Living Losses for the Entrepreneur: Grief That Doesn’t Get Acknowledged
Living Losses for the Entrepreneur: Grief That Doesn’t Get Acknowledged
There are some kinds of grief that no one names.
No funerals. No condolences. No leave of absence.
Just a quiet ache in the background of your life—or your business.
These are called living losses.
They're the kind of grief that doesn’t come from death, but from change.
From evolution.
From becoming someone new, and realizing you didn’t say goodbye to the version of you you used to be.
Entrepreneurs grieve more than we realize.
💔 The launch that flopped
💔 The program you poured your heart into, but had to close
💔 A business model that doesn’t fit anymore
💔 Letting go of clients who no longer align
💔 Walking away from a team, a partnership, a brand identity
💔 The freedom you thought entrepreneurship would bring… that didn’t quite land
Even the good transitions carry grief:
Stepping into a new identity that demands more of you
Growing your audience and feeling more exposed
Leaving behind offers that no longer reflect who you are
Shifting from hustle into slowness and feeling disoriented in the pause
We tell ourselves to “be grateful.”
To “trust the process.”
To “keep going.”
And in the process… we bypass the part of us that’s still hurting.
My story might not be yours—but I know this terrain.
There was a season where I let go of a career that had once defined me.
A season where the old version of me was gone, but the new one hadn’t fully arrived.
Where I was grateful for the changes in my life and business—and also grieving what I left behind.
It was confusing.
It was isolating.
It felt like I didn’t have the “right” to grieve something I chose.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
Grief doesn’t need permission.
It just needs acknowledgment.
Living losses matter—because you matter.
And if you’re an entrepreneur, you’re likely carrying invisible grief right now.
Losses like:
An identity you outgrew
A version of success that no longer motivates you
A dream that didn’t come to life the way you pictured
A past self you didn’t get to honor in the rush to keep building
Naming it doesn’t make you less grateful.
It makes you more whole.
So let me ask:
🌀 What are you grieving that you haven’t named?
🌀 What part of you has quietly been put away, waiting for space to be seen?
🌀 What version of you are you becoming—and did you get a chance to say goodbye to the last one?
You don’t have to stay stuck in that liminal space between who you were and who you’re becoming.
But you do have to honor the space you’re in.
How to process a living loss in business:
Here are a few ways to gently begin:
Speak your grief aloud, even if just to yourself.
Journal on what you've lost, and what you're making room for.
Talk with a peer or mentor who understands the emotional side of entrepreneurship.
Name the transition: “I’m not doing this anymore. And I miss it.”
Let yourself feel sad, even if the next chapter is exciting.
Write a letter to your past self or a past version of your business.
Move the emotion—through breath, art, movement, or tears.
Get support. You don’t have to grieve alone.
You’re allowed to grieve the old you.
You’re allowed to feel joy and sorrow at the same time.
You’re allowed to feel lost—even as you lead others.
Because transformation isn’t just about what you’re stepping into.
It’s about what you’re releasing to get there.
And letting go always deserves a moment of reverence.
🧭 If you’re holding grief in your business—over something that ended, changed, or no longer fits…
The Human Design Perspective Shift™ Call is a free 30-minute conversation to reflect on where you are right now, and how your inner child and inner CEO can work together through the transition.
This isn’t coaching or strategy.
It’s a space to name what’s real.
To feel your way forward.
To reconnect with your energy and your truth.
If Lead From Within™ feels aligned, I’ll share more at the end of the call.
No pressure—just presence.
You don’t have to pretend it didn’t hurt.
You just have to give it space to breathe.
