Internal simplicity creates the foundation for external prosperity.
The Real Clutter: Fixing the Inside Before the Outside
We live in a world obsessed with fixing the outside. We organise our cloud storage, declutter our homes, and chase business strategies, believing that the right external system will finally bring us the peace and prosperity we seek.
But what if the key isn’t to manage the rented spaces, but to heal the one doing the renting?
My journey has taught me that what we are working to build in our careers and businesses is often a direct reflection of our inner state. The desire for a simpler, more spacious life externally often points to a deep need for clarity and peace internally. We try to arrange the furniture in our homes and the files on our desktops, hoping it will quiet the disarray within.
I am on a personal journey of transformation, and if this resonates, I invite you to join me. The real work begins not with a storage unit, but with a question: What am I holding onto inside that creates this clutter outside?
At fifty, I am clearing out more than just a loft full of unused possessions or a hard drive full of old videos. I am sifting through beliefs, habits, and stories that no longer serve me. The ‘just in case’ purchases mirror ‘just in case’ fears. The overflowing inbox reflects a mind that struggles to let go of past interactions. The wardrobe that wouldn’t fit in my new cottage is a perfect metaphor for trying to force an old identity into a new chapter of life.
Simplicity is not about having less. It is about being more with what you have. It is an internal state that then naturally expresses itself in your external world. When you fix the inside, the outside begins to align. A clear mind makes clearer decisions about what to keep and what to release—be it a physical object, a digital subscription, or a business strategy.
Internal simplicity presents the only solid foundation from which we can truly build. From this place of clarity, we can create a prosperity that isn’t dependent on the size of our home or the amount of our storage, but on the quality of our presence. It allows us to navigate a world of rented spaces with discernment, using tools without being used by them, because our sense of security and worth is no longer tied to them.
The goal, then, is to build a sovereign inner income—a wellspring of self-worth and purpose—that pays for the peace of mind we seek. From there, we can clearly build the life that offers more than survival, whether the places, items, and spaces we use are rented or owned.
The journey inward is the most important business we will ever undertake.
My task and your task is to continue boldly doing the internal work. Clearing space inside and outside.
Rented Spaces: A Reflection on Digital and Physical Clutter
Explore the Rented Spaces Philosophy with Lita Goddess of Growth. Learn how to discern what to rent as a tool and what to own as your legacy. A journey from digital & physical clutter to a sovereign, intentional life. Start building what truly lasts.
We live in a world of rented spaces—from our cloud storage to our streaming services. My philosophy isn’t about rejecting this reality, but about mastering it. It’s about knowing what to rent as a tool, and what to own as your legacy. I help you build the sovereign income that pays for the rented tools, so you can focus on creating what truly lasts.
I am on a personal journey of transformation, and if you are reading this and it resonates, I would love you to join me. Our business is not ‘over there’ or in the cloud, but right here, exactly where we are seated. As I look around, I am working on a table I have fashioned as a desk, with three screens. Two are used for the job that supplements my income, and I type on the screen where I manage my business and personal life.
There’s order—I wouldn’t say perfect order. I’ve just acknowledged that my clean-up of digital accounts is ongoing, facing two-plus years of videos and data accumulated when I was livestreaming five to six days a week. There are countless emails from years of surfing and signing up to companies for brands and products I purchased or liked the sound of, but never got round to truly connecting with. There are also the many emails I distinctly remember unsubscribing from, who seem to have bypassed their own GDPR security measures.
I’ve spoken previously about energy. At fifty, I acknowledge there is not much that will be taken with me on my forward journey from this life. There’s a deep desire to declutter. Interestingly, I see myself in a bigger place with more space and less stuff. Nothing to wipe or dust—or very little, anyway.
This reflection extends to my physical space. The government has encouraged households to create an emergency bag ‘just in case’. I have so many ‘just in case’ purchases; some have been great, others have been stuck in my loft since moving to this little cottage five years ago. This month is my fifth anniversary here. I moved during the 2020 pandemic, one of the first permitted to leave my home due to having an exchange of contracts in place. My mother and I travelled in a chauffeur-driven car I had arranged, as the cost worked out better than a taxi.
I paid for two vans to take my two large wardrobes from my spacious one-bedroom apartment. I arrived at the cottage—a property I’d decided to purchase online—to find both wardrobes were too big to fit in the bedroom. I had upgraded to a three-bedroom cottage, but while the room count increased, the practical space did not. The majority of my kitchen items ended up in the second-largest room, along with one wardrobe the delivery people spent hours reassembling. The other wardrobe went into the third room, which served as my office and dressing room. By 2023, I sold it to make space for a queen-sized bed, advertising for a Monday-to-Friday lodger.
Before that, I was helped to put boarding in my loft to store things that fit comfortably in my old apartment. My new house, though pretty, has less storage. Today, I have things in my loft I haven’t used since 2020. A friend helped me take suitcase loads of clothes to charity shops; some in Glastonbury even turned me away as they receive so many donations.
I kept what I thought I would use, but I need to return to the loft. I’ve since learned that new builds often have little to no storage, as builders maximise profit from each space. I also discovered the third bedroom isn’t a legal size for a bedroom; it can’t be rented out separately. There’s no space for a queen-sized bed and a wardrobe, so I opted for the bed and a single hanger for occasional stays. The second room fits the remaining wardrobe and a bed, but there’s no space to exercise or work. My main bedroom has no wardrobe. I’ve created storage under beds and plan to build cupboard space on the walls. It’s a cottage—cute and small, but not practical for a family, and alone, I am struggling for space. Hence the desire to clutter-clear.
