The Sheila Botelho Show: Business Strategy and the Inner Work of Leadership
The Sheila Botelho Show is a business and leadership podcast for founders, CEOs, and women leading at the highest level of their work, who are ready to build the next decade of their business with more clarity, more profit, and more of themselves in the room.
You’ve already done the hard part. You’ve built something that works. You’ve hit the goals that looked impressive from the outside. And somewhere along the way, you started wondering what it would feel like to grow without trading pieces of yourself for the next milestone.
That’s the conversation happening on this show.
Every week, Sheila pulls up a chair for the kind of conversations you’d have with a trusted friend who’s spent decades growing businesses through wave after wave of change, reading rooms, and helping people come home to themselves no matter how fast the landscape moves.
You’ll hear about business strategy, leadership, profit, scaling, identity, creativity, and the shifting landscape of entrepreneurship in a season where everything is changing at once. Solo chats, minisodes, and conversations with founders and leaders building businesses with depth and integrity. Real talk for the woman who’s done the surface-level work and is ready for something with more substance.
So come on in. Get comfortable. This is the place to think bigger, lead steadier, and trust yourself more fully every time you press play.
New episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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The Sheila Botelho Show: Business Strategy and the Inner Work of Leadership
How I Called In My New Life Before It Existed | EP 549
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There are moments that shape us long before we realize it. A desire we can’t shake. A sentence we speak out loud with absolute certainty. A version of our life that feels real even before we know how it will unfold.
In this solo chat, I’m sharing a personal story about the journey that led me to the home I live in today, and how that move reflects a deeper pattern of intentional expansion. Not the hustle version of expansion, but the kind rooted in clarity, alignment, identity, and trust.
My hope is that this episode reminds you that your desires are data. Your knowing is guidance. And your next season arrives the moment you become the person who is already living it. If you want support getting clear on the life and business you’re ready to step into, Check out the Vision Map here.
✍️ Sheila's Notes - The reflections I write only here. For your Expansion Season.
🧭 Your Vision Map - Name what you are building before you build it.
💎 Work With Me - Choose the most aligned pathway for your business.
Quiet Turning Points
SPEAKER_00Have you ever noticed that some of the biggest turning points in your life didn't look dramatic at the time? They were quiet. A moment of clarity. A sentence you spoke out loud. A decision you made in private that shifted everything. That is the proof. Expansion doesn't always roar. Sometimes it whispers. And the only question is whether we trust it. There's a version of your life and leadership that is already available to you right now. The only pain comes when you delay stepping into it because it's different from what you've done before.
Sheila Sets The Frame On Expansion
SPEAKER_00Hi, welcome to the podcast. I'm Sheila Batello, and I believe true success is built from the inside out. Today's episode is one of those conversations that's been playing in my head. And actually, it's pieces of conversations that I've had with some dear friends over the last couple of months. And some things landed for me today that I just felt compelled to share. And really, what this is all about, I know we talk a lot about expansion, but I wanted to talk about expansion, not in so much of like a better or more kind of way, but in the grounded lived experience of how life or leadership and relationships unfold when you decide to co-create with your desires and really get clear and move through the season that you're in right now, like doing it in alignment.
