We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anika Samples a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Anika, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
Most of us have a rude awakening at some point in our business…
We get caught up in the entrepreneurial hamster wheel: Hustle! Effort! Productivity! And our dreams plummet to the ground when we realize we traded our 9-to-5 for a 5-to-9. (Cue burnout.)
I’ve been there. Twice.
The last time resulted in me stepping away from my business for three years—and nearly leaving it completely.
In 2020, I was faced with the decision: did I tear it all down and rebuild, or pull the plug entirely?
The thought of rebuilding my business was daunting. Especially after “failing” twice before. (Side note: it’s not failure if you learn from the experience.) So many questions were running through my head… Where would I even begin? Was it worth it? What if I burnt out again? The alternative was clearly the easy way out.
Maybe it’s because I had just gone through a spiritual awakening, where everything in my personal life was torn down and in the process of being rebuilt. (So what was one more thing?!) Or maybe it’s because I have a healthy dose of cynicism towards “the easy way out,” but I decided that it was worth a shot.
As a last ditch effort, I did things differently than I ever had before. I turned inward.
I told my head to take a backseat and listened to my heart. I used my self-awareness to shape my business, instead of following others’ methods for success. I defined what success meant to me—not someone else. And I started showing up as my true self, instead of hiding behind a façade of what I thought my brand “should” be.
In short, I embraced my authenticity.
When we are operating out of alignment with who we truly are, things feel really hard… We experience resistance, setbacks, and challenges. That’s the Universe’s way of getting us back to our center. Whether it’s in our personal life or business, everything becomes easier and more rewarding when we lead from our authentic truth. (After all, as an entrepreneur, your business is an extension of you.)
When we’re clear on who we are and what’s (actually) important to us, it makes it so much easier to know when to say “no”—key for preventing burnout and actually enjoying the work you do.
This shift has truly been a game changer for my business. I’ve been able to steadily grow my business and increase my revenue each year, support myself while slow traveling abroad, and ultimately, create the life I’d always desired for myself—one that feels nourishing, expansive, and liberating.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Sat Nam, my name is Anika. I’m the founder of Incandescent Creative, a branding and website design studio focused on creating embodied brands for spiritual people. Since 2012, I have supported conscious creators craft holistic brand expressions that embody their truth and expand their impact.
Through my align + design process, I translate your distinct frequency into a one-of-a-kind brand expression, made manifest through your brand strategy, logo/brand identity design, and website. By clarifying this subtle signal of your business (aka your brand), it enables you to magnetize the right people towards you and lead with a greater sense of ease and flow.
It seriously lights me up to lift the tide of conscious companies and be of service in this way. Because I believe that when one of us wins, we all win.
I’ve developed an offering suite that provides support at every level of business—whether you’re just getting started or are ready to up-level in a big way:
✺ Brand Essence — A NEW self-guided program that reverse engineers branding to make standing out as the multi-passionate creator you are effortless.
✺ Feel-Good Website — Perfect if you DIYed your website and aren’t ready for a complete rebrand, yet desire a more professional online presence. I’ll translate your brand to an impactful online presence, intentionally-designed to grow your business while still feeling good to your nervous system.
✺ Brand Alchemy Holistic Design Package — A deeply transformative three-month journey, this signature offering provides the highest level of support and is a deep dive into you and your business. Through an intuitive and embodied process, we clarify who you are at your core, who you desire embodying in this evolution of your business, and how this expresses through your business. This results in a holistic transformation through a done-for-you brand strategy, comprehensive branding suite, and website that enables you to effortlessly expand your business and deepen into your purpose.
See details for each offering and a portfolio of client projects on my website → incandescentcreative.com
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Since starting my business in 2012, I’ve had 12+ years to experiment—and needless to say, I’ve learned a lot along the way.
Here are the three things that have been MOST impactful on my business journey…
1. Leading with Authenticity: There are so many sources in the entrepreneurial space telling us how to run our business and while some of this can helpful, it can also increase imposter syndrome and result in building a business that doesn’t actually reflect who we are or what we want. Leading with authenticity means knowing and trusting yourself—what success truly looks like to you, when to say “no” if something doesn’t align—as well as courageously sharing yourself in all your human-ness (instead of a faux persona). People connect with what’s real; they can feel the emotional or energetic charge behind it. And considering no one can replicate your authenticity, it’s also your key differentiator. That’s what will make your business stand out.
2. Learning Resilience: If it weren’t for resilience, I wouldn’t be in business today. Twice, I’ve “shuttered” my business due to burnout and had I viewed that as a irrecoverable failure, I’d still be punching a clock in corporate. Admittedly, it’s not easy being a business owner but I truly believe anyone can do it *if* they have the resilience to persevere through the tough times—and more importantly, have grace for themselves if they do need to take a break from their business. It’s not failure if you learn from the experience!
3. Embracing Feminine Energy: This isn’t just for women—regardless of gender, we all have masculine and feminine energy within us. Masculine (yang) energy is logical, productive, and goal-oriented while feminine (yin) energy is creative, nurturing, and connection-oriented. Once we embrace feminine energy in our business, it creates a greater overall sense of harmony and balance.
If you’re curious about this concept, I have a blog post that talks about this more in-depth: https://incandescentcreative.com/blog/effortlessly-attract-clients-with-the-feminine-energy-of-your-business
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes! I love to collaborate with like-minded business owners who share my values of authenticity, consciousness, and leading with balanced masculine and feminine energies. I would especially love to connect with copywriters who I can partner with on client projects, developing brand voice and writing website copy. (If that’s you, please get in touch with me!)
I am also creating a Conscious Companies directory (think: Yellow Pages for spiritual service providers) to have businesses who genuinely lead with compassion and a deep sense of purpose on “speed dial” for clients, myself, and my community. Is that you? Apply to join here (it’s free!) https://incandescentcreative.com/conscious-companies-directory-application
Contact Info:
- Website: https://incandescentcreative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/incandescentcreative
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikasamples
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IncandescentCreative
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
