The Shadow Business Podcast

Hosted by Sarah Berckenkamp

Business Entrepreneurship Management Education

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Episodes

173

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

What if the blocks in your business have nothing to do with strategy and everything to do with the unseen patterns running beneath it? Hosted by business coach and systemic guide Sarah Berckenkamp , The Shadow Business Podcast reveals the hidden dynamics that shape your money, your clients, your launches, and your leadership. Each episode (launched every Thursday morning) takes you beneath the surface of entrepreneurship into the world of family systems, nervous system responses, and emotional inheritance; so you can finally understand why you get stuck, why you sabotage yourself, and why success sometimes feels harder than it should. This is not just another business podcast. It’s a deep, unfiltered look at the shadows behind your strategy and the powerful breakthroughs available when you choose to lead differently. For entrepreneurs who are ready to trade quick fixes for real transformation, The Shadow Business Podcast offers truth, clarity, and a way to build your business from the deepest foundation possible: all of you.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 20, 202619 min

The Wealth Trifecta, Part 3: Compounding: When Was the Last Time You Actually Calculated Your Net Worth?

Send us Fan Mail Quick question before we start: what's your net worth right now, personal and business combined? Got a number? Good. Now be honest; when did you last actually sit down and calculate it, instead of just vibing a guess? For most people, the answer is never. This is the final episode in the Wealth Trifecta series on the Shadow Business Podcast, and it's the one where everything we've built finally clicks into place. We started with creation; the offers, the pricing, the income engine. Then we faced the shadows; the family stories and identity stuff quietly shaping how you handle money. Now we compound. This is where it stops being theory and starts becoming your actual life. In this episode, we get into the honest, uncomfortable gaps most business owners have around wealth; the assets scattered across five places you've never added up, the mortgage math that might be costing you way more than you think, and the moment compounding stops being a spreadsheet concept and starts rewiring how you actually think about money. There's also a really personal part where I talk about what "set for life" means to me, why chasing a number without a life to attach it to never actually works, and a legacy question I still haven't fully answered myself. If this series has made you go quiet at any point and think "okay, I need to actually deal with this" this episode is your sign and it's time to be inside the Wealth Trifecta Program, you can find the link here: bureausbb.com/trifecta 🎁 Free Hypnosis — Unblock Your Yes: In February 2026, I was invited to speak at the 500-person Yes Life Summit. I'm giving you free access to the Yes to Life hypnosis I shared there; so you can discover what's currently blocking you from saying yes to yourself. 👉 bureausbb.com/hypnosis 💼 Ready to Work Together? If you know your true power lies in your shadows and you're ready to go deeper, fill in my application form. It helps me understand what level of support fits you best right now. 👉 bureausbb.com/application 📲 Follow Sarah: Instagram: instagram.com/sarahberckenkamp Threads: threads.com/@sarahberckenkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahberckenkamp

August 13, 202614 min

The Money Story You Didn't Know You Inherited

Send us Fan Mail Confession time: for a long time my money story was "you're going to lose it all." Not the normal "be careful with money" thing; it was actual fear. And it took me a long time to understand that fear wasn't mine. It was my mom's. Handed down to her and onto me. That's what we're getting into on this week's episode of the Shadow Business Podcast (part 2 of the Wealth Trifecta series). We speak about the shadows today: people build real money and I already know how the next 10 years go if they skip this part. Surprise: Manifesting won't fix it. It just brushes past the problem. This episode is about what's underneath; the part that decides if the wealth actually sticks. We talk about: — The 4 wealth shadows I see over and over with clients (I'll tell you mine too) — Why "I'll raise my prices once I hit $100k" is sometimes just a shadow which feels like a "value" — The money conversation nobody has with their partner or their parents — Why your kids can't actually inherit your parents' money beliefs, and why that's a good thing It's a little tender, a little funny, honestly kind of a relief to talk about out loud. Make some tea and give it a listen. 🎧 Episode 2, Wealth Trifecta series; out now on the Shadow Business Podcast If this lands, a 5-star review on Spotify goes a long way and you can join the waitlist for Wealth Trifecta here: bureausbb.com/trifecta 🎁 Free Hypnosis — Unblock Your Yes: In February 2026, I was invited to speak at the 500-person Yes Life Summit. I'm giving you free access to the Yes to Life hypnosis I shared there; so you can discover what's currently blocking you from saying yes to yourself. 👉 bureausbb.com/hypnosis 💼 Ready to Work Together? If you know your true power lies in your shadows and you're ready to go deeper, fill in my application form. It helps me understand what level of support fits you best right now. 👉 bureausbb.com/application 📲 Follow Sarah: Instagram: instagram.com/sarahberckenkamp Threads: threads.com/@sarahberckenkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahberckenkamp

August 6, 202627 min

Ask Yourself This Right Now: What's Your Actual Profit Margin This Month? (Not Revenue.)

Send us Fan Mail If you just went "...I have no idea" congratulations, you're in good company. And that's exactly where this episode starts. We finally connect the dots most people never do about wealth. Because wealth isn't one skill, it's three and most coaches only teach you one corner of it, then wonder why your results stall. Today we start with the most overlooked one: creation; how the money actually gets made before it can ever become wealth. I also get into something I've never fully shared before: the family money history I dug up through genealogy research and why the pull toward entrepreneurship I could never explain wasn't random at all. It was inherited. And once I saw that, everything about how I build changed. There are 9 gaps costing most business owners 20-30% of the revenue they're already leaving on the table and I promise, it's not a mindset problem. It's an architecture problem. And it's fixable. This is the first of a 3-part series, the Wealth Trifecta, where we build the full picture piece by piece. Next week we go somewhere most business content won't take you. bureausbb.com/trifecta I also speak about the Trial Reels Training for €11,- / you can find it here: bureausbb.com/trial 🎁 Free Hypnosis — Unblock Your Yes: In February 2026, I was invited to speak at the 500-person Yes Life Summit. I'm giving you free access to the Yes to Life hypnosis I shared there; so you can discover what's currently blocking you from saying yes to yourself. 👉 bureausbb.com/hypnosis 💼 Ready to Work Together? If you know your true power lies in your shadows and you're ready to go deeper, fill in my application form. It helps me understand what level of support fits you best right now. 👉 bureausbb.com/application 📲 Follow Sarah: Instagram: instagram.com/sarahberckenkamp Threads: threads.com/@sarahberckenkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahberckenkamp

July 30, 202621 min

More Isn't the Answer. Shame Is Running Your Business (And You Don't Even Know It)

Send us Fan Mail You post the wins. You hide the rest. And when business slows down, you go straight to shame. That shame is quietly making every decision for you: post more, DM more, hustle harder. In this episode of the Shadow Business Podcast, I make the case that "more" is never the answer and explain why the industry's obsession with hustle, performance, and grinding is actually keeping women stuck instead of scaling them. I break down the Divine Proportion Method: the exact opposite of the more-more-more model, and how compounding (not force) is what actually builds sustainable wealth and business growth. You'll hear why shame drives burnout, why "do more" is the wrong fix when your sales aren't converting, and why the coaching industry is shifting from performance to trust and what that means for how you show up. If you've been overbuilding one part of your business while neglecting another, this episode will show you exactly where to look. Until Friday noon you can join the Mastermind: https://bureausbb.com/dpm26 🎁 Free Hypnosis — Unblock Your Yes: In February 2026, I was invited to speak at the 500-person Yes Life Summit. I'm giving you free access to the Yes to Life hypnosis I shared there; so you can discover what's currently blocking you from saying yes to yourself. 👉 bureausbb.com/hypnosis 💼 Ready to Work Together? If you know your true power lies in your shadows and you're ready to go deeper, fill in my application form. It helps me understand what level of support fits you best right now. 👉 bureausbb.com/application 📲 Follow Sarah: Instagram: instagram.com/sarahberckenkamp Threads: threads.com/@sarahberckenkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahberckenkamp

July 23, 20269 min

You Don't Have to Heal Before You're Wealthy

Send us Fan Mail For years, the self-development world sold you one story: heal your money wounds first, and then the wealth will come. Journal it. Forgive it. Release it. It sounds responsible. It sounds deep. So why isn't it working for almost anyone? In this episode of the Shadow Business Podcast, we break down the belief that quietly keeps so many people stuck and the parallel method that actually changed everything, built from five and a half years of self development, a year and eight months of intense therapy, and a lot of trial by fire. You'll hear the real difference between healing before you receive and letting your identity move faster than your history; plus why waiting for "fully healed" might be the very thing keeping you circling in the same story. And at the end, a free gift: a 12-minute hypnosis to help you release your current money story and start claiming the identity that already has what you want. You can claim it right here: bureausbb.com/identity If you've ever felt like the healing work was never going to be "enough" before you could start receiving, this episode is for you. 👉 Rate, follow, and share if it resonates. 🎁 Free Hypnosis — Unblock Your Yes: In February 2026, I was invited to speak at the 500-person Yes Life Summit. I'm giving you free access to the Yes to Life hypnosis I shared there; so you can discover what's currently blocking you from saying yes to yourself. 👉 bureausbb.com/hypnosis 💼 Ready to Work Together? If you know your true power lies in your shadows and you're ready to go deeper, fill in my application form. It helps me understand what level of support fits you best right now. 👉 bureausbb.com/application 📲 Follow Sarah: Instagram: instagram.com/sarahberckenkamp Threads: threads.com/@sarahberckenkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahberckenkamp

July 16, 202612 min

5 "Unhinged" Things I Do As A Shadow Business Coach (that actually work) 👀

Send us Fan Mail Your launch isn't failing because of your funnel. Your money isn't disappearing because of your spending habits. There's something running underneath your business and most people never look there. In this episode I'm sharing 5 things I do with my private clients that sound wild on paper... until you see what shifts when we go there. Think: parents, patterns, and the parts of yourself you've been avoiding on camera. If you've ever wondered why the strategy isn't landing even though it's "right"; this one's for you. 🎧 Listen now ⬇️ Free hypnosis resource: bureausbb.com/identity 🎁 Free Hypnosis — Unblock Your Yes: In February 2026, I was invited to speak at the 500-person Yes Life Summit. I'm giving you free access to the Yes to Life hypnosis I shared there; so you can discover what's currently blocking you from saying yes to yourself. 👉 bureausbb.com/hypnosis 💼 Ready to Work Together? If you know your true power lies in your shadows and you're ready to go deeper, fill in my application form. It helps me understand what level of support fits you best right now. 👉 bureausbb.com/application 📲 Follow Sarah: Instagram: instagram.com/sarahberckenkamp Threads: threads.com/@sarahberckenkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahberckenkamp

July 9, 202614 min

Is your business in divine proportion?

Send us Fan Mail Can you overconsume in coaching? Yes. And it's probably not the reason you think. In this episode, I break down why so many coaches keep buying the next course, the next framework, the next "this changed everything for me," and it's not because they're missing information. It's because their business is out of proportion. One area overbuilt, another completely ignored. I unpack one real example: what it looks like when your content is thriving but your sales are silent, and why the fix isn't more content. This episode is your intro to Summer Splash, where we find your business's actual ratio using the Divine Proportion Method, then go deep only where it counts. http://bureausbb.com/splash 🎁 Free Hypnosis — Unblock Your Yes: In February 2026, I was invited to speak at the 500-person Yes Life Summit. I'm giving you free access to the Yes to Life hypnosis I shared there; so you can discover what's currently blocking you from saying yes to yourself. 👉 bureausbb.com/hypnosis 💼 Ready to Work Together? If you know your true power lies in your shadows and you're ready to go deeper, fill in my application form. It helps me understand what level of support fits you best right now. 👉 bureausbb.com/application 📲 Follow Sarah: Instagram: instagram.com/sarahberckenkamp Threads: threads.com/@sarahberckenkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahberckenkamp

June 25, 202612 min

Are you more afraid of being disappointed; or of never really living?