The Niagara Desire Emerges
SPEAKER_00And I want to tell you a story. How I ended up living where I'm living right now. And in a way that, frankly, it feels pretty magical. Now, this didn't come without effort, and it didn't come with also the flip side of it, a lot of major details. I was intentional, but truly, I was partnering with possibility. And I wasn't gripping to the outcome. I was just really in alignment with what the dream was that I had. And so this is, of course, more than just where I live. It's just this bigger arc that happens when we are calling things into our lives when we decide that we're ready for them. And the way those things arrive, when our choices and our alignment meet up with that clarity and they all come together. So for the last few years, I've had this really quiet but very persistent desire to live in the Niagara region. It just started as something that came to me as I was thinking about wanting to stay in this area of Ontario, has a home base. And yet, where would my ideal place be to live? There's so many beautiful spaces to live, whether you're up north or you're in the east or you're the west. There's so many places. And so it started kind of vaguely. And it was more like an idea than a plan. And it wasn't logical. I wasn't really being strategic about it. It was something, though, that I did start to feel in my body. There was like a whisper that was like, there's a version of life that is
From Vague Want To Clear Knowing
SPEAKER_00meant for us. And then gradually that whisper kept circling back. At first, it was this broad desire. Niagara, I think that's the area. That's where I want to be. But where in Niagara? Then over time, something interesting started to happen. I started noticing a specific community, a shoreline, and a certain vibe that was there. And I'd find myself talking to my friend who lived in the area and thinking, could it be that this is the place? And as these conversations would happen, and anytime I would go to this area, I'd start to feel something spark in my chest. I'd start to recognize a certain feeling that came up. Again, this was not a plan. It was like a knowing that I had. Most of us have been trained to negotiate with it, to justify it. Truly, we talk ourselves out of it sometimes because it seems unrealistic or inconvenient or frankly too indulgent or something happening too soon, perhaps. But when you have that knowing, it doesn't require anybody's permission. What it does require, though, is space, space to really tune into what that means for you. So in this case, I didn't make it a project. I didn't even write anything down. I literally didn't even journal about it. There was no timeline. I simply let myself want it. And then I kept living my life and working and parenting and all of the things. And doing my own evolution, really. It was just happening. And the desire stayed with me quietly. It was like this soft hum that was somewhere in the background of my mind. And then last year, something happened. Well, actually, not last
The Lakeside Declaration
SPEAKER_00year. Earlier this year, something happened that I didn't realize would become a defining moment. I was on a girlfriend weekend. It was so nourishing. It was one of those times where you're totally unplugged from tech and you're having deep conversations and great food and you're just taking your time. You don't know what time it is, talking about life and love and kids and business and everything, dreams, fears, health, all those things. And at one point, we went for a walk near the lake. And it was really windy that day. And the waves were really, really powerful. And what's interesting is that same lake is now steps from my home. And as we were walking actually into town from the water, we talked about everything under the sun. And something in me got very still and very certain. And I had been voice noting with a friend, another friend. And so I was on my own for a few moments, just voice noting and catching up on some emails and things like that. And I just had this deep knowing. I snapped a picture, sent it to her. And without really even thinking, I just said, this is my future neighborhood. And it wasn't like, I hope someday, or maybe in a few years, or if things work out, it literally was a declaration. And then I went on with my day. And it was like, oh, I got a neat response back. That was fun. It was a moment of speaking something that felt like it was just inevitable. It was happening. Maybe it was even already done. Even though nothing in my outer reality had changed yet. I was going to go home and go to my other home and live my life. It wasn't forced. It wasn't clinging to this idea. And it wasn't mapping out a detailed plan. That was the interesting thing. I made the declaration, then I moved on. I wasn't like, well, let's see how could this work? And, you know, based on this timing and that timing and this conversation, I was just acknowledging what was real for me in that moment without really putting any pressure on it. There was no self-doubt. I didn't need to edit myself. It was really interesting. And I want to highlight something important here.
Aligning Nervous System And Choices
SPEAKER_00This idea of it not being dramatic. There was no shooting star flying through the sky. I didn't get a phone call the next day saying the perfect property was available. Life literally went on. But something inside of me shifted because when you tell the truth about what you want clearly, calmly and confidently, your nervous system starts to organize around it. Your energy calibrates to it. And then as a result, your decisions start aligning with it. So when you're doing that, other things are impacted in your world and you things start to shift. And that moment was me choosing my life before it arrived. And I'm sharing this now because this morning on the drive home from the gym, I suddenly remembered that exact moment. The power of the wind. I saw the sand blowing, making ripples and designs and patterns. I remember the light in the sky. I exact even the feeling in my chest when I said, This is my future neighborhood, I could feel it. I remembered it. And it hit me. I am living in the very thing that I declared. And this was not done through working hard. This was not done through force. I wasn't hustling for it. I didn't obsess over it. I wasn't like dreamboarding it and journaling it constantly. And I didn't micromanage how it all came together. I simply partnered with the desire. Just said, yeah, it's going to happen. I stayed open. And this is something I'm always telling my clients. And frankly, I tell my kids this all the time, because we can often
