Keep Going: Rebuilding When the Plan Falls Apart
- Sarah Beth Herman
- Oct 16
- 6 min read
A Free Training for Entrepreneurs, Visionaries, and Virtual Leaders
By Sarah Beth Herman | 8-Figure CEO, Mentor, and Host of No Silver Spoons®
Welcome to Week Three of my 12-week Keep Going series — a season dedicated to the moments that test your leadership, your belief system, and your ability to rebuild when everything feels uncertain.
If you’ve followed my journey, you know I didn’t grow up with privilege or shortcuts. I built my companies from nothing but grit, prayer, and persistence. Today, I’m an 8-figure CEO, public speaker, mentor for virtual leaders, and the founder of Dentistry Support® — a company that started with one laptop and a big dream to change how people lead from anywhere.
This free training is the precursor to Monday’s upcoming episode of No Silver Spoons®. It’s not a story of success — it’s a blueprint for resilience. It’s what you read before you hit play. It’s where you remind yourself that the plan falling apart might be the start of something bigger.
When the Plan Breaks, the Leader Is Born
Entrepreneurship rarely goes as planned. The timeline you thought you’d follow, the clients you expected to have, the revenue goals you pinned to your vision board — they all have a funny way of shifting.
But it’s often in those shifts that the best leaders are made.
Every entrepreneur I mentor eventually faces that crossroad: the moment when strategy isn’t enough, the money feels tight, and faith is the only thing left standing. That’s where leadership stops being a title and becomes an identity.
If you’ve been in that place — questioning if your effort is working, wondering if your team sees your heart, trying to hold everything together while everything feels like it’s falling apart — this week’s training is for you.
Because this is what real leadership looks like: staying grounded when your plan doesn’t survive the storm.
The Mindset Every Entrepreneur Needs in the Waiting
The waiting season is the hardest part of success. It’s where most people give up, not because they lack talent, but because they lose focus.
Entrepreneurs are taught to “move fast,” but rarely are we taught how to wait well. Yet waiting — when you can’t yet see the reward — is where strength is built.
Research published in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that leaders who practice self-regulation, reflection, and optimism under pressure significantly outperform those who rely solely on strategy and discipline (Snyder & Lopez, 2007).
That’s what this week’s Keep Going training is about: learning to wait with purpose. To stop treating delays as detours and start seeing them as development.
Here’s how I frame it with my clients and teams:
Waiting doesn’t mean nothing is happening. Growth often occurs underground.
Delays don’t equal denial. Some of your biggest opportunities require timing you can’t yet see.
Stillness is a strategy. When you slow down long enough to listen, the right next step becomes clear.
The Power of Reframing
The greatest shift in my leadership came when I learned how to reframe.
Reframing means you stop asking, “Why is this happening to me?” and start asking, “What is this teaching me?”
It’s a skill every entrepreneur must master, especially those leading remote or virtual teams. When you can’t see your people face to face, your ability to create calm through language and mindset becomes everything.
In psychology, this is called cognitive reappraisal — the ability to reinterpret stress in a way that reduces its emotional impact. Research shows that leaders who reframe obstacles as opportunities develop greater resilience and are perceived as more trustworthy and composed (Gross & John, 2003).
When I mentor executives and founders who manage virtual teams, I teach them to reframe with these three questions:
What’s actually within my control?
What’s the lesson behind this frustration?
Who can I become because of this challenge?
That’s leadership reframing in motion — a quiet but powerful reset that transforms chaos into clarity.
The Virtual Leader’s Advantage
The world has shifted. Leadership isn’t bound by walls anymore — it’s powered by Wi-Fi and willpower.
I’ve built multiple 8-figure companies without a traditional office, and I mentor leaders who do the same. Whether your team is in five states or five countries, virtual leadership demands two things: emotional connection and consistent communication.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Your team’s performance is a mirror of your belief system. If you lead from fear, your team operates in survival mode. If you lead from trust, they rise to meet you.
Culture can be created from anywhere. Consistency, clarity, and care build culture — not cubicles.
Empathy is efficiency. When people feel seen, they produce more, communicate better, and innovate faster.
