Not All Advice is Meant for You

Be Careful Who You Listen To: Building Your Business with Heart and Awareness

~ Randi Turkin

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned recently is this:

Be careful who you listen to.

It sounds simple, but when you're building a business — especially while managing a full life outside of it — the advice you take in can either nourish you or quietly drain you.

For a long time, I followed a couple of coaches whose advice truly inspired me. They are brilliant at what they do — but they live very different lives than I do.

One is a single man with a business partner (his fiancée) and long, luxurious mornings dedicated to journaling and meditation. The other is a child-free woman with a supportive fiancé and a powerful team.

Meanwhile, I’m a single mom to an amazing 11-year-old boy, running both my home and my business — solo. My days are shaped by school drop-offs, homework help, and bedtime routines.

Self-care exists, of course (and it’s non-negotiable for me), but it has to fit into the real container of my life — not stretch endlessly before me.

For a while, I felt resentful that my life couldn't mirror theirs. Then I realized something important: It’s not about fitting into someone else’s blueprint. It’s about building my own.

Here are a few things I now keep in mind when receiving advice — whether from a coach, a friend, or even a well-meaning stranger:

✨ Look at their life context.
Is their life stage, support system, or business model wildly different from yours? If so, honor what’s inspiring, but don’t force a square peg into a round hole.

✨ Check the source.
If someone hasn’t built what you’re trying to build — or is giving advice without experiencing success themselves — it’s okay to thank them and move on. Not all advice needs to be absorbed.

✨ Trust your nervous system.
How do you feel after taking in someone’s words? Expanded, grounded, clear? Or small, agitated, doubtful? Your body often knows before your mind does.

✨ Reframe advice to fit you.
Instead of thinking, “I have to do it this way,” ask, “How would this idea look if I tailored it to my real life, my values, and my capacity?”

✨ Stay anchored to your own voice.
Coaches, mentors, and friends can offer wisdom, but ultimately, your business is your own sacred garden. You decide what gets planted and what gets gently weeded out.

Words carry energy.

Choose carefully what you let in — and trust yourself to know when something isn't for you.

You’re doing better than you think.
You’re building something real.
And it’s allowed to look like your life — not theirs. 🤍