You told yourself you'd say no this time. But when they asked, you said yes anyway. Again.

This is a continuation of part three of the Beyond Awareness series that was aired on Tuesday. Today, we're journaling through what you're actually afraid will happen if you say no.

You're not saying yes because you want to help. You're saying yes because you think saying no means something about who you are as a person.

Journaling Prompts:

1. Think about something you recently said yes to that you didn’t actually want to do. What was it? Why did you say yes? What did saying yes give you in that moment? Did it make you feel needed, helpful, like a good person, like a team player?

2. Imagine you had said no. Walk through what you think would have happened. Would they have been disappointed? Would they have thought less of you? Would you have felt selfish or guilty? What is the worst case scenario your brain was trying to avoid?

3. If you weren’t the one everyone could count on. If you weren’t the person who always said yes and showed up… If you chose yourself and said no confidently…What would that mean about you? Would people still like you?Would you still be a good leader, mom, partner, friend? Would you still be worthy of your success?

4. What would you need to believe about yourself or trust about your relationships to say no without guilt? Finish this sentence: I’m allowed to say no to ______ without it meaning ______.

If you notice that you’ve been saying yes to prove you’re kind, capable, or worthy, that’s the belief that needs to shift.

1. Breakthrough Intensive - You already know you should slow down, delegate more, stop overcommitting & be emotionally present. So why can't you? That's what we figure out in 90 minutes + integration call 2 weeks later. Book your Breakthrough
2. Exhale: Private Coaching - For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 4 open spots: Work with me
3. Free Calm Mind Blueprint: http://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-pod

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You know your calendar is full. You know you don’t actually have the capacity. And somehow you still hear yourself say, “Sure.”

Then comes the frustration. The self-judgment. The quiet resentment. And the promise that next time you’ll handle it differently. But next time looks exactly the same.

This isn’t about better boundaries. It’s not about finding the perfect script. It’s about the belief underneath the yes. The one that says saying no makes you selfish. Or a bad boss. Or a bad mom. The one that quietly ties your worth to being needed.

In this final part of the Beyond Awareness series, we’re looking at the real reason you keep overcommitting, even when you know better. Why awareness alone hasn’t changed the pattern.

Because the shift isn’t becoming more disciplined. It’s building self-trust.

This is the layer beneath the mental load and beneath delegation. This is where real change starts.

1. Breakthrough Intensive - You already know you should slow down, delegate more, stop overcommitting & be emotionally present. So why can't you? That's what we figure out in 90 minutes + integration call 2 weeks later. Book your Breakthrough
2. Exhale: Private Coaching - For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 4 open spots: Work with me

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You’re not doing everything yourself because you want to. You’re doing it because letting go feels risky.

You step in before things fall apart. You tell yourself it’s faster if you do it yourself. And somehow, you’re still the one carrying it all.

This episode builds on Part Two of the Beyond Awareness series.

Journal Prompts to Help You Stop Doing Everything Yourself

1. Name one task at work you’re still doing even though someone else could handle it. Why are you really holding onto this? Not the surface reason. The honest one.
2. Imagine you delegated this and it was done differently than you would do it. What do you believe would happen next? What is the worst-case outcome your mind is trying to prevent?
3. If you weren’t the one checking, fixing, or holding everything together, who would you be? What would that mean about your value, your role, or how you’re seen?
4. What would you need to believe about yourself, your work, or the people around you to let this go? What permission do you need to give yourself?

If something came up while you were writing, that’s the point. You didn’t need a better system. You found the belief running the pattern.

1. Breakthrough Intensive - You already know you should slow down, delegate more, stop overcommitting & be emotionally present. So why can't you? That's what we figure out in 90 minutes + integration call 2 weeks later. Book your Breakthrough
2. Exhale: Private Coaching - For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 4 open spots: Work with me

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You know you need help. You’re exhausted. And still, your plate is full.

You’ve thought about delegating. You may have even tried. And yet nothing really changes. You’re still involved in everything. Still answering questions. Still carrying more than you want to.

In part 2 of the Beyond Awareness series, we’re looking at the gap between knowing you need to let go and actually being able to do it. Not from a systems or strategy perspective, but from what’s happening underneath.

Because for many people, delegation doesn’t feel hard because of logistics. It feels hard because it touches something deeper. The fear of what might happen if you step back.

Awareness alone doesn’t break these patterns. That’s why even with support, tools, or good intentions, the cycle keeps repeating.

If you want help but don’t trust that letting go won’t cost you something, this episode will help you understand why.

