This episode is definitely more personal—maybe even a little vulnerable—but I promise, it’s not as negative as it sounds. I’m going to walk you through three times my ego tried to steer the wheel in my business… and what actually happened as a result. If you see yourself in any of these stories (and I reckon you might!), I hope you’ll find them insightful and maybe even a bit comforting as you navigate your business journey.
Let’s dive in…
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EPISODE 499: Listen using the player below, or click the links to your fave platform to subscribe and listen over there:
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Why Talk About Ego Sabotage?
I want to start by saying I don’t see the ego as all bad. Sometimes, as women or as folks from marginalised communities, we’re told that ego is something negative—something to suppress or avoid. But actually, my ego helps me set big goals, aim for high standards, and challenge myself to do better.
That said, in these three specific areas, my ego totally sabotaged my results! Once I could see it clearly, I could do something about it. So, I’m not beating myself up, but I am being real with you about how this stuff shows up and how I dealt with it.
1. Hiding the Fact That I Was Trying (and Not Just Succeeding)
When I first started my business, I had this thing where I didn’t want people to see me trying—I just wanted them to see me WINNING.
For example, when I posted a question on Facebook, if nobody responded within three hours, I’d delete the post. And back then, I had all of 102 followers! What were the chances ten people even saw my posts, let alone responded? I thought the silence was embarrassing, but now I see how insightful it was.
These days, I leave up all my posts—flops and all. I use them as data. If a post flops, I analyse it during my regular review sessions (I talk about my process in episode 498, so check that out if you want the full rundown: tashcorbin.com/498). I’m not micro-analysing every single post, just looking for trends over time. A question post with zero answers isn’t embarrassing now; it’s just information on what my audience is engaging with.
But it wasn’t just about Facebook.
My ego also popped up when it came to doing market research. In my first six months, I loved doing interviews—I was in “startup mode” and didn’t feel weird about needing help or feedback. But after my first $20k month? Suddenly, my ego decided “I’d made it” and I shouldn’t “need” to do market research anymore.
I’m so grateful I caught myself, because regular market research keeps my messaging fresh and my leads flowing. These days, I do quarterly interviews and am proud of it. Pushing away support or pretending you’ve got it all nailed is such a missed opportunity!
Even now, as my business has grown, I try to stay conscious of letting people help—whether that’s a share, a referral, or simply cheering me on. Every bit of support makes a difference! And why would I want to turn that away just to keep up some façade? In the beginning especially, being willing to show people you’re trying is a gift. It makes others want to support you, and it takes the pressure off always having to look like you’ve got it all worked out.
This has been a healing process, honestly, and a lot of that is thanks to seeing others—like Taylor Swift or the Shameless podcast hosts—openly give things a go, asking for help, trying and sometimes failing in public. The more I surround myself with “triers”, the easier it gets to be real and proudly take up space—goofy dance moves and all!
2. Wanting to Be Advanced (Before I’d Nailed the Basics)
Let me tell you: my ego really wanted to rush ahead. After a few big months, I decided it was time for passive and leveraged income—membership programs, courses, the “advanced” stuff you hear everyone talking about online.
But here’s what happened when I tried to go advanced before I’d really cemented my foundations: I launched my Take Off program and watched my income drop from consistent five-figure months to $3,800… and then to under $1,000 the following month. My ego was not happy.
The problem? I hadn’t truly nailed my foundational tasks:
- Sending weekly emails
- Daily social posts
- Consistent feature content
- Solid lead generation
- Steady follow-ups and client management
Instead of streamlining the things that worked, I got distracted by trying to be the Big Boss of Passive Income. If I could go back, I’d tell myself to spend a year getting those basics rock solid before going for leveraged strategies. Not doing that has easily cost me hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of dollars in missed momentum and growth.
A great example of my ego getting in the way: I paid $15,000 to join a mastermind before my income could comfortably cover it. Not only did I have nothing left over for things like Facebook ads (as recommended in the mastermind), I didn’t even have the systems or team support to implement what was being taught! My ego (“Look at me, I can join the fancy group!”) led the buying decision, but the foundational steps just weren’t there yet. I saw others around me in the mastermind with the same struggle—none of us were truly ready for that next level.
