Reclaim your "Woo-Woo" beliefs! Learn why smart women apologize for unconventional ideas, the societal pressures behind it, and the challenges it creates in business and life. Unlock your creativity and embrace your beliefs—with no more apologizing! Discover how reclaiming your "Woo-Woo" ideas can fuel success.

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Let’s Rewrite What Woo-Woo Means

Why do smart, accomplished businesswomen apologize for their “woo” beliefs?

When we believe in something, it unlocks our creativity and speaks to others on a deeper emotional level.

This year, I started a private podcast where I interviewed highly accomplished women eCommerce business owners from all backgrounds, from all over the world, who I am honored to personally know and have worked with in different capacities.

I've also been lucky enough to work with hundreds of women business owners in my role as a coach and have been in the room with multiple masterminds for high-income store owners.

I tell you this to set the foundation.

These women are smart, even brilliant, and highly accomplished, with advanced degrees and big jobs behind them that they traded for the risk and rewards of following their dreams and passions to be entrepreneurs.

I can tell you that three things come up over and over again for this specific type of woman, that I find are markers of determination and business success:

1. Mindset & Self Improvement

She is constantly working on improving her mindset—she experiments, learns, and seeks out answers to overcome her mental blocks. She knows she is a work in progress and is always working to improve her business and herself.

2. Lifelong Commitment To Learning

She seeks out mentors, teachers, experts, and coaches to help her grow the business. She learns what she needs to know about finance, operations, manufacturing, HR, legal, sales, and marketing. She is a one-woman company powerhouse.

3. Believes in and Is Open To Woo - Woo Ideas

The difficult part for me is that she hides her knowledge and interest in the unconventional Woo-Woo ideas for fear of judgment from others, although she sees the value in exploring ideas and solutions from different perspectives and points of view.

At any one time, she is balancing two contradictory ideas and beliefs (MAGIC & LOGIC) as her fundamental truths.

Apologizing and hiding our unconventional ideas about business and life is a common thread I see among exceptionally successful women in business.

She is embarrassed; she worries it will make her seem silly, dumb, or incapable of big things. Her trust, belief, and interest in Woo-Woo ideas have been a source of judgment and ridicule. She has been trained to hide this side of herself from a young age. Believing openly in the non-conventional as a business owner is a high-risk activity.

At any one time, she is balancing two contradictory ideas and beliefs (MAGIC & LOGIC) as her fundamental truths. This can be exhausting, debilitating, and a major source of stress.

It's no surprise she feels the need to apologize if she even gets brave enough to share her Woo-Woo belief. Just look at the definition:

The dictionary definition of Woo Woo
"Based on false beliefs or imaginary things, rather than reason or scientific knowledge dubious, mystical, supernatural, or unscientific.”

What Is The History Of “Woo- Woo”

This got me thinking—why is Woo-Woo a derogatory term? How old is it?

Turns out it is a 20th-century construct with first known uses in 1992!

My belief is it came about as the latest cyclical way of minimizing women's intuition, knowledge, and ancient wisdom.

I think we need to reclaim and rewrite the definition of Woo-Woo.

My definition:

Woo-Woo ideas are keys that unlock ancient wisdom, healing, unconscious thoughts, female intuition, creativity, inspiration, mother nature, and magic. They are the keys to thinking and feeling on a different spiritual plane.

When combined with modern life and business, they bring creativity, innovation, and joy to the solopreneur and customer.

Without the Woo, we lose our ability to think, dream, and create with the honesty and purity of children.

How do I know this?

I know this because I have heard, more times than I can count, her let down her guard in a safe space—such as a Mastermind room, or on a coaching call, or in a private conversation—apologize for the Woo (setting a cotton wool buffer around the idea so she can easily back off if needed), before taking the risk and sharing what she has tried, what she trusts, what she believes that might be taken as:

crazy, madness, ridiculous, silly, out-there, pseudo-science

but she sees it as:

hope, creativity, ancient wisdom, energy, untapped knowledge, intuition, MAGIC

She ALWAYS LEADS with the apology—

"This might sound silly...but I do x and I think it has helped my business."

"This is very Woo-Woo...but I took x class and it opened up my mind to this new idea."

"This is going to sound weird...but I started x and I am such a better business person because of it."

"You probably won't get it...but I read this Woo book and it opened me up to new ways of thinking about x problem."

WOO is her shortcut word for it.

Now she is watching you to see how you react. In the cases where she made a safe judgment and sees and hears the cues that you don't think she's nuts, the conversation becomes so much deeper, interesting, and joyful!

I have learned the most amazing things from these Woo revelations. I might not always understand it, or the specific modality might not speak to me as something I want to try, but I can see beyond that to the way it made them feel, to the transformation it has brought to that person. This is the MAGIC!

How to Embrace Your Personal Woo - Woo Beliefs

Everyone has a different Woo-Woo idea or ideas that they respond to, and when you open yourself up to hearing their transformation and beliefs, it is one of the most special connections you can have with someone.

I truly believe that Woo energy that is released—a deeper wisdom, love, and intuition—can then be applied to make better products, structure more successful businesses, and serve more customers in authentic and meaningful ways.

All in all, the three parts of the entrepreneur or solopreneur purpose are fulfilled—

The WHY of the person behind the business

The STRUCTURE and profit of the business and brand

The NEEDS of the customer are satisfied to the highest level possible

Leaning into our interests in the "Woo Mindset" is better for our mental health, our creativity, innovation, and the purpose of our business. At the end of the day, our business should serve in a way that makes the world a better place.

Now, I'm not saying you should ignore the business side and go 100% to the other side. It is the same conversation as whether there is such a thing as Work/Life balance.

In my opinion, no—it is a seesaw. You go a bit too far in one direction, and then you need to put more weight on the other side to get back into equilibrium. That balance point is fleeting and narrow. Your job is to continuously rock back and forth between the two.

In my opinion no, it is a SeeSaw you go a bit too far in one direction and then you need to put more weight on the other side to get back into equilibrium. That balance point is fleeting and narrow. Your job is to continuously rock and back and forth between the two.

Seasons of work, systems, money, growth.

Seasons of inspiration, creativity, nourishment (WOO is nourishment for our souls).

Neither one is perfect, neither one is right or wrong, but they both need our attention and respect.

Privacy, Protection and Your Woo-Woo Beliefs

One last note: I don't want you to take away the idea that it is completely safe to share your Woo ideas. I agree they can put you at different levels of exposure and risk, so share with caution, and protect your mental health, financial bases, and any other vital needs, but know that others also look to unconventional ideas for inspiration and joy.

Written by Tina Bar

eCommerce Strategist and Mindset Coach

Find all my offerings on my Everything Page

Stop apologizing for Believing in Woo-Woo Stuff!