MOCA Roundtable
Staying Grounded When Sales Feel Slow
MOCA Roundtables are shared resources that represent the collective wisdom of our community and invite you to explore real, experience-based insights from business owners who have been there.
This Roundtable discussion is about navigating the slower seasons of business without losing your sense of peace or direction. We talk about how to move through money anxiety and find calm during financial pressure without falling into panic or reactive decision-making.
The Conversation
This Roundtable began with a conversation between Jess Hershey and Erin Gray about staying grounded when sales feel slow. Together, they explored the emotional side of money, the natural seasons of business, and how to move through financial pressure without falling into reactive patterns. Inside the video:
3:46 – The Law of Rhythm in Business
It’s important to recognize the natural cycles of business. As business owners, you need to expect and accept the natural ups and downs instead of viewing slow periods as failure. In fact, the slow seasons can be seen as opportunities. Instead of panicking, use slower times to reflect, recalibrate, and recommit to what’s working.
10:56 – Recognizing Fear-Based Decision-Making
Develop tools to calm your nervous system before making decisions. When financial pressure rises, it’s easy to fall into panic and reactive decision-making. Create a personal toolkit of simple practices like deep breathing, stepping outside, journaling, or going for a walk that help you slow down, settle your nervous system, and approach decisions from a more grounded state.
19:47 – Building a New Relationship with Money
Start paying attention to how you talk about money. It often reflects how you see yourself. Try reframing money as a relationship, not a resource to control. When you shift from scarcity to trust, things begin to feel lighter. One small but powerful way to start is by finding moments to enjoy money again, even in simple ways like buying yourself a coffee or celebrating a small win. It’s not about spending more, it’s about shifting the energy.
24:38 – How Human Design Can Help You Build Financial Ease
Erin shares how understanding your Human Design can help you make decisions that are more aligned and less stressful. Instead of following generic strategies, Human Design invites you to trust your natural way of processing and acting. When you stop forcing decisions and start following your intuition, you create more ease, clarity, and ultimately, more peace in your financial life.
36:00 – The Power of Community in Staying Grounded
Having honest conversations with other business owners can ease the pressure of slow seasons. When you hear that others are facing similar challenges, it becomes easier to let go of the fear that something is wrong with you or your business. Community reminds us that we’re not alone and that connection itself can be a powerful antidote to money anxiety.
Featured Experts
Learn more about the community members that participated in this Roundtable:
Erin Gray
Member Profile
Jess Hershey
Member Profile
Teresa Page
Member Profile
Karena Burgess
Member Profile
Community Insights
Members of our community joined the conversation, sharing their own experiences and advice for navigating slow seasons in business. These insights represent the real, lived wisdom of entrepreneurs who have been through it and found ways to stay grounded, even when things feel uncertain.
Erin Gray
So many of us have trauma responses around money. But slow seasons are normal, and they’re not a sign that you’re failing. There are going to be seasons where business is slower and that doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong. Instead of letting those seasons spiral into panic, pause and get grounded.
One thing I’ve learned is that your body holds so much wisdom. When things feel scary, I come back to grounding practices like walking, journaling, or just putting my feet on the floor. That’s my cue to breathe, pause, and remember what’s actually true. It helps me stop making fear-based decisions and reconnect to what I value.
I’ve also had to work on how I relate to money. If you’re saying things like, ‘It’s never enough’ or ‘I’m not good with money,’ that’s information. That’s the story you’re telling yourself. I try to treat money like a relationship that needs trust and attention. Even small things, like buying a coffee just because I want to, can help me reconnect to sufficiency instead of scarcity.
Jess Hershey
When money is feeling tight for people, I typically see them react in one of two ways.
1 – They freeze. Stress and overwhelm take over. They don’t know what to do. They tend to feel like they’ve done something wrong and their business is failing.
2 – They panic. Fear takes over and they react in big ways. They rework everything they’re doing. They make desperate sales pitches. They bounce from one thing to the next.
I have so much sympathy for this situation. I’ve been there. This is a common experience in entrepreneurship. We’re building something that needs to support our livelihood. I get it. But fear-based decision making never leads us anywhere useful.
You have to force yourself to stop and find calm again. Take a breath. Talk to someone. When your mind is clear, you’ll be able to see what steps you need to take. It’s very likely that it’s not as bad as it feels. Sales have cycles, seasons have cycles–sales will come again. Find the support that you need, from yourself and others, to stay calm and stay intentional about your decision making.
Teresa Page
This is a moment to pause and come back to your “why.” Use this time to ask yourself: What are you actually trying to build? What matters most to you right now?
This could be a time to look at your offerings from a calm place and take some time to reflect. Is this the best way to serve my people?
Karena Burgess
When people are under financial pressure, they turn a different shade of gray. Money stressors change how we show up in the world. Before you’re ever in that position, it’s important that you know your values and your boundaries so that you can continue to honor them when things are feeling hard.
If things are feeling slow, revisit your goals. Check back with projects that you set aside and haven’t had time to get to. Keep training and sharpening your skills. And REST. That’s a big thing that’s often overlooked.
Resources
We asked our community to share their favorite resources related to staying grounded when sales feel slow. We hope you find them helpful!
Useful Tools
Grounding Practices
Before making any important decisions, especially during financially stressful times, take a moment to get grounded. Take a deep breath, place your feet on the ground, step outside for fresh air, or journal to release panic and create space. These small actions help regulate your nervous system so you can respond with clarity instead of reactivity.
Free Resources
Your Money Your Rules Podcast
Erin Gray’s podcast cuts through the noise of conventional money advice to help you build genuine wealth consciousness from the inside out. Get the practical tools and paradigm shifts needed to transform your relationship with money, business, and self-worth.
Learn More
Money Mindset Tips for Women in Business
Ready to stop avoiding your money? Join Erin Gray’s Facebook group for financial insights and connect with a community of inspiring, like-minded women on the same journey.
Learn More
Create Financial Ease with Human Design
Free 4-part video workshop series to transform your relationship with money and decision-making through Human Design. Start anytime and gain access to live monthly Q&A sessions for ongoing support.
Learn More
Further Learning
“Power of Awareness” by Neville Goddard
This book was recommended by Erin. If anyone wants to expand on the topics discussed in this Roundtable, this might be a good resource for further learning!
Learn More