I’m thrilled to share some profound insights from a recent conversation I had with Angela Johnson on Podcast Ep. 83. We delved deep into a topic that’s often misunderstood in the business world: mindset. You see, while mindset is important, it’s not the be-all and end-all of business success. There’s something far deeper at play, and Angela’s trauma-informed approach to marketing truly sheds light on it.
Angela and I connected from our respective corners of the US, and right off the bat, her work resonated with what I see daily in trauma-informed marketing. She primarily works with service-based entrepreneurs, many of whom are what she calls “multi-passionate rebels.” These are individuals who love to do more than one thing, a stark contrast to the common coaching advice of having just one signature offer or niche. For someone like Angela, and many of her clients, sticking to one thing for life simply leads to boredom. Her focus is on helping these solo entrepreneurs, often neurodivergent, build manageable businesses that leverage their time and skills without losing that high-touch connection they cherish with clients. Scaling for them isn’t about building a massive team, but rather smart leveraging.
Angela’s journey to this work is fascinating. After being laid off in 2008 during the housing market crash, with no savings and a newly purchased home, she decided to start creating women’s conferences. She filled these events with hundreds of people, despite having no email list, simply through her marketing prowess. This led to people asking her for marketing advice, and just like a breadcrumb trail, one thing led to another. Seventeen years later, she’s still in the thick of it, helping entrepreneurs with messaging and marketing, now with a deep integration of mindset and somatic parts work – something she considers her sweet spot.
When I asked Angela about her longevity in a field where many businesses falter, she attributed it to a few things:
- Stubbornness: A strong determination to keep going, even when corporate opportunities looked appealing.
- Love for the Work: A genuine passion for what she does and the impact it creates.
- Constant Evolution: Never staying stagnant, always evolving her business to keep it engaging and interesting.
This brings us to the core of our conversation: the “mindset” mantra in business. As I mentioned at the top of the episode, mindset isn’t enough. The problem is how we define “mindset.” Often, “you have a mindset issue” becomes a convenient scapegoat when strategies fail, deflecting from questioning the strategies themselves. In the coaching world, there’s a tempting allure of one-size-fits-all formulas (like my own past “six steps to six figures” program!). But if a formula doesn’t work for everyone, we need to be more adaptable.
Angela shared her own experience, having invested over $250,000 in coaches and programs, yet hitting an income ceiling. This led her to question the source of these formulas and why they worked, or if they merely sounded good. Her deep dive in 2015-2017 led her to connect the dots with the nervous system.
When people talk about mindset work without considering somatics (the body) or the nervous system, they’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle. You can do all the affirmations, but if your nervous system isn’t regulated, strategy and positive thinking will only take you so far. Angela’s definition of mindset work includes this deeper foundation of nervous system care and understanding trauma responses, not just thinking positively.
So, how does our nervous system subtly sabotage our business? Angela provided a powerful example:
- Avoiding Visibility: We create elaborate plans, but when it’s time to implement and get visible, we freeze. This often manifests as perfectionism or a “constant creation cycle,” where we keep creating new things but never launch or market them. This creates the illusion of being busy without generating clients or income. For Angela, this was a subconscious fear of being seen, leading to sophisticated ways to avoid discomfort.
- Resistance to Raising Rates: Many entrepreneurs struggle to charge what they’re worth, constantly giving discounts or over-delivering. The nervous system interprets the discomfort of charging more as “unsafe.” The key is to distinguish between discomfort (which is manageable) and true unsafety, and to find what feels safe for your body and nervous system.
The biggest trap here is that we often don’t see these patterns in ourselves. We’ve been conditioned for decades. For example, Angela highlighted how women, due to societal conditioning around safety, might subconsciously keep themselves small and protected, impacting their marketing choices or pricing. It’s not a lack of strategy, but a deeper nervous system response holding them back.
If you recognize these patterns in yourself, Angela encourages a powerful reframe: instead of “self-sabotage,” think “self-protection.” There’s a part of you trying to keep you safe. This shift invites curiosity and compassion instead of judgment. The first step is to simply pause and notice these patterns without judgment. Then, ask: “What is one tiny action I can take to give myself a new experience?” Taking small, uncomfortable steps builds new evidence for your nervous system that you are safe, even when expanding.
Finally, it’s crucial to understand that managing your nervous system and executing your marketing plan are intertwined, a continuous practice. It’s not a “once I manage my nervous system, then I can do marketing” scenario. It’s about taking nervous system-supported marketing actions, one baby step at a time.
Angela also emphasized the importance of a simple marketing plan. With all the tech and AI tools available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Most of Angela’s clients don’t need a thousand clients overnight; a healthy six-figure business can be built with 20-30 clients. She encourages going back to basics:
- Building Relationships: Talk to people, connect, collaborate.
- Hosting Workshops: This has been her favorite method, adapting from in-person to online to provide a taste of her work.
- Speaking: At conferences and on podcasts, which allows for broader reach and connection.
Angela advises new coaches against focusing solely on building a massive social media following, as it often takes more time than most new entrepreneurs have. Instead, invite people to “mini experiences” – calls, transparent webinars that offer real value. Most importantly, start by letting your immediate circle know what you’re doing. Remember, your coaching practice grows one client at a time. It’s not about lifting the same weights as someone stronger, but finding the right fit for your current stage and resources.
If you’re looking to build a simple marketing strategy, understand your nervous system’s protective responses, and implement effectively, I highly recommend connecting with Angela.
You can find Angela at:
- Angela’s Website: https://angelamjohnson.com
- Angela on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelajohnsonbiz
- Angela on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Angellamjohnson