Permission to Be in Process: How One Entrepreneur Chose Reinvention Over Burnout with Stacey Owen
Permission to Be in Process: The Sacred Art of Entrepreneur Reinvention
What do you do when you've built something successful, but your soul is screaming for more?
This is the question that kept Stacey Owen up at night. After 12 years as a serial entrepreneur, four successful businesses, and a marketing agency that grew to 14 team members with 86 people on the waitlist, she found herself facing an uncomfortable truth. Success on paper doesn't always equal fulfillment in your heart.
In our latest Creatives Rule the World episode, Stacey shares her raw, honest journey from marketing agency owner to Sacred Money Archetype coach. She reveals why sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is trust what's calling you next, even when you can't see the full picture.
From Garage to Glory: The Unexpected Path to Success
Stacey's story doesn't start where you'd expect. [05:11] “I lived in a garage for five years, no running water,” she shares, reflecting on a time when her life looked nothing like the successful entrepreneur she'd become. After leaving an abusive marriage, she was working for an airline when a neighbor asked her to photograph a wedding.
That single “yes” changed everything.
Within a year, she was working full-time as a wedding photographer. But the real magic happened when she couldn't find a marketing agency that understood creative businesses. “I just decided to do it. I asked my friends if they would love something like that to exist. They said yes. So I literally just one day decided to do it.”
By the end of 2019, her agency had grown to 14 team members. They were international. They had 86 people on their waitlist. Then COVID hit.
The Pivot That Changed Everything
[09:06] Instead of laying everyone off, Stacey made a bold decision. She launched one of the world's first virtual photography conferences. “There's no reason that should happen ever, but they said yes,” she laughs, remembering how Fuji Camera became a sponsor for their three-day worldwide event.
But here's where the story gets interesting. Despite this success, something was shifting inside Stacey.
When Success Becomes a Prison
[18:04] The decision to sell wasn't driven by failure. It was driven by growth. “I was no longer in it like they are in it, like the rest of the team. They show up every day. They have the ambition for the work that we're doing, and I no longer had that.”
This is the part of entrepreneurial success nobody talks about. The guilt that comes with outgrowing something you've poured your heart into. Stacey describes the emotional complexity beautifully: “I felt a lot of guilt, and I felt this weird shame feeling, because I was so connected to my team… It just felt like we created this thing together. And here I am looking to leave it.”
But she also recognized a crucial truth: “Was I actually holding the company and therefore the team back? Absolutely I was.”
The Art of Separating Identity from Business
[21:20] One of the most powerful insights from our conversation was Stacey's approach to business identity. Her agency was called “Pepper Pots” (after the Iron Man character), which helped create separation between herself and the business.
“Treat it like it's its own person. So when you are making decisions around it, it's not so personally tied to you and your values… that business isn't you.”
This separation becomes crucial when it's time to pivot, sell, or simply step back from something you've built.
Being in Process: The Most Powerful Place You Can Be
[32:07] When Stacey joined my Art of Reinvention program, she was looking for structure and community. What she found was permission to slow down. “Your program allowed me, especially like the first chunk, to just be in the process of being in the process. And that is what I really needed.”
This phrase captures something so many high-achieving entrepreneurs struggle with. We're so used to building, creating, and moving forward that we forget the power of sitting in uncertainty.
“I accepted being in the process of being in process. And that was hard for me. Now it's not hard. Now I feel really good about that.”
The Question Behind Every Hesitation
[34:33] For anyone considering their own reinvention journey, Stacey offers this insight: “I think deep down, that might be the question. Is it possible for me? And it absolutely is.”
She continues: “When you realize that you actually do have the power to reinvent, to evolve, to be who you want to be, that that person's already within you, that you just need a little bit of help seeing that and bringing it out and embracing that. Then there's no question it's a yes.”
What's Next: Building from Alignment
Today, Stacey is building something bigger. She's a Sacred Money Archetype coach helping ambitious women build businesses rooted in self-trust rather than just performance. She's writing a book. She's developing her own frameworks. Most importantly, she's doing it all from a place of alignment rather than desperation or ego.
[35:38] “I'm building something larger in the background, thanks to your program, and even in the bio… I put even writer in my bio now to just really own that.”
The Takeaway
Stacey's story reminds us that entrepreneur reinvention isn't about starting from scratch. It's about honoring who you're becoming. Sometimes the most successful thing you can do is recognize when you've outgrown your current chapter and give yourself permission to write the next one.
Ready to explore your own entrepreneur reinvention? Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to connect with Stacey on Instagram @heystaceyowen to follow her continued journey.
xo, Tracy
Sponsor Spotlight!
Speaking of reinvention, if Stacey's story resonates with you and you're feeling that pull toward something bigger but aren't sure what it looks like, I invite you to join me for Your Next Chapter. It's a free 90-minute vision mapping session. We'll uncover what's out of alignment in your business or career, create a vision that lights you up, and map out your first steps. Because your next chapter isn't waiting, and neither should you.
Links in this episode:
Follow @heystaceyowen on Instagram
Free Live Vision Mapping Session: Your Next Chapter
The Art of Reinvention Program
Buy My Book: The Desired Brand Effect