Rented space is where my reflection started. I reflect that for rent to make sense, I need to be strategic and create income streams that pay for the overflow and the excess, whilst also narrowing down and eliminating what I do not need. It is all part of the same journey towards a lighter, more intentional existence.
We will find whilst we are working towards to building our careers, our business, often ties directly to the universal human experiences of home, storage, and the desire for a simpler life. Inside truly reflected outside. Hence the desire to clutter-clear. This entire reflection is the core of my Rented Spaces Philosophy. For rent to make sense, I need to be strategic and create income streams that pay for the overflow…”
The paradox at the heart of this story is a concept people actively reflect on when they feel guilty for working on passion projects during downtime.
Productive Rest: When Your Passion Ignites on a Day
Is it truly a day off if you’re building your dream? Explore the concept of productive rest with Lita Goddess of Growth, and learn why listening to your creative fire can be the most important work you do.
The Fire on a Day Off
It’s my day off work today, and all I have done is work on my business.
I had a small breakfast. It is now 15:52. Around 12:04, I had to have a small talk with myself—I’d thought it was only 10:00. The quiet worry surfaced: I hope I am not again doing more work that will lead to nothing.
But this is different (or so I tell myself).
I woke up this morning with a fire. I like what is being created on the website today. There’s a clarity forming, a structure taking shape that feels authentic and strong. The doubt is an old soundtrack, a familiar echo from years of effort that didn’t pan out as hoped.
Yet today, the fire is louder. The creation itself is the reward, for now. The belief that this time, the foundation is being laid correctly, is enough to keep me going through a day off that doesn’t look like rest to anyone else, but feels like the most important kind of work to me.
The Tyranny and Gift of the “Day Off”
We are taught that rest is passive. It is collapsing on the sofa, switching off, and consuming. We’re meant to be recharging, not expending. But what happens when the energy comes from the work itself? This is the core of what I’ve come to call productive rest. It doesn’t look like idleness. It looks like flow. It feels like alignment. It is the work that fuels you, rather than depletes you.
My “proper job” is necessary. It pays the bills that allow this very cottage to house my dreams. But it is transactional. This work—building the website, weaving the threads of the Sovren ecosystem, writing these words—is transformational. It is an act of building a future where my energy isn’t spent on building someone else’s vision, but on realising my own. To deny the fire on a day off is to pour water on your own embers.
The Old Soundtrack vs. The New Fire
The doubt, that “old soundtrack,” is a survival mechanism. It’s the part of you that remembers the past disappointments and wants to shield you from more. It whispers, “Remember the last time you felt this excited? It came to nothing. You should be resting. You’re going to burn out.”
It’s a compelling argument. But it mistakes this creative energy for the draining grind of a day job. The fatigue from my salaried work is a heavy fatigue, a weight that demands recovery. The fatigue after a day like this is different—it is a satisfied ache, the kind a gardener feels after planting a new bed, full of anticipation for what will grow.
Learning to distinguish between these two types of exhaustion is a crucial skill for any creator or entrepreneur. One depletes your soul; the other nourishes it, even as it tires your body.
Building the Right Foundation
The conviction that “this time is different” isn’t just blind hope. It’s based on a subtle but profound shift from building what I think I should build, to building what is authentically me. In the past, I was often following someone else’s blueprint—a marketing guru’s funnel, a platform’s algorithm, a competitor’s strategy.
Today, the work feels different because the foundation is one of sovereign creation. It’s not built on the shifting sand of what’s trending, but on the solid ground of my own lived experience, my own philosophy of internal simplicity, and my own desire to solve real problems for people like me. The website isn’t just a sales page; it’s the digital embodiment of a sovereign mindset. It’s a home for my ideas, first and foremost.
This is why the fire burns so brightly. I am not coding or writing for an abstract audience; I am building a home for my legacy. And when you are building your own home, even on a Sunday, it doesn’t feel like labour. It feels like love.
The Permission Slip for Your Passion
So, this is your permission slip. If you find yourself giving up a “day off” to work on your passion project, to build your business, to write, or to create, pause before you listen to the voice of guilt.
Ask yourself:
Does this work drain me, or does it energise me?
Does it feel like a “should,” or does it feel like a “must”?
Am I following someone else’s plan, or am I building my own foundation?
If the answers lean towards energy, purpose, and sovereignty, then you are not wasting your day off. You are engaging in the highest form of productive rest. You are aligning your actions with your purpose. This is not a deviation from rest; it is the very essence of what it means to be fully, vibrantly alive.
The world will not always understand. They will see you on your laptop and tell you to “take a break.” They won’t see that the typing is the break—a break from the compromise, a break from the noise, a break from living a life that is not quite your own.
Tending the Fire
My day is drawing to a close. The light is fading outside my cottage window. I will soon close the laptop, and the practicalities of life will return. But the fire will not go out. It will bank itself, ready to be stoked again tomorrow, perhaps before my “proper job” begins, or in the quiet hours after it ends.
Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is listen to the fire, even when it burns on a day meant for rest. Protect that flame. It is not a distraction from your life. It is the signal of the life you are meant to be living. It is the light guiding you home to yourself.
