Why More Clients and Higher Prices Didn't Fix Your Money Anxiety

I don't know if you can relate to this, my friend, but in both of my very successful businesses that have brought me so much wealth, so much joy, and brought me so many beautiful people that I love, I've never felt safe. I've never felt like I had built something that was, like, perfect, indestructible, that will be with me forever. I have never been able to get rid of the feeling that this was all just luck, and the perfect timing, and that this ha- is not, is not real, and it, like, is gonna go away tomorrow. Like, I th- I am constantly on the edge, feeling like there is impending doom, feeling like I can never relax, and that I have to keep innovating and working and changing and staying ahead in order for this, that I've worked so hard for, to not go away.

Mm-hmm. That has been a constant for me. And I think that, especially working now more intimately with my mastermind program, my amazing hair stylists who are doing such crazy things in their businesses, like defying the odds, and being able to have more, like, one-to-one conversations with them and really get to know them a little bit more deeply, I'm noticing that this is a very common theme between a lot of us. And I don't know if you've experienced this, Jodi.

I don't know if this is, like, a common business owner thing for everybody. But, like, I wanted to address it today and speak about my own experience, because it has been, like, a very all-encompassing thing, like, in my life. Like, there are two things that absolutely, like, are always plaguing me and what I bring up in therapy, and it's boys, and then this. Right.

Um- And so ... Go ahead. And so, like, I, I've done a lot of work on it, and I would love to just make you feel val- validated today if you're listening to this and you're, like, a high performer and you've created a great business for yourself, but you still feel like it could just escape out from under you at a, at the drop of a dime, you know? I wanna talk to you about what's helped me, and also, uh, uh, just, just make you know that you're not alone.

Um, and to answer your question, yes, Hunter, I absolutely relate. I feel like there's so many times where, like, if I'm like ... I get real with myself and I'm like, "Jodi, if you would've told yourself, like, six or seven years ago that you would have accomplished the things that you've accomplished today, you'd be like, 'What? You're never gonna worry again.'

Like, this is like, you've made it, girl. Like, good job." You know what I mean? Um, but what I have learned, like, from my own business, and then, like you said, from just having conversations and working with other high performers and high achievers, is that there is no magic number, I don't think, when it comes to building a business.

And we expect there's gonna be that, and I think once you get to that level where you are successful, you have built something, and you have more to lose, there is that feeling that you really do have to learn how to work through. And so, you know, what I ... What's your experience been, Hunter? Like, I know this is something that you deal with consistently, and I don't think it ever magically goes away, but, like, what do you do to keep moving forward, to regulate yourself, to deal with that feeling?

There is a lot of, like, things that I've done and learned about the situation. Right. One of the things that I've learned about the situation is, like, the catastrophizing of the future. Mm-hmm.

Like, I, like everything, every, all of my fears of, like, what could happen feels so real and so scary. And I forget what the, um ... There's like a, there's like some sort of concept out there, uh, like a psychological concept or something like that, I forget what the name of it is, but where, like, if, if your brain, like, thinks something is happening or if it's anxious about something happening, it's going to try and find proof that it's real. Right?

And then you have some pro- Confirmation bias. Yeah. And then you have confirmation bias- Yeah. of that, right?

Yeah. And so you're trying to figure out, like, oh, like, why this is true. And so, like, I, like, whenever I'm in this mode, I'm always looking for, like, the smallest piece of evidence that, like, yes, I am flopping, I am failing. And it's so, it's so powerful to have a good grasp on your data, like, on your numbers, on your money, have a good understanding of it, because it truly, like, tangibly tells you the truth.

Right. And I'm even going to say that even when the numbers tell you the truth and the truth may even confirm that bias, right, even when that happens, it actually, in my opinion, makes it way less scary. Mm-hmm. Like, when I actually am able to confront a fear, whether it be real or whether it be fake, like- Yeah.

it completely takes me out of my own head, and it actually puts it onto paper, and then I'm able to tangibly do something with it, versus it just being a chaotic spiral of unsureness and dread in my brain, right? Like, when you're equipped with whatever is actually happening and you have a pure understanding of it that's, that is undeniable, I guess you could say, you now are, you now are able to take action. And I believe that action, a lot of the time, can make you feel a lot better. I don't think that it'll ever take away the feeling, at all.

I think that it can very much help, having, having ... Because it creates hope. Like, creating a plan and taking action creates hope, and I think that hope oftentimes can cre- then can destroy a lot of that fear. Yeah.

