If your confidence has been on the floor lately…

If your energy’s tanking and your brain’s doing backflips…

If the business looks fine from the outside but you feel like you’re about to unravel…

It’s probably not your to-do list that needs work.

It’s your scaffolding – the internal support structure that keeps you grounded when life and business get loud.

We talk about mindset like it’s a nice-to-have – like something you slap on once everything else is sorted. A sprinkle of confidence. A splash of positivity.

What we don’t talk about enough is that without a steady inner world, your business – your visibility, your decisions, your momentum – is at risk of collapse.

We cannot build castles on cardboard foundations.

This isn’t about mindset instead of business strategy. It’s about building a mindset that feeds your business. Holds your creativity. Supports your leadership. Keeps you upright when things go sideways – because sooner or later, they always do.

I’ve worked with business owners across the board – from brand-new start-ups to big hitters with books, media coverage and a mountain of awards – and the same cracks appear when the mindset work gets missed.

That feeling of not being good enough – despite the evidence.

The panic before a pitch – even when you’ve done it a hundred times.

The belief that if you slow down, everything will fall apart.

The urge to hide, cancel, shrink, even when you know you’ve got something brilliant to offer.

I get it.

My own journey’s been messy, human, real.

I burned out badly in 2006 – total crash and rebuild.

Years later, right around my ADHD diagnosis at 50, I unravelled again. Perimenopause was in full swing, treatment was all over the place, and five minutes before a group coaching call, I was in tears, shaking. My wife had to hold my hand, remind me who I was, and walk me through the fear so I could show up for the people waiting on the other side of that Zoom link.

I teach this stuff – but I live it too.

Mindset isn’t about immunity. It’s about resilience.

It’s not the thing that makes life perfect. It’s the thing that helps us come back to ourselves – over and over – without collapsing.

So let’s get practical. Here are five ways to start building – or repairing – your inner scaffolding.

1. NAME THE NARRATIVE

Every wobble starts with a whisper.

You’re behind.

You’re not good enough.

Everyone else is doing better.

The first step is noticing the story. Not arguing with it. Not feeding it. Just noticing.

Try this: Keep a daily mindset tracker – finish your day by jotting down:

• One unhelpful belief that popped up

• How you challenged it

• Something brave you did anyway

It doesn’t need to be groundbreaking. You sent the email. You posted the thing. You showed up. That’s enough. We build evidence, day by day.

2. ANCHOR BEFORE ACTION

Before you take the leap – check your internal state.

Are you grounded, or are you spinning?

Try this: Use the 4-7-8 breath – in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8.

Do it three times. Feel your feet. Then decide.

Too much?

Try box breathing – 4 in, 4 hold, 4 out.

You can play with the timings until you find your rhythm. There’s no single right way – just the way that brings you home to yourself.

3. KNOW YOUR ENERGY MAP

Your energy has a pattern. Your creativity has a rhythm. Your brain has preferences – and that’s okay.

Especially if you’re neurodivergent, menopausal, or just holding a lot, your energy won’t always behave like the productivity books say it should.

Try this: Keep a four-week energy diary – track your natural peaks, dips and recovery times. Keep it going so you can spot your cycles through the year.

Notice when you’re in flow. Notice when you need rest.

Then build your schedule around that – not someone else’s blueprint.

I take a week out of forward-facing work every month. No coaching calls. Just space to think, create, breathe. That’s what keeps me going. Yours might look different – a day out every fortnight, a full break every six weeks. What matters is knowing your own rhythm and planning with it, not against it.

4. SET FUTURE-FOCUSED BOUNDARIES

Boundaries aren’t about being difficult. They’re about being sustainable.

Every yes you give out is time and energy you’re borrowing from somewhere else – often from the version of you that’s trying to build something long term.

Ask this before you say yes:

Will my future self thank me for this – or will she have to clean up the mess?

That one question has saved me from a thousand overcommits.

5. CHOOSE SPACES THAT HOLD YOU, NOT JUST YOUR OUTPUT

Mindset can’t be built in a vacuum. You need spaces where you can be seen – fully. Not just when you’re on form. Not just when you’re “on brand.”

If you’re always the one holding others, supporting others, showing up strong – find somewhere you can be the real, raw, in-process version of you.

Find your people. Find your coach. Find your circle.

And if you’ve already got that space? Use it. You don’t need to wait until you’re “sorted.”

LET THIS BE YOUR RESET POINT

This isn’t about getting everything perfect.

It’s about being steady – even when things get stormy.

It’s about having the internal space to breathe, think, create, lead.

You don’t need a new plan.

You need a foundation that can hold the one you’ve already built.

That’s what this is about.

That’s what coaching with me is all about.

Mindset and business.

Inner world and outer results. One feeds the other. Always.

And if you’re feeling like something’s crumbling – you’re not failing.

You’re just being invited to rebuild stronger.

I believe in you!

#UnleashYourAwesome,

Taz

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ABOUT TAZ THORNTON

Taz Thornton is an award-winning business and empowerment coach, speaker trainer and visibility specialist. She’s also a best-selling author, LinkedIn Top Voice, TEDx speaker and confidence catalyst for business owners, leaders and entrepreneurs. Her work blends strategy, mindset, visibility and grounded truth – helping people grow businesses without selling their souls. She also lives with ADHD and perimenopause, three scruffy dogs, a cat and a head full of unapologetic ideas.

Find Taz on social media and at www.TazThornton.com