¶ Intro / Opening
Hello, it's Brie, your host, and Into the Story is back for season eight of the podcast. This is a show that started as a way to learn English through true stories. Into this story is now a space for real human stories that show us how we communicate, especially in the moments that matter most. Moments of leadership, emotion, decision, In today's episode, I talk to Hadar Shaman.
A very powerful voice in the English language world about the moment that she realized something had to change in her business and what it really took to make the decision to stop.
So I remember like saying, I don't know what needs to happen, but I know that this is not. Where I want to be.
This story is personal, completely unedited, and it's a reminder that clarity doesn't always come easy. But it does come if we are brave enough to make the decision. Okay, let's get into the story.
¶ The Overwhelming Grind: Hadar's 2 AM Crisis
So take us to a time and place where life was really busy and feeling very overwhelming in your your business.
I remember a specific night. I think it was l two A. M.
And
I was working on creating this slide deck for a video that I was supposed to record the next day for my membership for teachers. I used to have a membership program for English teachers. Teaching them how to teach pronunciation and also how to build a business. So every month I had to create content around a specific topic related to pronunciation and a specific aspect of building a business, which was a lot.
And it was pretty much me and another team member that was helping me with developing the content. And the business related content, it was all me,'cause I was the only one that could create it and I had a very small team. So
apart from having our ongoing work, like I had to create these um lessons and resources. And it was two AM and I was sitting and and creating that content. I think it was about how to build your brand on social media or something related to that, like business market uh content marketing related topic. I was going very deep and I liked it. Like I felt like I had a lot to contribute.
But I was so exhausted. I was so tired. I haven't seen my daughters and my family. And I knew that the next day would have to be a full day of recording and releasing that content because it had to be released, I think, the following day. And I was so incredibly stressed. And this was during COVID. So also like the, you know, everything that was happening in the world was creating a lot of stress. And there and my business. exploded'cause everyone all of a sudden wanted to
you know, take digital courses and uh and build a community and this is something that I had. So I was so incredibly overwhelmed and busy in a really beautiful, good way. Like I'm so thankful for that time. But that night, as at like 2 a.m., I was sitting and and you know, creating that slide deck. I just felt like I couldn't do it anymore. Like I felt it was too much. I asked myself, what am I doing? Like, do I really want to be this busy, this overwhelmed?
I felt so frustrated and It was also like this loop because the moment I would publish something and then I had my other course and I had my weekly videos. Like the moment I would finish something, there was no relief because then like I had all this backed up content that I had to create.
And that was like a cycle and it was a monthly membership. So I had to create so I I was like, I I can't do this. Like I cannot, I don't think I can continue this way. First of all, like I feel like I'm not present with Myself and definitely my family. And second, I feel like I'm not able to.
find the time to get past it. And I had like I wanted to recreate another program and I wanted to hire a team and I like and I n I I didn't even see how I was able to get to it because I was so busy in the doing, in the kind of like grind of the of the creating the content for the membership and the content for YouTube and all of that. So I remember like saying, I I don't know what needs to happen, but I know that this is not where I want to be.
¶ Internal Conflict and Resistance to Change
But the next day I wake up and I think to myself, Like that part. So I had that strong feeling of like this is not it. Like I don't want to continue living my life life like this. But then I wake up in the morning and I was like, well, but hadar. You already have this membership with 100 students and they love it and you love them. And it's a membership for teachers and you're helping them build businesses during COVID. And like this is, you know, like It's transforming life and it's profitable.
And then this other part in me, the part that was exhausted, was like, yes, but it's too much, like I can't do it. And then the other voice of like, but what are they gonna think? You're gonna disappoint them. You're going to break that community. You're going to dismantle it. What is your team going to think after all the work they've put into this? And like all the funnels and all the sales pages and all the design that I've invested, you know, thousands and thousands of dollars in.
So I decided to push through because yeah, I heard that voice of like, this is this is not it. This is not it. It's too much. I can't do it. But then, you know, like my my Logical self was like, well, no, it's working. So you'll just have to push through and you'll have to just work harder and figure this out.
Yeah, I can absolutely hear and put myself in your shoes when you have that momentum in any aspect of life, business, personal life, but then you feel like uh I can't do this. But how can I stop this ball that's rolling down a hill? So what how long how much longer did that last, working through those crazy long hours and just pushing, pushing, pushing?
It like I think That night was the trigger to me starting to doubt what I was doing, but it took a few more months to be able to have the confidence to make that decision. Because at the end of the day, you know, when we think of decisions, It takes a split second to make the decision, right? What ends up Happening is that we invest a lot of energy leading up to it and like not taking the time or not deciding to decide.
