Why I Stopped Building a Business Under a Name That Wasn’t Mine

Why I Changed My Name (And Why It Matters to You)

Let’s talk about something I’ve avoided saying out loud for a while my name.

Christina Saffioti.
The name I took in marriage. A name that has lived on every client document, podcast interview, and email footer since I started my business.

It’s still my legal name. It’s my children’s name. And it will remain a family name we carry forward, together.

But for me, as a founder, a leader, a woman rebuilding every time I said that name out loud, it felt like swallowing glass.

I don’t have an Italian background. I’ve got a British accent, an Aussie postcode, and the vibe of a Northern girl who says it how it is.

So every time I had to explain my surname, where it came from, why it didn’t “match”. I wasn’t just clarifying pronunciation. I was reliving years of pain.

A difficult marriage. Divorce. Legal battles. Co-parenting stress that still hasn’t let up.

The name started to feel like a battle scar I wore in public.

And that’s not the energy I want to build a legacy on.

From Now On: Chrissy Elle

So I’m stepping forward as Chrissy Elle. Elle, short for Michelle, my middle name. The one that’s always felt like mine.

This isn’t about erasing the past. It’s about choosing who gets to come into the future.

It’s about growing a brand, a business, and a life in a name that reflects the strength, clarity, and identity I’ve reclaimed.

This isn’t a rebrand. It’s a realignment.

And if you’ve ever felt like your business no longer fits who you are… this is your reminder that it’s okay to change.

Growth Isn’t Just Strategy. It’s Identity.

I talk about business growth every day.

But real growth? It’s personal first. Strategic second.

Most of the clients I work with are stuck running businesses built by their past selves:

• Roles designed for “just me and a VA”
• Systems duct-taped together in survival mode
• Leadership styles that don’t match who they are now

If your business hasn’t evolved with your identity, it will start to feel like a trap.

Life Events Are Leadership Events

Marriage, divorce, burnout, medical diagnoses, grief, joy, fertility struggles, pregnancy, motherhood… all of it affects how you lead.

But most founders keep leading through it in silence.

You adapt. Quietly.
You show up. Stretched.
You wonder why the business feels heavier even when it’s growing.

Spoiler: it’s not just the workload. It’s misalignment.

Your leadership must evolve as you do. Otherwise, you become the bottleneck in your own business.

Leadership That Reflects Who You Actually Are

I’ve rebuilt every part of my leadership model to reflect who I am now.

Not the version of me who was staying up ‘til 1am writing SOPs.
Not the version who did everything solo.
Not the version who clung to old roles and old names because change felt too big.

Now, I build teams that can run without me.
Systems that reflect how my brain works.
And I help my clients do the same.

Because your role should evolve with your growth not work against it.

3 Signs You’re Leading From the Past

1. You’re still the answer to every team question
2. Your brand and systems reflect who you were, not who you are
3. You feel disconnected from your own business

Sound familiar? That’s your sign.

Let’s Realign Your Business Around the Real You

If your business is scaling, but your systems, team structure, and leadership model haven’t caught up it’s time.

You don’t have to figure it all out alone. You don’t have to lead in silence. And you sure as hell don’t have to keep building in a name or a role that no longer fits.

This is the work I do with founders every day.

Let’s get your business out of the past and built for the leader you’ve become.

Book a Free 30-Minute Clarity Call

We’ll identify what’s out of sync, and map a leadership structure that supports your next level with systems that grow as you do.

You’re not the same and that’s the whole point.

Let’s build a business that finally reflects that.

Chrissy Elle
Founder | Grow Advantage
Helping visionary founders become strategic CEOs without the burnout, the bottlenecks, or the old identity holding them back.