Send us Fan Mail Most people play it safe to avoid disappointment. But what if the real risk is reaching the end of your life having never truly followed your soul's mission? In this episode I'm getting personal; sharing what it felt like to turn 30 and genuinely think "I could die now, I've lived fully" and why that feeling is the benchmark I measure everything against. We get into: — What actually happens after you do the shadow work (hint: it can feel surprisingly empty at first) — Why your triggers, your rejections, and even your trauma are whispers pointing you somewhere — How your shadows are the very thing revealing your soul's mission — Why copying someone else's life, no matter how much you admire them, will always leave you misaligned If you've been going through the motions, waiting for the right moment, or chasing a version of success that was never really yours; this one is for you. 🎁 Free Hypnosis — Unblock Your Yes: In February 2026, I was invited to speak at the 500-person Yes Life Summit. I'm giving you free access to the Yes to Life hypnosis I shared there; so you can discover what's currently blocking you from saying yes to yourself. 👉 bureausbb.com/hypnosis 💼 Ready to Work Together? If you know your true power lies in your shadows and you're ready to go deeper, fill in my application form. It helps me understand what level of support fits you best right now. 👉 bureausbb.com/application 📲 Follow Sarah: Instagram: instagram.com/sarahberckenkamp Threads: threads.com/@sarahberckenkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahberckenkamp

June 18, 202619 min

Why your business isn't growing and it has nothing to do with your content strategy.

Send us Fan Mail Most female business owners are busy. Posting, pitching, investing in branding, raising prices. But if your business feels misaligned, no amount of output is going to fix it. In this episode I'm introducing one of my core frameworks: Business Within Divine Proportion; the idea that every part of your business needs to be aligned and growing in the right increments, or you're quietly leaking energy, money, and clients. We get into: — Why raising your prices before raising your identity never works — The real reason most businesses fail (and it's not what you think) — How to audit your business for the gaps you're too close to see — Why mentorship is for the people who want it, not just those who need it — What it actually means to show all of yourself in your business Plus I get honest about my own shadow; the website I still haven't fixed and why even the person who invented the framework still has to do the work. This one is your homework episode. Listen, then look at your business. Apply for the Divine Proportion Mastermind here: bureausbb.com/application Or send me a message on Instagram or LinkedIn to see if this space is for you. Also, if you've enjoyed this episode, you will certainly love my Summer Secret Offer: https://bureausbb.plugandpay.nl/checkout/summer-secret 🎁 Free Hypnosis — Unblock Your Yes: In February 2026, I was invited to speak at the 500-person Yes Life Summit. I'm giving you free access to the Yes to Life hypnosis I shared there; so you can discover what's currently blocking you from saying yes to yourself. 👉 bureausbb.com/hypnosis 💼 Ready to Work Together? If you know your true power lies in your shadows and you're ready to go deeper, fill in my application form. It helps me understand what level of support fits you best right now. 👉 bureausbb.com/application 📲 Follow Sarah: Instagram: instagram.com/sarahberckenkamp Threads: threads.com/@sarahberckenkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahberckenkamp

June 11, 202650 min

What does it actually mean to live at a higher standard, and can three days really change that?

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Olivia Brennan to talk about identity, presence, and why the most powerful transformations don't happen in big conference rooms or online courses; they happen in intimate, carefully held spaces. We're talking about The Duchess Secret Society: a three-day private experience in Bath, England, designed for women who already know they're meant for more; but haven't fully moved like it yet. We discuss: — Why exclusivity isn't performative (and what real proximity to the right women does to your self-concept) — The link between how you carry yourself and what you attract in life and business — What "embodied wealth" actually looks like beyond the aesthetics — Why we kept it to five women only Whether you're curious about the experience or just deeply interested in identity, self-perception, and feminine power; this conversation will stay with you. 🎁 Free Hypnosis — Unblock Your Yes: In February 2026, I was invited to speak at the 500-person Yes Life Summit. I'm giving you free access to the Yes to Life hypnosis I shared there; so you can discover what's currently blocking you from saying yes to yourself. 👉 bureausbb.com/hypnosis 💼 Ready to Work Together? If you know your true power lies in your shadows and you're ready to go deeper, fill in my application form. It helps me understand what level of support fits you best right now. 👉 bureausbb.com/application 📲 Follow Sarah: Instagram: instagram.com/sarahberckenkamp Threads: threads.com/@sarahberckenkamp LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahberckenkamp