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386

 - How to Have It All Without Doing It All: 4 Stages for Women Business Owners

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Hosted by HerBusiness

On air:

5 November 2026

What if having it all didn’t mean doing it all?

For so many women business owners, success comes with an ever-growing list of responsibilities. Build the business. Lead the team. Look after everyone. Keep growing. Keep showing up.

And somewhere along the way, the business we created to give us freedom can start to feel like another thing we’re working incredibly hard to keep up with.

But what if there’s another way?

In this episode of the HerBusiness Podcast, Suzi Dafnis challenges the traditional idea of “having it all” and shares a different possibility: a life you love and work you love, that you get to enjoy unapologetically, right now.

Not someday when the business is bigger. Not when the team is finally in place. Now.

Suzi walks through four stages that can help established women business owners move from feeling constrained by their success to leading with greater freedom, authenticity and enjoyment.

The Four Stages to Having It All

1. The Threshold — Get honest about what needs to change.

Perhaps your business is successful, but your days don’t feel the way you want them to. This stage is about acknowledging where you are, what you’re no longer available for, and what you genuinely want instead.

2. The Descent — Look beneath the business.

This is the stage most women want to skip.

Before changing your strategy, consider the habits, beliefs and expectations that influence how you lead. Are you saying yes too often? Second-guessing yourself? Feeling responsible for everyone else’s happiness?

Real change often starts here.

3. The Ascent — Rebuild around who you are now.

With greater clarity, you can begin making practical changes to your offers, pricing, schedule, team and business model.

Not to prove anything to anyone, but to create a business that genuinely fits your life.

4. The Reign — Lead and enjoy what you’ve created.

Imagine being ambitious without always feeling rushed. Making decisions with confidence. Being more visible and fully yourself.

And enjoying an ordinary Tuesday, not just the occasional milestone.

A Question Worth Asking

Suzi leaves us with two questions:

  • Which stage am I actually in right now?
  • Which stage have I been trying to skip?

Your answers may reveal why the changes you’ve tried haven’t quite delivered the freedom you hoped for.

Listen to this episode to discover the four stages and what moving through them could make possible for you.

Mentioned in This Episode

MAJESTIC: Suzi’s 12-month, application-only small-group program for established women business owners, beginning in January.

Learn more and apply at majestic.herbusiness.com.

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About the host

Suzi Dafnis

Hi there. I’m Suzi Dafnis, CEO at HerBusiness. My BIG passion is helping women business owners to grow and scale their business, so that they can create their ideal lifestyle and make a difference in the world. Every day I am inspired by the more than 30,000 amazing women (and men!) in our community and I love finding the best education, mentors, and resources from around the globe, to help them get the skills, knowledge, and support they need to succeed. It’s been my privilege to lead HerBusiness (formerly The Australian Businesswomen’s Network) for the past 23 years (two+ decades – WOW!) because, whilst I’ve enjoyed success in business, I’ve also experienced the highs and the lows – sometimes you can feel on top of the world and in control and other times you can feel isolated, exhausted and stuck. What has made the biggest difference for me has always been having great people around me and having a lifelong commitment to learning. That’s why I am so passionate about the work we do here at HerBusiness – providing a Connection Network for women in business to get the mentors, contacts, referrals, knowledge, and skills they need to grow their confidence, make more money, build their businesses, expand their network and create the lives they love. My entrepreneurial journey started in the spare room of my Sydney apartment in 1994 when my business partner and I started a boutique events company that represented speakers and authors from the USA, here in Australia. Over the years I’ve grown multiple multi-million dollar businesses in the events, publishing and education niches – with teams in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. Not everything has worked and there has been a degree of trial and error, and a lot of bumps in the road. But I have always had a strong commitment to always surrounding myself with great mentors and like-minded peers – a Connection Network that I can depend on and who can depend on me to be there for them too. I truly do what I love, every day.  

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