Beyond Awareness: Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing
by Samantha Hawley
283. How to Stop People Pleasing and Still Be Seen as Sweet |…
About this podcast
Beyond Awareness (formerly Journal Entries) is for successful women in leadership and business who know exactly what they need to do but can't make themselves do it.
You know you need to prioritize yourself, delegate more, set boundaries, stop bringing work home. You've tried therapy, coaching, retreats. You know the solution - but you either can't follow through, or when you DO, it doesn't stick.
Host Samantha Hawley helps business owners and executives earning $100k+ excavate the root beliefs underneath the execution gap. Why do you keep not doing the thing? Why doesn't it feel better when you do? Using strategic journaling and emotional excavation, we go beyond awareness into why you're actually stuck in the pattern.
This isn't about more tactics or tips. This is about understanding why awareness isn't enough and what actually needs to shift for you to change.
You'll hear about: decision fatigue, why you can't prioritize yourself, nervous system regulation, being present with your kids, root cause of overwhelm, why boundaries don't stick, self-sabotage patterns, and how your internal state impacts everything.
Perfect for: Female CFOs, VPs, directors, executives, business owners, and women in leadership who are tired of knowing what's wrong but not being able to change it.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 283 episodes
- 283. How to Stop People Pleasing and Still Be Seen as Sweet | Revisited · 17 min · Season 4 Episode 283Being seen as sweet can feel like a compliment until you start wondering whether people take you seriously. You hold back what you really want to say, avoid asking for what you…
- 282. Why Your Overwhelm at Work Is Actually a Communication Problem · 21 min · Season 4 Episode 282Lately, I've been feeling the pressure of trying to keep up with everything. Between running businesses, working with clients, parenting, and managing family commitments, I've…
- 281. Why You Become More Strict With Food in Certain Seasons of Life · 22 min · Season 4 Episode 281For a long time, I thought I was just being healthy. I was a health and wellness coach, after all. I didn't question the cleanses, the strict food rules, or the pressure I put on…
- 280. How to Work Without Feeling Like You're Choosing Your Career Over Your Kids · 22 min · Season 4 Episode 280I thought having more time to work would make me feel less behind. Instead, I found myself feeling guilty when I worked and overwhelmed when I didn't. And when my son told me, “I…
- 279. Why You Can Get Things Done Under Pressure but Can't Start Them Earlier · 34 min · Season 4 Episode 279Procrastination can feel like a superpower when you know you can pull it all together at the last minute. But what if the pressure you rely on to get things done is also part of…
- 278. The Things That Made You Successful Might Be What's Keeping You Stuck · 39 min · Season 4 Episode 278You know what you want. You know you’re exhausted. You know you need to stop doing everything yourself, set better boundaries, speak up, or finally change the way you’re working…
- 277. How to Stop September Stress From Following You Into October · 16 min · Season 4 Episode 277September can bring this strange pressure to get your life back on track. New routines, new goals, getting back into work, ending the year strong. But what if you’re already…
- 276. From Copying Others to Trusting Your Own Ideas · 19 min · Season 4 Episode 276You don’t need their ideas...you need to trust your own. I was sitting in a doctor’s office reading an email I loved, and within seconds I was thinking, “Wait, I should be doing…
- 275. You Already Know What to Do. So Why Aren’t You Doing It? Feat. Jenna D'Annunzio · 42 min · Season 4 Episode 275You can read all the books. Listen to all the podcasts. Know exactly what you should be doing and still find yourself doing the same thing. That was one of my favorite parts of…
- 274. You’re Not Saying Yes Because You Want To - You’re Saying Yes to Keep the Peace · 40 min · Season 4 Episode 274I still think about the $30 Bumblebee toy from Target. My son wanted to ride it through the store, and I said yes, with the very clear boundary that we were not buying it. Then…
- 273. Journal With Me: Why You Keep Doing Things You Don't Want to Do · 11 min · Season 4 Episode 273You know you don't want to keep doing it, but somehow you keep doing the same thing anyway. Maybe you keep overcommitting. Maybe you push through when you need to stop. Maybe…
- 272. Why You Keep Overachieving Even When You Know You're Exhausted - with Holly Beitel · 35 min · Season 4 Episode 272The to do list keeps growing, the next goal is already waiting, and slowing down doesn't feel as satisfying as getting one more thing done. From the outside, it can look like…
- 271. Journal With Me: Figuring Out Where Your Life Is Pointing You · 10 min · Season 4 Episode 271You might be looking for clarity about what comes next, what you actually want, or whether the things happening in your life mean anything at all. But what if you stopped trying…