Clarity of the future, having a plan, all of that stuff is so helpful. But I think it'll still linger in the background, right, in one way or another. And one of the biggest things that has really helped me, honestly, like the actual thing that has fully helped me, is just being comfortable with the fact that this is going to be a underlying, buzzing anxiety that I always have. And acknowledging it and doing, like, looking at the real story, creating a plan, also-...

confronting what the worst case scenario is, too. Again, like, getting out of your head, and, like, putting it down on paper, and reviewing things, I think is so important and massively helpful for me in these catastrophizing case scenarios, and in my scarcity of money or the success of the business. Yes. Oh my goodness.

I love that you said scarcity, 'cause, you know, I'm not gonna bring up anything too woo-woo for you, Hunter, but - ... I will say that that was one of the things that shifted for me the most, was learning, like, just at its core, like, the scarcity versus, like, more abundance mindset stuff, right? So it's like, we can either look for all of that evidence, and I think there's, like, active choice sometimes as well. Like, we can't choose the feelings that come up, and I totally agree with you, they're never gonna go away.

But, we can, like, reframe a little bit where it's like, okay, even if, like you said, even if the worst-case scenario happens, like, I've done it once, I can do it again. There is always more clients out there, more whatever out there. Like, and just knowing that you have the ability, like you've done this, and you have evidence that you can do this thing. You've already built something successful, that is also evidence, and there is more available for you.

I think that's also a really powerful piece, too. Yeah, dude. I, I think, like, espec- and I think that it's like the blessing and the curse of being a business owner- Yeah. is that, like, y- everything is reliant on you.

The success is- Yes. the success of the business is reliant on you, but it's such a blessing because you have choice now. Like, you can do something about it, and when you go through a spiral of feeling like everything is flopping and failing, it feels like everything is coming down so quickly, and like everything is happening right now. It's, it, it feels like the feeling of when pe- when there's an announcement that everybody has to quarantine, and you have to shut the business down.

Like- Yes, yes. but normally, that's not the situation, right? Like, normally we're just catastrophizing on a normal Tuesday, when nothing very urgent is actually happening. And I think th- what is so powerful is that between that day and whatever the detrimental day is, you still have choice.

Like, you get to have say in what happens next, and you are so capable and so smart because of the experience that you have of being able to build a business to what it is now, to be able to claw yourself out of whatever that was, and maybe even get ahead. Because whatever shitty shit that you're going through or whatever is not doing well, it's going to force you to innovate. It's gonna force you to get only better, to do the things that you never did before, or w- you, you would have never thought to before because you were never challenged to. And that's, like, such a beautiful game that we get to play, honestly, if we wanna become, you know, a little bit more grateful for it, of this rollercoaster that you signed up for.

Like, it doesn't exist without the lows. Like, there are no highs without the lows, right? That's right. And I think that that's so true, particularly from, like, a knowledge and experience perspective.

I, I feel more equipped to be able to deal with whatever is thrown at me now versus when I started in the beginning, when everything was really, really, really great, and freaking multiplying income and doubling shit, whatever maybe, when everything was crazy, right? I was not nearly as equipped with whatever disaster would have happened at th- at that time. Yeah. But now I have so much experience, so many connections, so many skills, and I know that, let's say, that my entire business was fucked up tomorrow, I know that there's so many things that I could do.

Yeah. And I've mentioned this on the podcast before, but, like, one of the best actions you can do for yourself is writing down, "If this happened, what would I do next?" Right? Mm-hmm.

Like, if tomorrow, you know, I lost 50% of my clientele. If I raised my prices and I lost all of my clients, what would I do, right? And it's wild, particularly for the high performers, I would say that not everybody can actually successfully do this exercise, but I do believe that people who have created something really successful and beautiful absolutely can do this exercise. If you sit down and you say, "If I lose all my clients tomorrow," I guarantee you, you could come up with at least three actions that could help you get back to where you were.

Like, and that's because you have already done it. Yeah. That's because you already had something in you that was willing to put in the work and knew how to navigate these spaces and implement strategy to get you to where you are now. And not everybody has that, right?

So true. So, I wanted to ask you too about, like, when, when these fears are unfounded, I guess we can say. So, like, when- Yeah. This is important to talk about, too, because some of y'all listening to this, y- uh, y'all think shit's fucked up, and it's really not.

Exactly. Sorry. Go ahead, Jodie. Exactly.