And that is a foundation worth building on, day off or not.
Let’s get to the very heart of what it means to build a sovereign life. The starts with the concept of “energy exchange” as a tangible currency.
Energy Exchange: The Real Currency of Survival and Growth | Lita Goddess of Growth
What is the energy exchange that carries us through hard times? Lita Goddess of Growth explores how the goodwill we build becomes a lifeline during personal drought, and why some tools are soothers, not solutions.
The Energy Exchange: Survival, Debt, and the Lessons of the Drought
My task is to guide others through transformation and to tap into the energy required to move beyond survival. To do that, I must speak about the very fabric of that journey: energy exchange.
I have had a life of many cycles—starts, stops, endings, and beginnings. As I enter a new cycle after the profound drought of 2022-2025, it is crucial to reflect on this. It was the energy exchange I had cultivated that encouraged people, throughout my drought, to give or loan me money. It was that same energy that helped me negotiate deferred payments when I simply did not have enough to meet my bills in part, on time, or at all.
We are talking about the energy we sow in our good times that acts as goodwill in our bad times. This can come from unexpected places, even from those we might not consider allies. In my podcast, I talk about having to go cap in hand to my mother for a loan. I am not her favourite child, and it was given along with hours of updates on how terrible I was as a child, to drum into my head how lucky I was to be considered. I got through it. That was an energy exchange, however difficult.
The Bank of Goodwill: Investing in Your Future Resilience
We often think of currency in purely financial terms. But the personal drought I endured taught me that the most valuable currency is the one built on authentic connection. This is the Bank of Goodwill. Every time you offer genuine help without an immediate expectation of return, every time you listen with compassion, every time you share your expertise freely, you are making a deposit.
During my drought, I didn’t have money to withdraw, but I was able to draw upon the relational equity I had built. A friend who fixed my boiler for free was repaying the energy I’d invested in supporting him through his divorce years prior. The company that allowed me to defer a payment was responding to the honest, respectful energy exchange I initiated, rather than ignoring their invoices. This isn’t about manipulation; it’s about the cumulative effect of showing up in the world with integrity. It is a foundational practice for anyone committed to sovereign growth—building a life supported by the strength of your character, not just your credit score.
The Unbalanced Ledger and the Nature of True Reciprocity
I speak often about my daily Ho’oponopono practice—gratitude as soon as I wake and just before bed. Yet, I know there are times I can be so fed up with the cycle of life that I am the most ungrateful person to be around. I work on it. I have also come to understand a hard truth: those we help are not necessarily the ones who will ever be in a position to help us in return.
This is where the concept of energy exchange expands beyond a simple transaction. If we only help others expecting a direct return, we are still operating from a mindset of scarcity. True sovereign energy exchange is about trusting the flow of the universe itself. You help Person A, and Person Z, whom you’ve never met, arrives with unexpected support. We must release the need to control the return and trust that our contributions to the collective energy field will find their way back to us in the form we most need. This is an act of profound faith and a core principle of resilience building.
The Soothers, Not the Solutions: Enduring the Transformation
This is where I offer a hard-won truth. Techniques like Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can be powerful tools for shifting our belief systems. However, personal experience tells me that when you are in a deep cycle of drought, no prayer, meditation, or tapping session can move you from the lesson. They are not escape hatches.
They are soothers. They are the balm that helps you endure the revision and transformation I believe we sign up for before we enter this time and space we call life. They give you the strength to sit in the fire, not the power to extinguish it before its work is done. During my drought, my spiritual practice didn’t pay my bills. But it did stop me from collapsing into despair. It soothed my nervous system enough to pick up the phone and negotiate, to write that difficult email, or to simply get out of bed and face another day. This is the internal work that makes the external work possible.
Raising Your Energetic Currency in a Cost of Living Crisis
My period of doubt saw debts written off and debts accumulated. I had no idea I had the power to create both. Today, I have a long list of material goods I want to pay back in this lifetime. I have taken on part-time work, only to find that, due to the cost of living, the pay doesn’t cover my debts at all. This is the reality for so many.
So, when I speak of energy, I speak of focusing on raising it no matter what life is telling us. It is about making a decision about our focus, even when our present reality doesn’t appear to match the place of prosperity we are attempting to create. How do we do this?
Micro-acts of gratitude: Finding one tiny thing to be thankful for, even on the darkest day.
Micro-acts of generosity: Sharing a kind word, a cup of tea, a piece of bread. It keeps the energy in motion.
Protecting your peace: Consciously limiting exposure to draining people and news cycles.
Focusing on creation: Even five minutes spent working on your own business, your art, or your ideas signals to the universe that you are still building.
The energy exchange is happening all around us, in every interaction, every loan, every repaired appliance, and every difficult conversation. It is the currency of our humanity. And sometimes, the most important exchange we can make is with ourselves—to find a sliver of gratitude amidst the ingratitude, and to keep focusing our energy on building, even when we are only building character.
The drought ends. The lessons remain. And the energy you cultivate today is the currency that will see you through tomorrow’s unknown.
Together we will explore strategies of resilience and sovereign growth.
Introducing a powerful and necessary manifesto that gets to the heart of sustainable business and authentic community building.
Why a Paid Community is the Key to Authentic Growth | Lita Goddess of Growth – Discover why a paid community beats free ‘grow rooms’ for building a real network. Lita Goddess of Growth reveals how investing in the right space saves time, builds value, and creates genuine collaboration.
