WHAT 3 Mistakes could Keep You STUCK Under 6 Figures with Dr. Shannon Irvine

Wed Feb 26 2025

Are you struggling to break through the six-figure ceiling in your business? You're not alone. In this episode of the Epic Success Podcast, I'm spilling the tea on the exact mistakes and real struggles that kept me stuck under six figures for YEARS....

Summary

Epic Success with Dr. Shannon Irvine: Detailed Summary of "WHAT 3 Mistakes Could Keep You STUCK Under 6 Figures"

In the February 26, 2025 episode of the Epic Success Podcast, host Dr. Shannon Irvine bravely opens up about the pivotal mistakes she made on her journey to building a successful six-figure business. Unlike many entrepreneurs who only highlight their achievements, Dr. Irvine emphasizes the importance of transparency and learning from past errors to help others avoid similar pitfalls. This episode, titled "WHAT 3 Mistakes Could Keep You STUCK Under 6 Figures," delves deep into the common traps entrepreneurs fall into and provides actionable strategies to overcome them.

Introduction: Embracing Transparency

Dr. Irvine sets the stage by acknowledging that discussing past mistakes is often overlooked by successful entrepreneurs. She states,

“I wanted to rewind the tape a little bit for you today and to talk about the three mistakes I was making. And you might be too, really keep you underneath that six-figure ceiling.” (00:45)

Her commitment to honesty serves as a foundational theme for the episode, encouraging listeners to recognize and address their own obstacles in the pursuit of success.

Mistake #1: Chasing Multiple Strategies

The first major mistake Dr. Irvine addresses is the tendency to chase multiple strategies without fully committing to any single one. She likens this behavior to playing a game of hopscotch, constantly jumping from one tactic to another without seeing sustained results.

“I felt like I was doing hopscotch. Remember that hopscotch game you'd play when you're a little kid? You'd be like, I just keep hopping around strategy to strategy, tactics of tactic.” (04:30)

Dr. Irvine explains that her initial approach involved experimenting with various strategies—such as summits, challenges, and webinars—but none yielded consistent growth. This hopscotching not only fragmented her efforts but also prevented her brain from fully embracing success, as it viewed such achievements as threats to its status quo.

She underscores the importance of commitment by sharing her turning point:

“It wasn't until I kept practicing and practicing… but not until I flipped my brain success switch on.” (18:15)

By dedicating herself exclusively to webinars for over a year, Dr. Irvine was able to master the strategy, leading to sustained momentum and breaking through the six-figure barrier.

Mistake #2: Being Multi-Passionate and Not Focusing on One Offer

The second mistake revolves around being too multi-passionate, leading to a scattered business approach. Dr. Irvine admits,

“I was a master of many and a whooby knew me because they, they didn't know what I took a stand for.” (13:50)

Her inability to commit to a single product or offer diluted her brand identity, making it difficult for potential clients to understand her unique value proposition. Instead of honing in on one core offering, she juggled multiple products and services, which hindered her ability to establish authority and trust in her niche.

Dr. Irvine emphasizes the necessity of narrowing down to one offer and dedicating the necessary resources and focus to excel in that area. This specialization not only strengthens brand recognition but also streamlines marketing efforts, making it easier to attract and convert ideal clients.

Mistake #3: How She Showed Up – Waiting for Approval

The third mistake Dr. Irvine highlights is how she presented herself online, specifically her tendency to wait for others' approval before fully owning her brand. She confesses,

“I was afraid to be called a fraud. I was afraid that people were going to go like, what you're offering is stupid.” (22:10)

This fear of judgment led her to seek validation and postpone fully committing to her vision. Instead of confidently showcasing her brand and expertise, she held back, resulting in minimal engagement and slow business growth.

The turning point came when Dr. Irvine decided to take up space and present her authentic self fully, without seeking external approval. She shares,

“Take up space. Show up big.” (29:00)

By embracing her true identity and values, including her faith, Dr. Irvine was able to attract a community of like-minded individuals who resonated with her message. This authentic presence not only built trust but also positioned her as a leader in her field.

Training Your Brain to Allow Success

A recurring theme throughout the episode is the concept of training your brain to embrace success. Dr. Irvine explains that the brain is inherently wired for safety rather than success, making it resistant to change and growth. Success often requires stepping into the unknown, which the brain perceives as a threat.

“Success to your brain is doing something that's going to create success means you're doing something that you have never done before. It is unknown.” (09:00)

To overcome this, Dr. Irvine emphasizes the importance of consistency and perseverance. By committing to one strategy and dedicating oneself to mastering it, the brain begins to rewire its responses, making success feel less threatening and more achievable.

