The Moment You Shift Out of “Doing” and into Leadership, Everything Changes.

There’s a moment in your business where you start to realize… being a talented designer isn’t quite the same thing as being a leader.

And if you’ve been feeling that gap lately—like you’re doing all the things, but something still feels off—this is exactly what I wanted to talk about in this conversation.

Because leadership isn’t one big, overwhelming shift. It’s a series of small, intentional ways of thinking and showing up that, over time, change everything.

It starts with a Growth Mindset

One of the first places I always look is how you respond when something doesn’t go the way you planned.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of thinking you did something wrong… or that you’re not doing this “right.” But the truth is, nothing in this business—or in life—goes perfectly. Every project has its surprises.

What matters is what you do next.

When you begin to ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” instead of “Why did this happen to me?”, you shift everything. You stop making it personal and start making it productive. That’s where growth really begins.

I’ve seen this over and over again—when you stay open, when you stay curious, when you’re willing to look at what worked and what didn’t… you get just a little bit better each time. And those small improvements add up faster than you think.

Confidence Comes from Doing (Not Waiting)

Confidence is another piece we talked about, and I want to be really clear about this—confidence doesn’t come before action. It comes because of it.

I can still remember taking on those early projects and thinking, “Oh no… now I actually have to do this.” There was fear there. A lot of it. But I stepped in anyway.

And that’s how confidence is built. You do the thing. You figure it out. You learn what worked and what didn’t. And the next time, it feels a little easier.

Where I see so many designers get stuck is in comparison. Looking at someone else’s work or business and deciding you’re not there yet.

But that’s a losing game every time.

You have your own vision, your own path, your own way of doing things. When you stay focused on that—when you truly run your own race—you create space for your confidence to grow in a much more grounded, lasting way.

Vision Is What Makes You a Leader

The last piece we explored is something I believe is at the heart of leadership… and that’s vision.

It’s very easy to get caught in the doing of the business. The projects, the deadlines, the details. But if you stay there too long, you lose sight of where you’re actually going.

And as the leader of your business, that vision has to come from you.

Just like in a design project, you start with an idea—a feeling, a direction—and then you bring it to life step by step. Your business works the same way. You create the vision, you break it down, and you move through it in the right order.

And that takes time.

You don’t jump from small projects to massive ones overnight. You build into it. You grow your confidence, your systems, your support along the way.

One of the things Valerie and I also touched on—and I think this is so important—is remembering to acknowledge how far you’ve already come. It’s very easy to move on to the next goal without ever really taking that in.

But that reflection? That celebration? It matters more than you think.

Because leadership isn’t just about pushing forward. It’s about growing into the person who can hold the vision you’re creating.

If this is something you’ve been navigating in your own business, I think you’ll really connect with this conversation. We go deeper into each of these pieces and what they actually look like in real time.

Listen to the full podcast episode here.

Until then, design something beautiful… and get paid what you’re worth.

With love,
Terri