Living The Vision Without Forcing
SPEAKER_00feel like life is either this or that. But so often in life, it's the in between. The extremes do happen at times, but most of life is in the in-between of these extremes. And so I always say, stay open. Stay open, stay curious. It's way more fun this way. And I did that. I stayed curious. So I took aligned steps when they presented themselves, but nothing had really happened up until that point. Frankly, I was thinking maybe in the next year, maybe longer, who knows? This will be my home. And I didn't know which home. I just knew the area. So I trusted that this or something better was already in motion on a timeline I did not need to control. I didn't plead for it. I didn't shrink around it either, thinking, oh, well, that's that's a neat idea. Because understanding that my decision to move, certainly I can live anywhere. But there's all these other elements around me, you know, my extended family, my kids, uh, college, all these kinds of things. Like what makes the most sense timing-wise? And of course, a community that I absolutely loved, that I lived in for so long and wanting to live abroad in the winters and things like that. So, like, what made the most sense? And truly, what I was doing, though, is I was holding it lightly in my hands, but with conviction. See, I've had so many different opportunities, incredible people, magical timing, and really beautiful synchronicities show up in my life before, but this one was another level. And it's not like it's it's more impressive than those other things, because there's been some impressive things that have happened in my life, but because it crystallized something that I've been learning my whole life. That when you become the version of you who lives the vision before the vision arrives, life catches up to you. And as I reflected deeper, I noticed something. This isn't the first time that I've experienced this kind of intentional creation. It's the same way I co-created the marriage I have today, not by accident, by getting crystal clear on how I wanted to love and be loved and the longevity of my relationship and how I wanted to communicate
Co‑Creating Marriage, Parenting, And Time
SPEAKER_00and how I wanted to move through conflict and how I wanted to grow together. It's also the same way that I co-created the relationship I have with my kids, not by simply hoping and pleading, oh, please, I hope, I hope, but by deciding what kind of connection I wanted us to have and consistently showing up for that vision, even before they were old enough to articulate it themselves. And of course, this is amidst many little bumps in the road because I'm human, you're human, life happens. But the essence and the framework of all of it, and like kind of the foundation is exactly what I wanted. And it took intention to bring that to life. It didn't just like, I didn't put the intention out there and then, okay, let it just land. Obviously, it takes me living it as well. But it's also the same way that I created the rhythm of my days, the choice, the spaciousness, the ownership of my time, and being as busy as I want to be during different seasons and really pushing myself at times over the years because of choice, and then requiring more space and giving myself that space. And now, this home. It's not something that's like, you know, a checkbox that I've checked or proof of anything. It's just a reflection of alignment because of who I am as it was all coming together. And seeing how it came together and being able to describe the elements around it coming together. And that's why I wanted to share it here today, because maybe there's something that you want really deeply in your soul. And maybe you've not allowed yourself to spend time around achieving it or bringing it into your world. But you can. And this is just one way. I don't even know if I can say a way of it doing it. I was just, it was more of an energy that I was in with this. This is really what I'm sharing is a reflection of alignment, a reflection of a desire that you're not desperate for, and that you have clarity, but you're not controlling every piece. And also knowing that this is a really big one, that you're worthy of wanting what you want. And you don't need to ask anybody permission. You get to own it, you get to have it. And I think this is why the memory of that lakeside declaration hit me so strongly today, because this was a pattern. It was more than just like exactly what it is that I achieved or received.
Home As A Mirror Of Alignment
SPEAKER_00Really, it was a receiving that I that I believe I would call it reception receiving. It's a pattern and it's one that I live, I've lived again and again, and I can articulate it. When I look at the last couple of years, there was a theme that was weaving through everything. And I was lovingly referring to it as my pearl season. And I was with another friend over lunch when I was sharing this story. And she goes, Oh my goodness, we need to look into what pearls mean. What is the symbolism of pearls? We just need to look at this. And if you don't have friends in your life who do this with you, please find some because it's so rewarding when you have people in your life who actually care about what's going on. And of course, you reciprocate with them too. It makes everything feel even more rich. And of course, I'm not going to go into all the details here, but I'll share the essence. So a pearl is created from an irritant, something that doesn't belong, something that chafes. And the oyster doesn't reject it. What it does is it alchemizes it slowly, layer by layer, until the irritant becomes something precious. A pearl. And that is what this season has felt like. Because I had some things I was going through: some health things, some relationship things, extended relationship things. And it was taking what was painful or draining or misaligned or underestimated and
The Pearl Season Metaphor