Owning Your Brand and Taking Up Space

Dr. Irvine stresses the necessity of owning your brand and presenting yourself boldly. She recounts how shifting from seeking approval to confidently showcasing her brand led to a significant increase in client engagement and business growth.

“The harder I got, the more clients came when I was shrinking and asking for permission, it was crickets. But as I stood in, the strength of the result that I know you could have, when I stood in the.” (25:20)

By embracing her unique qualities and values, including her faith, Dr. Irvine was able to attract a tribe of passion-driven clients who aligned with her vision of creating financial and environmental freedom.

The Power of What You Say

Towards the end of the episode, Dr. Irvine delves into the power of self-talk and affirmations. She asserts that the words you speak to yourself have a profound impact on your reality.

“What you say becomes a thing. And I'm just telling you, like, what you say becomes a thing.” (34:50)

Dr. Irvine shares her personal transformation from negative self-talk—such as “I’m not enough” and “Who will listen to me”—to empowering affirmations like “I am a child of God” and “I have a calling to go out and help women get unleashed from limitations.” This shift not only altered her mindset but also manifested tangible successes in her business.

Insights and Solutions

Dr. Irvine provides several actionable insights to help entrepreneurs break through their six-figure ceilings:

Commit to One Strategy:
- Choose a single strategy that aligns with your business goals and dedicate yourself to mastering it for an extended period.
Focus Your Offerings:
- Narrow down your products or services to one core offering to establish authority and streamline your marketing efforts.
Own Your Brand Authentically:
- Present your true self without seeking external validation. Embrace your unique qualities and values to attract like-minded clients.
Train Your Brain for Success:
- Consistently work on mindset and affirmations to rewire your brain to embrace and sustain success.
Use Positive Self-Talk:
- Replace negative affirmations with empowering statements that align with your vision and goals.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

Ryan Blair's Quote on Success:

“I think it's Ryan Blair who said that this, it's it in terms of how hard it is. 80% of the challenge is to get past six figures, and the remaining 30,000 is to get past a million. 30%. Excuse me.” (02:10)
Hopscotch Strategy Analogy:

“I felt like I was doing hopscotch... I just keep hopping around strategy to strategy, tactics of tactic.” (04:35)
Taking Up Space:

“Take up space. Show up big.” (29:00)
Power of Self-Talk:

“What you say becomes a thing.” (34:50)

Conclusions and Takeaways

Dr. Shannon Irvine wraps up the episode with a compelling message of empowerment and transformation. She urges listeners to take up space boldly and embrace discomfort as a pathway to growth.

“Uncomfortable is the thing you got to get comfortable with. When you get comfortable with uncomfortable, you start to repeat that it's safe. Your brain starts to believe you.” (39:30)

Her overarching challenge to entrepreneurs is to reframe their mindset, commit to focused strategies, and own their authentic selves to unlock epic success in both life and business.

Additional Resources

Dr. Irvine mentions several resources and upcoming content to further assist her audience:

SYNC Neurocoach Certification:
- Described as the gold standard for coaches, this certification teaches brain-based transformation techniques to help clients achieve success patterns.
Upcoming YouTube Video:
- A deep dive into "How to Remove Limiting Beliefs" is slated for the following week, providing listeners with actionable steps to overcome mental barriers.
Free Upcoming Event:
- An event focused on creating a year's worth of results in 67 days, removing limitations, and building a success pathway is mentioned, with links provided in the podcast description.

Final Encouragement

Dr. Irvine concludes with heartfelt encouragement, reminding listeners that their journey to success is worth the effort and that owning their calling will lead to profound personal and professional fulfillment.

“It's worth it. Start owning the calling... Take up space. It's time and it's worth it.” (40:15)

She also invites listeners to engage with her through reviews and social media platforms, fostering a community of support and continuous learning.

