The Somatic Side of Becoming Visible as a New Entrepreneur
Venturing into a career change and starting your own business? Congratulations, you have likely already accomplished a lot: you have spent hours figuring out your business idea, crunching the numbers, identifying your customers, developing your corporate identity, and working on your marketing strategy. You are ready to launch.
But there is one unexpected obstacle when starting your own business that you might not anticipate. It hit me quite unexpectedly, too, and I have noticed it with many women I have worked with.
What is it? Becoming visible. Because you can have everything prepared on the outside, but still find it difficult to step into the visibility that comes with your new role.
I don't mean the technical side of visibility, such as planning and choosing which platforms to use, whether Instagram, a website, or LinkedIn. If you are planning to start your own business, you likely already have a plan for that.
Imagine you have everything ready, and yet you don't step into visibility. You never publish that website, never write that first post, or offer that first workshop. You keep postponing and procrastinating, always finding something else that needs to be done before you finally step out of the box and into the light.
There can be several reasons for this. It could be perfectionism and the need to have everything figured out before you start. It could be imposter syndrome, where you suddenly feel you have nothing to offer because everyone else seems to know so much more. It can also be connected to unconscious beliefs about what you are allowed to do, and how much space you are allowed to take up.
Visibility as the New 'Me'
Whatever the reasons behind it, visibility at its core has to do with being seen for who we are becoming and who we want to be: The new 'me'.
And visibility is much more connected with our senses and our body than we might expect.
The fear of being seen often operates unconsciously, like a background program. But when we start sensing into it, we may discover that it is quite tangible and can be felt in our body. For each woman I have worked with, it showed up in different places of the body, but there was always something to notice.
What will friends and family think? How will I be received in this completely new role? What if people don't take me seriously? What if I make a mistake?
These questions don't just show up in our minds; they can also manifest in our bodies. Perhaps you notice a tightening in your throat, a holding of your breath, tension in your shoulders, or a tendency to make yourself physically smaller.
After all, stepping into visibility means allowing ourselves to be seen in a new way, and that can bring up much more than we initially expect.
A Somatic Approach to Working with Visibility
In my experience, it is much more powerful to include the body rather than just talking about our fears or staying in our heads. In our minds, we can go around in circles, analyzing our patterns, and trying to convince ourselves that there is nothing to be afraid of.
But what if we also acknowledged what is happening underneath all that thinking?
Bringing awareness to the felt sense of the body, offering support, witnessing what is present, and acknowledging our experience can shift how we relate to the fear of visibility. Instead of trying to push it away or overcome it, we create space to explore what is actually happening and what might be needed.
Sometimes this can shift an obstacle surprisingly quickly. At other times, it takes a little more time and exploration.
Will the fear of visibility disappear completely? Possibly not. But you may develop a different and much more resilient way of relating to it, allowing you to move forward without having to wait until you feel completely confident or ready.
A Short Somatic Practice: Becoming a Little More Comfortable with Being Seen
If you are preparing to launch your business, or have already noticed yourself postponing that first step into visibility, you might like to try this little exploration.
1. Find your ground
Sit comfortably and take a moment to notice how your body is supported by the chair or the surface beneath you. Feel your feet on the floor, if that is comfortable, and allow yourself a few moments to arrive. There is nothing you need to achieve right now.
2. Notice what is present
Take a gentle journey through your body, noticing what is present without trying to change anything. Where do you notice tension, ease, movement, or perhaps very little sensation? Simply bring some curiosity to your experience.
3. Connect with your intention
Bring your attention to your business idea and what inspired you to start this new venture in the first place. What matters to you about it? What would you like to offer, contribute, or make possible through your work? Allow yourself to connect with that intention for a moment.
4. Imagine stepping into visibility
Now imagine yourself taking one of those steps you have been postponing. Perhaps publishing your website, announcing your new business to friends, or offering your first workshop.
As you imagine this, notice what happens in your body. Do you feel a tightening somewhere? Does your breath change? Do you notice something in your throat, chest, stomach, or hands? Perhaps you notice an impulse to pull back, make yourself smaller, or hold your breath. There is no right or wrong response. Just notice what is happening.
5. Offer yourself support
Rather than trying to make the uncomfortable sensations disappear, see whether you can offer yourself some support. Perhaps placing a hand somewhere on your body feels helpful, or you might want to lean back into the chair and feel the support it offers, or take a breath, or gently move.
What wants to move? What needs acknowledgement? Can you stay with what is present for a little longer, without pushing yourself?
6. Explore what might help
Now, hold this question lightly in your awareness and see what comes up: “What do I need to feel just 5% more comfortable with being seen?”
Don't rush to find an answer. Notice what comes up, whether it is a sensation, an image, a thought, or an impulse. Perhaps you need more support, more time, a different way of approaching visibility, or simply the acknowledgement that this is a big step for you.
Take a moment to let that settle and make a note of anything that feels meaningful.
You Don't Have to Feel Completely Ready
Stepping into visibility as a new entrepreneur is not just another item on your business checklist. It can be an important personal transition, asking you to step into a new identity, allow yourself to take up space, and become comfortable with being seen in a different way.
You don't have to eliminate every doubt or become completely confident before you begin. Sometimes it is enough to acknowledge what is happening, find the support you need, and take the next step from there.
Taking some time for inner, somatic work around visibility can help you feel more grounded and supported before stepping out of the box.