How Women Can Succeed Without Abandoning Themselves

Women can pursue success without abandoning themselves by building goals and businesses around what genuinely fulfills them, rather than only chasing conventional milestones. Shakti Sharma, founder of the Feminine Wealth Movement, shares how she came to this understanding on The Elisha Show with host Amb. Elisha Arowojobe.

Key takeaways

• Achieving goals can still leave a person feeling unfulfilled when those goals reflect other people’s expectations more than their own desires.
• Shakti Sharma connects her understanding of success to recognizing the influence of childhood experiences and generational patterns.
• Women entrepreneurs can consider whether their businesses reflect what genuinely fulfills them instead of measuring success only by conventional milestones.
• Cultural expectations and traditional gender roles can shape how women think about money, ambition and financial independence.
• Women’s financial empowerment can create opportunities for families and future generations as well as for individuals.

Why can success leave women feeling unfulfilled?

Success can feel empty when the goals a person reaches were shaped more by other people’s expectations than by her own desires. Sharma describes achieving many of the goals she had set for herself, yet feeling an emptiness she could not explain.

Her experience led her to look more closely at what had shaped her choices. It offers a useful distinction: reaching a milestone and feeling that it reflects what you truly want are not the same thing.

How can women build a business without abandoning themselves?

Women entrepreneurs can start by asking whether the business they are building reflects what genuinely fulfills them, rather than simply chasing conventional milestones. Sharma’s work through the Feminine Wealth Movement focuses on helping women build businesses and create financial success without abandoning themselves in the process.

This does not mean there is one right kind of business or one definition of fulfillment. The point is to consider personal desires alongside measures of success, rather than letting those measures make the decision on their own.

How do cultural expectations affect women’s relationship with money?

Cultural expectations and traditional gender roles can influence how women relate to money, ambition and financial independence. Sharma’s conversation challenges expectations that limit women’s financial independence and recognizes women’s ability to build wealth and hold financial power.

Recognizing those influences can help clarify whether a belief about money or ambition comes from personal desire or from an expectation placed on women. Financial independence is also discussed as a way to create opportunities that can reach beyond the individual.

Why do childhood experiences and generational patterns matter?

Childhood experiences and generational patterns can shape emotional well-being and influence how a person understands success. Sharma’s personal experience helped her recognize how those influences had affected her own life.

Noticing these patterns can offer context for choices that may otherwise feel difficult to explain. In Sharma’s account, recognizing their influence was part of understanding the gap between reaching goals and feeling fulfilled.

About Shakti Sharma

Shakti Sharma was born and raised in India and moved to the United States at 22. She earned an MBA and worked with major financial institutions before founding the Feminine Wealth Movement. She helps women entrepreneurs build businesses and create financial success without abandoning themselves.

Frequently asked questions

What does it mean to abandon yourself for success?

In this context, it means pursuing goals shaped by other people’s expectations while losing sight of your own desires and fulfillment. Sharma describes reaching many goals yet feeling an emptiness, which led her to recognize how much her life had been shaped by expectations beyond her own.

How can I tell if my goals are really mine?

Consider whether a goal reflects what you genuinely want or mainly matches other people’s expectations. Sharma’s experience shows why that distinction matters: she had achieved many goals but still felt unfulfilled, prompting her to examine what had shaped her choices.

Can women build wealth and stay true to themselves?

Yes. Sharma’s work focuses on helping women entrepreneurs build businesses and create financial success without abandoning themselves. Her approach connects financial empowerment with pursuing work that genuinely fulfills women, rather than treating conventional milestones as the only measure of success.

How can women’s financial empowerment benefit future generations?

Women’s financial empowerment can create opportunities beyond the individual, including for families and future generations. Sharma’s conversation frames women’s ability to build wealth and hold financial power as something that can have a wider effect, not only a personal one.

Listen to the full conversation with Shakti Sharma on The Elisha Show for more on fulfillment, money mindset, business and the expectations that shape women’s choices.