Are You Solving the Problem or the Symptom?

May 15, 2025

Ever tried fixing a leaky faucet, only to find your whole pipe system’s blown beneath the surface? That’s the difference between solving a symptom and solving the real problem.

In this high-frequency episode of the Crown Yourself Podcast, Kimberly Spencer dives into the energetic and subconscious misalignments that sabotage your business strategies. Through a real-world client case study, she unearths what happens when you follow a strategy that “should” work—but doesn’t feel aligned.

Whether you're stuck in hustle-mode, tweaking marketing tactics that don’t convert, or questioning why your offers aren’t landing, this is your invitation to stop treating leaves and start pulling roots. Kimberly breaks down how identity-coded beliefs, energetic dissonance, and lack of soul alignment are often the real culprits behind your "strategy problems."

If you’ve been posting on social but not getting traction, hiring help without clarity, or throwing spaghetti strategies at a wall, this episode is your wake-up call to sovereignty.

Learn how to read the feedback loops your business is showing you, align with your true path, and solve problems from the inside-out.

Queen, it’s time to rise—not by doing more, but by being more aligned.

Enjoy, sovereigns!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or your favorite podcast listening platform. You can also watch the episode on Youtube.

Are You Solving the Problem—Or Just the Symptom?

00:00 – Introduction: A Leaky Faucet and Bursting Pipes

Kimberly Spencer:
Fixing a leaky faucet won't help if your pipes are bursting underground. In this episode, we're practicing the art of discernment in problem solving—so you can see as a leader if you're solving the problem or just a symptom.

Before we dive in, let me tell you about the book that started a podcasting revolution: Make Every Podcast Want You. It's your mic drop moment. Grab your copy in the link below.

00:58 – Welcome to the Crown Yourself Podcast

Kimberly Spencer:
Welcome to the Crown Yourself podcast, where together we build your empire and transform subconscious stories. I'm your host, Kimberly Spencer—founder of CrownYourself.com, master mindset coach, TEDx speaker, and a game changer for my clients.

01:40 – Real Talk: Business + Babies + Batching

I'm here today with my daughter bouncing in the Bjorn, and we’re batching podcasts like a queen on a Friday. Whether it's Monday, Sunday, or midweek—I'm glad you're here. We're continuing our problem solving series because so many high performers right now are solving the wrong problems.

02:44 – The Goal: Greater Sovereignty Through Tools

Whether or not you work with me (I'd love it if it aligns!), I want you to have the tools to solve your own problems. Sovereignty means ownership, accountability, and discernment. That’s where true leadership is forged.

03:18 – Strategy Misalignment: A Client Case Study

Here’s where I see the problem vs. symptom distinction clearly. A woman invited me to speak at her summit, but in our conversation I asked, “Do you like summits?”

She said, “Not really.”

I asked, “Then why are you hosting one?”

She admitted it didn’t yield real sales. It grew her list—but that was it.

So I declined to participate, but invited her to look deeper. She was solving a symptom—“I need a list”—with a strategy that was totally misaligned.

05:00 – All Strategies Work… But Not for Everyone

All strategies work—for someone. But not all strategies work for you.

If you don’t enjoy summits, you won’t show up energetically. You’ll attract people who don’t show up either. Like attracts like.

We shifted her approach to a marketing strategy based on her strengths—conversations and live events. Suddenly, conversions spiked. Because the root problem wasn’t the offer—it was misalignment.

07:25 – Symptoms That Pretend to Be Problems

Kimberly Spencer:
Sometimes you think you have a lead generation problem, but what you actually have is a fear of visibility, or a lack of clarity.

You hustle for inconsistent income
You tweak strategy for low energy
You hire help, but what you need is inner work

I’ve made that mistake too. Revenue grows, you hire fast—but often, the problem is clarity, not capacity.

08:26 – Root Cause > Quick Fix

If the root of the problem is unworthiness or inner conflict, no external fix will work long-term. We have to trace the feedback loops:

Nervous system responses
Belief systems
Business systems

They all show you where the misalignment lives.

09:17 – Profit First: A Personal System Failure

Back in 2020, we skyrocketed our profits 300% using Profit First. We grew again in 2021, stabilized in 2022… then it tanked in 2023-24. Why?

Because I got lazy with implementation. I tweaked the system instead of sticking to it.

Let my mistake be your lesson: Systems point to misalignment. We don’t solve systems with tactics. We shift patterns with presence.

10:00 – Rip Out the Roots, Not Just the Leaves

Symptoms = leaves.
Beliefs = roots.

Pulling weeds in my garden reminded me: If you don’t get the root, the weed comes back next season.

Discernment in problem solving means knowing when to dig deeper.

12:08 – Use Your Language to Detect Beliefs

Listen to your language:

“I always mess this up.”
“This is too hard.”
“I just need more time.”

Those aren’t surface complaints. They are identity-coded beliefs.

13:12 – Visibility ≠ Just Posting on Social Media

Think posting daily is a visibility strategy? Think again. That’s not “social.” Social means connecting—commenting, conversing, building community.

If you're just posting but not engaging, you’re not being social on social media. That’s why it’s not working.

14:18 – Healing Systems, Not Treating Symptoms

Kimberly Spencer:
Look at how you’re framing problems:

Is your offer out of alignment?
Is your strategy outdated?
Are you burned out?

Maybe it’s time to realign with your deeper purpose.

15:08 – Your Problems Are Just Data

Problems are data. Here’s how to read them:

Am I not trusting myself?
Am I building community or just broadcasting?
Am I acting from soul or “shoulds”?

This is real problem solving—going inward for solutions, not band-aids.

15:55 – Need Help Solving the Real Problem?

If you’re ready to solve the actual problems, not just treat symptoms, then book your Ascension Acceleration Consult.

We’ll:

Identify 5 core business problems
Unlock 5 subconscious success strategies
Craft your Power to Profit Plan (potential to 3x your sales)

Spots are limited—reserve yours now via the link below.

16:23 – Wrap-Up: Own Your Throne

Kimberly Spencer:
As always, my fellow sovereigns—Own your throne. Mind your business. Your reign is now.

If this episode resonated, subscribe and share it. Create your royal ripple.

Connect with me @crownyourself.now for more sovereignty, success, and subconscious magic.