{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"What If the Biggest Problems in Your Business Are Actually a Sign You\u2019re Out of Alignment With Esther Wildenberg","description":"I\u2019ve spent a lot of time thinking about alignment\u2014not just as a personal-growth concept, but as something that directly affects how we lead, build businesses, make decisions, and live our lives. In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Esther Wildenberg, an executive coach, entrepreneur, consultant, and AI business owner who has spent more than 20 years helping leaders recognize when they\u2019ve drifted out of alignment and find their way back. Esther describes alignment as the place where our purpose, passion, heart, identity, and actions are working together\u2014and when they are, we create a kind of inbound energy that attracts the right people, opportunities, and growth. We get very practical about what happens when that alignment disappears. Esther calls it \u201cfounder\u2019s fatigue\u201d: when we become obsessed with everything that isn\u2019t working, blame our employees, clients, finances, or circumstances, and convince ourselves we simply don\u2019t have enough time. She explains why stepping away from the business can actually be one of the most productive things an entrepreneur can do, including her unconventional three-day process of removing clients from their normal environment\u2014and even taking away their phones\u2014to create enough space for clarity. We also dive into Esther\u2019s own experience during the COVID pandemic, when a company pivot, a newborn son in the NICU, isolation, and an identity crisis forced her to completely rethink how she was living and leading. Ultimately, this conversation is about learning to step out of the trenches, reconnect with yourself, and create the kind of business and life that actually supports the person you want to become. Highlights (02:49) \u2013 Esther defines alignment and explains why getting your energy, purpose, passion, identity, and messaging into sync can dramatically change how your business grows. (03:58) \u2013 Why alignment is so difficult: the uncomfortable necessity of slowing down, creating silence and solitude, and actually listening to what your life is telling you. (06:49) \u2013 The biggest challenge of growing a team: why the people you hire will never care about your business exactly the way you do\u2014and why entrepreneurs need to let go of that expectation. (08:24) \u2013 Why a candidate saying \u201cno\u201d to a past employer isn\u2019t necessarily a red flag\u2014and the question Esther asks to uncover whether someone has actually learned from their failures. (09:23) \u2013 \u201cFounder\u2019s fatigue\u201d: the warning signs that you\u2019re out of alignment, including constantly focusing on what\u2019s broken and blaming everyone around you. (12:25) \u2013 The hidden cost of the hustle: how an obsession with productivity, money, and growth can quietly destroy your health, relationships, and sense of balance. (12:55) \u2013 Why entrepreneurs may need to stop thinking in three- to five-year plans and start developing the ability to pivot every 90 days to six months. (14:48) \u2013 Esther\u2019s unconventional alignment reset: stepping completely out of your business for three days to gain enough distance to actually see the problem clearly. (15:09) \u2013 Why Esther takes away her clients\u2019 phones\u2014and how she believes 90% of their problems can begin to resolve once they\u2019re removed from the environment creating the stress. (17:34) \u2013 The power of changing your environment and surrounding yourself with people who face similar challenges, including Esther\u2019s experience in high-level masterminds. (19:30) \u2013 Why taking an hour for yourself in the morning can actually make you more productive, focused, and magnetic throughout the rest of your day. (20:36) \u2013 Esther\u2019s raw story of founder\u2019s fatigue during the COVID pandemic: a company pivot, a newborn son, six weeks in the NICU, isolation, and a complete crisis of identity. (23:17) \u2013 The turning point: how Esther hired a coach, changed the direction of her company, and shifted from focusing on sales and revenue to helping people thrive and connect. (24:31) \u2013 The podcast question that changed Esther\u2019s perspective on her own impact\u2014and helped her realize she didn\u2019t need to reach thousands of people to make a meaningful difference. (26:00) \u2013 Why Esther stopped preparing for podcasts and stages and began trusting what she calls the \u201cdownload\u201d of what she needs to say in the moment. (31:54) \u2013 Esther explains why vulnerability is central to her work and how she uses her own painful experiences to help others move through similar challenges faster. (34:12) \u2013 Esther\u2019s powerful prediction about the future of AI and technology\u2014and why the ability to deeply connect with other human beings may become our most valuable skill. (35:21) \u2013 Her final challenge: build real communities, become an excellent communicator, and strengthen the human relationships that technology can never replace. ","author_name":"The Story Engine Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/podcast.thestoryengine.co\/","html":"