Learning To Trust Herself
Burnout forced her to confront her identity.
The InspirED Podcast: Creating Shifts That Lead to Income and Freedom
Aug 6, 2026 · 12 min · 10 segments
Most people believe entrepreneurship is about building a successful business. Andrea De La Cerda believes it's about building yourself. In this episode of the InspirED Podcast, Andrea explores how…
Andrea De La CerdaHostWhen I began coaching entrepreneurs, I assumed that I was helping people build companies, helping people grow, and instead, I found myself helping people just untangle their identities.
She had every credential imaginable, and yet every time she needed to raise her prices, she apologized.
Not because she lacked expertise, but because somewhere deep inside, she still believed that her worth depended on making everyone comfortable.
Another founder delayed launching for almost 18 months, not because her product wasn't ready.
It was excellent, but she was afraid that visible success would create distance between herself and the people that she loved.
I've coached nonprofit leaders who believed asking for major gifts felt selfish, even while serving communities desperately in need of these resources.
I've worked with executives who could confidently manage billion-dollar budgets, but froze when suddenly they had to introduce themselves without the prestigious job title.
Different industries, different backgrounds, but the same underlying question, "Am I enough without the external validation?" This isn't simply anecdotal either.
Psychologist Carol Dweck's research on mindset shows that people who define themselves by proving their intelligence or competence become far more risk-averse than those who see growth as part of learning, and it kind of makes sense.
If you need that validation so much, then you're not gonna take the risk to fail.
But entrepreneurship constantly demands a growth mindset because failure isn't an exception, it's actually part of the process.
Research from Gallup has consistently found that a majority of employees worldwide are not engaged at work, suggesting millions of people spend much of their waking lives emotionally disconnected from what they do.
And at the same time, Deloitte's global burnout studies continue to show extraordinarily high levels of stress among professionals, particularly women, who often carry both workplace responsibilities and disproportionate caregiving and emotional labor at home.
McKinsey's annual Women in the Workplace reports repeatedly highlight another reality.
Women are promoted at lower rates into leadership while simultaneously taking on more mentoring, inclusion work, and emotional support inside organizations.
So it's no wonder so many women eventually begin asking, "Hold on, whose definition of success have I been chasing?" Perhaps the business isn't the first act of courage.
When I began coaching entrepreneurs, I assumed that I was helping people build companies, helping people grow, and instead, I found myself helping people just untangle their identities.
She had every credential imaginable, and yet every time she needed to raise her prices, she apologized.
Not because she lacked expertise, but because somewhere deep inside, she still believed that her worth depended on making everyone comfortable.
Another founder delayed launching for almost 18 months, not because her product wasn't ready.
It was excellent, but she was afraid that visible success would create distance between herself and the people that she loved.
I've coached nonprofit leaders who believed asking for major gifts felt selfish, even while serving communities desperately in need of these resources.
I've worked with executives who could confidently manage billion-dollar budgets, but froze when suddenly they had to introduce themselves without the prestigious job title.
Different industries, different backgrounds, but the same underlying question, "Am I enough without the external validation?" This isn't simply anecdotal either.
Psychologist Carol Dweck's research on mindset shows that people who define themselves by proving their intelligence or competence become far more risk-averse than those who see growth as part of learning, and it kind of makes sense.
If you need that validation so much, then you're not gonna take the risk to fail.
But entrepreneurship constantly demands a growth mindset because failure isn't an exception, it's actually part of the process.
Research from Gallup has consistently found that a majority of employees worldwide are not engaged at work, suggesting millions of people spend much of their waking lives emotionally disconnected from what they do.
And at the same time, Deloitte's global burnout studies continue to show extraordinarily high levels of stress among professionals, particularly women, who often carry both workplace responsibilities and disproportionate caregiving and emotional labor at home.
McKinsey's annual Women in the Workplace reports repeatedly highlight another reality.
Women are promoted at lower rates into leadership while simultaneously taking on more mentoring, inclusion work, and emotional support inside organizations.
So it's no wonder so many women eventually begin asking, "Hold on, whose definition of success have I been chasing?" Perhaps the business isn't the first act of courage.
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3 of 9
Learning To Trust Herself
Burnout forced her to confront her identity.
The Person You Become
Building a business may mean rebuilding yourself.
Your Business Is A Mirror
Business became a mirror for hidden beliefs.
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