Expanding too soon, getting lost in advanced tactics, and abandoning the “boring” basics led to massive setbacks. It’s something I see all the time, and trust me—it’s so, so tempting. But your business grows so much more smoothly (and sustainably!) when you embrace the basics and keep them strong before you try to scale.
3. Getting Loosey Goosey with My Goals
For my third big ego sabotage, let’s fast forward to 2021 when I had surgery, didn’t recover well, and ended up out of action for eight months. I stopped setting clear goals—partly physical, but mostly ego-based. I worried that if I set a goal and then missed it because of my limited capacity, my ego would take a serious hit.
Rather than set a lower goal, I just stopped setting them or said them quietly to myself without sharing them. Before the surgery, my business had mostly grown year-on-year. A few blips, but nothing major. But this was the first time I faced a sustained period of shrinkage, and my ego just didn’t want to deal with it.
I even had a very public face-plant: in Bali, I set a goal of a $50k month with the Maldives as my reward. When I only hit $32k, there was embarrassment attached (though, looking back, my partner had planned a surprise visit from my best friend that I would’ve missed if I’d actually gone to the Maldives!).
After that, I was way less public and less excited about my goals. I’d throw them out tentatively, but if it didn’t look like I’d hit them, I’d lose interest quickly or hide them away.
It’s so much safer, ego-wise, not to set goals at all.
I’ve actually done a previous podcast episode on my initial resistance to setting financial goals and tracking my income in particular, and why I was in that resistance mode. You can find that episode at: tashcorbin.com/385
But this is exactly where mindset and support make a difference. If you can work with a mentor or mindset practitioner who doesn’t shame you—a supportive presence, not a critical one—it helps you get excited about your goals, share them bravely, and recover quickly when things don’t go exactly as planned.
When I work consistently with a mindset practitioner (sometimes weekly sessions, sometimes a handful a year), I definitely notice the growth in my business. It’s not always immediate, but after a few months, it really starts to show.
Business Reality Check: Foundations First, Ego Second
Here’s where I want to circle back. Sometimes we tell ourselves a strategic decision is “smart” when it’s just our ego in disguise:
- Deleting low-engagement posts “for the algorithm,” when it’s really about hiding imperfection.
- Jumping ahead to courses or complex funnels before you’ve sold out your VIP offers or built steady income—because you want to look “advanced.”
- Avoiding setting or sharing goals because missing them feels like public failure, not just a permission to learn and grow.
For example, I see social media strategists worry about having “dead” posts—even though I’d never judge a social media manager based solely on their own feed (just like mechanics with messy cars or systems experts with clutter at home).
Or in my own business, I regularly talk to people who have been in business for years but don’t have the basics sorted—the consistent $5-8k a month from steady VIP clients, the clear lead-generation strategy, the streamlined foundational work. Ego tells them they’re “too advanced” for foundations programs—like my Take Off program—but the reality is, that’s where the magic happens. Consistency with the basics is the fastest and most reliable way to real, sustainable growth.
If I could save just one person from losing years and piles of money chasing the “advanced” label before they were truly ready, my work here is done.
The Ripple Effect of Getting Real
This isn’t just about being practical—it’s about empowerment. When people in marginalised groups or from backgrounds like ours have economic power, independence, and steady business results, everyone benefits. The ripple effect is huge.
So, I’m sharing these stories not because I want to be right, but because I want you to have the business, income, and freedom you desire. If the shiny, advanced path was genuinely the best, fastest route—I’d be shouting that from the rooftops. But it just isn’t true for most of us. Get your foundations sorted, sell your highest-value offers, and put your time into what reliably works.
If you have questions about this episode or anything else, head to: tashcorbin.com/question
I am looking for lots and lots of questions because I’ll be batch recording a bunch of podcast episodes in the new year and I’d love to give you a shout-out and answer your question.
Until next time, I cannot WAIT to see you SHINE.
