Episode 436: You’re Not Broken — Just Underclaimed: Empowerment for Dog Walking Business Owners

?   Are you building your business while quietly wondering if something’s wrong with you? Bella Vasta unpacks a truth many dog walking business owners need to hear: You’re not broken—just underclaimed. This conversation is about more than motivation. It’s about empowerment for dog walking business owners who are ready to lead with authenticity. Bella shares how she broke free from the toxic belief systems that kept her stuck in burnout, silence, and self-doubt—and how you can too. She unpacks the three most common lies pet industry entrepreneurs tell themselves, and replaces them with truth bombs that hit straight to the soul. If you’ve ever said, “I’ll do it when I’m more ready,” “I can’t show up until I have it all figured out,” or “If I shine too bright, I’ll lose people”, Bella calls B.S. on all of it. She doesn’t just cheer you on—she gives you the mindset tools and mirror you need to take your next bold step. In this Episode, You'll Discover... Why you might be operating at only 60% of your potential 3 massive lies keeping pet biz owners playing small What real empowerment for dog walking business owners looks like (spoiler: it’s not perfection) How to lead with your full self—messy, loud, intuitive, and powerful The exact mindset shift to stop outsourcing your worth How to start showing up now (yes, before you feel “ready”) Timestamps: 00:00 – Why Bella’s stepping away from strategy talk and straight into truth. 00:46 – Recognizing the whispers that say "there's more"—and what to do about them. 03:08 – The truth that sparked this entire episode on empowerment for dog walking business owners. 06:00 – The behind-the-scenes crack that changed everything. 8:00 – The 3 big lies entrepreneurs believe about power and success13:00 – What happens when you fully step into your power Notable Quotes: “You are not behind. You’re just underclaimed.” “Real power isn’t polished. It’s raw.” “Your power doesn’t push people away—it calls the right ones closer.” “You don’t get to live a powerful life by default. You have to choose it.” “If you’re waiting to be more ready—stop. Readiness is a decision, not a checklist.” Resources & Links Bella’s AI Bot Class: How to Create Your Own GPTs Email Bella: bella @jumpconsulting.net Connect on IG: @bellavasta Book a complimentary 20-min strategy call.  Join the Mastermind Did You Love This Episode? Did this episode hit home? Share it on Instagram and tag @BellaVasta with your biggest takeaway using #BellaInYourBusiness. Let's create a ripple effect of empowered leadership in the pet industry! Watch all our Podcasts on YouTube Previous podcast episode: ? Transcript Bella Vasta:Welcome to another episode of Bella In Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today I'm going to take a little bit of a break from going full-fledged on AI. This is going to be more of a heart episode. You guys tend to love it when I do these, so we're going to kind of move into that today. We're going to go deeper than just pet sitting strategies, deeper than the hiring systems. This is all part of the empowerment for dog walking business owners. I've got something on my heart that needs to be said. I've been talking to a lot of you, and the real thing is, most of you are operating at about 60% of your power. And I think you even know it, but you're not sure what to do about it. You feel that whisper—that nagging voice—that says, There’s more. There has to be more to everything I’m building, to life, to what I’m doing. But you shush it. Maybe it's business or maybe it's kids. It might be expectations from other people. Maybe it's all the bills. Buckle up, Buttercup, because in the next 20 minutes, we’re going to stop pretending. We’re going to claim our power, and I’m going to show you exactly how. I’m not just going to talk about it. Because if I only motivate you or get you excited, but it doesn’t turn into action, then in my eyes, I haven’t done my job. So I want to jump right into the biggest truth bomb: Most of us are running our businesses and our lives based on who we think we should be—not who we actually are. I want you to ask yourself right now: When was the last time you made a decision from your gut instead of your head? When was the last time you fully showed up—not the Instagram version, not the professional version, but the real, raw, authentic, unapologetic, powerful you? I’ll wait. Here’s the thing, Jumper: You don’t get to live a powerful life just by default. You have to literally choose it. And that choice? It's going to feel like death at first. It’s going to feel so weird—like you’re walking with your shoes on the wrong feet—because it means letting go of who you’re pretending you should be. Make sense? Y’all, I’m not here to teach you how to get ready. I’m here to remind you that you already are. It’s already inside of you. I’ve been talking to so many people, and this has been coming up so many times that I needed to just make this an entire episode. You’re not broken. You are not behind. You’re just underclaimed. And the world—the world is literally waiting for you to step up. Your family is waiting for you to step up. Your friends, your employees, your clients—the whole world—they're waiting for you to step up. Whether they realize it or not, the world needs you. You were uniquely created. So let’s get real and vulnerable for a second here. Because I can only teach what I know. Every time I say "you," I mean me—or the past version of me. I’ve been through versions of this. Not long ago, I had everything that should have made me feel "successful." The coaching company was thriving—or growing. Every area of my life was growing. Things were looking good. My daughter was healthy. My community saw me—and still sees me—as this unstoppable force. But inside—and no one knew it—I was cracking. And I’ve talked about it a few times here on this podcast because we’re friends, right? I created a structure that didn’t really fit me then built a life in survival mode. Doing things to protect myself and leading with what I thought everyone else needed from me—not who I really was. I wasn’t leading from the inside. That misalignment—oh my God—it showed up everywhere. I was burnt out to the point that no amount of coffee could fix. I was disconnected from my own intuition. People would ask, "What do you want?" and I had no idea. I disconnected from myself in order to survive.