No More Free: The Philosophy Behind a Paid Community
It’s a hard truth I had to learn: the same creators who wouldn’t invest a small subscription in a service focused on their genuine upliftment and growth were often the very same people I’d meet in ‘grow rooms.’ There, they would shower gifts on hosts, chasing the fleeting attention of an algorithm, all to inflate their follower count by a thousand—only to find, months later, that they had numbers, but no engaged community. This is the fundamental flaw in the ‘free’ model, and it’s why The Sovren Collective is built on a different principle: valued exchange.
When I first joined, I didn’t know any better. I was keen to livestream, convinced it was my doorway to the visibility and success I sought. And in truth, had I not livestreamed, I would not have gained the opportunities I did: an ambassadorship, free products to promote for commission, and the Creator Network role. I saw the system full-cycle, from a novice creator to the person behind the stage guiding others.
But that’s where the inner conflict began. How could I coach someone to avoid an algorithmic violation when my own content was being penalised for what felt like no good reason? I’ve never been able to coach what I don’t believe in. The key is that I need to believe in the principle.
To use an analogy: I believe in healthy eating. I don’t always eat healthily, but I can comfortably and authentically coach on its benefits. Coaching the intricacies of a system I believed was fundamentally flawed? That was a different matter. My personal morals and ethics were in question.
The High Cost of ‘Free’: Algorithms, Boundaries, and Misplaced Energy
My conflict was compounded by the platform’s own actions. The deeply uncomfortable reality of friends and family being monetised by a system I couldn’t control was the final straw. My own family and friends could not, or would not, understand me when I asked them to disconnect from my account. Here I was, choosing self-employment to gain sovereign growth and self-respect, yet I was on a platform that believed inviting my friends and family—even those I had personally blocked—to my livestreams was acceptable. The hope was that they would gift or keep the live ‘lively’. My personal boundaries were irrelevant to the algorithm’s hunger for engagement.
Furthermore, my livestreams were consistently shown to audiences in Africa and outside the UK. It seemed that what I looked like was more important to the algorithm than my purpose: to connect with people in the UK to build my business. As a UK-based business limited by logistics, this was a systemic failure. I realised it wasn’t just me; this was a fundamental misalignment for any entrepreneur seeking authentic connection with a specific, local audience. The platform was a barrier, not a bridge.
The Psychology of Investment: Why We Value What We Pay For
It’s often the way a person who claims to have no money will somehow find it for cigarettes or, in my case, sweets. I know what it is to truly not have. And I saw a pattern: people would watch a livestream, knowing the host relied on gifts to keep showing up, and sit there without interacting or supporting. Then, they would go to a different room and shower gifts on hosts or brands that had already ‘made it’.
This behaviour reveals a critical psychological truth: we assign value based on cost. A free community is often treated as a disposable one. There is no commitment, and therefore, no skin in the game. A paid community, by its very structure, acts as a filter. It attracts individuals who are serious about their growth and are willing to invest in their own potential. This initial valued exchange sets the stage for everything that follows. It creates a container of mutual commitment, which is the absolute bedrock of sustainable business practices.
More Than a Membership: The Sovren Way as a Conscious Choice
This is why The Sovren Collective is a paid-for service. It is a conscious, deliberate choice to establish value from the outset and to take back control. We are focused on building a real community, and together we will find a way to support the growth of all members—on and off social media—without resorting to multi-level marketing, empty gifting cycles, or algorithmic manipulation that disrespects our personal boundaries and goals.
My vision is clear. Once the foundation for this service is solid, I, Lita Goddess of Growth, will build my presence as an anchor and host through livestreams. I will return to live-streaming, but this time, it will be different. Visibility will not be the end goal; it will be the tool to create a space that attracts those ready to build better networks, to connect meaningfully, and to invest in their own growth and the growth of others. This is the pathway to sovereign growth.
The Truth About ‘Free’: There Is No Such Thing
The truth is, there is no free. Even when we attend events for family and friends, and they tell us, “Bring nothing, just yourself,” you know you will still bring something. And you know the host will have spent a great deal of time and resources to create an event where you feel looked after. Even if served just a bowl of soup with bread, you know the love, attention, and time that went into it alone carried a cost. That is the value of genuine care and effort.
That is the Sovren way. It is an investment in your own journey, surrounded by others who are equally invested. It is the decision to stop funding the illusion of free and start building the reality of connection, strategy, and growth.
✨ If you are ready to invest in genuine growth, [Explore The Sovren Collective].
Tired of algorithmic anxiety? Lita Goddess of Growth shares her raw journey from empty livestreams to building The Sovren Collective. Discover how to pivot from platform dependence to sovereign growth.
Meet Lita, Goddess of Growth. The filter on her profile photo is a nod to the digital world we live in, but her work is filter-free. In the podcast and with clients, she is raw and self-revealing, with one goal: to encourage you to transform your life through your own stories.
The Pivot: From Algorithmic Anxiety to Sovereign Building
Wednesday, September 2025
Today, I am going through a lot of change. It hasn’t been easy, pivoting from two years of attempting to extend my reach via social media to now taking time out to build something of my very own.
