EP 74: Unbecoming and Recalibrating with Leslie Bailey
Episode 74: Unbecoming and Recalibrating with Leslie Bailey Hosted by Katelyn CalhounLeslie Bailey and I were building businesses in Indianapolis at the same time. She had Indy Maven, a media company for women, and Maven Space, a coworking space where so many solopreneurs and business owners found their people. I was growing my former business, and our circles kept overlapping. We both ended up stepping away, leaving the city, and slowing way down.I’ll be honest... I didn’t plan for this conversation to land here. I swapped it at the last minute with my episode with Jessie Wilde, a fellow boat dweller who gave me a peek at what my future might hold. Only after did I realize this one is the perfect final interview for the show. Leslie is fresh off a move back to her childhood home in Michigan, recalibrating, and talking about it openly while she’s still in it. She’s writing about the whole thing on her Substack, Unbecoming.What we really get into is how you know when it’s time to step away from something, and how you find your way back to the reason you started. For Leslie, that’s writing. For me, it’s editing video. Same love for storytelling, different tools.In this episode, we talk about:How a geographic move can quietly turn into an identity shiftLeslie’s “full cup” that turned out to be full of other people’s stuffEnding the coworking lease, then realizing writing was the only part of Indy Maven she still wantedThe weight of being the 100% owner, even with a great team and community behind youThe girl boss era and all the mixed messages about betting on yourselfWhy nobody could have told either of us to stop soonerMaking the rest of life easier when a season is going to be hard anywayA few moments that stood out:A birthday card from Leslie’s mom, found years later, telling her not to take life so seriously... and the bright yellow walls in her childhood home that prove her mom meant it.Leslie writing an entire business plan for a general store on vacation, putting numbers to it, and thinking, “Nope. Not doing that.”Her take on burnout, and on the season of carrying everyone else’s weight until you can’t anymore. She expresses that it only feels lonely because so many people don’t realize they’re in it yet.Throwing herself one going away party — "here’s where I’ll be, come if you can" — instead of a hundred coffees she didn’t have capacity for.Choosing to slow down at 42 instead of looking back at 72 wishing she had.If you’re somewhere in the messy middle, maybe not quite ready to say it out loud yet, I hope this one feels like company. And if someone came to mind while you read this, send it their way.After 20+ years in media, marketing, and hospitality, Leslie walked away from all of it, and she’s writing about what comes next on her Substack, Unbecoming. If this conversation stirred something up, her writing is a good place to sit with it for a while.substack.com/@thelesliebaileyP.S. If your videos are stuck in your camera roll, head over to @calhounedits for quick editing tutorials, or book a free 30-minute consult here: [link]Community Co-Working Monthly Kick-OffStart the month with me! Once a month, we get together on Zoom to review the past month, set intentions for the next, and work on something that matters. Quiet focus, community, and accountability to keep the momentum going all month long. It's free. It's monthly. 👉 Sign Up!Need Help Clarifying Your Story?Story Strategy Sessions are designed to help you uncover your narrative, refine your messaging, and build a visibility strategy that actually feels like you.🎥 Book your session: HEREJoin the Conversation📲 Send a DM on Instagram: @CraftedConnectionsPodCrafted Connections is produced by Calhoun Creative Consulting, a strategic storytelling firm helping people and brands tell stories that resonate.🌟 Subscribe and don’t miss an episode. Keep creating. Keep connecting....