Ted Lasso is a Business Story: Vulnerability ≠ Strategy

Episode 9: “Your Brand Can’t Hold Your Baggage”

There’s a difference between telling your story with intention—and bleeding all over your audience for engagement.

In Episode 9, we unpack the misuse of vulnerability in online entrepreneurship and why your healing deserves more than a Canva carousel. With help from Ted Lasso characters like Jamie Tartt, Rebecca, and Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, we explore what real emotional integration looks like—on and off the mic.

I also get personal about the Depp/Heard trial, a raw moment in my visibility journey, and how a Season 1 episode with Eunice Brownlee gave me a doorway into storytelling that was actually ready to be shared.

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Transcript

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There's a scene in Ted Lasso where Jamie Tart golden boy of ego and impulse finally breaks down in Dr. Sharon Fieldstone's office. He's raw shaking, no punchlines. No posturing, just pain. And for the first time, he doesn't need to be impressive. He doesn't need to be on. He just needs to be held. That's what we're talking about today, the difference between sharing your story with intention and asking your audience to be your therapist. Hey, hey, it's Mary Williams and this is the School of Moxie podcast where we use your favorite TV shows to talk about real business, real leadership, and real damn life. This season, it's Ted Lasso, and today we're tackling a big one. The trend of being vulnerable in public when what we actually need is to be witnessed in private. Don't forget to subscribe for weekly Woo Crew updates at sensiblewoo.com/subscribe. Let me just say it. Your brand can't carry what you haven't healed. It will buckle under the weight of your unprocessed trauma. It will distort your message. It will leak no matter how inspiring you try to make it. And I get it because I've done it. Let's rewind to 2022. The Johnny Depp Amber Heard trial was everywhere. I had been through my own long, terrifying abuse history, and that trial hit a nerve I did not expect, I found myself speaking out, publicly, more than I meant to. More than I had processed. It was too much too soon. I was vulnerable, yes, but I wasn't grounded. And when the feedback came in, I didn't have the emotional buffer to filter it. That's when I knew visibility without safety isn't empowerment. It's exposure. Eventually, I found a different doorway. I recorded a powerful personal episode in season one with Eunice Brownlee. We talked about coercive control, not just in relationships, but in the online business world. The way entrepreneurship sometimes mirrors abuse cycles. The love bombing, isolation, over identification with the leader. And because Eunice and I had both done the work, that conversation felt like healing, not performance. It didn't demand anything from the listener. It simply invited them into the truth. That's the line. Your story doesn't have to be hidden, but it does need to be held with care, with clarity. And with boundaries in Ted Lasso, we see this with Rebecca too. The press tears her apart. They call her petty. They frame her identity entirely around being Rupert's ex. She never leaks her pain to the public, but she does tell the truth. She does surround herself with people who hold her accountable and keep her safe. That's not secrecy, that's sovereignty. And then there's Ted himself. He keeps his trauma hidden until he can't anymore. He has a panic attack in public. He shuts down, and even when he starts seeing Dr. Sharon, he spends weeks avoiding the real stuff because he's trying to lead without letting anyone know he's breaking. This is what I see all the time in business. People trying to be inspirational when what they really need is integration. People writing launch emails that read like trauma journals. People live streaming their breakdowns and calling it authenticity. It's not authenticity, it's emotional outsourcing. And it's not fair to you or your audience. You deserve to be supported without turning your business into your confessional, and your audience deserves your clarity, not your collapse. If you are still inside the wound, the story isn't ready to be told. It's okay to write about it, it's okay to explore it, but don't publish it until you know it won't unravel you. This isn't about being polished, it's about being responsible. The best stories I've ever read from entrepreneurs weren't the rawest. They were the most resourced. They came from people who had found their footing again. People who could share without needing a certain response. People who had done the messy work off stage, so they could speak clearly on the mic. And when you reach that point, your story becomes medicine, not a manipulation tactic, not a marketing crutch, but a legacy. So here's what I want you to sit with this week. Is your audience holding something that should be held by a therapist instead? Are you asking for connection or validation? Are you sharing to serve or to self-soothe? There should never be shame in needing healing, but you do not owe the internet your pain just because vulnerability performs exceptionally well in the algorithm. This episode is brought to you by my membership newsletter, the Woo Crew. But before you commit to another subscription, did you know you can get a free reading every Saturday delivered right to your inbox? Yep. It's totally free. And it's designed just for entrepreneurs. Head over to sensiblewoo.com/subscribe to sign up. You'll get a weekly tarot reading to help you make aligned business decisions plus a peek at whether I'm the right reader for you. No pressure, no sales funnel trap. It's your taste test the ethical way. You'll also receive weekly updates about my online and in-person workshops and events. It's not just a newsletter, it's a weekly media magazine digest for intuitive entrepreneurs who want clarity, strategy and just the right amount of magic You are allowed to be whole before you're public. You are allowed to hold your story sacred. You are allowed to wait. You are allowed to heal off stage. Your mess is not your brand. Your healing is not content. Your leadership is not dependent on how much you bleed in your captions. Vulnerability is sacred, but only when it's yours. Only when you choose it. Only when you are safe enough to hold it without asking strangers to carry it for you. Do your healing first, then write the story, then hit record, then let it fly. That's how your story becomes power. That's how it becomes service. That's how it becomes yours again. Thanks for listening to the School of Moxie podcast. I am Mary Williams. This season is inspired by Ted Lasso, which is available to watch on Apple TV+. This podcast is written, produced, and edited through my media company, Moxie Studios in Vancouver, Washington. Make sure to subscribe to the School of Moxie Podcast on your favorite podcast app and also on YouTube. Leaving a five star review helps other listeners find the show and it is always deeply appreciated. And hey, if this episode helped you feel safer in your silence, send it to someone

else who needs to know: 7:37

you don't have to monetize your healing to be powerful. I'll see you next episode.