In Summary, this episode of the Epic Success Podcast serves as a candid guide for entrepreneurs aiming to break through the six-figure barrier. By addressing the critical mistakes of chasing multiple strategies, diluting focus through multi-passionate pursuits, and hesitating to own one's brand, Dr. Shannon Irvine provides a roadmap for sustainable growth and authentic success. Her emphasis on mindset, consistency, and authenticity offers invaluable lessons for anyone striving to build a thriving life and business they love.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Foreign to the Epic Success podcast, I AM your host, Dr. Shannon Irvin. All right, I'm ready to spill the tea because the mistakes I was making when I was trying to get up to six figures in my business, I don't talk about those a whole lot. And it's human nature, right? Like, we want to be like, okay, we got past that hurdle and I'm gonna talk to you about how to grow a seven figure coaching business and how to get set free from limitations and limiting beliefs and all the things we do over here at Team Epic Success. But I feel transparency is the tall order of the day. And I feel like not enough entrepreneurs that have gone past seven figures are talking about what mistakes they were making, and they're only telling the glory story. And so I wanted to rewind the tape a little bit for you today and to talk about the three mistakes I was making. And you might be to really keep you underneath that six figure ceiling. And you know you're making these mistakes. If you're creating some movement, maybe you'll get a client or two, or maybe you create sales or maybe you do a webinar. And the webinar kind of works. And, and this feeling of like, I can't grasp on to consistency and I can't see a path through it. And I've heard it said, and I would totally agree with this. I think it's Ryan Blair who said that this, it's it in terms of how hard it is. 80% of the challenge is to get past six figures, and the remaining 30,000 is to get past a million. 30%. Excuse me. All that's to say is like, once you go past a million, it's not that hard. And I would agree with that statement. The hardest is piercing that consistent six figure ceiling. And so as I said, I am done with. I mean, if you're listening to the Epic Success podcast, you know a lot about our models. You know how our models help you remove limiting beliefs, how it helps your brain, train your brain to allow results, how you can create a year's worth of goals in 67 days, how you need to set systems, not goals. And you've got to train your brain to allow success. And, and you also know that as a coach, if you're a coach, being certified through the SYNC neurocoach certification is the gold standard because you learn how to actually transform somebody's brain patterns into success patterns. That being said, it always wasn't this way. Right? So the three things that I made mistakes on is, number one, Strategies. What do I mean by strategy? You need a strategy. So it's not saying strategies are bad, it's just saying every strategy works or it wouldn't be being done. So what I did was I would try one strategy. Let's say I'm trying to think back in the day. I think it was summits maybe or something like that. And then I'd go all in and I'd do it and I'd see a little blip, but then it would go back down. I'm like, oh, well, that wasn't the magic bullet. I'm going to go do challenges. And then you go buy something over there. Another course, another coaching. And you're like, I learned challenges, now I know how to do them. And I put it all out there. And then that works, but not really. And so literally I felt like I was doing hopscotch. Remember that hopscotch game you'd play when you're a little kid? You'd be like, I just keep hopping around strategy to strategy, tactics of tactic. And what my brain was trying to do was not allow me to be successful because success to my brain was a threat. So you got to remember that success to your brain is doing something that's going to create success means you're doing something that you have never done before. It is unknown. And so especially as an entrepreneur, as a coach, a course creator, a service provider, you're doing things that you've never done before. Your brain is wired for safe safety, not success. You've got to actually train your brain to allow success. And so what was happening for me is I didn't want to concede defeat. I didn't want to say I didn't know what I was doing. So I figured it must be the strategy. So I'm going to buy this strategy course that's tr, this messaging course, this webinar course, this audience building course, this, this, this, this. And if you're watching this on YouTube, I filled my shelves with all the courses. Now, there is nothing wrong with learning strategies. It's just this. If you're looking for the newest and the latest, instead of really taking one strategy, allowing yourself to be uncomfortable, sucking, failing, skinning your knees. So finally, as I was starting my PhD and starting to really train my brain to allow the results, I went all in and I started doing webinars. And I said, you know what? For a year, I'm doing nothing but webinars and I'm going to do a webinar a week and I'm going to get so good at webinars that I will. There's no way possible that I can say that they don't work. And so 42 webinars in the fir. Not the first year in business, but the first year that I finally realized that it was killing my ability to get past six figures. Jumping around strategy to strategy, tactic to tactic. I really had to make a strategy safe to my brain. And once I did that, that's when momentum started happening. Now here's the thing. In the beginning, it didn't. My first webinar, nobody showed up. My second webinar, my mom showed up. My third webinar, my best friend who was really feeling sorry for me by now. And my mom showed up. You get the picture. It wasn't until I kept practicing and practicing. See, here's the thing. If you're not willing to learn a skill and, and master that skill, your brain's going to want you to hopscotch all around because you feel busy but not successful. So that was an absolute mistake I made and I wish I could get all those years back. The good news is because I trained my brain to allow success that everything I bought during