Mackenzie Belcastro: Redefining Success by Slowing Down

Mackenzie Belcastro didn’t plan to become a coach. She didn’t even know she needed one—until life nudged her to take a different path.

After years of moving fast through the fashion industry and later, the world of freelance writing and social media marketing, Mackenzie began to feel like something wasn’t right. “I was disconnected all day till like 7 p.m.,” she said. “And then it was like trying to climb back into my own skin.”

It wasn’t burnout in the traditional sense. It was more like a whisper—a quiet knowing that the pace she was living wasn’t sustainable. “I had to come back to myself,” she said. “It was almost like I was wearing someone else’s life.”

So she stepped off the treadmill. First came part-time work at an art gallery. Then came $10 freelance writing gigs. Then, unexpectedly, she found herself supporting coaches with their online presence. That’s when the lightbulb clicked: she wasn’t meant to be behind the scenes. She was meant to be in the room.

“I realized I was in a shadow career,” Mackenzie said. “It’s like when you’re an agent but really want to be an actor. You’re in the right world—just not in the right role.”

Still, stepping into the spotlight wasn’t easy. Years of imposter syndrome had trained her to stay small. But coaching others gave her something she hadn’t expected: clarity. “The more I helped others find their voice, the more I found mine.”

Today, Mackenzie coaches primarily women in their twenties and thirties who are trying to do the same—come back to who they really are. Some are high-achieving perfectionists; others feel overwhelmed and stuck. But Mackenzie sees a common thread.

“Both ends of the spectrum are disempowered,” she said. “It’s about building self-trust. That’s the center I try to bring people back to.”

Her tools are simple—but not easy. She teaches presence. Stillness. The power of 30 seconds of silence. “It’s so wildly profound and yet people overlook it because it sounds too simple,” she said. “But you can’t heal if you don’t even know where you are.”

It’s taken Mackenzie years to build her own systems for getting through tough times. Meditation, somatic healing, faith. “I used to study rest,” she joked. “Like, literally read books about it, but I couldn’t stop running around. I was studying how to be still instead of being still.”

What finally changed things was the realization that the “dark” moments—panic attacks, confusion, heartbreak—weren’t barriers. They were teachers. “The dark is just the light wearing a mask,” she said. “It’s all here to serve us.”

That shift in perspective has not only grounded her—it’s magnetized others. “I’ve had the most people contact me when I’m calm,” she said. “That’s when the energy is right. That’s when things flow.”

Her call to action? Start small. “Can you give yourself 30 seconds of silence? Just one moment without grabbing your phone or doing the next thing. That tiny moment can start to shift your entire reality.”

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by life’s pace or unsure of your place in it, Mackenzie’s story is proof that slowing down can be the most radical step forward.