🎙️ The Cost of Playing Small (And How to Break Free) to Grow a Thriving Lifestyle Coaching Business. 🚀

Are You Playing Small in Your Coaching Business?

If you’re reading this, you probably know it’s time to stop holding back.

You’ve got big dreams, but something—whether it’s fear, doubt, or that nagging imposter syndrome—is keeping you stuck in your comfort zone. Sound familiar?

✨ It’s time to break free. ✨

In this episode of the Lifestyle Business Quest Podcast, I’m diving deep into why so many of us play small—and how to overcome it for good.

You’ll hear real stories from three incredible coaches who were once stuck in the same cycle of playing small. But guess what? They made a shift—and their businesses (and lives) transformed. 🙌

🎙 In this episode, you’ll discover:

🚀 How to break free from the fear of failure and start taking bold action 

🚀 Why the fear of success can hold you back just as much as failure—and how to overcome it 

🚀 What imposter syndrome really looks like—and how to own your value once and for all 

🚀 3 actionable steps to help you start playing BIG today! 

Let's gooo...

-Travis

To Learn more about growing a Thriving Lifestyle Coaching Business, grab your FREE Masterclass Training Today! www.LifestyleBusinessQuest.com

Transcript

Let’s get real—Are you playing small? You know you have more potential, bigger dreams, and untapped talents, but something is holding you back. Maybe it’s fear. Maybe it’s self-doubt. Maybe you’re waiting for the “right time.” Well, here’s the truth: playing small is costing you. It’s keeping you stuck, keeping your business from growing, and preventing you from making the impact you’re meant to have. In today’s episode, we’re diving deep into why we play small and how to break free. I’ll share powerful stories of real clients who broke through their own fears, and insights from authors like Brené Brown and Seth Godin that will push you into action. Let’s go.

Welcome to the Lifestyle Business Quest Podcast! I’m Travis Greenlee, your guide, and today’s episode is going to be a game-changer. We’re talking about Why You’re Playing Small in Your Coaching Business and How to Stop. This episode is all about getting to the core of the fear, doubt, and limiting beliefs that keep us stuck in patterns of mediocrity. I’m going to share real stories of coaches who transformed their mindset and business, and weave in powerful insights from thought leaders like Brené Brown and Seth Godin to help you make the shift. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clear understanding of why you’ve been holding back—and, more importantly, how to step into your power and start playing big.

Before we dive into the client stories, we need to unpack the deep psychology behind why so many of us play small. This isn’t just about surface-level fear—it’s about how our brains are wired to seek safety and avoid discomfort. Here are the three main reasons we stay stuck:

1. Fear of Failure: This is the most obvious one, but it goes deeper than we often realize. Fear of failure isn’t just about messing up—it’s about what failure says about us. If you fail, does it mean you’re not good enough? Does it mean you’re not cut out for this? We tend to tie failure to our self-worth, which is why it feels so risky to take bold action. As Brené Brown says in Daring Greatly, “When we spend our lives waiting until we’re perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable.”

2. Fear of Success: This one is trickier because, on the surface, it doesn’t make sense. Why would we fear the very thing we want? But success comes with its own pressures—more visibility, more responsibility, and sometimes, more expectations from others. You may worry that success will demand more of you than you can give or that it will require you to be “on” all the time. This fear often keeps us playing small because we feel safer in the comfort of where we are—even if that place is holding us back.

3. Imposter Syndrome: Imposter syndrome runs deep, and it’s often the silent force behind why we don’t fully step into our power. It’s the feeling that no matter how much you achieve, you’re still not truly qualified or deserving of success. You might think, “Who am I to be charging these rates? Who am I to lead others when I’m still figuring things out myself?” This inner dialogue keeps you from showing up fully, from raising your rates, and from positioning yourself as the expert you already are.

Each of these fears is a story we tell ourselves. They’re not truths—they’re narratives we’ve built over time. The good news is, once you understand the story, you can change it. You can write a new script for your life and business, and today, we’ll explore exactly how to do that through the stories of three coaches who did just that.

Let’s start with Scott, because his story is a classic example of how the fear of failure can paralyze even the most talented coaches.

Scott was an incredible coach. He had ideas that could truly transform people’s lives, and he was sitting on a business model that had the potential to generate significant income. But every time he got close to launching something new, his fear would kick in: “What if no one signs up? What if it fails? What if I put myself out there and it flops?”

This is something I see all the time. Fear of failure keeps us stuck because it feels safer to not try than to risk failure. But as Seth Godin says in The Icarus Deception, “The problem isn’t that you’re not good enough. It’s that you haven’t decided to be bold enough.”

For Scott, we had to start by reframing failure. Instead of seeing failure as a personal reflection of his worth, we talked about failure as feedback. Every action—whether it leads to success or not—gives you valuable data. It tells you what works, what doesn’t, and how to adjust. This is what James Clear calls “imperfect action” in Atomic Habits. The idea is to stop waiting for everything to be perfect and just start moving.

