Last year I had a month where I was pretending not to be stressed about money.

On paper everything looked “good”.
I had one big client paying on time, work I enjoyed, a full calendar.
If anyone asked how business was going, I would say, “Busy, in a good way,”

Then one Friday, that client emailed to say, “Hey, just a heads up, finance is restructuring our budget. Payment might be delayed a bit.”

You know that feeling where your brain says, “It’s fine,” but your stomach quietly starts packing an emergency bag?

Suddenly every little thing felt louder.

Nothing had actually gone wrong yet.

But that one email exposed a truth I had politely ignored for months:
I was not running a stable business.
I was leaning on one pillar and hoping it never shook.

Fast forward a few months, I am scrolling the news and I see the extreme, political version of the same pattern.

Trump calls Marjorie Taylor Greene “Marjorie Traitor Greene,” and in what feels like five minutes, the woman who built her entire identity around defending him is suddenly getting death threats from her own base.

The spotlight that once made her untouchable quietly moves on, and she is left standing in the dark, asking herself what she is even fighting for.

What happens in your business, and inside your body, when too much depends on one client, one platform, one referrer, one person’s approval.

That is what this piece is really about.

The Rise, The Cracks, The Collapse: A Short Timeline

MTG’s story has that exact shape.

And if you squint a little, it looks a lot like how a consulting business behaves when it leans too hard on one thing.

Let’s keep it simple: three phases.

1. The Rise: When One Attachment Feels Like A Genius Shortcut

In the beginning, Marjorie Taylor Greene doesn’t just support Trump.
She hooks her entire identity to him.

She’s the loudest defender.
The rally warm-up act.
The one who will say the part everyone else leaves between the lines.

The result is
Fundraising explodes.
Her face is everywhere.
She goes from local person to national name very, very fast.

From the outside, it looks like a brilliant brand move.
From the inside, it’s one giant dependency.

Consultant version of this phase:

• You land the dream client who suddenly makes your bank statement look a lot more fun to read
  
• You get invited into one community that sends you all your leads
  
• You post on one platform, it pops, and you think, “Okay great, I live here now”

You don’t question it.
You just sip your oat latte and think,
“Yes. This must be what stability feels like.”

But it’s not.

2. The Cracks: When Your Brand Wants To Grow But Your Ecosystem Doesn’t

Then small shifts start.

MTG begins taking positions that don’t line up perfectly with expectations.

She questions spending in Ukraine and Israel.

She listens to people at home about health costs and housing.

She pushes for the Epstein files. She apologizes on national TV for being part of “toxic politics.”

On paper, it looks like growth. A human being trying to become more than a one-note character.

But there’s a problem:
Her brand never made room for “more than one note.”

The people who loved her for being pure attack dog are confused.
The people who hated her are not ready to believe her.
The gap between who she wants to be and who people think she is gets wider.

Consultant version:

• You’re “the logo person,” but now you want to sell brand strategy
  
• You start to outgrow the offers that made your first money
  
• You’re known for quick hacks, but you want to talk about deeper systems
  
• You’ve built a spicy, hot-take persona, but your actual client work is quiet and thoughtful

Inside, you’re evolving.

Outside, your brand is still wearing your 2021 outfit and refusing to change.

You can feel the friction.

There’s this low-key dread:

“If I grow, will the people who know me like this… still want me?”

3. The Collapse: When The Pillar Finally Moves

Then comes the part everyone notices.

Trump hits post on “Marjorie Traitor Greene.”
Her base turns on her almost in real time.
The people who used to cheer are now sending death threats.

She looks around for backup and there is… not much.

Republican leadership is not rushing to protect her.
Democrats are not suddenly saying, “Come sit with us.”
The Freedom Caucus, which used to be her home turf, has already kicked her out of the group chat.
The committee role she hoped would give her substance is quietly sidelined.

That is the moment you realize the pillar was not just Trump.
It was the whole ecosystem that came with him, the alliances, the rooms, the caucus, the committees.
Once that central relationship shifted, everything that depended on it loosened too.

She is exhausted.
She announces she is leaving Congress early.
You can almost hear the question behind it.

‘If this support is gone, what am I actually standing on?’

Now shrink that to consulting scale.

• Your big client pauses or cancels
  
• The algorithm tanks your reach
  
• The referrer who loved you gets busy or changes focus
  
• The mentor or community that made you feel safe moves on

Practically, you lose revenue or visibility. Emotionally, you can start to question your value, your identity, your authority.

It is not just a financial wobble. It is a confidence wobble.

Once you see her story through this lens, it becomes less about her as a person and more about a pattern: what happens when too much of your business, visibility, and self belief rests on one source.

