If you tend to avoid conflict, smooth things over, or jump in to fix problems yourself, this episode is for you.

As your business grows, tension and discomfort don’t mean something is broken; they’re signs that your business is evolving. In this episode of Be the Anchor, Kari explores the critical (and often uncomfortable) shift from being a capable problem-solver to becoming a true leader.

You’ll learn why avoiding hard conversations keeps you stuck in reaction mode, how fixing problems for your team actually limits their growth, and what leadership looks like when responsibility is shared instead of absorbed.

This episode is a continuation of the recent conversation about becoming the bottleneck in your business and what it really takes to move from management into confident, sustainable leadership.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Why conflict and tension are not signs of failure but indicators of growth
• The predictable stages of business ownership: provider → manager → leader
• How “being helpful” can quietly keep you stuck fixing instead of leading
• The hidden cost of avoiding hard conversations in your business
• Why leadership is about developing people, not preventing problems
• A real-world example of addressing performance issues without micromanaging
• How naming standards and impact builds ownership and accountability
• Why asking questions is more powerful than giving answers
• The role of space, calm, and regulation in effective leadership conversations

You’re not behind. You’re evolving.

Learning how to lead through discomfort calmly, clearly, and without carrying everything yourself is one of the most important shifts a business owner can make. And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

If this episode resonated, let it be an invitation, not to push harder, but to pause. To step back just enough to lead forward.

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—start building a business that works for you—not just because of you.

Work with Kari:

• Anchored Leadership Academy
• Private Business and Leadership Coaching

Contact Kari Lotzien | Be the Anchor:

• Website: BeTheAnchor.ca
• Facebook: BeTheAnchorLtd
• Instagram: BeTheAnchor.ca
• Linked In: Kari Lotzien

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you’ve built a strong reputation, hired good people, and still feel like everything runs through you - this episode is for you.

In this continuation of last week’s conversation, Kari dives into what happens after you realize you’ve become the bottleneck in your business. Not because you’re doing something wrong, but because leadership has quietly been squeezed into the margins of your day.

This episode explores why clarity doesn’t come from trying harder, working faster, or stacking better systems on top of an already full plate. It comes from something most business owners avoid: creating space.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Why being deeply involved in the day-to-day makes it nearly impossible to lead well
• The hidden cost of making leadership decisions “in the margins”
• How service-based owners end up holding two full-time jobs: revenue generator and leader
• A real story from Kari’s own business, and the moment she realized her leadership was the constraint
• Why your team may feel uncertain or disengaged even when everything “looks fine”
• The renovation analogy that perfectly explains why growth feels so hard at this stage
• Why peers, perspective, and protected space are essential for the next level of leadership
• How slowing down can feel uncomfortable and why it’s often the most productive move you can make

Leadership at this stage isn’t about becoming more efficient, more productive, or more resilient. It’s about recognizing that the way you’ve been operating (the pace, the proximity, the constant availability) is no longer serving the business or the people in it.

If you’re feeling worn down, unclear, or quietly frustrated, that’s not a personal failing. It’s information. It’s a signal that leadership needs space, not squeezed into the margins between clients, emails, and late-night notes.

You don’t need all the answers right now. You don’t need a perfect plan. What you need is altitude. Space to think. Space to see patterns. Space to lead with intention instead of reacting in real time.

And most importantly, you don’t have to do that alone. Leadership gets lighter, clearer, and more effective when it’s done in the right rooms, with people who understand the weight you’re carrying.

If this episode resonated, let it be an invitation, not to push harder, but to pause. To step back just enough to lead forward.

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—start building a business that works for you—not just because of you.

Work with Kari:

• Anchored Leadership Academy
• Private Business and Leadership Coaching

Contact Kari Lotzien | Be the Anchor:

• Website: BeTheAnchor.ca
• Facebook: BeTheAnchorLtd
• Instagram: BeTheAnchor.ca
• Linked In: Kari Lotzien,

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you’ve built your business by being reliable, responsive, and indispensable but now feel like things won’t move unless you do, it may be time for a leadership shift.

In this powerful solo episode, Kari speaks directly to business owners who are feeling stretched thin, not quite burnt out, but heavy with responsibility. You’ll hear stories, practical insights, and compassionate coaching about what to do when you realize you’ve become the bottleneck in your business.

This episode gives you permission to step back, reassess, and redesign your leadership, without guilt.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Why your competence might be quietly holding your business back
• The difference between being needed and being effective
• How to shift from being the go-to problem solver to building decision-making capacity in your team
• A powerful script you can use to start coaching your team to think critically
• How the lack of systems, not trust, creates team dependence
• Real-life client stories that show how these dynamics play out and how to fix them

If you’re starting to feel like everything in your business runs through you, that no decision gets made without your input, that your team is waiting on you, and that you’re constantly “just checking one more thing” this episode was your permission slip to pause and rethink.

You haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, your business has likely grown because of your care, your consistency, and your competence. But now, your leadership needs to evolve with your business. It’s time to move from being the anchor that holds everything together to becoming the anchor that stabilizes and empowers a team to grow and lead alongside you.

Remember: your goal isn’t to be indispensable. Your goal is to build something that doesn’t fall apart when you exhale.

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—start building a business that works for you—not just because of you.

Work with Kari:

• Anchored Leadership Academy
• Private Business and Leadership Coaching

Contact Kari Lotzien | Be the Anchor:

• Website: BeTheAnchor.ca
• Facebook: BeTheAnchorLtd
• Instagram: BeTheAnchor.ca
• Linked In: Kari Lotzien

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.