Once Scott embraced this mindset, everything changed. He launched his program before it was “perfect,” and guess what? It wasn’t perfect—but it was good enough to start gaining momentum. He enrolled clients, got feedback, and refined the program over time. Today, Scott is bringing in $10k-$20k in revenue consistently, and it all started when he stopped letting the fear of failure hold him back.

The Lesson Learned: You cannot improve what you don’t start. The only way to grow is to take action, even if it’s imperfect.

Next, let’s dive into Margie’s story. Margie was doing well on the outside, but inside, she was struggling with something many of us don’t talk about—the fear of success.

Margie was working herself into the ground. She was doing everything herself—marketing, coaching, admin work—because she believed that’s what success demanded. But here’s the twist: deep down, Margie was terrified of what success might bring. If she grew her business, would she lose control? Would success mean even more stress and less freedom? These fears kept her playing small, even though she had the potential to scale.

As Brené Brown points out, “Success is not the opposite of vulnerability. Success *requires* vulnerability.” Margie had to face the uncomfortable truth that her fear of success was rooted in a fear of losing control. We had to dig into the story she was telling herself—that success would mean working harder and sacrificing her personal life. Once she saw that this was just a limiting belief, we could start creating a new story.

We built systems to help Margie delegate and automate parts of her business. She hired a virtual assistant, streamlined her client onboarding, and focused on high-impact tasks. What she discovered was that true success doesn’t mean doing more—it means doing less of what drains you and more of what energizes you. Margie doubled her income while cutting her work hours in half. She realized that success didn’t have to mean more stress—it could mean more freedom.

The Lesson Learned: Success isn’t about working harder—it’s about working smarter. Don’t let the fear of losing control keep you from growing. Build systems that allow your business to grow without burning you out.

Finally, let’s talk about Stella. Stella was a powerhouse coach, getting incredible results for her clients. But she was stuck in imposter syndrome. No matter how much praise she received, she still felt like she wasn’t “good enough” to charge higher rates or scale her business. She thought she needed more certifications, more experience, or more validation before she could step into the role of a leader.

Imposter syndrome is one of the most common reasons coaches play small. It’s the belief that we’re somehow not deserving of the success we’re capable of. As Brené Brown says, “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” Stella was afraid to let herself be seen as the expert she already was.

We worked together to help Stella own her value. I reminded her that she didn’t need more qualifications—she just needed to acknowledge the value she was already providing. We raised her prices, positioned her as a leader in her niche, and created a group coaching model that allowed her to serve more clients at a higher level.

Once Stella embraced her worth, her business exploded. She tripled her income, attracted higher-quality clients, and finally felt like she was in alignment with her purpose. The key was not in gaining more credentials but in owning the expertise she already had.

The Lesson Learned: You are enough, right now. The world doesn’t need you to be perfect—it needs you to show up, own your value, and serve from where you are.

So how do you stop playing small? Here are three practical steps you can take today:

Step 1: Reframe Failure as Feedback. Like Scott, if you’re afraid of failure, reframe it. Failure is not a reflection of your worth—it’s just information. Action, even imperfect action, gives you data you can use to improve. Identify one thing you’ve been holding off on because of fear of failure, and take action on it this week. Remember, you can’t improve what you don’t start.

Step 2: Redefine Success on Your Terms. If you’re afraid of success, like Margie, it’s time to redefine what success looks like for you. Success doesn’t have to mean more stress—it can mean more freedom. Visualize your ideal business. What does success feel like when you’ve built it? Design your business to give you that freedom, and start putting systems in place to support it.

Step 3: Own Your Value and Take Bold Action. If imposter syndrome is keeping you stuck, like it did with Stella, here’s your next step: write down the results you’ve helped your clients achieve. Look at your track record and remind yourself that you are more than qualified to lead, charge what you’re worth, and step into a bigger role in your business. Then, take bold action. Whether it’s raising your rates, launching a new offer, or marketing yourself as the expert you already are—do it this week.

Let’s recap. Today we dug deep into why we play small—fear of failure, fear of success, and imposter syndrome. We saw how Scott, Margie, and Stella each broke free from these limiting beliefs and transformed their businesses by taking bold, imperfect action. And we tapped into the wisdom of thought leaders like Brené Brown, Seth Godin, and James Clear to remind ourselves that playing small is a choice—but so is playing big.

Now it’s your turn. If you’re ready to stop playing small and grow a thriving, six-figure coaching business, grab my free Masterclass at lifestylebusinessquest.com where I’ll walk you through the exact five steps I’ve used to help coaches like you build successful businesses with freedom and impact.

Thank you for joining me on today’s episode of the Lifestyle Business Quest Podcast. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow coach who needs to hear this message. And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss future episodes packed with actionable insights and stories. Until next time, remember: Playing small serves no one. Your time to play big is now.