So say, like, and, and this is something, like, you and I have talked about before, where it's like, you know when you do do that, like, incredible price increase, and the point is to thin out your books, right? Like, that's, like, literally the goal. You want to increase your prices to, like, reduce that demand on your time, and then it works, and there's, like, a couple gaps on your time, and people freak out, even though they're making more money. So, like- Yep.

let's talk about how we can confront that mindset piece. Like, what, what do you do differently? What different advice do you have there when it comes to something that's like, you're fine? I mean, I fear, like, I mean, just go- of course, like, going back to, like, just having a good grasp on your numbers is really important, understanding how to read them to be able to answer these questions.

Like, you need to have the skill of, like, "Okay, here is my theory-What is the evidence to prove or disprove this theory? Or, like, what are the indicators to support or unsupport this theory, right? Like, you need to have that understanding yourself if you're gonna do this yourself. I'm just gonna be honest here and just say, like, my mastermind people are very lucky to have me, if I do say so myself, because they will come onto a call with me and be like, "I feel like all my clients are canceling on me.

I feel like I have a fuck-ton of gaps," whatever it may be. Then we literally look at the numbers and I'm like, "Girl, like you are just as booked out as you were last month." Like- Right. Or like, you actually, like your utilization rate is excellent.

And look at your bottom line, the money that you're making is great. Like, the feeling, of course, is persistent. It feels very real. Your brain cannot tell the difference between whether it's reality or not, because you're catastrophizing and your brain's trying to keep you safe.

But if you have somebody else who's able to reflect this with you and give you a reality check, on top of actual evidence on paper that's inarguable, that destroys the theory. Again, the feeling might stay, but at least you have a little bit more hope. Like, at least you have that evidence that you can feed your brain and that primal instinct co- to calm the F down a little bit. And I will tell you, especially for high performers, oftentimes it's disproven very quickly and it's not nearly as bad as it feels.

Yeah. And even if, again, there is some sort of dip in performance to prove your theory, again, it's normally not as bad. Mm-hmm. And now you have the awareness of the small thing that you need to improve to make it better.

Like, that's the beautiful thing is normally it's just this one number, and then you're very clear on the actions that you need to take to adjust that one number to make it better to solve whatever problem that you have. Right? Yeah. And again, being able to sit down on, uh, on a call with me and look at your numbers together on a monthly basis, that's a really great way of being able to brainstorm that, get into action st-stay focused to be able to improve it, you know?

And I think that my mastermind students can very much attest to the fact that I've talked them off the ledge many a times and we've gotten to solutions very quickly. And I, it's honestly a privilege to be able to do that, because, like, I wish I had that, you know? I mean, I have had that, and I've seen, and that's why I created this in the first place, that, this program. Mm-hmm.

But, like, it's so nice to be able to, like, relate to these entrepreneurs who are so amazing and passionate and, like, creating such badass businesses that I can r-relate to in the fact that they have the same experiences that I do and share what I've been able to discover and be able to get them out of their own heads, you know? Like, that is so much fun for me. That's awesome. And impactful for me.

And now a word from our sponsors. When I went out on my own as a hairstylist, I quickly realized that running your own business is more complex than most people anticipate, right? There's no roadmap and, honestly, the last thing you need is tools and technology that make it harder to figure out. That's why GlossGenius was the clear choice from day one.

It made running and growing my business feel way more manageable. The platform is intuitive in a way that most aren't. And I'm pretty tech-savvy, but what I actually appreciate about it is that you don't have to be. Any owner or staff member can jump in, get up to speed fast, and use everything the platform has to offer with no learning curve.

The payment processing is worth calling out specifically. It's a consistent flat rate regardless of how a client pays, and the fees are lower than other platforms. That type of transparency has a real impact on your bottom line. And the client-facing experience is polished and modern.

It positions you as a professional brand at every stage of your business to impress your ideal clientele. Every platform has trade-offs, but if you're tired of running everything in your business manually, or you're over your current frustrating software, GlossGenius is worth a serious look. You can go to the link in my show notes and use MODERN to get 50% off your first two months of their gold or platinum plan to see for yourself. Well, I think that's so true though, 'cause it's like, you can really invent a whole lot of crazy stuff about where you're at, like...

And sometimes it does take someone spotlighting that and being like, "What are you talking about? Like, this is not actually happening," for you to be able to see it. It's like, we, the emotions that we're tied into as entrepreneurs, like you said, when everything rises and falls with you, like, your emotions are so tied to the performance or the perceived performance of the business. And I think for hairstylists particularly, like, who came up, like, in the past, you know, however long, I think the conversation has only recently changed.