This is the heart of my public speaking and mentoring work — helping entrepreneurs design culture-rich virtual organizations that scale with soul.
Because success without humanity isn’t leadership. It’s management. And management doesn’t transform people — leadership does.
The Rebuild Blueprint
In Week 3’s podcast, I talk about rebuilding — what it means to lead when your plan collapses. But before that episode drops, I want you to start the work right here.
The Rebuild Blueprint is a framework I use with entrepreneurs, high performers, and virtual CEOs who are trying to realign after disappointment or disruption.
Step 1: Reflect Without Judgment
You can’t rebuild what you refuse to examine. Write down what worked, what didn’t, and what you learned.
Step 2: Recommit to Your Vision
Remind yourself why you started. Vision resets identity. And identity determines behavior.
Step 3: Realign Your Habits
If your goals and your habits don’t match, one will eventually destroy the other.
Step 4: Release the Old Narrative
You are not your past performance. Releasing guilt creates room for new execution.
Step 5: Reignite Your Momentum
Start with one thing — not ten. Consistency compounds.
Entrepreneurs love grand plans, but rebuilding is about small, intentional movement.
The Science Behind the “Keep Going” Mindset
You’ve probably heard the phrase “fake it till you make it.” I’m not a fan of that. I teach something different — “practice it until you believe it.”
Your brain doesn’t respond to performance; it responds to repetition. Every thought you repeat strengthens a neural pathway. This is called neuroplasticity — your brain’s ability to rewire itself based on your focus and language (Davidson & McEwen, 2012).
When you say, “I’m learning to lead through this,” your brain starts scanning for evidence that supports growth. When you say, “This is never going to work,” it finds proof that confirms failure.
You are the architect of your internal dialogue — and that dialogue will always build your external results.
As a mentor, I’ve watched leaders go from survival to strategy simply by changing the story they tell themselves. That’s not mindset fluff — it’s science-backed strategy.
Leadership for the 8-Figure Mindset
Every entrepreneur wants scale. But true scaling starts in your mind.
8-figure leaders think differently. They:
Prioritize peace over panic.
Delegate from trust, not fear.
Refuse to confuse movement with progress.
Understand that leadership is more about stewardship than spotlight.
If you’re reading this, it means you’re meant for more — but that “more” won’t come by pushing harder. It comes by building stronger internal systems before external ones.
Your business can’t outgrow your mindset. That’s why Week 3 of No Silver Spoons® is one of the most powerful episodes of this entire series — because it helps you confront the mental rebuild that success demands.
Action Steps: Before You Listen Monday
Before you listen to Monday’s episode, I want you to take these three simple actions:
Write a note to your future self.
In one paragraph, describe the leader you’re becoming. Keep it where you can see it daily.
Audit your environment.
Look at who and what you’re allowing to influence your energy. Success requires intentional inputs.
Say out loud:
“This chapter is not my ending. It’s my training.”
You’ll hear me talk more about this mindset in the episode. It’s the phrase that’s guided every comeback of my life.
Before You Go
Rebuilding is not glamorous. It’s gritty, quiet, and sacred. It’s the bridge between where you’ve been and where you’re called to go.
Whether you’re leading a global team, scaling your brand, or trying to hold your vision together one prayer at a time — this week is for you.
On Monday, I’ll take you deeper inside this topic on No Silver Spoons® — unpacking how I learned to lead, rebuild, and rise through the seasons that broke me open. Until then, remember: your story isn’t stuck. It’s just stretching.
Keep going. I’ll meet you Monday.
References
Davidson, R. J., & McEwen, B. S. (2012). Social influences on neuroplasticity: Stress and interventions to promote well-being. Nature Neuroscience, 15(5), 689–695. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3093
Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), 348–362.
Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (2007). Positive psychology: The scientific and practical explorations of human strengths. Sage Publications.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Readers should consult with appropriate professionals for specific advice tailored to their circumstances. All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of information and references; however, errors may occur. If you notice any inaccuracies or would like to suggest updates, please contact us at hey@sarahbethherman.com. © 2025 Sarah Beth Herman. All Rights Reserved. By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. This post may contain affiliate links, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through them. References included where known. Please email hey@sarahbethherman.com to report missing attributions or inaccuracies
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