Leading With Heart: What I’ve Learned About Myself While Building AnzaFlow

The Business Will Stretch You Before It Grows You

They say entrepreneurship is the greatest personal development journey you’ll ever go through. I used to roll my eyes at that. Until I started building AnzaFlow.

What I thought would be a neat, structured launch turned out to be a crash course in navigating uncertainty, self-doubt, identity shifts, and an entirely new version of leadership. Not just managing tasks, but managing myself.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far—not just about building a business, but about building the woman behind it.

🗣️1. You Don’t “Find” Your Voice. You Build It.

When I started AnzaFlow, I struggled with how to show up. I’m not the typical suit-and-tie HR professional. I bring color, creativity, and empathy. For a long time, I felt like I had to tone that down to sound more “corporate.”

But the more I worked with startup founders, the more I saw that what they valued wasn’t corporate polish. It was relatability. Honesty. Clarity.

I didn’t have to be someone else. I just had to be consistent and true to my values. That’s when my voice started forming—not from mimicking others, but from showing up repeatedly and trusting that my approach was enough.

⚙️2. Building a People-First Company Starts With You

I talk about people-first HR a lot—but what does that really mean? It means creating space for empathy, dialogue, boundaries, and trust. And that starts with me.

There were moments I pushed myself to burnout trying to prove I could do it all. But how could I preach balance to clients while living in an imbalance myself?

Building AnzaFlow has taught me to pause. To say no. To delegate. To treat myself like I’d want a thriving team member to be treated. Because you can’t build a culture you haven’t cultivated within.

🔍3. Leadership Isn’t Loud. It’s Intentional.

I used to think leaders had to always be on. Bold. Unshakable. That being “too understanding” might make me look inexperienced or unprofessional. But the more I worked with founders, the more I realized: empathy is the most underrated leadership tool.

Yes, strategy matters. But the magic happens when you combine it with compassion—when you don’t just solve people’s problems but see the people in the problem.

Being a people-first founder doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re grounded in what actually builds trust, teams, and long-term business.

I’ve since learned that real leadership can also look like:

• Asking for feedback
  
• Admitting you don’t know
  
• Leading meetings with questions, not just answers

Being in charge doesn’t mean being perfect—it means being present, even when you’re unsure. Leadership is about holding space for clarity to emerge. And it takes courage to lead with vulnerability.

🗽4. Structure Is Freedom (Even for Creatives)

I’m a creative soul—I thrive in flow, I get downloads at odd hours, and I love thinking outside the box. But structure? It saved my business.

From onboarding workflows to setting clear client boundaries to using systems that keep me sane—structure gave my creativity room to expand. It took the pressure off my brain to hold everything, and turned chaos into clarity.

Founders often resist structure because it feels restrictive. But the right kind? It liberates you.

💬5. Community Is Not a Nice-to-Have. It’s Survival.

There were days I felt like I was building AnzaFlow in a vacuum. Stuck in my head. Unsure of my next move. It wasn’t until I started sharing—my wins, struggles, thoughts—that I realized: you cannot do this alone.

Conversations with other founders became lifelines. Honest chats with mentors grounded me. Even quick DMs from people who said, “I see what you’re building” meant the world.

You don’t need a huge audience. You need your people. And you find them by showing up honestly.

🔄 6. Slowness is a Strategy, Too

In a world obsessed with scaling fast and “10X-ing” everything, I chose something different: intentional growth.

Some things in AnzaFlow took longer than expected—like defining our brand tone or launching the blog (you’re reading the first real reflection now!). But I’m okay with that. I’ve realized that growing at your own pace isn’t a flaw—it’s a flex.

I want depth over hype. Foundation over flash.

🧩7. You’ll Outgrow Versions of Yourself—and That’s Okay

I’ve let go of roles, habits, and parts of my identity that no longer fit this version of my journey. I’ve become more decisive. More trusting of my instincts. More confident in my “no.”

Outgrowing doesn’t always feel good—but it’s necessary. 

          Sometimes success is quiet. 

It’s the choices no one sees but that change everything.

The founder you’re becoming requires a different level of clarity and courage. Don’t mourn the old version. Thank her/him —and move forward.

☀️8. The Most Underrated Skill? Holding Space.

As a consultant, I expected to deliver solutions. But I’ve learned that what clients value just as much is feeling seen.

Sometimes, they don’t need a PDF or a checklist. They need a space to talk, unravel, and be reminded that they’re not failing. That they’re simply navigating the messy middle of building something that matters.

That’s what AnzaFlow became—a space where structure meets softness. HR with a human touch.

💡9. Clarity Doesn’t Always Come Before the Leap

One of the boldest decisions I ever made was to leave an emotionally draining work environment and take a leap of faith to build this business. I didn’t have it all figured out—but I knew I had enough to start.

Clarity came through action. Through showing up for clients. Through refining as I went. And that’s something I try to tell every founder now:

You don’t have to see the full path. Just the next step.

🔚Final Thoughts: What AnzaFlow Has Given Me

Yes, it’s a brand.
Yes, it’s a business.
But more than that, it’s been a mirror—a place where I’ve met the most grounded, brave, and honest version of myself so far.

This journey is just beginning. And if you’re a founder reading this, here’s what I’ll say:

You’re not behind. You’re becoming.

Build the business.
But let the business build you, too.

This blog is my place to reflect out loud.

To document the becoming.

And to remind myself—and you—that leading with heart is still powerful leadership.

Founder, AnzaFlow HR