Shutting Down My Business Was the Best Decision I Ever Made ft. Cassandra Le

For almost a decade, Cassandra Le ran a boutique marketing & media agency, scaled it, & built a life abroad around it. Then she closed it down. In this episode, Gina & Lawrence sit down with longtime online friend Cassandra: creator, marketer, & educator based in Spain, for a behind-the-scenes look at what she calls her “slow ego death”: years of burnout, a pivotal loss in her family, an accidental sabbatical she now calls her adult gap year, & the rebuild that followed. We often glamorize living abroad or building a business, so this is the other side of that coin. It's the real, nonlinear story of how someone lets go of an identity that no longer fits & builds something more aligned in its place. What you'll hear in this episode: Cassandra's path from running Quirky Pineapple Studio to shutting it down in 2024 The “slow ego death” of realizing a business you built no longer reflects who you are How the loss of her grandmother became the moment everything had to change Her “accidental sabbatical” (aka adult gap year): traveling, testing new income streams, & living minimally What it's really like to untangle your identity & self-worth from your income The hidden cost of living abroad & the financial buffers no one talks about Rebuilding her confidence, learning to negotiate her worth, & what came out the other side Why she's moved away from “5 tips” type of content & leads with raw storytelling instead A Few Things to Reflect On: What would it look like to give a chapter of your life or business an intentional ending, instead of letting it fade out? Where might you be tying your identity or self-worth to your work without realizing it? Who could you ask for help right now, if you got specific about what you actually need? About Cassandra: Cassandra Le is a creator, marketer, & educator. Originally from Virginia, she's a first-generation Vietnamese American who has called Spain home for over a decade. She previously founded & ran Quirky Pineapple Studio, a boutique marketing & media agency, before stepping away in 2024. Today she shares her pivot, her journaling practice, & her personal evolution online, & hosts journaling workshops & retreats through her community, the Progress Lounge. Resources & Links: Sunday Reset — Cassandra's bi-monthly newsletter Cassandra's website Follow Cassandra on Instagram, connect on LinkedIn, and Subscribe on YouTube Join the Progress Lounge on Patreon Follow Cassandra's journaling page, Plans to Progress The video Cassandra referenced on “late-stage influencer-ship”: watch here Ready to Build a Business That Actually Feels Like You? If Cassandra's story resonated & you're in your own rebuild season, we'd love to support you in telling that story online without it feeling like a performance. Our Tidal Wave package is our highest-level offer: full social media & podcast management for wellness entrepreneurs & purpose-led founders who are ready for their version of expansion. See our work & client results Book a free discovery call Let's Connect: We want to hear from you! DM us on Instagram & tell us: have you ever had to let go of an identity that no longer fit (in your business or your life)? Find us on Instagram @waventerpriseco