those hopscotch days all eventually did work and I was able to utilize all those. But not until I flipped my brain success switch on. Now, I'm not going to deep dive into that today. In fact, all of that is here in our past episodes. In fact, I'll link a few of those here. Like, how do you really train your brain to allow the results? So chasing strategies, definitely a mistake. Pick one, go all in, do nothing but that for a straight year. And you hear me say this a lot. But one of the, one of the other things our brains try to convince us of is I used to say I'm so multi passionate, I can't just sell one thing. So I'm going to sell this thing and that thing and this thing and that thing. So I was a master of many and a. Nobody knew me because they, they didn't know what I took a stand for. They didn't understand why what we did matter because I was just too scared to plant the poll of my business on one product, one offer, one way for one year. When I did that and I, I all, all the multiple eight figure, nine figure business owners say this, but we don't think that it's real. So let me. I'm here to tell you that when I was making these mistakes, it was very real. I was creating new products and buying new strategies pretty much on the Monthly feeling like I was doing something in my business. But let me just be real. It was just taking up my time, helping my ego feel better, but wasn't moving the needle. It wasn't until I really said, okay, the time. The product was epic success program I and we had gotten it through hustle, we'd gotten it up to six figures, but it was inconsistent, right? So then I just said, that's it. I, I got a mentor. I was getting my PhD and I was like, let's go. Like it's time. And that's when everything started taking off. So a lot of times you're like, look, she's an overnight success. No, she was a decade in the making success. She was sabotaging through strategies success. So I want to share that with you if you, if you happen to be at the moment chasing strategies, chasing tactics, when you already, your gut just tells you it's time to, it's time to burn the bridges, to sell one thing to one person, solve one problem. Not 10, not 20. I know you love people, but you got to be known for something, right? So those were, that's mistake number one. Mistake number two was how I showed up. I waited for others to approve of me before I fully stepped in and owned my brand online. I was afraid to be called a fraud. I was afraid that people were going to go like, what you're offering is stupid. Because listen, a million times behind the scenes I thought, you know what? It's just going to be, it'd be so much easier if I just shifted gears and sold strategy. I know strategies. I could do it. Why? Because I was looking for a safety net instead of doing the very thing God called me to do. God, first of all, walked me through training my own brain and had me go from struggling, stressed out and overwhelmed to having the, the life and the business that I wanted. Because I got so obsessed about training my brain to allow the success. But showing up, that was a thing that I was still looking for the, the Internet people, the mayor of the Internet to say, you should show up bigger. So today I'm saying to you, take up space, show up big. I just did a, a brand blueprint for, specifically for coaches because in our certification we teach coaches how to really get brain based transformation for their clients. 100 of the time, if you don't know how to do that, then you're misrepresenting yourself as a coach. But I digress. I'm looking over here because there it is, the brand blueprint. Three things you must have and the, the through line about this, the. The irony as I was teaching this is this was how I was wanting to show up on day one. But it took me a good five years to actually stay and stand up in a strong way. So what do I mean about, like, showing up in a strong way? I mean, like, the things that make you. You stop hiding them. Stop thinking your quirkiness we can't handle. Get on with your quirky, bad self and let us see it. Because the reality is that your vibe attracts your tribe. There's. I can tell you right now, I am so lucky. I've got a group of. I mean, my clients are all driven, passionate, spirit centered people that like, really want to change the world and really want to make a difference, but they also want freedom and impact in their own life. They really, they want financial freedom and environmental freedom. And I call it freedom and family, right? Creating freedom and family. But you got to show up for people to want to follow. People are looking for someone to follow. And I showed up in a way asking for permission. And then literally, it was like a switch in my brain went off. As I was training my brain to allow the success, as I was developing the models, I had a thought that went through my mind. I say, that was the. That was God. But, you know, you do you, I'll do me. But here's the thing. I look at that and I was like, wait, if I don't do it, no one else will. Like, no one is me. So no matter what, even if people are saying the same thing, no one has the makeup that I have, the way I was created and how I process and think information. And so I started getting really passionate about the results that I've gone through and sharing those results that I'd gone through so that you could too, right? And I was no longer trying to hide my past or be embarrassed by my failures. But I was saying, like, look at where I was. I was, you know, in a such a frustrated place. But, but look at what happened when I slowly did this, right? And. And that gives people that comfort to know, you know what, she's just like me. Of course I can do it too, right? The second thing was I took. Finally started taking a stand. There are things that matter to you and you think to yourself, well, that has nothing to do with health coaching. That has nothing to do with business coaching. Look, people are looking for somebody that can lead, and if you don't know who they are, they don't feel safe to be led. And so, as you know, I share my faith openly. I openly say I love Jesus and I can't imagine a life without him. But I also say, and you heard me say it, I believe in a world where I can show up fully who I am and so can you. Right? So if that is not