What happens when your whole sense of worth comes from how hard you work, and then your body stops letting you work? In this mental health episode, Stephanie sits down with her consulting client Leah Izadi of Bless This Mess, who took over her mother-in-law’s cleaning business with a newborn and cleaned for 23 years. Leah talks openly about chronic nerve pain, a financially controlling first marriage, infertility, and the belief that she was only worthy if she was doing physical work. She also explains how she let go of her residential clients, rediscovered her strengths, and is relaunching as Innate Cleaning Co., a cleaning company serving medical and wellness offices.
📌 What You’ll Learn
— How to let go of residential clients with honesty and care (and why most of them will understand)
— Why tying your self-worth to physical work keeps cleaning business owners stuck in the field
— How strength assessments like CliftonStrengths can help you see what you’re good at beyond cleaning
— Why financial literacy and control over your own money matter so much, especially for women business owners
— How Leah used summer pool and event-space cleaning to keep income coming in during her pivot
— What changes when you move from residential to commercial cleaning: speed, checklists, and not over-detailing
— How a feedback survey with commercial clients helped Leah tighten communication and earn referrals
— Why talking to people about your business everywhere you go creates opportunities (including your next hire)
— Mental health tools that helped Leah: therapy, an ADD coach, breathwork, healthy eating, strength training, kind self-talk, and boundaries
Resources Mentioned
— CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder): https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
— The Happiness Lab podcast: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos-podcast
— ZenMaid: https://get.zenmaid.com/
👉 Try ZenMaid free for 14 days: https://get.zenmaid.com
📞 Stephanie’s Consulting & Resources for Purchase: https://serene-clean.com/resources/
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