Transformation Leads to Bigger and Better Problems

We have spent Q1 exploring the topic of transformation.

Transformation doesn’t need to remain an overused corporate buzzword—and it won’t serve as a magic pill to make your problems disappear.

It can, however, become a means for growth and evolution.

One that gives you access to greater choice in how you lead and live.

When you truly expand your ability to choose, you repeat old patterns less frequently—creating space for higher-level creativity and problem-solving.

Almost suddenly, you seem to have space to tackle new challenges.

You start to focus on bigger and better problems.

Part 1: Loops vs. Spirals in Problem-Solving

So, how do you spot a bigger, better problem vs. an old pattern disguised in new form?

Let’s discuss the difference between a loop and a spiral.

A loop brings you back to the same place:

A leader keeps doing menial tasks their team should own, then wonders why no one takes initiative.
A founder keeps pivoting the product instead of facing a fear of being seen.
A manager keeps rewriting the playbook, but avoids hard conversations with underperforming team members who are actually underperforming.

Contrast that with a spiral.

And no, not a downward spiral. 😉

An upward spiral, which revisits similar challenges with the ability to take new action.

It is repetition with evolution.

You’re learning the same core lessons, but integrating them with more awareness and nuance.

Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory describes this well:

Translation is when you rearrange or reinterpret your experience within the same level of awareness.
Transformation is when you evolve to a new level altogether.

Loops are endless translation—same mindset, new context.

Spirals are transformation in action—new mindset, new range of motion—greater choice.

Part 2: Loops & The Law of Heuristic Escalation

They say that doing the same thing over and over to solve a problem is the definition of insanity.

It keeps us spinning in the same place, making no progress.

This is tied closely to the law of heuristic escalation—applying the same solution with more intensity, even when it’s no longer effective.

A CEO who’s always been the visionary starts to micromanage every detail—trying to preserve momentum through control.
A team lead who’s always solved tension by working overtime starts burning out—but still resists delegation.
A founder who’s built everything solo keeps postponing hiring, telling themselves, “No one can do it like I can.”

These aren’t personal flaws. They’re inherited strategies that once worked—but now limit growth.

Transformation begins the moment we pause the pattern.

When we get curious instead of reactive.

When we wonder, “What if this isn’t about doing more of the same?”

That’s the first sign that you’re moving beyond the loop.

Not because you’ve figured it all out, but because you’ve stopped pressing the repeat button.

Part 3: Move Up the Spiral by Integrating Old & New

Once you have recognized that you are in a loop, you can make the choice to implement a new tool in place of an old pattern.

The ability to have grace for this moment means you don’t abandon your former self—you integrate it.

Wilber calls this ‘transcend and include.’

The control that once helped you survive may still show up—but now, it’s in conversation with trust.

The urgency that once protected you may still spike—but now, you can choose presence over panic.

Leaders who evolve learn how to hold more.

More nuance between vision and listening.
More tension between autonomy and team cohesion.
More balance between performance and humanity.

At first, you may still need to solve for misalignment or conflict or fear—but slowly, you begin to notice yourself doing it with more conscious awareness.

Over time, your new actions help to transcend old challenges.

When this takes place, your ability to hold compassion for yourself and your team shifts culture dramatically.

Your vision starts to come into being.

You find yourself moving up the spiral.

Part 4: What Better Problems Look Like

Transformation is learning to solve familiar problems from a new level of consciousness and encountering new challenges that arise as a result of your growth.

Said another way: you will always have problems—but they’ll evolve with you over time.

Examples of bigger, better problems can look like:

Choosing between two good paths instead of one ‘good’ and one ‘bad.’
Figuring out how to fix systems, not people.
Navigating how to protect your energy and time while remaining deeply accessible to your team.
Deciding when and how to establish a board or advisory group that can challenge and support the next phase of growth.

These problems require more perspective, more presence, and more trust—both in yourself and in others.

And they’re proof that your hard work is paying off. 🥰

Part 5: An Invitation

When you face a challenge that feels complex or overwhelming, take a moment to step back. Instead of reacting from old patterns, ask yourself:

“Is this a loop I’m stuck in—or a spiral I’m climbing?”

Looping looks like pushing harder—repeating the same response, just with more urgency.

Spirals are different.

They allow you to integrate the experiences, challenges, and blind spots encountered on your growth journey.

This integration helps you meet the next problem from a place of greater capacity.

The more you integrate, the greater your ability to see, hold, and choose new solutions.

This is the gift of bigger problems: they reveal how far you’ve come, and invite you to keep choosing from a deeper, more expansive version of who you are becoming.

Up Next: Capacity

As we wrap this first quarter and our deep dive into transformation, I hope you’ve found something useful in this series—a moment of recognition, a shift in perspective, a deeper ability to choose.

If transformation expands your ability to choose, then capacity is what allows you to hold and sustain that expansion.

Most business owners I know struggle to find the capacity to do everything they want to do—and to hold everything they need to hold.

So in Q2, we’ll turn our attention to Capacity. We’ll explore how to strengthen your foundation by cultivating the energy, resilience, and systems that support you from the inside out.

More soon.

P.S. If you find yourself in the midst of a transformation—whether it’s working through resistance, rewriting old patterns, or finding grace in the gap—please reach out. It’s our greatest joy to support you. ❤️