The metrics on what we think success looks like have shifted a lot. Like, we were brought up to think you need to be, like, working all the time and you need to have, like, hundreds and hundreds of clients and you need to do all these different things, and that's what success looks like. So your very successful business can start to feel not that way if you are projecting, subconsciously, all of those beliefs that you've had throughout your career. Absolutely.

100%. And I like that you brought up, like, specifically for a hairstylist, because another nuance about it being, like, a hairstylist who's going through this, is it's so, you are so intertwined with the feelings of the business, because you are the business. Yeah. Right?

Like, my philosophy is, is that we should separate you from, like, a mindset, philosophical perspective, like, we should separate you and who you are as a human from the business. Like, when we look at the numbers, when we think about the strategy, you are a separate entity from that business. You are nurturing that business, you are responsible for that business, but you are not the business. Yeah.

So if the business is doing bad, that doesn't mean that you are doing bad, right? Yeah. It means that the business is doing bad and you get to do something about it. It doesn't mean that you're bad or that you suck at whatever else, or it doesn't mean that everything's falling apart.

It means the business is fall-... You are still here, you are still human, you are still living and breathing.... right? And I mean, honestly, this goes back to, like, meditation, being present in the moment, your nervous system, all that stuff, right?

Like, that's why that stuff is so important, because it feel- again, it feels like everything is collapsing in the moment. But when you, like, really, like, take a step back, you reenter your body, you feel what's actually around you and the stimuli that you're supposed to be feeling as just a primal human being. When you're sitting on your couch, on your desk, at your salon chair, whatever it may be, like, you are living. You're still here.

Nothing bad is fucking happening. There's not an avalanche or an earthquake happening. You are okay. Preach.

Right? But it is very easy to rely on... Not even rely on. It's really easy to intertwine our identity and if we are bad or if we are failing with the business.

And I think that it's really important that we make that distinction. Yeah. Yeah. No, I totally agree with you, and I think that's something that you have taught me so much.

Like, I do think there's that real interconnection that's not always healthy. No, ma'am. I mean, I, I... And I think that a lot of...

Especially, again, for high performers, and we're gonna talk about this a little bit more in our ADHD episode, because I think that brings this to a whole other level - Mm-hmm. and adds, like, a lot more nuance to it. But I think what as- also happens is, like, high performers get a lot of fulfillment from the business, and that automatically creates a lot of intertwining, you know, and a lot of feelings of self-worth with the business. Yeah Like, this is what is bringing you, like, the validation of your ego, you know?

This is what, what's feeding your ego and telling you, "You are a good person. You are a productive member of society. This is what makes you fe- worth it. This is what makes you worthy of, like, being a human," right?

I mean, particularly in the society that we live in, like, our value is assigned to how much money that we make. That's a massive part of our norms and traditions. And that story that we are all, you know, completely brainwashed into, which, by the way, money is, like, a completely fake and made-up concept. Like, that causes a lot of those feelings, you know?

And so, like, as, as soon as the business isn't validating your self-worth, your feelings of, "Are you worthy," right, then you've intertwined so much of your own validation into that and the performance of your business that you're going on the roller coaster with it. So you feel the highs, and you feel the lows. And it's okay for you to do so. I don't think that you're ever gonna get rid of that, but I think that there's a...

It's, it's good practice to actively try to separate the two. Like, for example, get a fucking hobby Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Like, the reason I love, the reason I love skiing, hiking...

What else do I do? I don't know what else I do. Camping. Tech.

Tech. All... Yes. Yeah.

All the things. Camping. The reason I love even the tech stuff, like, the... All of it, like, all of my hobbies, the reason I love it all so much is because there's a challenge to it.

Right. Like, there is something to yearn for. Like, there's something that brings me validation that, that... It's not necessarily, like...

And nobody else is, like, looking at it, and, and being like, "Oh, that's really cool." I mean, yes, they maybe are, but that's not where I'm finding my validation. It's like, if I, like, s- If, if I make my turns a little bit better when I'm skiing, I'm the only one who's noticing, but it's something to work towards, and it really makes me feel, like, great about myself, and it's very exciting. And that's a really healthy thing to have.

And that makes it so I'm not only looking for validation through the success of my business. I'm looking for validation through other productive and healthy things in my life that challenge me that are not related to the business, and I think that's really healthy. And there still could be lows and highs in my skiing, you know? I could fall, which I, I'm, I'm s- I'm actively...

