You Can Only Ever Take Your Clients as Far as You Have Gone

(A universal truth for anyone who guides, teaches, coaches, or leads)

Many years ago, during my psychotherapy training, my very first supervisor said something that has stayed with me ever since:

“You can only ever take your clients as far as you have gone.”

At the time, I nodded politely, thinking I understood what she meant. But I didn’t, not really.
It took years of sitting with clients, facing my own edges, and walking through seasons of burnout, growth, and rediscovery to realise the full depth of those words.

What she was really saying was this: our ability to hold space for others depends entirely on how willing we are to do the work ourselves.
We cannot lead someone into healing, clarity, or transformation if we haven’t first visited those places within ourselves.

Whether you’re a therapist, coach, teacher, or leader, the principle is the same.
You can’t guide others through territory you refuse to walk.

The inner path behind outer growth

It’s tempting to believe that what makes us “better” in our work is more knowledge, more strategy, more qualifications.
And of course, training and tools matter, but they’re only half the story.

The deeper half is the inner journey: the one that expands your capacity to hold complexity, to stay grounded in uncertainty, to meet people in their humanity.

Every time I’ve grown, emotionally, spiritually, or creatively, the quality of my work has changed.
My presence has changed.
And so has my business.

Not because I learned a new skill or built a fancier website, but because I became more whole, more attuned, more available.

That’s why I often say: your business can only ever grow as far as you have.
It’s not separate from you. It reflects you.

Growth as an act of integrity

Doing your own inner work isn’t indulgent; it’s an act of professional integrity.

When you evolve, your work naturally evolves with you.
You start to attract clients who meet you at your new level of awareness.
You see more clearly what you’re actually here to offer, and what no longer fits.

I’ve noticed that the moments I’ve stretched myself the most, through personal challenges, health journeys, or deep rest, are also the moments that opened new pathways in my business.
Because each layer of growth reveals a new way to serve, teach, or design.

We teach best from the places we’ve integrated.
We guide most powerfully from the paths we’ve walked.

And that means that tending to our own growth isn’t optional; it’s essential.

The mirror between self and business

Your business is a living mirror. It reflects your mindset, your boundaries, your confidence, and your self-trust.

If you’re unclear, your business feels confusing.
If you’re overextended, your business feels chaotic.
If you’re grounded and aligned, your business begins to flow.

That’s why focusing solely on tactics or “what to do next” can only take you so far.
Real growth begins within.
As you expand, so does your work, not just in size, but in depth, resonance, and truth.

A few reflections for your own journey

If this idea speaks to you, here are some gentle prompts to explore:

• Where am I asking my clients or students to go that I haven’t yet gone myself?
• What am I being invited to learn, integrate, or release right now?
• What kind of mentor, teacher, or leader do I want to be, not in words, but in energy and example?

And maybe most importantly:

• How can I support my own growth, emotionally, spiritually, and creatively, so I can serve from overflow rather than depletion?

In the end, we walk together

This is what I love most about this path.
It’s never just about business. It’s about becoming.

Every person we work with mirrors something back to us.
Every project, every season, every challenge calls us deeper into our own evolution.

We don’t guide from above, we walk beside.
We hold the lantern for others because we’ve learned to hold it for ourselves.

So the next time you wonder what’s next for your business, your practice, or your leadership, perhaps the question isn’t “What should I build?” but rather, “Where am I being called to grow?”

Because when you grow, everything you touch grows too.
And that, to me, is the truest form of success.

Jo-Anne Mac Millan | Hummingbird Mentoring Ltd.