It’s a cooler Wednesday, though with my hormones, I don’t notice it as much as I probably would have a year or so ago. I’m building a business. It feels new, but I have been at this since 2021. It’s now 2025; I’m older, wiser (I hope), and my vision is a lot clearer. The fog of algorithmic anxiety is finally lifting.
I’m here to work with individuals going through transformation and wanting support. I can’t promise a get-rich-quick result through the consultations I provide. What I offer is experience and tools to guide clients and creators through those dark times where visibility seems almost impossible, just when they most want to grow. I offer a path to sovereign growth.
The Drought: When the Algorithm Stops the Flow
I have personally gone through a season—starting in 2022 and ending only in July 2025, though the cleanup from the drought is still ongoing this September—where no matter what I tried, I could not build the reach or visibility I so dearly desired. I needed it to expand my business and create full-time self-employment. This was my period of creative drought, a direct result of relying on systems I couldn’t control.
I found myself on social media, as recommended by young and old. I suppose we all thought the idea was ‘sound’ as a way to extend my network, my reach, my client base. However, what actually happened was a lot of livestreaming, offering coaching services that onlookers participated in, often free of charge, with only the occasional gift sent. I was trading my energy for exposure, a currency that turned out to be worthless.
I was in a fog, doing my best to listen to any advice on how I could succeed as my bills piled high at home. My income streams had changed, making me feel vulnerable and worried about meeting the mortgage and other payments. I kept on, sometimes for four to eight hours a day, but no matter how much I tried, I could not master the rules for networking, building community, and the algorithm. The goalposts were always moving.
The Illusion of Partnership and the Betrayal of Boundaries
A straw that broke the camel’s back was a person promising to book a session, and then ghosting me after I sent the invoice. Many moons later, she posted about furniture she had purchased for thousands, indicating she had the money. It came full circle when she actually booked a qualified consultant, as I had recommended she do when I stated I could no longer meet with her as boundaries had been crossed. This was a stark lesson in valued exchange—or the lack thereof.
I thought there was progress on the platform when, in April 2025, I was invited to apply as a Creator Network Manager. But the model of being forced to promote free coaching and support to creators, in my opinion, brought more of the same. My first recruit refused to meet with me, claiming they were shy; they had signed up to my network for ‘free coaching’ to host successful livestreams, yet we never met. Then there was another creator who was apparently going viral. I’ve no idea how he came across my radar, but I invited him to my network. He joined believing I was his prize for going viral and that it was my job to reward him with opportunities.
I understand why people get confused on social media. It often presents itself as an opportunity that feels like a partnership, but that partnership only works if both the platform and the creator have the same aims. Their aim was infinite engagement; mine was sustainable business. The two were fundamentally incompatible.
The Pivot Point: Choosing Sovereignty Over Serfdom
This arduous journey taught me a vital lesson: building on rented land is a recipe for instability. The algorithms are not designed for your growth; they are designed for your engagement. My entire experience—the ghosting, the empty livestreams, the misaligned partnerships—forced me to ask a fundamental question: What if we built a community that existed for us, not for a platform?
That question is the seed from which the Sovren Collective has grown. It is my answer to the isolation and algorithmic anxiety that so many of us face. It is a private, dedicated space where collaborative growth is the priority, where your progress isn’t subject to the whims of a ‘For You’ page, and where the value of support is recognised and respected through a clear, fair energy exchange.
This isn’t just a business pivot; it’s a philosophical one. It’s about choosing a slower, more authentic path to sovereign building. It’s about creating assets you own—a community, a network, a strategy—that can’t be taken away by a rule change or a ban. The road here was longer and more painful than I ever imagined, but it led me to a clarity I wouldn’t trade.
The algorithmic anxiety is replaced by a quiet confidence. The chase for visibility is replaced by the cultivation of connection. The fear of the next platform update is replaced by the peace of building on your own foundation.
If any part of my story resonates with you, if you too are tired of building on sand, then I invite you to learn about what we are creating. This is the foundation I wish I’d had.
✨ Discover The Sovren Collective – A community built on partnership, not platforms.
Why choose empowerment over convenience? Lita Goddess of Growth shares her story of leaving a TikTok manager role to preserve her creative sovereignty. A must-read for creators building a legacy.The question of Empowerment Over Convenience is a powerful and relatable quandary that encapsulates the core dilemma of the modern creator. This personal story I share in to makes the philosophical choice tangible.
Choosing Empowerment Over Convenience: Why I Walked Away from TikTok | Lita Goddess of Growth
Walking away from a promising contract isn’t easy, but sometimes it’s necessary for true growth. After securing a position as TikTok’s creator network manager in April 2025, I faced a shocking reality when my post helping creators join my network was mysteriously deleted. Despite multiple attempts to understand what “violation” had occurred, I received no clear explanation—just a permanent warning on my account. In that moment, the choice became clear: temporary convenience or long-term empowerment.
This experience forced me to confront the power dynamics of social media platforms I’ve navigated for years. From the early Facebook days when we naively mixed personal and professional lives (remember that colleague who posted London vacation photos while on sick leave?), to Instagram’s questionable content moderation that kept pushing inappropriate content despite my repeated blocking—each platform has revealed the same truth: these digital spaces we invest so much in are never truly ours. They are rented spaces, and the landlord can change the rules without notice.
