By Alison Pentecost — Voice Actor & Host of Freelance Fitness
A Reset Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Starting Over
Today, I want to talk about new beginnings.
Or better yet—resets.
You don’t need to burn everything down and start from scratch to feel nerves, doubt, or uncertainty. You can feel all of that even when you’re experienced, but still evolving. Even when you’re working. Even when things are technically “going well.”
I feel it too.
New year. New plans.
Branching out in my voiceover business.
Closing doors on things that weren’t working. (Hello, doubt!)
Stepping into new areas. (Hello, terror!)
Waiting, stalling, or staying comfortable doesn’t grow a freelance business—especially not a creative business like voiceover. So instead, I’ve had to learn how to move forward with the nerves. Adapt. Pivot. Reassess. Keep going.
If you’re feeling nervous—or honestly scared—about a new direction in your freelance career, welcome. That reaction is normal. Healthy, even.
So, what if today wasn’t just another workday, another audition, another January resolution?
What if this was Day One?
This day.
This action.
This feeling in your body right now.
You know what we forget as adults?
You’re allowed to be bad at the beginning.
But Being Bad Is Embarrassing!
Let’s be honest with ourselves.
Your first voiceover auditions? Probably rough.
Your first demos, edits, marketing emails, reels, websites? Clunky.
Your first attempts at anything new in your creative career? Awkward.
There might be flashes of brilliance—little diamonds in the rough—but mostly, it’s messy.
And you know what? That’s great news.
Because if everyone sucks at the beginning, the pressure is off. You don’t need to wait until you feel ready. You just need to begin. And beginning is the only way anything ever improves.
Here’s another truth that applies directly to running a sustainable creative business:
When things start to feel automatic—when you could sleepwalk through your reels, your reads, your designs—that’s usually your cue to switch things up.
Because when you’re phoning it in:
- Is that really your best work?
- Is that what your clients deserve?
- Is that why you chose freelance voice acting in the first place?
Those butterflies you feel before a job?
Before a workout?
Before trying something new?
They’re not a problem.
They’re a signal.
They mean you care.
They mean you’re challenged—not bored.
They mean you’re alive in the process.
But this is also where shame tends to creep in.
All the “I shoulds”:
- I should be further along.
- I should be more confident.
- I should have launched already.
Here’s a small shift that changes everything:
Replace “I should” with “I would prefer.”
I would prefer to be more consistent.
I would prefer to feel more confident.
I would prefer to move forward.
That’s very different from tearing yourself down for not being somewhere you’ve never been before.
I had to learn this lesson the hard way when I launched Freelance Fitness. I had a plan. A timeline. A neat little deadline that made perfect sense—until real life showed up.
Work. Family. Learning curves I didn’t anticipate.
I missed my own deadline and felt ashamed… even though I had never launched a podcast before.
Would I talk to a friend—or one of my kids—that way while they were learning something new?
Never.
As adults, we forget how learning works. Kids fall, wobble, look silly, and keep going. Adults worry about being watched.
Hate to break it to you, but most people aren’t watching.
Most people are too busy with their own stuff.
So forget about it.
Growth requires failure.
Creativity requires courage.
And laughter helps more than shame ever will.
A Practical Reset for Your Business
So what do we do with this reset—especially as freelance creatives trying to build something sustainable?
First: manage your expectations.
Freelance life isn’t a salaried job. No one covers your tasks if you don’t finish them. Your energy is limited. You’re one human.
Starting a freelance business is a lot like having a newborn:
- If the essentials are handled, the day counts as a win.
- Some days, you’re polished and client-facing.
- Some days, you’re in pyjama pants eating cereal over the sink.
Both days are valid. Both move the business forward.
Yes, you need a plan.
Yes, you need checklists.
But you also need wiggle room.
Course corrections aren’t failures. They’re part of the process.
So here’s your New Year reset, simplified:
- Treat today like Day One, not a test.
- Let yourself be bad while you learn.
- Switch things up when you feel stale.
- Welcome the butterflies.
- Speak to yourself like someone you love.
- Keep moving forward—even if it’s slower than you planned.
You don’t need a perfect start.
You just need an honest one.