Turning A Political Meltdown Into Practical Business Moves

So what do you actually do with all this?

Because “don’t depend on one pillar” sounds nice, but your bank account needs more specific advice than that.

Here’s how I think about it when I look at real consulting businesses:

1. The “Big Client” Check

Every consultant I know has had ‘That Client.’

The one whose payment makes your shoulders drop two inches. The one you refresh your inbox for. The one you mentally label as “stability,” then secretly rearrange your whole business around.

The risk is not having a big client. The risk is quietly letting them become your entire safety net.

A simple check:

• What percentage of your revenue comes from your largest client.
  A simple rule I use with consultants: Try not to let a single client account for more than 30–40% of your revenue.
  
• How many new inquiries would you have if they left next month
  
• You rewrite an email 17 times so you don’t “sound replaceable.”
  
• You say yes to things you don’t want to do because… what if they leave?

You do not need to fire anyone.
You just need a plan that moves you away from “If they go, I fall.”

That might look like:

• Opening one small spot for a new client at a lower time commitment
  
• Launching a tiny product or workshop that brings in a different stream of income
  
• Saying no to “one more quick thing” so you can spend that hour on your own marketing

The goal is not to become cold or transactional.
The goal is to like your clients a lot without letting them hold your entire sense of safety.

2. Stop Renting Stages Without Building Your Own

MTG’s visibility came from standing next to someone with a bigger microphone. The crowd was not really hers.

Sound familiar?

You guest on podcasts, speak in other people’s programs, post thoughtful comments under big accounts, and you get nice spikes of attention. People say, “I see you everywhere.”

Then the host takes a break, the program ends, the big account stops posting, and your calendar goes quiet again.

Borrowed stages are fine. They are often how we start. The problem is when you use them as a substitute for your own platform.

That’s why you need one place that is yours. Not five. One.

Pick:

• Email list
  
• LinkedIn
  
• Simple website with a blog

Give yourself one clear rule: “I show up here once a week, minimum, no matter what Instagram/TikTok/Threads is doing.”

Then start small:

• Add one clear call to action everywhere else: “If you like this, get on my list / follow me on LinkedIn.”
  
• Create the world’s simplest opt-in: “Get my monthly note on [your topic]. No spam.”
  
• At the end of every podcast, live, or guest spot, mention your home base out loud.

Borrow other people’s audiences as much as you want. Just always bring people back to your house.

3. Make Sure Your Brand Has Room For Future You

One of the saddest parts of watching MTG try to pivot was the lack of range her brand had built in.

She wanted to be more serious.
Her brand was stuck on “attack dog.”

A lot of consultants end up here too, just with less shouting.

You become “the person who does quick Canva logos,” then you want to sell full brand strategy.
You become “the Reels tips girl,” then you want to talk about business models.

The bridge between ‘current you’ and ‘future you’ will not magically appear. You have to build it in public, a little at a time.

That can look like:

• Sharing more behind-the-scenes thinking, not just final deliverables
  
• Talking about longer projects or deeper results, not only quick wins
  
• Letting people see you as a strategist, not just a pair of hands

The trick is building a brand that has space for multiple versions of you, not just the one that accidentally went viral in 2022.

Let your audience meet all the yous: the strategic you, the reflective you, the nerdy you, the “I need coffee first” you.

If you’re a woman consultant, here’s how to turn this into action this week:

1. Run the Big Client Check

• Look at your last 3–6 months of revenue.
• What percentage came from your largest client?
• If it’s over ~30–40%, you’re in “one pillar” territory.

Pick ONE move to start reducing that risk:

• Open a small slot for a second client at a lower time commitment
• Carve out 1–2 hours this week for your own marketing instead of “one more quick thing” for the big client

2. Choose your home base

Decide where your audience will always be able to find you:

• Your email list, or
• Your personal LinkedIn profile
• Commit: “I show up here at least once a week, no matter what any algorithm is doing.”

Borrow other people’s stages all you want. Just always bring people back to your house.

3. Build a bridge to “future you” in public

This week, create one piece of content that shows the next version of you:

• Talk through the thinking behind a deeper project, not just the quick win
• Share how your work has evolved (e.g., from logos → full brand systems)
• Let people see you as a strategist, not just a pair of hands

You don’t have to blow up the pillar you’re standing on.

You just have to start building two or three more.

If you’re reading this and realizing your brand is still built around “old you” and one shaky pillar,

DM me BRAVE and I’ll send you my 12‑Day Standout Brand Sprint Checklist.

It’s the exact 12‑day structure I use to help women consultants rebuild into something more stable, more premium, and more them.