The Allure and The Illusion of Platform Partnerships
The monetisation journey has been equally revealing. Before TikTok, I hadn’t even heard the term “monetise.” I diligently built my following to reach the magic threshold for livestreaming, only to discover the stark differences between countries. While my American connections secured direct brand payments per video, UK creators faced entirely different rules and opportunities. These regional inequities highlight another layer of complexity in the creator economy that rarely gets discussed. We are sold a dream of a global village, but the pay cheques and opportunities are fiercely localised, creating an uneven playing field from the start.
When the TikTok manager role came along, it felt like validation. It was the “convenient” next step—a title, a perceived partnership with a major platform, a clear path. But the illusion shattered quickly. The unexplained censorship of my post wasn’t just a glitch; it was a symptom. It was the manifestation of the very algorithmic anxiety I sought to help others overcome. How could I, in good conscience, guide creators through a system that I knew could arbitrarily penalise them without recourse? My integrity, the core of Lita Goddess of Growth, wouldn’t allow it.
The Anatomy of a Sovereign Decision
Now in September, I sometimes question whether I was too hasty in ending my TikTok partnership. But when I consider the accumulated experiences—the unexplained censorship, the opaque policies, the feeling of building on unstable ground—I know my decision aligned with my ultimate goal of authentic self-employment.
This is the crux of choosing empowerment over convenience. Convenience is the well-trodden path, the ready-made system, the promise of reach. But it comes with hidden costs: your autonomy, your peace of mind, and the very creative sovereignty you set out to achieve.
Empowerment is the harder path, initially. It is building the website from scratch, as I am doing now. It is connecting the pages of my own ecosystem—Sovren Collective, Empowerment Diaries—into a cohesive strategy that I control. It is the quiet work of laying a foundation that no one can take down. This path is built on the principle of valued exchange, not on the whims of an algorithm.
The Quiet Confidence on the Other Side of Doubt
Do I have days where I wonder if I made the right choice? Yes, particularly on days like today when I’m deep in the weeds of building a web presence from scratch. The doubt whispers that the convenient path would be easier.
But then I remember the reason for the decision. I remember the feeling of that permanent warning on my account, a symbol of powerlessness. I remember the frustration of the geographic pay gap. And in that remembrance, I feel my sovereignty click into place. The doubt doesn’t vanish, but it is overshadowed by a profound knowing that I am building something real, something that aligns with my core values.
This isn’t just about leaving a platform; it’s about arriving at a principle. It’s about recognising that true sustainable business isn’t built on the fastest route, but on the most solid foundation. The convenience of the platform was a short-term lease on a property I could never own. The empowerment of building my own hub is the first brick in a legacy.
I expect great things not despite this choice, but because of it.
Have you ever had to walk away from something promising to preserve your autonomy? To choose the harder right over the easier wrong? That moment of choice, where you honour your own growth over external validation, is where true power is born. I’d love to hear your story of choosing empowerment over convenience. Share it with me, and let’s build a community that celebrates sovereign decisions.
✨ This is the work we do in the Sovren Collective. If you’re ready to build your empowered foundation, [explore it here].
Social Media Disillusionment: Why I Chose to Build Beyond the Algorithm | Lita Goddess of Growth
Experiencing social media disillusionment? Lita Goddess of Growth shares her journey from chasing algorithmic reach to building authentic community through podcasts and owned platforms. Find your way back to genuine connection.
Breaking Free: My Social Media Disillusionment
The seductive promise of social media—build your brand, expand your reach, connect with an international audience—often masks a more complicated reality. After years of dedicated platform engagement, I’ve come to understand the profound disconnect between social media’s marketed potential and its actual impact on genuine business growth. This is my story of social media disillusionment and the conscious pivot towards sovereign building.
When I first joined TikTok, I envisioned it as a gateway to new audiences for my coaching practice and product offerings. Instead, I discovered my content consistently funnelled to viewers in countries where my UK-specific services weren’t relevant. Despite investing countless hours in livestreams, content creation, and community engagement, the algorithmic segregation of users into demographic “hubs” prevented the very connections I sought to establish. I was building a following, but not a community; I was generating content, but not authentic connection.
The Empty Metric: When 1000 Followers Equals Zero
Most striking was my realisation upon leaving the platform: of the thousand followers I’d accumulated, there wasn’t a single one I genuinely missed. Those who became true friends had already exchanged contact details outside the app, highlighting the profound difference between platform metrics and authentic relationships.
This experience crystallises a crucial truth: a number on a screen is not an asset you own. It is a metric you are renting. This explains why micro-influencers often generate more meaningful engagement than accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers—they’ve cultivated genuine connection beyond algorithm-driven interactions. Their value is rooted in trust, not in a volatile follower count. This is the core of social media disillusionment—the realisation that you have been tending a garden on someone else’s land, and you cannot take the harvest with you.
The Mirage of Monetisation
The monetisation story proves equally sobering. While we occasionally hear about creators earning tens of thousands from viral content, the reality for most involves minimal returns despite significant time investments. The platform’s structure encourages a constant churn of content, rewarding consistency over depth and virality over value. I met fellow UK creators who appeared successful, with polished content and engaged comments, only to learn in private conversations that they were making modest amounts after extended periods of consistent effort. Many were trapped in a cycle of creating free content in the hope that it would eventually lead to a sustainable income, a hope that for most remains a mirage.
This system creates what I call algorithmic anxiety—the constant, low-grade stress of wondering if your next post will be seen, if the rules have changed, or if your primary source of visibility will be taken away. It’s an exhausting way to build a business.
