, and experimentation
    • And there will be simpler ways to access my brain without me holding a huge container

    And I leave you with reflective questions that might land hard (in a good way):

    • What are you doing purely because past-you set it up?
    • If nothing was required of you for three months, what would you naturally gravitate towards?
    • Where are you overriding your body and brain because you said you would?
    • What are you saying yes to that leaves you resentful… and what lights you up without trying?

    ✨ You don’t need a dramatic rebrand or a big announcement. Sometimes the first move forward is just quietly not renewing something.

    📙 Read my book: Life in Business - https://libbylangley.com/book

    If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram https://instagram.com/libbylangley and tell me what you’re ready to stop forcing in 2026 - and what you want to make space for instead.
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    27 m
  • 169: #169 The Return to Creativity: Letting Joy Lead Your Work

    169: #169 The Return to Creativity: Letting Joy Lead Your Work
    Jan 1 2026
    This isn’t a strategy episode. It’s a wondering-out-loud episode. An episode about curiosity, colour returning to things that felt grey for far too long, and what might happen if we let joy, not pressure, lead the way.

    In this episode of Messy Business, I talk honestly about how fun kind of left the business room. How work became performance, value became output, service became self-sacrifice, and visibility replaced connection. And how easy it is to stay competent while feeling absolutely nothing.

    I share why joy isn’t frivolous or unprofessional; it’s essential. How play expands capacity, creativity unlocks solutions, and why clients want presence far more than polish. I talk about the invisible cost of being dependable, the pressure to keep proving yourself, and the freedom that comes from finally saying, I don’t need to do that anymore.

    This episode also marks a shift. I explore what joy-led work might actually look like in 2026 - slower, smaller, more human. Experiments instead of funnels. Conversations instead of campaigns. Depth over volume. Creativity without monetising every spark. And trusting that being yourself isn’t a risk; it’s the whole point.

    I share my predictions for where business is heading next: less AI slop, more real voices; less polish, more rough edges; more in-person connection; more neurodivergent-aware, capacity-led business models; and a collective fatigue with performing for algorithms instead of living real lives.

    ✨ Business isn’t meant to be endured. You don’t need to prove anything. Fun isn’t a bonus; it’s a compass.

    📙 Read my book: Life in Business — https://libbylangley.com/book

    If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram https://instagram.com/libbylangley and tell me what fun looks like for you - big or small - and what you’re ready to let joy lead towards in 2026.
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    27 m
  • 168: #168 Making Space for What Matters

    168: #168 Making Space for What Matters
    Dec 25 2025
    This episode is being released on Christmas Day - and if you’re listening today, I’m really glad you’re here. Whether you’re hiding from chaos, peeling potatoes, avoiding small talk, or simply enjoying some quiet, this one is for you.

    This isn’t an episode about planning, goal-setting, or using the time between Christmas and New Year wisely. There’s no strategy here. Instead, this is a breathing-space episode, a gentle pause in the noise of business, life, and the online world.

    I talk about why proper time off feels harder than ever, especially when our businesses live on our phones and in our heads. We explore the myth that we have to be available all the time, the pressure to fill every gap with content or productivity, and why making space for what actually matters isn’t a luxury - it’s essential.

    I share reflections from my own business after closing my group programme, going into this quieter period without pressure for the first time in years, and noticing how creativity returns when you stop forcing it. We talk about the beauty of doing less, why volume isn’t the answer, and how human connection has been quietly replaced by clicks, likes, and noise.

    This episode is also an invitation to step back, to stop narrating everything, to let yourself enjoy moments without turning them into content, and to remember that business is not your whole identity.

    ✨ You don’t need to optimise this moment. You’re allowed to rest, exist, and make space for what matters, without explaining yourself.

    📙 Read my book: Life in Business — https://libbylangley.com/book

    If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram https://instagram.com/libbylangley and tell me where you’re listening from - especially if it’s Christmas Day and you’re out for a walk, hiding from the family, or enjoying some quiet.
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    26 m
  • 167: #167 A Really Honest Review of 2025

    167: #167 A Really Honest Review of 2025
    Dec 18 2025
    This isn’t a shiny year-in-review. It’s the truth.

    I’m sharing the most honest reflection I’ve ever recorded - a look back at a year that stretched me, broke me open, and forced me to finally accept myself in ways I’ve been talking about for years but hadn’t truly lived.

    I talk candidly about the emotional, physical, and practical weight of 2025 - from a country that feels heavier and more divided, to global politics seeping into daily life, to the financial strain so many of us have felt. I share the reality of my husband working away for months, the chaos of selling and buying a house, renovating a doer-upper with no kitchen for weeks, my dad being in hospital, and the slow, creeping burnout that finally caught up with me.

    I open up about what it’s like to hold space for clients while actually falling apart, the difference between being able to support and feeling able to support, and the bone-deep exhaustion that made even joyful things feel heavy. I talk about the shingles that forced me to stop, the guilt I’ve carried, and the realisation that my capability has far outpaced my capacity.

    And then - the shift. The letting go. The relief.