- 270. The #1 question for when you’re not getting what you want · 18 min · Season 4 Episode 270I’ve been thinking about one question a lot lately: What feedback is the universe showing me? Not what do I want to happen. Not what do I think should be happening. What is…
- 269. Journal With Me: From ‘I’m Not Ready’ to Letting Yourself Be Seen · 9 min · Season 4 Episode 269You keep telling yourself you're not ready. The website needs work. The logo isn't quite right. The offer needs one more tweak. But what if being "not ready" isn't really the…
- 268. You’re Not Procrastinating on Building Your Brand - You’re Waiting to Feel Ready (with Morgan Specht) · 37 min · Season 4 Episode 268You’ve got a logo. You’ve picked your colors. Maybe you’ve even built the website. And somehow, you’re still waiting to feel ready to actually put yourself out there. Morgan…
- 267. Journal With Me: How to Know When to Let Go vs. Pivot · 10 min · Season 4 Episode 267Some things become heavy because they were never yours to carry. Some become heavy because the way you're carrying them isn't working anymore. Those aren't the same thing. If…
- 266. The Real Reason Things You Love Start Feeling Like Obligations - And What to Do Instead (Part 3) · 17 min · Season 4 Episode 266Something changes when the things you once loved start feeling heavy. The project you chose. The hobby you couldn't wait to begin. The commitment that once gave you energy…
- 265. Journal With Me: When Your To Do List Starts Defining Who You Are · 8 min · Season 4 Episode 265Some things stay on your plate long after they've stopped serving you. Not because they have to, but because somewhere along the way they became part of who you believe you need…
- 264. What Makes Your Mental Load Heavier Than It Needs to Be (Part 2) · 28 min · Season 4 Episode 264Some things land on your plate because life asks them of you. Others show up so quietly that you don't even notice you've picked them up. A workout because everyone else is doing…
- 263. Journal With Me: Peace Isn't Something You Earn · 11 min · Season 4 Episode 263The hardest part isn't always knowing how you want to feel. It's believing you're allowed to feel that way before everything is finished. Peace can seem like something you have…
- 262. How to Stop Feeling Drained Without Doing Less · 18 min · Season 4 Episode 262You can wake up with the best intentions, move through your day doing all the "right" things, and still find yourself completely wiped out before dinner. For a long time, I…
- 261. Journal With Me: Why a Finished To Do List Still Has Your Brain in Overdrive · 10 min · Season 4 Episode 261One of the hardest parts about carrying a full mental load is that finishing everything rarely feels the way you imagined it would. The emails are sent. The laundry is folded…
- 260. The Real Reason You Can't Make the Change You Already Know You Need - with LauraAura · 40 min · Season 4 Episode 260Making a big change rarely comes down to not knowing what to do. More often, the answer is already there. It's been sitting quietly underneath the overthinking, the people…
- 259. Girls Just Want to Exhale: Why Connection Matters More Than Self Care · 22 min · Season 4 Episode 259Your to do list gets shorter, but something still feels heavy. The work gets done. The laundry gets folded. Everyone else seems taken care of, yet your body never really settles…
- 258. Are You Exercising Out of People Pleasing? · 12 min · Season 4 Episode 258You skip a workout and the guilt shows up almost immediately. It feels like you've failed before the day has even started. Somewhere along the way, exercise stopped feeling like…
- 257. How to Feel Happier Today (Without Changing Your Circumstances) · 9 min · Season 4 Episode 257You keep thinking happiness is waiting for you somewhere else. On the next holiday. The next girls' night. The next massage. The next time life finally slows down. Then the trip…
- 256. From Waiting for Vacation to Feeling Fulfilled on a Random Tuesday · 10 min · Season 4 Episode 256Travel has become one of those goals almost everyone shares. The next vacation. The next retreat. The next chance to get away for a while. But after hearing the same thing in…
- 255. How to Start Delegating Without Feeling Guilty or Out of Control (Part 2) · 14 min · Season 4 Episode 255The task is sitting there waiting to be handed off. Maybe you've hired support. Maybe your team is capable. Maybe your partner keeps offering to help. But somehow, it still feels…
- 254. From Self-Doubt to Self-Trust: What Happens After You Finally Choose Yourself - with Maddie Elysse · 33 min · Season 4 Episode 254Sometimes the hardest part isn't making the decision. It's staying with it. The initial clarity fades. Doubt gets louder. What once felt obvious suddenly feels uncertain. A…
- 253. Why You Still Can't Delegate Even Though You're Burnt Out (Part 1) · 15 min · Season 4 Episode 253Delegation isn't usually a systems problem. Most people already know what they could hand off. They've thought about hiring. They've considered asking for help. They've…
- 252. What Actually Helped Me When Something Felt Off & What Happened When I Stopped Fixing It · 11 min · Season 4 Episode 252Your life looks good on paper. The business is working. The relationships are there. You're doing everything you're supposed to do. But something feels off, and you can't quite…