The Pivot to Ownership: Building a Sovereign Network
Having stepped away from traditional social platforms, I’m now focused on building connection through more direct channels. This podcast is one of them—a space where conversations can be deep and meandering, reaching listeners across the globe organically, without being forced into a demographic box by an algorithm.
The other channel is the development of a sovereign community. This is a dedicated space, a membership website where people can share skills through peer-to-peer coaching, collaborate on projects, and build relationships without algorithmic interference. It’s a space where the value is determined by the members, not by a platform’s engagement metrics. This is the antidote to social media disillusionment: taking back control.
In this space, which I am building within the Sovren Collective, the goal isn’t virality. The goal is collaborative growth. It’s about building a network where your success amplifies mine, and vice versa. It’s a slower, more intentional path, but it leads to a foundation made of solid ground, not shifting sand.
Your Journey Beyond Disillusionment
My story is not unique. Many of you reading this will have felt the same friction—the nagging sense that your effort isn’t yielding the results you were promised. The feeling that you are shouting into a void that only occasionally echoes back.
If this resonates, I encourage you to ask yourself:
How much of my energy is spent trying to please an algorithm versus serving my actual audience?
Do I own the relationship with my followers, or does the platform?
What could I build if I redirected that energy into an asset I control?
Breaking free from social media disillusionment isn’t about abandoning online connection. It’s about redefining it. It’s about choosing to build a home for your community, rather than renting a room in a crowded, noisy, and unpredictable hostel.
Share your own social media experience in the comments section on here or on the Empowerment Diaries®️ podcast. Let’s talk about the reality behind the highlight reel and support each other in building something more sustainable.
✨ If you’re ready to explore building beyond the algorithm, learn more about the community we’re creating in the [Sovren Collective].
The Journey of Disconnecting to Reconnect with Purpose
Feeling overwhelmed by the digital noise? Learn why a conscious digital disconnect might be your most powerful step towards authentic growth. Lita Goddess of Growth shares her journey from algorithmic chase to sovereign purpose.
In an age where our worth is so often measured in likes, shares, and algorithmic favour, the most radical act of growth can sometimes feel like a step backwards. We are constantly encouraged to lean in, to hustle harder, and to optimise every aspect of our lives for digital consumption. But what happens when that relentless connection starts to dim our inner light? When the very tools designed to propel us forward become the chains holding us back?
This is the journey we are embarking on together—a conscious uncoupling from the noise to rediscover the signal of our own authentic voice. It’s about challenging the notion that external validation and rigid systems are the sole arbiters of our success. True, sustainable growth isn’t found in blindly following trends or predictions; it is cultivated in the quiet spaces we create for ourselves, away from the endless scroll. It is a return to purpose, on our own terms.
In this first post, I want to share a very personal story from my own path. It’s a candid reflection on the lessons learned from two years of dedicated content creation, the sobering realities of platform dependency, and the liberating clarity that comes from finally prioritising my own inner wisdom over all the external guidance in the world. This isn’t a tale of rejection, but one of realisation and realignment.
If you’ve ever felt out of sync with the digital grind, questioned the endless chase for visibility, or wondered if there’s a more authentic way to build your life’s work, you are in the right place. Let’s explore what it means to truly disconnect, so we can reconnect with what matters most.
My Story of Realisation
In today’s hyper-connected world, we often find ourselves trapped in cycles of digital dependency that we mistakenly believe are propelling us forward. My recent experience with social media platforms, AI tools, and even astrology has taught me valuable lessons about the importance of listening to my own inner wisdom above all external guidance systems.
For nearly two years, I dedicated myself to TikTok, going live for three to four hours at a time, consistently showing up as countless motivational speakers advised. Despite this commitment, I wasn’t seeing the progress I had envisioned. The algorithms that promised visibility and growth seemed to work against my authentic content. It wasn’t until this April when I was offered a role as creator network manager that I gained backstage access and realised a profound truth: all the work I had been doing through the platform could be accomplished independently, without the constraints and unpredictability of social media algorithms.
The decision to step back became even clearer when platform changes resulted in violations for seemingly innocent content. One particular post – simply offering guidance on how creators could apply to the network or work with my coaching practice if they couldn’t join – received a violation notice. After three attempts to resolve the issue, I was informed I had been “permanently banned,” though strangely I maintained access to my account. This inconsistency was the final sign that dependency on external platforms was undermining my journey toward self-employment and authentic growth.
Beyond Platforms: The Dependency Cycle
Dependency takes many forms when we’re working toward independent self-employment. My vision has always been full-time self-employment, but I’ve not yet achieved this milestone. I still rely on contract work to cover essentials like my mortgage and bills. The frustration of slow progress led me to astrology for answers, which did provide some clarity about the seasons and cycles affecting my journey. However, I’ve come to understand that while astrology can offer insights, nothing replaces the wisdom of my own lived experience. I am best placed to navigate my unique challenges, regardless of what external frameworks might predict.
The Space Created by Letting Go
The technical hurdles I’ve faced recently have been another lesson in surrender and patience. A decision to restructure my online presence by merging several websites into one resulted in my websites being offline for weeks, cutting off my visibility at a time when I was already stepping back from social media. My only remaining social accounts – one on Instagram and one on Benable – sit dormant as I focus on rebuilding foundations.
