WOMAN OF INFLUENCE
Host: Julie Solomon
Episode: Safety Before Speed! The Real Path to Clarity
Date: January 21, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Julie Solomon explores the critical distinction between safety and speed on the entrepreneurial journey. Focusing on the idea that clarity and true leadership emerge from a grounded sense of inner safety—not from hustling or rushing—Julie challenges high-achieving women to consciously slow down, recalibrate, and lean into discomfort as a teacher rather than something to bypass. Through personal anecdotes, client stories, and practical reflection questions, Julie provides listeners with a refreshing framework to access deeper clarity and embody the next level of their leadership and legacy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Debunking Perfection & Hustle as Prerequisites for Success

[02:00-03:56]

• Julie begins by describing her informal recording setup, using this as a metaphor for shaking up comfort zones and redefining what “working” or “successful” looks like.
  • “Things don’t necessarily have to be whatever our idea of perfect is … it doesn’t have to be how it is for everyone else for it to actually work.” (Julie, 02:25)
• She highlights the self-imposed “glass ceilings” that come from attaching to rigid expectations and the illusion that only one formula leads to genuine results.

2. Discomfort: The Threshold to Expansion

[04:00-05:50]

• Many women—especially those at high levels—confuse discomfort for a problem needing a quick fix, when it is often a sign of expansion.
• Julie candidly shares a recurring client struggle: the urge to seek more strategies, content, and feedback as a way to relieve unease, rather than truly listening to it.
  • “We don’t do this because we’re lazy … we do this because our nervous system is constantly looking for relief.” (Julie, 05:20)
• She announces the central theme: this episode is about safety, not just business tactics.

3. Case Study: Transitioning from Working Identity to Highest Self Identity

[07:46-15:22]

• Julie shares the story of a health coach client overwhelmed by lack of clarity, despite consistent effort.
  • The client’s business had previously relied on hustle, pressure, and external validation.
  • Now, in Julie’s “Revenue Accelerator,” she had to rebuild her message and identity from authenticity, not external cues.
• Julie notes the client’s reactive, rushed responses to coaching were a sign she was moving too fast to absorb support.
  • “Sometimes the reason why support doesn’t feel like it’s working isn’t because the support is wrong. It’s because you’re moving too fast to actually absorb it.” (Julie, 10:45)
• The concept that confusion is often a flood state, not lack of knowledge, is emphasized.
• Notable quote:
  • “You’re asking yourself to write and post and lead from a place that you haven’t fully allowed yourself to actually live in yet.” (Julie, 12:38)
• She compares this to expecting physical transformation after just two weeks of strength training; messaging and identity recalibration also require reps and time.

4. Leadership Is Built in the Pause

[16:32-20:40]

• Julie explains that her frameworks are not meant for fleeting success (e.g., one viral post or launch), but for building self-trust and sustainable, embodied leadership.
  • “Conversion requires precision, intention, pausing, leadership … we have to build the woman who can hold it.” (Julie, 18:25)
• She walks clients through a process to ensure they can “hold” the results they desire—are you prepared for the reality of sudden growth and all it entails (operations, customer support, self-leadership)?
• Julie asserts that authority is developed through inner alignment, not “outsourcing your self-trust” to others for validation.

5. Reflection Questions for Listeners

[21:00-24:30]

• Julie invites listeners to pause and reflect deeply:
  1. “What if this discomfort is not proof something’s wrong, but is actual proof you’re expanding into what you say that you want?”
  2. “Where are you still chasing quick wins for reassurance?”
  3. “What would it look like to live the message before you post it?”
     • “Most women think the risk is being seen too early, but the real risk is rushing past base camp and locking yourself into an identity that no longer fits.” (Julie, 22:45)
  4. “If you weren’t allowed to grab for one more thing this week, what would it look like to actually breathe at this level that you’re stepping into?”
  • “Embodiment is always quieter than performance. Let the content, the doing, the creation come after the lived experience of it.” (Julie, 23:20)

6. Transforming Through Not Rushing

[24:00-25:20]

• Julie shares her client’s realization:
  • “Julie, this literally had to happen. You’re right, I’ve been moving way too fast for way too many years and I need to slow down. … I’m not living this. I’m saying that I’ve wanted it. We worked two weeks on this new messaging, but I’m not living it.” (Julie reading client message, 24:40)
• Reinforcing the core message: Safety—feeling grounded and regulated—creates clarity, not speed, content, or scrambling.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Real influence isn’t built in the algorithm, it’s embodied in your identity.” (Julie, 01:52)
• “Panic isn’t always a problem. It can be a really good teacher for us.” (Julie, 09:51)
• “If you think you need someone else’s eyes on everything you do to make a move, you’re not building authority—you’re outsourcing your self-trust.” (Julie, 20:32)
• “Discomfort is never the problem, but trying to escape it is.” (Julie, 25:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:00] Challenging perfection and work “shoulds”
• [05:20] The nervous system’s search for relief and the pursuit of “one more thing”
• [07:46] Client story: confusion vs. flood, reframing the discomfort
• [12:38] Living your message versus rushing to share
• [16:32] Defining leadership, self-trust, and sustainable success
• [21:00] Reflective questions for listeners’ self-inquiry
• [24:40] Client realization: the importance of slowing down and embodiment
• [25:10] Core takeaway: Safety—as a foundation for clarity and growth

Tone & Style

Julie’s tone throughout is honest, soulful, and gently challenging—a blend of compassionate mentorship and strategic insight. She speaks with lived experience and invites listeners into a reflective, courageous process of slowing down and stepping into embodied leadership.

Action Steps & Invitation

• Examine where you may be rushing or seeking relief from discomfort in your business journey.
• Take time to “breathe at this level,” embody changes before sharing or scaling.
• Consider the reflective questions provided to deepen your own clarity.
• For those wanting focused support, Julie mentions her upcoming “Unscripted” retreat in Nashville for women ready to realign messaging, voice, and leadership identity.

Summary prepared for those who missed the episode, offering depth, actionable insights, and the clarity that “Safety Before Speed” can bring to your entrepreneurial path.