Your Next Chapter Requires You to Let Go of Perfection and Control by Monique Caradine-Kitchens

In my last article, I shared a conversation between my best friend and me. We are two women in our 50s, both solopreneurs, and we’ve become accustomed to carrying the full weight of our businesses and our decisions. The conversation that day reminded us that operating this way for prolonged periods of time can hinder our growth.

Since then, I’ve been thinking about something else that tends to hinder the growth of so many women: Perfectionism.

Not the neat, organized, color-coded kind. I’m talking about the deeper kind that turns bold ideas into endless planning…the kind where big dreams turn into delayed action.

For women who are leaders, professionals, and business owners, perfectionism often disguises itself as responsibility. We want to get it right. We don’t want to let people down. We don’t want to fail publicly. So we wait until we “feel” ready. All of which is rooted in a need for control as well as fear (that’s a whole topic for another day).

But here’s the truth: you do not have to feel ready to take action.

This is why accountability is so important. You see, accountability doesn’t demand perfection. It creates space and gives permission for you to move forward without perfection.

When you have accountability, you stop asking, “Is this perfect?” Instead, you ask, “Did I take the next step?”

That shift matters because perfection will keep you stuck in planning mode. You’ll spend your time researching, refining, re-writing. Accountability, on the other hand, will keep you in progress mode…’cause baby sometimes you gotta build the plane as you fly it!

This is why I am so passionate about accountability. Having the right coach or accountability partner interrupts the perfectionism patterns in powerful ways:

1. It replaces self-judgment with forward motion.
Instead of beating yourself up for what you didn’t do, you focus on what you will do next.

2. It makes progress visible.
Small, consistent steps become measurable wins, which builds confidence faster than waiting for a perfect launch.

3. It normalizes growth in real time.
You stop treating learning curves as failures and start seeing them as part of expansion.

Here’s what I believe deeply: At this stage of life and leadership, women don’t need more pressure to perform. We need space (and maybe sometimes permission) to progress. That’s what you get through accountability.

It’s like having someone whose main purpose is to walk with you on your journey to wherever you want to go. Someone who can say, “You said this mattered. Let’s take the next step together.”

I’ve learned that that kind of support doesn’t make you weaker. It literally gives you wings to fly. Because when you’re not spending all your energy trying to be “perfect,” you finally have the capacity to be audacious.

In the next article, we’ll talk about what accountability looks like in practice, how to choose the right support, and why who you allow to walk with you matters just as much as the goals you set.

Let me close by asking you this:

What would move forward in your life or business if you stopped waiting to be ready and started allowing yourself to be supported?

Monique Caradine-Kitchens is the founder of OverFlow Enterprises, a company that offers coaching, content, and community for women leaders 45 and older.

With a background in TV & radio and a heart for empowering people, Monique has helped women launch podcasts, build brands, start businesses, tell their stories, and monetize their genius.

Monique has been featured on the top national media outlets, including CNN, National Public Radio, FOX News, ESSENCE Magazine, SIRIUS XM, BlackEnterprise.com, and many more.

Since 2023, her company has produced three podcast series, two of which have reached the top 10% of podcasts globally. These days, Monique’s goal is to help women succeed while prioritizing ease, grace, accountability, and rest. She can be reached via LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/MoniqueCaradine