This digital disconnect, though challenging, has created space for deeper reflection and more intentional planning for the future. This season isn’t about abandoning tools completely, but rather about establishing a healthier relationship with them.
Reconnecting with What Matters
I’m now focusing on building a new website where I can share my knowledge with creators and small businesses, helping them navigate social media more effectively based on my own experiences – both positive and negative. By stepping back from AI dependency and algorithmic chasing, I’m creating space for authentic growth and connection that will ultimately serve both my practice and the people I aim to help.
Like during the pandemic, when everyone faced the same global challenge but experienced it uniquely based on personal circumstances, our journeys with technology and self-employment are deeply individual. What works for one person may not work for another. The key is to remain attuned to your own needs, boundaries, and inner wisdom.
Sometimes, the most progressive step is to pause, disconnect, and realign with your core purpose before moving forward with renewed clarity and intention.
Lita, Goddess of Growth
Empowerment Diaries: Build Your Sovereign Legacy
Empowerment Diaries with Lita Goddess of Growth: Build Your Sovereign Legacy
Ready to build an influential brand that lasts beyond the algorithm? Welcome to Empowerment Diaries, the podcast that uses transformative storytelling as the bedrock of sovereign growth. Hosted by Lita Goddess of Growth, we explore how to move from social media reliance to a creative legacy built on owned assets and authentic connection.
With a unique lens blending business strategy and therapeutic insight, I guide you through the journey I’ve lived—from geopolitical awareness and survival to full self-employment. We dissect the key factors that stall growth, using powerful stories as our guide to practical strategy.
A Call to Visionary Builders:
Empowerment Diaries is also the home of Sovren Spotlight—my private consultancy for creators crafting influential legacy brands. This podcast is an open invitation to founders, like the innovative team at London Nootropics, and creators who are building remarkable products and services that support the growth of mind, body, and spirit. If you have a transformative story of navigating change, I invite you to share your journey here.
I am actively building the Sovren Creator Network—a complete ecosystem for sovereign growth. This will feature the Sovren Collective, a private community for meaningful collaboration, and Sovren Studios, a space to master your craft. This is designed to give you the connected, supportive community you deserve, reducing the risk of burnout and building the reach you seek—one genuine connection at a time.
Listen for the mindset. Stay for the movement. Your journey to a creative empire you truly own starts now.
The dream of working from anywhere sounds simple until you meet the real borders: income thresholds, visa hoops, trade rules, and algorithms that shrink your reach the moment you move. We unpack who truly gets to be a digital nomad and why mobility often functions like a privilege reserved for the well‑resourced, even as remote work has become normal for so many.
I walk through the post‑pandemic landscape—how outsourcing evolved, how Brexit narrowed options for UK workers, and why wages in essential roles often fail to match the cost of living. We get candid about platform friction: location‑sensitive feeds, flagged VPNs, and commerce policies that block you from selling to the very audience you built. From indie bands losing tours to last‑minute visa denials to creators seeing income dip after crossing a border, these stori
Thank you for listening to and supporting Empowerment Diaries! Your subscriptions help me maintain a consistent presence and continue creating meaningful content. As a token of gratitude, exclusive discounts are available to friends and supporters—be sure to check out the links in the show notes. Together, we can keep the conversation going and empower lives through every episode. Stay inspired, and thank you for being part of this journey!
The filter on my profile photo is a playful nod to the digital world we inhabit, but the work we’ll do together is entirely filter-free. Here, you will find me raw, self-revealing, and dedicated to a single goal: to encourage you to transform your life through the power of your own story.
This blog is my hearth—a warm, honest space where I share the resources, reflections, and hard-won lessons from my own ongoing journey of transformation. It’s a blend of personal musings, insights from the Empowerment Diaries podcast, case studies from Sovren Spotlight, and practical guides for your mind, body, and spirit.
My focus is on metamorphosis. I am here to connect with you if you are in a season of profound change, navigating your own pivot to a new life chapter. We will explore what it means to build a meaningful presence, both on and off social media, understanding that growth is holistic. It’s not just about finances (though they are a helpful tool), but about cultivating a personal brand and a life that is authentically, unshakably yours.
What to Expect Here
This blog is designed to be a toolkit for your evolution. You will find:
Curated Resources for Holistic Growth: I will provide tools for your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Some I create, others are from trusted third parties I personally use and believe in.
Authentic Creator Insights: As a creator, I will share the brands, tools, and equipment that help me produce great content. The digital landscape values both professional aesthetics and raw, home-to-home connection, and I’ll explore that balance.
A Showcase for the Sovren Ecosystem: This is where I’ll highlight the achievements of creators in Sovren Spotlight, explain the affiliate programmes within the Sovren Collective, and share inspiring stories from the Empowerment Diaries.
A Journey, Not a Lecture: I am on this path with you. I am still learning. I still stamp my feet when things don’t go to plan. I have questioned the universe’s blocking of certain paths, only to later understand it was redirecting me here, to this work, and to you.
Transformation moves in themes and cycles. Nothing happens outside of its time and season. Yet, the work we do on ourselves—even in the fallow, quiet times—is a vital investment. It is the compost that nourishes the harvest to come.
I am here, learning, growing, and building alongside you. Join me.
It’s time to join a community on solid ground. The Sovren Collective is your space to connect, collaborate, and build the genuine support network you need. [Build Your Foundation Here]
