When someone follows in your footsteps and it hurts more than you expected

The school holidays just wrapped up here, and after two weeks off with the kids, two weeks of messy mornings, movie marathons, Macca’s runs and moments of real presence, I finally sat down at my desk to get back into the swing of business.

And what I felt wasn’t what I expected.

Yes, I was grateful for the time away.
Yes, I felt recharged in many ways.
But I also felt … heavy.

There had been a few things bubbling up under the surface. Things I tried to brush off. But with the space and stillness of the holidays, they caught up with me. And if you’ve been in business for a while, you’ll know what I mean when I say sometimes the biggest emotional growth doesn’t come from your personal life, it comes from your business.

Because your business will mirror things back to you that you didn’t even know needed healing.

The thing that triggered something deeper

Two of my past clients, women I worked closely with, women I held space for, coached through hard seasons, celebrated wins with, had either launched or pivoted their businesses to now also coach Mums in business.

Same messaging.
Same offers.
Same audience.
Same language I’ve used for years.

At first, I didn’t want to talk about it.
I felt silly for being affected.
Petty, even.

But the truth is, it did affect me.

And I think it’s important we talk about the moments that trigger us as women in business because if we don’t, they fester. And if we’re not honest about what comes up, we can’t grow through it.

The emotional spiral we don’t like to admit

I felt hurt. I felt betrayed. I felt confused.

Was I overreacting?
Was I being too precious?
Why did this hurt so much?

I knew logically that I didn’t “own” the concept of coaching Mums in business. But emotionally? It felt like my work had been taken and repurposed by people who knew my heart and how much I pour into what I do.

I found myself spinning in questions:

• Did they just use me to learn how to do this for themselves?
• Am I no longer unique?
• What’s the point if anyone can just do the same thing?

And beneath all that, there was a deeper voice:

• Am I even good enough anymore?

Yep. That old one. The one that creeps in right when you’re trying to feel confident and clear.

And I could have stayed there.
Spiralled in self doubt. Played the victim. Shut down and pulled away.

But I’ve done enough inner work to know that a trigger is an invitation. An invitation to dig deeper and ask: What is this really about?

The shadow beneath the surface

What came up was an old wound, of being copied, overlooked, dismissed. A time when I was younger and had my ideas taken without credit. A time in a previous business where someone literally duplicated my offerings and used them to build their brand.

It brought all of that back.

But instead of numbing out or emotionally bypassing with “positive vibes only,” I let myself sit with the discomfort.

I journaled.
I cried.
I talked it through with people I trust.
I let myself feel all of it.

Because emotions are not something to fix, they’re something to move through.

Perspective shift: from pain to power

Once the emotion moved, I was able to access something else:

Clarity.

Because the truth is, these women didn’t just copy me.

They were impacted by me.
They were transformed through our work together.
They were inspired by what I helped them see in themselves.

And now, they’re trying to do that for others.

That’s not something to be threatened by, that’s something to be proud of.

It’s a ripple effect.
It’s proof of my impact.

And here’s what I now believe: You can’t copy someone’s essence. You can’t replicate their journey, their energy, or their magic. You can mimic a niche, a message or a strategy, but if it’s not truly yours, it won’t land the same.

So instead of shrinking, I’m choosing to expand.
Instead of dimming, I’m choosing to shine brighter.

Integrity over imitation

Let me be clear, integrity matters to me.

There’s a difference between being inspired and being unoriginal.
There’s a difference between being mentored by someone and mimicking them.

And if you’re someone who’s been hurt by this too, know that you’re not alone. It’s okay to feel it. It’s okay to be upset. But then let it be your fuel.

Let it show you how powerful your work really is.

My commitment moving forward

This experience has cracked something open in me.

I’m no longer hiding parts of myself out of fear of being copied, misunderstood, or triggering others.

I’m claiming my space louder.
I’m showing you more of my journey, even the messy, unpolished parts.
I’m rising into deeper leadership, not just in my business, but in how I show up as a Mum, a woman, a coach and a human.

It’s vulnerable.
It’s confronting.
But it’s time.

Because if I want to empower other women to build life first businesses where they don’t burn out or self abandon, I have to lead the way by doing that myself.

So if you’ve been holding back out of fear
If you’ve been shrinking to make others more comfortable
If you’ve been silencing your voice because “someone else is already doing it”

This is your sign to RISE.

Not in spite of it all.
But because of it all.

You’re not too late.
You’re not too much.
And your magic? It’s uncopyable.

Let them be inspired. But let you lead.

The world doesn’t need more duplicates.
It needs more women who are willing to show up in their full truth.

And I’m right here with you.