who you are, I just say, get on with your bad self and be who you are. Like, be that person who stands in what you are. Right? And. And I want to mirror and model that now by. By being bold about my faith, because that's an important thing to me now, if a hobby was an important thing to you or, or whatever. Now I talk about my family. I talk about not just what I take a stand for, but also what I take a stand against. You know, it pains me to see that we're still taking children in school through a process where they never learn to train their brain to remove limitations that they're. That they're having to spend years and years in math if they were meant to be an artist, that they have to. It's just education is literally wired to become a great industrial employee, but not step into God's given, given calling for you. And so I want to live in a world where it's different, where kids learn how to train their brain from a young age. You know, my kids kind of give the. Kind of roll eye because I'm like, okay, create your thoughts. What are the thoughts you want to think so that the emotions can happen, so that you can have a belief that will create the decision. And they know it, and they hear me say it all the time. But what if we lived in a world where every child knew that they had a choice of their thought? That's. That's how I take a stand. And I'm just giving you an example. And the louder I got, the more clients came when I was shrinking and asking for permission, it was crickets. But as I stood in, the strength of the result that I know you could have, when I stood in the. The stand that I have for you and for your family and for your children. And when I talk about the enemy of. Enemy of intuition, the enemy of all those things, right. What started to happen, and honestly, kind of by accident, is as I started to show up, a movement started and I started thinking about them more than me. And I started thinking about, I want to live in a world where every woman could start their own business and create financial freedom and spend time and never miss a thing with their kids because they're no longer listening to the limitations that have held them back their whole life because they have trained their brain to automate the thing that they want next, and they're honoring God in the process, right? This is the world I want to live in. And because of that, people that come into our world want to live in that world, too. And so strategies, right? So many mistakes there. How I showed up, waiting for permission, waiting for approval, until I finally flipped that switch one day and just said, forget it. I'm. I'm going to take up space. So here's my thing to you. Take up space. The last thing I will say, and it's at the core of the work that we do here at Team Epic Success, is watch what you say. The longer I live, the more I realize that thoughts and thinking and limiting beliefs and all of that stuff isn't a concept and isn't an idea. I know from brain science that it's actually glucose. And I can describe the structures and how limiting beliefs happen and how you remove them and all that. But in the beginning, God spoke and there was light. There is something about what you say out loud to yourself that's creating the world that you see around you. In fact, what I used to say to myself is, no one will listen to me. Like, what do I really have to offer? I hope I can make a difference. Maybe I'm being too big for my britches. Something I heard growing up, lots of things like that. As I spoke those words, as I said those words, that's what I saw around me. And as I built out the sync neurocoach models, I started to realize the brain science behind what I say, that it creates real things that it makes possible what you want or stops it. So I am bringing it to this because at the end of the day, if you master one strategy, one offer for one year, and if you show up big, but you don't continue to say the things out loud to yourself that create the world that you want, then you will sabotage it. And so I went from saying, I'm not enough. I don't have what it takes. Who will listen to me, to, I'm a child of God. I am called, according to us, purpose. I have a calling to go out and help women get unleashed from limitations and step into the success they were called to be. Whatever it is for you. But I'm just telling you, like, what you say becomes a thing. And I wanted to share these with you because I feel like no one's really talking about the mistakes that they made and then how they started to shift and overcome them. So I hope this podcast episode was valuable for you. I dive deeper in my next this next week's YouTube video all around. How do you remove limiting beliefs? So if you want to check that out, I'll link that here. But here's what I want to wrap up today's podcast saying it's worth it. Start owning the calling. Here's the thing. Uncomfortable is the thing you got to get comfortable with. When you get comfortable with uncomfortable, you start to repeat that it's safe. Your brain starts to believe you. Your brain starts to work for you instead of against you. And then your brain starts to accelerate you. And so my challenge to you is just take up space. It's time and it's worth it. I hope this podcast episode helps. It was a blessing. We do, I'm sure, have a free upcoming event around how to create a year's worth of results in 67 days, remove the limitations and build a success success pathway. If we have something live, the link is down below. But I hope to see you shine because there's nothing better for me than to see that happen for you. All right, that's what I have this week on the Epic Success Podcast. Bye for now. Oh, wait a minute. I'm going to pop back in and say this. Do me a favor, give me a warm hug and give this podcast a rating on whatever platform it is that you're watching it on right now. If you could give it a five star our review and tell me how the podcast is helping, this to me is the best thing in the world. And so if you have a moment and if this podcast has been a blessing to you, just give it a review. And of course, join me over on Instagram and also YouTube where I'm putting out videos every week to go deeper into the concepts. Okay, that's it for now. And I will see you next week on the Epic Success Podcast. Bye for now. It.