Your Inner Critic isn't the Enemy
I used to overthink so many business decisions, especially earlier on in my entrepreneurial journey.
There was a part of me that needed to make sure it was the “right” step.
I needed to know that it would succeed and that I wouldn’t look like a fool. I needed to be legit, overqualified, and have it all together before taking any action.
Because otherwise, that would be embarrassing. 🙈
It’s the Noona in me.
Noona 🛠️🔥
Noona means “older sister” in Korean. The eldest daughter. The trailblazer. The problem solver. The one carrying my family's high expectations. The one who can’t mess up.
And she had been running the show most of my life. She of course was the CEO of my business. My inner manager.
She’s unstoppable. A powerhouse. She got me into Harvard. Got me competitive job offers from tech startups. She was advising startup founders, creating KPIs and growth strategies, running her own department, holding her own in rooms full of white male CEOs.
She’s strong, resilient, and strategic. She believes she can muscle her way through anything, and to be fair, she did get me far.
But Noona also grew up mostly in survival mode.
She hustled to succeed, be accepted and respected, to prove her worth.
She never really learned how to rest, celebrate, enjoy her life, and actually feel proud of herself.
She was always on, responsible for everyone else, and she doesn't sleep.
And she was trying to run my creative business and somatic coaching practice, but it was like a hamster on a wheel…
It's clear she's working hard and putting in the hours, but she wasn't making the money she wanted and eventually she burned out. More than several times.
When I became a mom, I told myself that I need to find another way. 🙅🏻♀️ Because I will not burn out this time, and I wanted to create a financially stable business that allowed me to show up as a joyful, present, fulfilled mama.
It was then that I began discovering a different part of me.
Relaxed, confident mother.
Relaxed, Confident Mother ❤️🔥🐬
She’s powerful, soft, expansive, grounded, and highly intuitive.
She freaking birthed a baby!
She trusts herself deeply and listens to her body.
She doesn’t second guess her worth or worry about how she’s perceived.
She welcomes support and doesn’t try to do it alone.
She leads with love, presence, and clarity.
I began asking: How can I bring her into my business?
Because she makes bold, wise moves.
She is financially abundant and deeply rooted.
She doesn’t hustle to prove herself.
She just knows what to do. And if she doesn't, she learns, moves forward, and figures it out.
Meanwhile, my inner manager Noona was still saying:
“What will people think?”
“Are you working hard enough?”
“What if this fails?”
“Cool, you hit a goal? Aim higher. Keep going.” 😩
Inner Artist / Performer 💃🏻🎤
Then there’s my inner artist/performer, my 7-year-old self on stage, who loves dancing and expressing herself, and she's scanning the crowd to see if my umma is clapping. She wants to be proud. She wants to shine. She wants to feel loved and seen.
For years, I tried to silence these parts and bulldoze my way through.
“Stop caring what people think. Don’t seek validation. Rest more. You don’t have to be the best to be loved. Just take the messy imperfect action.”
Technically… yes. But that “Come on, just stop it!” energy only created MORE tension and resistance. The real shift happened when I slowed down and listened. When I validated their fears.
Yes, it’s scary to risk failure. Yes, it’s hard to feel pressure to make everyone proud.
These parts aren’t bad. They’re just trying to keep me safe. They all want the same things: to be loved, safe, successful, happy. They just have different strategies and needs.
Tea Date with My Parts 🍵
So I encouraged them to come together for a tea date: Noona (inner manager), Artist-Performer (inner child), and Relaxed Mother.
They got to know each other and started to become friends and trust each other. They shared their needs, their fears, their desires.
And we collectively made some changes in my business:
Relaxed, confident mother became CEO.
Noona/inner manager became Executive Assistant.
Inner artist gets to perform and create, but for the joy of expression, not applause. Because she knows that Relaxed Mother is her #1 VIP Fan and is clapping for her, every time, no matter what.
When all my parts started moving in the same direction, collaborating, working together as a team with a shared goal, and feeling trust with each other, that’s when things really began to shift in my business.
🐬 I stopped second guessing every decision. I don't need to be perfect and know everything in order to take action.
🐬 I feel more clarity in my intuition. More momentum. It doesn't feel like pushing a boulder up the mountain anymore. It feels like water flowing down like a river. Or even, a waterfall of momentum sometimes!
🐬 I feel congruence in my body. Like all parts of myself are working in my favor vs being stuck in gridlock.
This isn't to say that I never experience doubt or pressure anymore. But when it comes up, I'm well supported and can resolve the resistance. I don't feel stuck.
It was never about silencing the fear. For me, it was about listening to it, understanding it, validating it, becoming friends with it, and bringing it along for the ride, while allowing my most grounded, visionary self to take the lead.
And you don’t have to be a mother to access the part of you that gives zero F’s and knows exactly who she is.
➡️ If you're curious to learn what this looks like for you and ready to get to know your parts on a deeper level, I'd love to support you. Every one of my clients has a wildly different (but sometimes, similar) version of this. I'd love to learn what yours is like!
We'll be able to apply it to your business and life pretty much immediately, so that you can understand where the resistance is coming from. You'll be able to start taking action with confidence and less mind drama, grow your income with peace, and thrive creatively.
If you're ready to expand your business, grow your income, sign more dream clients, or grow your visibility, without getting stuck in doubt, scarcity, lurking fears, or inner resistance,
👉🏼 Book your 1:1 Clarity Call today. (Pricing & details in the link)
My clients create $10K+ months with ease, build peaceful 6-figure businesses, sign dream clients, rest more, and thrive creatively beyond survival mode, even while being present mamas and mamas-to-be.
Within our very first call, you’ll feel clearer on where to focus to create peaceful profit in an aligned way, while actually enjoying your life.
Rooting for you,
Eunice
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Hi 👋🏼 I'm Eunice (she/her).
I’m a Somatic Business Coach for visionary daughters of immigrants, entrepreneurs, and creatives. I help you embody your brilliance, shine unapologetically, and create a thriving business and life you love, without burning out. ❤️🔥
Learn more about me & my 1:1 coaching.
Curious about what it could look like for you? ➡️ Book a Free 1:1 Clarity Call.
