The Dangerous Truth About Overwhelm (And Why It’s Not Your Fault)

As solo business owners, we’re used to carrying everything: marketing, delivery, admin, finances, all of it. So when overwhelm hits, we often assume it’s because we’re not good enough or we can’t cope.

That’s a lie.

Overwhelm is not your fault. It’s hers. [insert image of Wreck It Rose here]

Meet Wreck It Rose, the “devil on your shoulder” in my business universe. Her sole mission is to stop you from taking action. She uses what I call Weapons of Mass Inaction:

• Overthinking

• Procrastination

• Second‑guessing

• Emotional spirals

• “Who am I to do this?” thinking

When Wreck It Rose is winning, your business looks like this:

• Unfinished projects everywhere

• Half‑done funnels

• “I’ll do it later” on repeat

• Missed opportunities and stalled income

She doesn’t destroy your business in one big hit – she does it through a thousand tiny cuts.

When Overwhelm Shuts a Business Down

In a recent conversation with my friend and fellow solo business owner, Robert Cabeca (for our upcoming podcast), he shared how this played out in real life. He had a chocolate restaurant that people loved. He was featured on the front page of the Washington Post food section, received rave reviews, and had queues out the door.

But behind the scenes, things were crumbling: building issues, costs, pressure, doubt.

Once doubt started eroding his belief in his ability to succeed, Wreck It Rose took over. What began as “I’ll get to that later,” became “I’m getting to everything later.”

The result? The only way out was to close the restaurant. Not because he wasn’t talented or passionate, but because overwhelm, doubt, and delay quietly took the wheel.

Enter Kick Ass Katie and the Doubt Destroyers

If Wreck It Rose represents overwhelm, then Kick Ass Katie is your inner Doubt Destroyer, the angel on the other shoulder.

For every weapon Wreck It Rose uses, we build a Doubt Destroyer to counter it:

• Where there’s doubt → we build confidence

• Where there’s “I’m not enough” → we build clarity and proof

• Where there’s chaos → we build simple, doable steps

Think of your business like a bucket full of water with tiny holes. Overwhelm keeps punching in more holes. Doubt Destroyers don’t just slap on tape – they fill, seal, and polish those holes so they don’t come back.

Overwhelm isn’t something you “fix once and never feel again.”

It’s something you manage by design, with layers of supportive actions and beliefs.

The Real Shift: How You See Yourself

The biggest change I see in my academy members isn’t a fancy funnel or a shiny strategy. It’s this:

• They stop asking, “Who am I to do this?”

• They start saying, “I can do this. I don’t know exactly how yet, but I know I’ll figure it out.”

That shift, from self‑doubt to grounded confidence, is what turns terrifying projects (like writing a book) into stretch goals instead of impossible mountains.

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Are you in a “Wreck It Rose is winning” season or a “Kick Ass Katie is in charge” season right now?