    You’ll hear about the programmes and structures I’m releasing, the too-many Zoom calls I’m never repeating, the creativity I’m bringing back into my life, and the excitement I feel for 2026 - a year with less noise, more life, and space to rediscover the sparks I’ve lost along the way.

    ✨ You’re human. And if this year has stretched you thin, you’re not alone.

    📙 Read my book: Life in Business
    🧡 Visit my website
    If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram and tell me what you’re ready to leave behind in 2025, and what you’re making space for in 2026.
    Más Menos
    27 m
  • 166: #166 What Happens When You Stop Forcing It?

    166: #166 What Happens When You Stop Forcing It?
    Dec 11 2025
    After 14 years in business, something finally forced me to stop - burnout, shingles, and life all colliding at once. The surprising thing is when you stop pushing, things don’t fall apart. They soften, they slow, and you begin to hear yourself again.

    In this episode of Messy Business, I’m sharing what truly happens when you stop forcing your business forward and give yourself space to just be. We talk about the difference between "can" and "should"; how self-marketing can become a trap; and why stepping back isn’t the beginning of the end, it might be the beginning of clarity.

    You’ll hear the story of the moment I almost quit back in 2017 - and how letting go opened the door to unexpected opportunities that sustained my business for years. And I’ll walk you through what this most recent burnout has taught me about capacity, creativity, and rebuilding slowly, joyfully, and on your own terms.

    ✨ You’re allowed to stop before you break. Taking space isn’t stepping backwards; sometimes it’s the only way to hear what comes next.

    If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram and tell me what you’re ready to stop forcing.

    📙 Read my book: Life in Business

    Más Menos
    27 m
  • 165: #165 14 Things I've Learned from 14 Years in Business

    165: #165 14 Things I've Learned from 14 Years in Business
    Dec 4 2025
    Fourteen years in business - and about fourteen thousand lessons along the way. In this milestone episode of Messy Business, I’m sharing the 14 biggest things I’ve learned since starting out in 2011, from burnout and boundaries to creativity, capacity, and what success really means.

    I talk candidly about my own burnout this year, how easy it is to drift out of alignment even when things look fine on the surface, and what I’ve realised about the difference between can and should. From learning that burnout isn’t too much work - it’s the wrong work - to remembering that fun isn’t unprofessional, these lessons are a love letter to everyone building a business that feels human, not just impressive.

    Whether you’ve been here from the start or you’re new to Messy Business, this episode is your reminder that longevity in business isn’t about scaling or hustling - it’s about staying.

    ✨ The real flex isn’t scaling - it’s staying. Success doesn’t need to be big. It just needs to be alive.

    Helpful links:
    📙 Read my book: Life in Business
    🧡 Work with me: Inner Circle

    If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram and tell me which of the 14 lessons hit home for you.
    Más Menos
    29 m
  • 164: #164 When Progress Feels Boring

    164: #164 When Progress Feels Boring
    Nov 27 2025
    Things are going fine. You’ve got clients, your systems are working, and you’re not firefighting every five minutes - so why does it all feel a bit… flat? In this episode of Messy Business, I’m talking about the part no one ever mentions: the quiet middle of business. The bit that isn’t thrilling, but is actually a sign that everything’s working exactly as it should.

    We’ll look at why your brain mistakes calm for stagnation, how chaos can become a comfort zone, and what to do when stability feels like boredom. I’ll share how to stop sabotaging what’s finally working, why consistency isn’t complacency, and how to enjoy the “comfortable middle” - that lovely stretch where your business runs smoothly and you get to have a life again.

    ✨ Boring isn’t bad. It’s progress without panic - and it’s where real freedom begins.

    Helpful Links:
    🔶 Download the free guide: Feeling Stuck
    📙 Read my book: Life in Business
    🧡 Work with me: Join Rebootcamp

    If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram @libbylangley and tell me what your “comfortable middle” looks like right now.
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    24 m
  • 163: #163 Why Doing Less Feels So Damn Hard

    163: #163 Why Doing Less Feels So Damn Hard
    Nov 20 2025
    You know you’d feel better if you slowed down - so why do you keep piling more on your plate? In this episode of Messy Business, I’m exploring the resistance we feel when we try to do less, and why simplicity can feel so uncomfortable (even when we know it’s what we need).

    I talk about where that resistance comes from - the stories we’ve absorbed about worth being tied to productivity, the fear of being forgotten if we stop producing, and how our nervous systems get hooked on busyness. I also share real examples from my clients and my own life, plus simple ways to make “doing less” feel safe, not scary.

    Because doing less isn’t laziness - it’s leadership. It’s how you protect your energy, create space for the work that matters, and show up sharper for your clients and yourself.

    ✨ Doing less isn’t failure - it’s focus. You don’t need to earn your rest.

    Helpful Links:
    🔶 Download the free guide: Feeling Stuck
    📙 Read my book: Life in Business
    🧡 Work with me: Join Rebootcamp

    If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram @libbylangley and tell me what “doing less” looks like for you this week.
    Más Menos
    23 m
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