Lessons for feeling more comfortable online 

By Angélique Binet, Founder of Social Media Love

As women entrepreneurs, we pour our hearts and souls into our businesses. We work long hours, overcome countless obstacles, and strive to make our mark in the world. But when it comes to showing up online and promoting our businesses, too many of us are hiding. In my recent TEDx talk in Atlanta, Georgia, I delved into this issue and shared why it’s time for women entrepreneurs to reclaim their power and stop hiding from the very platforms that can propel their businesses to new heights.

The Cost of Hiding

What I’m about to tell you makes me both sad and mad: why are so many women entrepreneurs hiding online?

Recently, I wanted to organize a happy hour for women entrepreneurs in my local community. I was excited to support local businesses by hiring them for food, drinks, flowers, and the venue. I was given some names by friends, and naturally, I went to look them up on Facebook. But what I found—or rather, what I didn’t find—was troubling.

I scrolled through their posts, hoping to get a sense of what they offered. Instead, I found shared content from contests, pictures of the last sandwich they ate, and the occasional political rant. I kept scrolling, three months deep, and still had no idea what their services were.

As women entrepreneurs, we should absolutely share personal moments and other content on social media. But if you’re not regularly telling your audience what you sell, what it looks like, how it works, and who it’s for, you’re burying your passion and expertise under a pile of random posts.

“Listen, I am your potential client, and when I NEED you, I need it now… If I have to scroll forever, more than 9 posts, forget about it. I will find someone else.”

I see this every day, and it’s heartbreaking. I know what it takes to build a business—the passion, the long hours—and I don’t want to see women entrepreneurs hiding their brilliance any longer. It’s time to stop hiding and take back your power.

Strategy is Overrated: Your Voice is Your Power

In my TEDx talk, I shared insights from a personal visibility research experiment where I studied 100 female entrepreneurs. What I discovered is that when it comes to self-promotion, it’s rarely just a strategy problem.

“When the sensation of feeling ‘stuck’ shows up, it’s actually the sign of a growth edge—not defeat.”

I call this the “Quiet Season Syndrome.” It’s that phase where nothing seems to work—no new clients, just crickets. This syndrome often causes women to retreat even more. They change their strategy, lower their prices, change their offers, and start all over. They cry, they feel miserable, and they doubt themselves.

But here’s the truth: there are about 5 billion people on social media—66% of the world’s population. That’s a lot of eyes and a lot of potential clients. It can feel overwhelming, but it’s also an incredible opportunity.

I remember my first Facebook Live. I was a cooking instructor at the time, and I did a video on eight fun ways to eat avocados. I felt ridiculous, and I thought no one was listening. But two weeks later, in the grocery store, a stranger recognized me and thanked me for the video because her picky eater son now loved avocados.

This moment taught me something valuable:

“You never know who’s watching! AND there is always someone watching. That means that once you get VISIBLE you ARE SEEN… and you are finally DISCOVERABLE.”

Your voice is your power. Don’t let fear or overwhelm keep you from showing up online.

The Real Reason Women Are Hiding

So why are women entrepreneurs with so much expertise, passion, and experience hiding from the eyes of the internet? What are they afraid of? What monster is coming at them?

In my research, I saw a common trait among the women I worked with: they were experiencing internal conflicts that were depleting their self-esteem. They told themselves stories like, “I don’t have time to post this week,” or “I’m not sure it’s the right way to say this.” These stories were rooted in deep-seated fears of rejection, judgment, and not being enough of an expert.

“Just like you, these women still believed the voices of their childhood that kept them small, such as ‘sit down, be quiet,’ ‘go to your room, you’re too loud,’ or ‘you have nothing to say, you’re just a kid.'”

These fears kept them from charging premium prices, asking for the sale, and showing up consistently online. They were hiding from their potential clients and from themselves.

The Solution: Heal Your Insecurities, Reclaim Your Voice

Here’s where the magic happens. I noticed that the deeper these women were willing to go in and heal their insecurities and the stories attached to them, the more natural it became for them to communicate with their audience. They realized their mission was way bigger than their fear.

Your mind and body will do everything to stop you from becoming visible. But you can’t let your mind run the show when it comes to showing up online. Your mind uses fear to keep you from taking action, but once you know this, everything changes.

“It’s never just about the strategy… it’s about how to become the next level of YOU. And it starts within.”

I introduced these women to a new way of approaching online visibility through exercises for the nervous system, such as reconnecting with the breath. Simple breathing exercises can make a huge difference before posting or going live. When you’re not breathing, you hijack your nervous system, and stress ramps up. When you’re stressed, you hide and shrink, and your mind wins while your dreams lose.

Conclusion: Stop Hiding, Start Thriving

The thing is, you don’t know what you don’t know. Yes, you need a marketing strategy, but it has to tie to the strings of your heart. Otherwise, your posts won’t resonate with your audience.

No more hiding from yourself. You are a big deal, and your future clients need you.

What will be your “avocado moment”? What are you willing to share with the world from your heart that may just change how you show up online?

Let’s stop hiding and start thriving. Watch my full TEDx talk here for more insights and inspiration. Your business deserves to shine, and so do you.