ta-end="I was making myself small, and I was being quiet. Holding back the thing I really wanted to say—to make everyone else comfortable.

And I’ll never forget this one night—I’m talking ugly crying on my office floor at 2 AM—thinking, I built all of this, and I’m still not sure what I’m doing. How is this even possible? Then I realized—I wasn’t invisible. It wasn’t like flipping a switch but it was a series of events. It happened through community, through choosing to dive deep into certain areas. I was literally hiding in plain sight. If this could happen for me, it can happen for you. It wasn’t until I started showing up as all of me—the loud parts, the soft parts, the intuitive, messy, real parts—that everything shifted. Not overnight. Power isn’t about speed; it’s about depth. I told you I was getting real today. But I’m not just talking about me. I’m hoping—intuitively thinking—that a lot of you are thinking, Yeah, Bella, I’ve felt exactly that way. So let me get into the meat of this. There are three big fat lies I keep seeing come up—and I had to kick them, too. I’m sure you’ve experienced at least one of them. Lie #1: I’m not ready. I need to be more ready. Nope. Stop. That’s a lie. If you’re here listening to this right now, you’re ready. Period. Readiness isn’t a checklist—it’s a decision. How many times have you said, “I’ll launch that new service when X happens,” or “I’ll raise my prices when I get to X level,” or “I’ll speak up when I have more experience”? Here’s your wake-up call: Nothing—absolutely nothing—is going to change until you do. Your next level isn’t waiting for you to be fearless. It’s waiting for you to be honest. Lie #2: Having power means you have it all together. Oh honey, no. Real power isn’t polished—it’s raw. It’s owning your story while it’s still unfolding. The strongest women I know are the ones who can say, “I don’t have all the answers, but I trust myself to figure it out.” You’re allowed to be messy. But you also have to be real—and honest—with yourself. We confuse performance with purpose. We confuse productivity with worth. You are not only worthy if you’re productive. You don’t only have purpose if you can perform. It’s time to unlearn all that toxic mess. Because that’s what it is. Lie #3: If I shine too bright, I’ll lose people. Oh, this one hits deep for me—and I’m sure you’ve felt a version of this too. So many of us fear that our power will cost us relationships. And sometimes, it does. When you go to the next level, you can’t take your baggage. It doesn’t fit through the door up there. That next level is equipped with everything you need. You can’t take the proverbial baggage from the level you’re moving on from. So ask yourself: is it really a relationship if it requires your silence? If they love the dimmed-down version of you, that’s not love. That’s comfort. That’s you fitting into a box and that’s you sacrificing your own needs, wants, desires, thoughts, and feelings. Your power doesn’t push people away—it calls the right people closer. When you live in your authenticity, you draw the right kind of people in. They’ll be magnetic. So what actually happens when you do claim that power? You stop outsourcing your worth to client reactions. Then you speak before you're 100% certain or you go on video and you post that social media thing. You take action before you feel “qualified.