- 251. The First Question to Ask Yourself When You're Overwhelmed · 9 min · Season 4 Episode 251You finally sit down for the night, but your mind is already making tomorrow's to do list. You're halfway through a conversation with your partner while mentally drafting an…
- 250. From People Pleasing and Perfectionism to Self-Trust: What Ambitious Women Need to Know - with Dr. Anne Welsh · 37 min · Season 4 Episode 250Perfectionism, people pleasing, and pretending you have it all together are often talked about as personality traits. What if they're actually survival strategies? In this…
- 249. Journal With Me: What Feels Unsafe About Slowing Down · 9 min · Season 4 Episode 249You have a list. Maybe it's on paper. Maybe it's in your phone. Maybe it's running through your head right now. And if someone told you to put that list away for a week, no…
- 248. What If Your To-Do List Is Keeping You Overwhelmed? · 15 min · Season 4 Episode 248Your desk is covered in sticky notes. There are reminders on your phone, notes in a notebook somewhere, and a running mental list that never seems to stop. Crossing things off…
- 247. Journal With Me: What Feels Safe About Staying Stuck? · 14 min · Season 4 Episode 247You keep thinking about making the change. Setting the boundary. Starting the thing. Having the hard conversation. But somehow, you keep ending up back in the same place. Not…
- 246. Why “Doing It All” Still Never Feels Like Enough · 17 min · Season 4 Episode 246I’ve noticed that so many women already know they’re overwhelmed. We know we’re carrying too much. We know we’re stuck in “I should” thoughts all day long. But what actually…
- 245. Journal With Me: From Fear of Change to Trusting What’s Pulling You Forward · 8 min · Season 4 Episode 245Something in life isn’t fitting the way it used to. The path that once made sense now feels heavy, forced, or disconnected from who you actually are. But walking away from it…
- 244. How to Reinvent Yourself After Outgrowing the Life You Built - with Diane Van Staden · 43 min · Season 4 Episode 244Closing your laptop at the end of the day but still feeling emotionally tied to a life that no longer fits. Looking around at everything you’ve built and quietly thinking, “Why…
- 243. How to Notice Your Growth (Instead of Only Seeing What’s Left) | Journaling · 7 min · Season 4 Episode 243The goals keep moving. The to do list keeps growing. And without even realizing it, it becomes easy to measure life by everything that still hasn’t happened yet. A version of you…
- 242. How to Come Back to Yourself (From Constant Noise to Clear Intuition) · 22 min · Season 4 Episode 242Constant input from social media, business advice, trends, and other people’s opinions can slowly pull you away from yourself without you even realizing it. What feels inspiring…
- 241. Journal With Me: How to Shift Your Identity (Even When It Feels True) · 11 min · Season 4 Episode 241You keep telling yourself this is just who I am. It sounds true. Being messy. Always late. Bad with money. The one who doesn’t follow through. You’ve said it enough times that it…
- 240. From Doing Business the “Right Way” to Creating What Actually Feels Aligned · 26 min · Season 4 Episode 240Something starts to feel off, even when everything looks like it’s working. The offers are selling. The structure makes sense. On paper, it’s solid. But underneath that, there’s…
- 239. Journal With Me: When Your Life Looks Nothing Like You Expected · 11 min · Season 4 Episode 239You thought your life would look different by now. Different relationships. Different pace. Different version of you. And instead, you’re here. Trying to make sense of a reality…
- 238. What Changes When You Stop Waiting for Life to Feel the Way You Want · 15 min · Season 4 Episode 238Turning a year older is supposed to feel a certain way. More settled. More clear. Like things have clicked into place. But that’s not always the case. Life still feels like it's…
- 237. Journal With Me: How to Make Decisions Faster (When You Keep Putting Things Off) · 11 min · Season 4 Episode 237There’s always that one thing sitting in the background. The email draft, the decision that hasn’t been made, the task that keeps getting pushed to later. It starts small, but it…
- 236. The Simple Way to Start Decluttering & Feel Less Overwhelmed with Tracy Hoth · 32 min · Season 4 Episode 236There’s always that one thing you keep meaning to get to. Clear the desk. Tackle the closet. Finally deal with the pile that’s been sitting there for weeks. But when the moment…
- 235. From Rushing and Always Being Late to Calm Mornings (Why It’s So Hard to Slow Down) · 36 min · Season 4 Episode 235You tell yourself to slow down. You know rushing doesn’t feel good. But somehow you’re still filling every spare minute, still leaving late, still carrying that tension into your…
- 234. Journal With Me: From Staying Quiet to Speaking Up. The Beliefs That Made You a People Pleaser · 13 min · Season 4 Episode 234You had something to say. You felt it come up. And then you pushed it down. You told yourself it’s not necessary. That it’s better to keep things smooth. But later, you’re still…