And I think that that was my thing. Like it was hard for me to make a h this decision because whatever decision I would make, whether it was to keep it, I would have to make some changes in my team and the processes, or if I decided to close it. You know, like the impact that that would have on my business and my team and my community.
And what I mean you went on for some more months like that and then what helped you make the decision?
¶ New Vision, Mentor's Guiding Catalyst
So there there are two things that I can think about. One is that I started having like getting this other whisper of something else that I wanted to create that felt really important to me, which was like I wanted to recreate one of my programs that is for English learners. This is really like where I started and I had my original course, which was a pronunciation course, but I felt like I needed to create something a lot more elaborate.
that includes more than just pronunciation work. Like all my f all the things that I've learned o over the past, you know, uh few years and months prior. And I felt like, you know, like the mindset work that I have done. Like, and I was like, I had this big vision for this program. And every time I would want to work on it, I w I I'd be at capacity. So like I I would not be able to see it. And that voice started started to get stronger and stronger.
And, you know, like whenever there is a decision that I need to make, I always think about the future, like and where I would want to be. Like always operating from the vision I have for myself in the future. And then, like, if I want this. what needs to happen right now for me to get there. Because it's so e it's so hard to let go of something right now. But if in the future, like I I see myself leading this thing with, you know, helping X amount of students.
And that was more important to me than you know keeping what I have now, then like it it makes it clearer for you what is the decision that you need to make now.
And I had a business mentor and I remember one night we were on a call and I was so frustrated and I was crying and I was telling her, like, I don't want know what to do. I feel so bad. Like, I know that if I wanted to create that that other course, like I would have to um to give up on something, but I cannot disappoint all these people and I cannot let go of like a profitable course that is a huge part of my business right now. And she asked me a few questions.
specifically around that vision and specifically around how do I want to live my life because it wasn't just about, you know, what do I have in my business, but also how do I show up in my business? And she asked, like, Are you happy with what you have now? And I said, No. I'm not. And I was crying. And I was like, no, I'm not happy. And they're just like, there you have it. Like, this is the answer. Because You know, like ultimately I knew in my gut what I needed to do. And
Like the logical part in my brain was trying to tell me, no, you're wrong. Like don't listen to that intuition. Don't pay attention. Like you can do it. You can push through it. This is the, you know, like this is the, this is the right decision. And um and that night after the call, because I was wiping. Um, I drafted the first email that was a part of a sequence of emails informing my community or my membership.
I'm going to close it. And I gave it a few more months. So it was kinda like I gave myself some time and I gave them some time. But like that moment, right, like when I ended the call, I knew that I had to do something. to move this forward and not still kind of like dwell on the decision. And once I drafted the email, I had clarity that this is the right decision.
¶ Embracing Clarity, Podcast's Evolved Focus
Hadara Sheamish is one of the most respected voices in the English learning space. You can find her on Instagram at Hadar Accentsway. or YouTube at Accentsway English with Hadar. I will leave you a link in the show notes so that you can check out the incredible work that she's doing. And Hadar did stop that program for teachers, and she began spending her time creating another program that would become far more successful and most importantly, more of where Hadar wanted to be.
In next week's episode, Hadar and I go deeper into what it means to be decisive and how to communicate hard decisions with clarity and care. If you've ever found yourself stuck between logic, And intuition or afraid of what people might think if you change course, you're going to want to hear that episode. In fact, when Hadar and I had this conversation, It really hit me hard because I actually had my own moment when I needed to take chaos.
in my life and start turning it into more clarity. Let me tell you the story. I was working on the final episode of season seven for this podcast. And as always, I was rushing toward a deadline. And I was also dealing with several other deadlines in my coaching work, with clients. I was feeling overwhelmed. And in that moment, my screen went completely black. I looked outside and I saw my neighbors looking out their windows.
I looked at my phone, I had no Wi Fi. You see, this was a day where Spain, where I live, had zero electricity. I mean the entire country had no electricity for an entire day. And you know what? It felt like someone had pulled the plug out of my brain. I had been working on so many things. And it had been a really long time since I really thought, what do I want? Where do I want to be? One thing has always been true. I am fascinated by communication.
And I know that stories are not only how we understand ourselves, but also how we understand and connect with one another. So I finished season seven of the podcast and then I took a long break. I have been incredibly busy doing work. that excites me and motivates me and feels like exactly where I want to be. In this season of the podcast, I am going to start bringing my work as a strategic communication coach into my work with this podcast.
I can't wait to share this season with you. And if you are someone who uses English at work and you want to speak so that people listen and remember you, then you can join my newsletter. Go to into story.com to sign up now. Okay, thank you so much for being here. And as always, until next time, I hope that you have a good time, or at least a good story.
🎵 Music