SPEAKER_00turning it into wisdom, clarity, standards, power, and yes, even beauty. It was a season where I found myself slowing down, not performing anymore, not polishing, but revealing what has always been true. And there's a softness to pearls. Obviously, we see them and they just look so elegant, right? They're timeless, but there's also a power when you see how they're actually made. And so there are parallels to how you and I get to show up and how the pearl essence that I was looking at and discovering. It was like being graceful and having more feminine energy, but not fragile energy. And also visibility without performance. Like these were some themes that I was walking through. And I've noticed how this pearl symbolism has been showing up everywhere in names, for me personally, in places, in tools I've created, in the spaces that have supported me through growth. And it was just truly resonance and a reminder that our evolution is not sharp or jagged. It's layered, it's continuous, it's patient. And it's really, really powerful if we let it. So here's where this ties into what I was talking about on the mini sode earlier this week. So we've been walking through the expansion blockers, the subtle patterns that keep entrepreneurs from stepping into their next season. And today's episode covers one of the big ones. Right? This week was all about that moment where your clients are evolving and your offer needs to evolve with them. Well, that's why I wanted to tell you the story today, because expansion is not just intellectual. It's not just strategic or emotional, even. It's energetic. It's identity-based. And yeah, it's seasonal. And I don't just mean the seasons of nature. I mean the season of the life you're in, your health, your relationships,
Alchemizing Irritants Into Wisdom
SPEAKER_00et cetera. The same way we evolve in our homes, in our relationships, in our creativity, in our taste, in our priorities, the way we dress, the way our hair goes, the way we eat, the way we spend our time, our work wants to evolve too. And that's where so many of us get stuck. It's not that the work stops working. It's that you outgrow the version of you who built it. And maybe you ignore the things that are landing in front of you that are trying to get your attention. Or maybe you're too busy to see them, or you're too tired, or too unwell. That's where creating space to see those things is so powerful. And at the same time, your clients also are outgrowing the versions of themselves as well. So perhaps you have offers or products, experiences that were wonderful for them at one point, but now they've evolved, they've grown. I like to think about musical artists, right? Think about I love Alicia Keys among many. I love Adele. And I think about how old I was when they came out. I want to say, well, Alicia, goodness, now I'm gonna forget timelines, but she's been out for quite a while. But it was a younger version of me that fell in love with her music. And then, and she was like very, very young, and then she moved through her evolution as an artist, and then she got married, and then she became a parent, and all of those things. And the same thing with Adele. I mean, she's very open about her relationship experiences. Like if you just look at her albums, which are really spaced out because of the time she takes away. I so respect her for that. Like I respect the space that she allows life to happen and then for the creativity to start flowing again for her. And the people us who are listening to whoever, whatever artist is that you love, they're starting somewhere and
Expansion Blockers In Business
SPEAKER_00they're growing, and you're following through on these the essence of the music, for instance, you're changing and they're changing. It's it is an evolution. And so with all of this said, the expansion blocker that I was talking about this week, just being allowed to actually change and being allowed, allowing yourself to shift things for the people that you're serving. Because frankly, they want to grow and change as well. So once I started connecting those dots, like in my own life and in the lives of my clients, so many things started to click. Truly, expansion isn't about doing more or doing less. Like I love doing less, and I love sometimes doing more if I'm in a season of just chasing a specific um passion. Really, what it's about though, it's about aligning with the person that you've become. So if you're hearing this and something in you is saying, I know I'm made for a bigger version of my life than the one I'm currently living, I want to reflect for you. Every desire you have is data. Every nudge is guidance for you, and every whisper is direction that you get to follow or not follow. Truly, it is safe though, to want what you want. And of course, not because wanting guarantees that you'll get it, but because clarity does make you powerful when you say this or something better, something happens in the energy around you and your next steps. And when your vision becomes real to you, everything else organizes
Letting Offers Evolve With Clients
SPEAKER_00around it. And that's why I've been talking so much about expansion, because this is the moment so many entrepreneurs either double down on a life that no longer fits or step into a life that has been waiting for them. The difference between these two things is clarity. And it all happens when you tap into your true vision, being clear about it. And if you want help getting clear, if you want support, not like a vague journal prompt kind of support, but practical, grounded, move your business and life forward kind of stuff, the vision map is the tool. The link is in the show notes so you can go check it out. That clarity is the thing where it all begins. It's the thing that starts it all. What are you wanting to get clear on right now? What is next for you? What is rising in you as you've listened to this? What parallels are you seeing in your life? I'd love to hear. You can also text me in the show notes. There's a little spot where you can text me. I'd love to hear. And I so appreciate you listening and hope that you do take your own vision serious. Because there's only one you, and the vision that's on your heart is meant for you. It's meant for you to fulfill. Thank you so much for listening. Check out the show notes, and I'll catch you on the next episode.