Episode 010: From Photography to Mindset Mastery - Building Your Business on Your Own Terms with Chelsea Abril
Listen, I am so excited to share this conversation with you because Chelsea Abril is absolutely everything when it comes to embracing your neurodivergent entrepreneurial journey.
If you've ever felt like you're supposed to build your business a certain way but it just doesn't feel right, this episode is going to hit different. Chelsea's story of transitioning from a successful six-figure photography business to mindset coaching while honoring her ADHD brain is pure gold.
Episode 010: From Photography to Mindset Mastery - Building Your Business on Your Own Terms with Chelsea Abril
Listen, I am so excited to share this conversation with you because Chelsea Abril is absolutely everything when it comes to embracing your neurodivergent entrepreneurial journey. If you've ever felt like you're supposed to build your business a certain way but it just doesn't feel right, this episode is going to hit different. Chelsea's story of transitioning from a successful six-figure photography business to mindset coaching while honoring her ADHD brain is pure gold.
The Journey from Photography to Purpose
Chelsea's entrepreneurial path started early - she's had maybe two "normal" jobs in her entire life, and one of them was being a terrible barista for three months (her words, not mine!). What I love about Chelsea's story is how she discovered photography organically. She picked up a camera because her older sibling loved photos, and that classic little duckling energy led her to charge $20 for gas money for her first shoot back in 2004.
Here's what fascinated me: Chelsea built her photography business differently from the traditional way. She went from $25 an hour to $200,000 a year, but something was missing. Even at her peak success - making six figures, going to Bora Bora, speaking on stages - she felt deeply unstable and ungrounded. Her relationships were crumbling, and nothing felt good despite looking amazing from the outside.
This is something I see all the time with neurodivergent entrepreneurs. We can achieve external success, but if we're building it without awareness of our values and how our brains actually work, we hit that inevitable wall.
The Pivot That Changed Everything
When COVID hit, Chelsea was forced to sit still for the first time in her life. As someone who didn't even know she had ADHD at the time, this was initially atrocious. But here's the magic - that forced pause became the catalyst for examining what she actually wanted from her entrepreneurial journey.
Chelsea started offering photography mentorships, which evolved into transformational mindset coaching. She invested in her own coach and had that "Oh my God, this is the thing" moment. What excites me most is how she describes it: "This is kind of like therapy but in a good way, and it reached me from a business lens."
She went on to become a certified master hypnotherapist, NLP practitioner, and online business coach through a 14-month apprenticeship. But the real transformation was internal - learning to build a business that actually supported the life she wanted.
Redefining Safety and Stability
You know how I feel about people saying their muggle job is "stable" - Chelsea gets it. She said something profound: "The driver for entrepreneurship for me was always just safety and stability." This is so important because entrepreneurship IS the more stable path when you really think about it. You're not at the mercy of someone else's decisions about your livelihood.
Chelsea was taking 50 weddings a year (that's basically every weekend!) and burning herself out completely. The transition to prioritizing coaching meant going from 80% photography income to potentially starting over under $10K a month - and she's doing it anyway because she knows how to build from that foundation.
The Identity Shift Challenge
Here's something Chelsea talked about that I don't think we discuss enough - the identity shift that comes with pivoting your business. She went from being this multi-six-figure photography boss to questioning whether she could even call herself successful if she wasn't making $300K with coaching.
This is where that imposter syndrome comes in hard. Chelsea's inner critic (she calls her Regina, which I absolutely love) says things like "How embarrassing for you that you're doing that" and "You're going to charge people that much? How embarrassing."
I asked about this because imposter syndrome is one of my special interests, and what Chelsea shared was so relatable. When we're operating on what I call the big dream spectrum, our brain perceives change as dangerous because it's not the same. But here's the thing - you get to change your mind. You get to evolve. You get to build something that actually feels good.
The "Fuck Around and Find Out" Philosophy
Chelsea's approach to this transition period has been genius: "I just want to fuck around and find out." Instead of getting stuck in perfectionist planning mode, she's putting out offers that energize her, seeing how they do, and treating everything as data.
This is so important for neurodivergent entrepreneurs. We can get paralyzed by needing to have the perfect plan, but Chelsea's approach of "everything is data" takes the emotional charge out of success or failure. She literally sits down, takes a breath, and pulls the emotions out to look at things objectively.
Values as Your Business GPS
One of the biggest transformations Chelsea made was getting clear on her values. She realized she'd been setting business-based values (time, freedom - things everyone wants) instead of digging deeper into what really drives her.
For Chelsea, fun is non-negotiable. If it's not sparkly and fun, she doesn't want it. This isn't frivolous - it's strategic. When you build your business around your actual values instead of what you think you "should" value, decision-making becomes so much easier.
She went from making pros and cons lists until she passed out to having clear "fuck yes" and "fuck no" responses. That's the power of knowing your values.
The Relationship Reality Check
Chelsea dropped some major truth bombs about business relationships. Your romantic partner is not your business masterminding partner, period. Get your own therapist, get your own business coach, get your own business community. Come back to your relationship with updates, not expecting them to solve your business problems.
This is especially important for neurodivergent entrepreneurs who might feel isolated in their journey. You need people who understand the entrepreneurial path and can hold space for your big dreams.
Manifestation Through Self-Care
We talked about how self-care is actually an integral part of manifestation. If you want the universe to know you're ready for someone to do your hair and makeup, you better be religious about taking care of your hair and makeup yourself. Those are the steps of manifesting - showing up as the person who already has what you want.
Chelsea's approach to this transition has been trusting that she has the lived experience of building something incredible, and she can do it again. When she starts spiraling (because we all do), she pulls herself out and asks: "If I were coaching myself, what would I say?"
Building Your Business on Your Terms
What I love most about Chelsea's story is how she's building her coaching business to actually support her life. She's gone from being booked every weekend for years to having three-quarters of her weekends open. That's intentional design, not accident.
She's offering group coaching, one-on-one work, and private client retreats that combine her photography background with business coaching. It's this beautiful integration of all her skills and passions.
The Community Connection
Chelsea left us with something so important: if you're feeling lonely in your growth phase, there's room for community if you give yourself space to look for it. Expansion can get lonely, but it does get better, and there are people out there for you.
This resonates so deeply because as neurodivergent entrepreneurs, we need our people. We need the ones who get it, who understand that we do things differently, and who celebrate our unique approach to building businesses.
Ready to Build Your Business Your Way?
Chelsea's journey from burnt-out photographer to thriving mindset coach is proof that you can completely pivot your business and still honor everything you've built before. You don't have to choose between success and feeling good - you can have both.
If you're ready to dive deeper into building a business that actually supports your neurodivergent brain, I'd love for you to join my newsletter at mindsetmelanie.com/newsletter. I share strategies and insights specifically for ambitious, driven neurodivergent entrepreneurs who are ready to do business differently.
Connect with Chelsea and see what she's building:
Remember: you get to change your mind, you get to evolve, and you absolutely get to build a business that feels as good as it looks from the outside.