Which I thought that I'd be better by now. I, I, I've improved. I've improved. But, like, I am actively trying to get really good at switch skiing right now, which is, like, literally skiing backwards.

But it's not just skiing backwards. It's also being able to, like, look behind you while you're skiing backwards. Wow. And that's, like, a whole other game.

Yeah. And I thought I'd be so much better by now, and I'll fall while I'm doing it every now and then. It's been, like, two years I've been, like, really actively practicing this. And when I fall, like, it does feel a little bit shitty, but I get the fuck back up, and like, I keep it pushing.

And we need to do the same thing with our business, right? But regardless, I have that hobby, and just getting into those hobbies and, like, reconnecting or reconnecting with myself outside of my business has been massively helpful for this scarcity and this, like, intertwining that I've felt and feeling like the business is gonna fall apart from underneath me, 'cause it honestly just gives my brain something else to find importance with- Yeah. and around. Absolutely.

I remember hearing, like, really early on when I started becoming an entrepreneur that, like, when Einstein was stuck on a problem, like a math problem, he'd go, like, play violin and just do something totally different. And I think it's so important to engage different parts of your brain. Like- Yeah. take a break.

Do the things that are different. Get yourself outside of it, because, like, you know, I derive a lot of fulfillment from my business, but I think it's, like, the ti- the tying the self-worth to the financial performance is never going to be healthy. Like, that is never, ever, ever going to be healthy. You could love your job and not do that.

And so I think you're so right. Like, finding fulfillment outside of it, then you're also not gonna rely on your business to entertain you all the time, which is huge. Yeah. It's a whole other fucking podcast episode.

Yeah. Um, uh, in 10 years from today, are you going to be really happy that you spent your entire days catastrophizing over your business, over something small and that could probably be disproven- Mm-hmm. or are you gonna be happy that you took a step back, you evaluated, you had a plan, you took action, and you stuck to the track? You stayed focused, right?

And you just kept it pushing, and maybe you took a break. You went skiing. You, you looked at the more important things in life, right? Like, are you gonna be ha- Which, which case scenario are you gonna be happier with?

Right? Mm-hmm. And it's really tempting to want to keep going down the rabbit hole, because that's your brain telling you, "If you don't pay attention to this, you're going to die."Like, it's like, if you don't pay attention to this, if you don't give this your all and every piece of your attention right now, you are literally going to die.

Like, that's how it feels, you know? Yes, of course. Like, that's like ... A- and, and normally, honestly, that leads to extremely not helpful action.

I mean- Right. uh, uh, uh, you operating from that space normally, normally honestly it just ends up creating distractions, it ends up, you know, creating things that just do not help you at the end of the day. So thank you for sharing the advice of taking a break, taking a step back, do something different that stimulates your brain in a different way that in-, that it, it requires involvement, um, not just scrolling on Instagram or watching a TV show or distracting yourself in that type of way. Like, move, like, move your body.

Like, like do something that requires intellectual, like, interaction in one way or another- Yeah. besides the business. I love that advice, 'cause it really can reset you and bring you back. 100%.

So thank you for sharing that. Hopefully y'all feel good leaving this conversation. O- obviously this is something that I've had a lot of experience with, and it really is ... You know, and I just wanna mention too, I, I have a pretty privileged ...

I have a very privileged life. I have a very privileged life. Not that necessarily I grew up fucking rich in any way, shape, or form. That is not the case.

But, I have never had to necessarily go through, like, a super scarce moment in my life, and I am so grateful and extremely privileged for that, right? And I have many privileges that have allowed for that. And so it's like, I technically have no reason to have this story in my brain. Right.

You know? And so that ... Just, just in case, just in case anyone else is out there that feels like there has to be a reason why you feel like this, or you're, like, searching for the story that is originating all of it, doesn't ... To, in my opinion, and this is just what's helped me, like, it doesn't even, like, matter that much, like, why you feel like this.

Just know that you're a human, you're gonna feel the ways that you feel, you're gonna have these constant anxieties and fear no matter what from some part of your life. And they may always be there. Acknowledging them, accepting them, thanking your brain for working how it's supposed to be working, and moving forward, and just, like, n- just accepting the fact that you may feel like this, and remembering that you're not your business, I think, is very important and very helpful for me. Yes, that's huge.

So, thank you for tuning in to the Modern Hairstylist podcast. Hopefully this was helpful for you, my friend. Go take care of yourself. Go touch grass.

Peace out, girl scout. Bye-bye.

End of transcript. © 2026 Hunter Donia LLC.