Surrender and Trust: A Powerful Mindset Shift for Occupational Therapists Creating Freedom, Impact and Sustainable Success

If you are an occupational therapist dreaming of more freedom, building an online business, or feeling called to create change in your career, two words can transform everything: surrender and trust.

Many OTs reach a point where their current reality no longer matches their future vision. You may feel inspired by what is possible, yet simultaneously overwhelmed by how far away it seems. This inner tension is incredibly common among ambitious healthcare professionals, especially those stepping into entrepreneurship or alternative career paths.

Understanding how to surrender and trust is not about giving up. It is about learning how to grow without burning out.

Why Occupational Therapists Experience Resistance During Change

Resistance often appears when your present circumstances do not align with your future goals.

You might notice:

• Tightness in your chest or heaviness in your body
• Persistent self-doubt or critical thoughts
• Feeling behind in your career or business journey
• Emotional fatigue or burnout
• A sense of being stuck despite taking action

High-achieving occupational therapists tend to be particularly hard on themselves. The more driven you are, the more pressure you place on your progress.

This resistance creates internal friction. That friction slows momentum and can trigger frustration, emotional overwhelm, or unexpected challenges. While uncomfortable, this stage often signals that deeper growth is happening beneath the surface.

As Eckhart Tolle teaches, whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. When we stop fighting where we are, we begin to move forward with clarity.

Presence as a Foundation for OT Career Growth

So many occupational therapists become focused on their future self: the confident business owner, the financially free practitioner, the fulfilled professional. In doing so, we forget to experience the present.

Take a moment to notice your surroundings.

Observe your thoughts without judgement.

Ask yourself:

• Do I feel open or contracted right now?
• Am I accepting where I am, or resisting it?

Presence builds emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience. These qualities are essential when creating an online OT business or navigating career transitions.

Vulnerability Comes Before Courage

Brené Brown reminds us that courage cannot exist without vulnerability.

Resistance is often your moment of vulnerability.

Many occupational therapists respond to discomfort by working harder, forcing outcomes, or trying to control every detail. Action matters, but the energy behind your action matters even more.

Ask yourself:

Are you taking action from fear and urgency?
Or from trust and alignment?

What Surrender Really Means for Occupational Therapists in Business

Surrender does not mean giving up on your goals.

It means:

• Releasing the need to control every outcome
• Making peace with your current circumstances
• Staying open to multiple possibilities
• Allowing yourself to grow emotionally before receiving bigger results

Sometimes what you desire cannot arrive yet because you are still building the skills, confidence, and emotional capacity to hold it.

This is especially true for occupational therapists starting online businesses. Sudden success without preparation often leads to overwhelm. Sustainable growth happens at a pace your nervous system and systems can support.

Trust is an active choice. You choose to believe that even when the path feels unclear, you are still moving forward.

Trust as a Strategy for Occupational Therapists

Trust allows you to focus on small, consistent steps rather than becoming paralysed by the bigger picture.

When you recognise that trust is a choice, you reclaim ownership of your journey. Without trust, it is easy to slip into comparison and victim thinking.

Imagine swimming upstream in a fast river. Exhausting.

Now imagine turning around and letting the current carry you.

That is what surrender feels like in business.

As Wayne Dyer said, when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Gratitude Builds Momentum in Your OT Business

Progress rarely looks linear.

There will be detours, setbacks, and moments where it feels like you are moving backwards. These periods are usually when you are building emotional strength, business skills, and clarity.

Practising gratitude keeps you grounded.

Celebrate small wins:

• A new enquiry
• Greater confidence showing up online
• A clearer niche
• A brave decision

Each step compounds.

If you focus only on future goals, you miss the evidence of how far you have already come.

Reconnecting With Your Purpose as an Occupational Therapist

Simon Sinek explains in Start With Why that people do not buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

This is powerful for occupational therapists creating online businesses.

When you align with your purpose, clients feel it. Your energy becomes magnetic. Rigid expectations soften, creativity returns, and opportunities flow more easily.

Ask yourself:

Why do I want this business?
Who do I want to serve?
What kind of life am I building?

Your answers guide your strategy.

Business Lessons Hidden in Past Relationships

Think back to a relationship that did not work out.

At the time, it likely hurt deeply. Now, with hindsight, you can probably see why it was not right.

Business works the same way.

Sometimes what you want does not arrive in the form you expect. The qualities you desire, such as freedom, impact, or financial stability, may come through unexpected paths.

When you trust the process, you stop forcing outcomes and allow better ones to emerge.

You Are Building Capacity, Not Just Income

Many occupational therapists expect instant success when launching an online business.

In reality, growth happens in stages.

Your mindset, emotional resilience, systems, and leadership skills develop alongside your income. Slow growth is not failure. It is preparation.

Every challenge is teaching you something valuable.

Your journey is shaping the practitioner and business owner you are becoming.

A Final Reminder for Occupational Therapists Creating Change

You are worthy of everything you are dreaming of.

Not later. Now.

When you lean into surrender and trust, you move from struggle into flow. You stop gripping timelines and start embodying confidence. That is when momentum builds and opportunities align.

If things feel messy right now, it does not mean you are doing it wrong.

It means you are growing.

Breathe. Stay present. Take aligned action. Trust the process.

Your version of freedom is unfolding, one step at a time.

Ready to Build an Online Business and Life You Love as an Occupational Therapist?

If you feel called to create more freedom, flexibility, and fulfilment in your OT career, you do not have to do it alone.

Beki Eakins supports occupational therapists around the world to design, launch, and scale aligned online businesses. She combines mindset coaching with practical strategy to help OTs turn their skills into meaningful, profitable offers.

Her clients have gone on to create consistent 3k, 5k, 10k and even 15k months while building businesses that fit their lifestyle and values.

In a free clarity call with Beki, you will:

• Explore your career or business goals
• Identify what is currently holding you back
• Gain personalised insight into your next aligned steps
• Discover whether working together feels like the right fit

If you are ready to move from feeling stuck to feeling empowered, this is your invitation.

Book your free clarity call with Beki today and take the first step towards creating your own version of freedom as an occupational therapist.

Click HERE to book a call with Beki

Watch The OT Freedom Formula Replay

The OT Freedom Formula was a powerful session created to help occupational therapists build more freedom, income, and balance, without burnout.

If you missed it, or would like to watch it again, you can access the full replay below.

Inside, you will discover:

• how to package your OT skills into a high ticket offer
• how to double your income in half the time
• how to grow your business without sacrificing your health or values
• the simplest path from clinician to online entrepreneur

Watch The OT Freedom Formula Replay here