1. Breakthrough Intensive - You already know you should slow down, delegate more, stop overcommitting & be emotionally present. So why can't you? That's what we figure out in 90 minutes + integration call 2 weeks later. Book your Breakthrough
2. Exhale: Private Coaching - For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 4 open spots: Work with me

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You’re not doing anything wrong. But you are carrying far more than your brain was meant to hold. The lists. The reminders. The mental tabs you keep open so nothing falls apart.

If you’re the person who remembers everything, anticipates everything, and keeps everything moving, this one is for you.

This episode builds on Part One of the Beyond Awareness series. If you listened on Tuesday, you identified the thought loop behind your mental load. Today, we slow it down and give your brain space to let go.

1. List everything that is currently taking up space in your brain right now. Work and home tasks.Things you’re afraid you’ll forget. Decisions you haven’t made yet. Don’t organize it. Don’t clean it up. Just write what’s actually there.
2. From that list, choose the thing that feels most urgent or most stressful. Ask yourself what you believe will happen if you stop thinking about this. If you let it go. If you trust someone else to handle it. If you forget it completely. What is the worst case scenario your brain is trying to prevent?
3. If you weren’t the person who remembered everything and held it all together, who would you be? What would that mean about you? Would you still be valuable? Still worthy of your career, your family, and the life you’re building?
4. What would you need to believe about yourself, or trust about your life, to let your brain rest? What permission do you need to give yourself?

If something came up while you were writing, that’s your signal you’ve gone beyond awareness. You didn’t find another solution. You uncovered the belief driving the pattern.

1. Breakthrough Intensive - You already know you should slow down, delegate more, stop overcommitting & be emotionally present. So why can't you? That's what we figure out in 90 minutes + integration call 2 weeks later. Book your Breakthrough
2. Exhale: Private Coaching - For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 4 open spots: Work with me

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Your body is exhausted, but your brain won’t stop. You lie down at night and suddenly you’re replaying everything you did today, everything you didn’t do, who you forgot to respond to, what your kids need, and what might fall apart if you stop thinking about it for even a second.

This episode is Part 1 of the Beyond Awareness series, where we look at why knowing what to do isn’t the problem. And why awareness alone hasn’t been enough to create real change.

This isn’t a time-management issue. It’s not a discipline issue. And it’s not something another planner or system will fix.

In this episode, I walk you through:

1. Why holding everything in your head feels like responsibility, even when it’s costing you peace
2. The hidden beliefs that keep your brain “on” all the time
3. Why solutions like time-blocking, hiring help, or organization systems don’t stick
4. What actually has to shift for the mental load to get lighter

On Thursday, we’ll continue this work with a strategic journaling episode to help you uncover the specific belief that’s running your mental load, so you’re not just aware of it, but able to release it.

1. Breakthrough Intensive - You already know you should slow down, delegate more, stop overcommitting & be emotionally present. So why can't you? That's what we figure out in 90 minutes + integration call 2 weeks later. Book your Breakthrough
2. Exhale: Private Coaching - For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 4 open spots: Work with me

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You know what to do for your health. You’ve known for years. But knowing hasn’t made it stick - and starting over is getting exhausting.

This episode picks up where my conversation with Dr. Amy Beheimer left off and slows things down enough to look at what actually stops health habits from sticking. Not willpower. Not discipline. The thoughts and feelings that show up before you ever take action.

This is a guided journaling episode designed to help you understand why certain health goals keep falling apart - and what needs to shift so you can follow through in a way that actually fits your life.

We go beyond “I should be doing this” and into the beliefs, expectations, and quiet pressure that keep pulling you back into the same cycle.

1. What health habit do you know you “should” be doing, but keep not doing because it feels too small to matter?
2. When you think about doing that habit, what do you tell yourself that stops you? Not the logical reason - the automatic thought that shows up.
3. If you’re brutally honest, do you actually want this health goal? Or do you think you should want it because everyone else does? If you don’t want it, what would feel good to your body instead?
4. What would need to change about this habit for you to genuinely want to do it? Not force yourself. Not white-knuckle it. Actually want it.

Dr. Amy says habits aren’t just what we do or don’t do - they’re the thoughts and feelings that come first.

1. Breakthrough Intensive - You already know you should slow down, delegate more, stop overcommitting & be emotionally present. So why can't you? That's what we figure out in 90 minutes + integration call 2 weeks later. Book your Breakthrough
2. Exhale: Private Coaching - For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with me

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You keep telling yourself to try harder. Be more disciplined. Stick to the plan this time. But the problem isn’t willpower, it’s that your brain was never designed to change habits that way.

When goals quietly fall apart, it’s usually not because you didn’t care enough. It’s because the strategy was wrong.

In today's conversation, I’m joined by Dr. Amy Behimer to talk about why most goals fail, what actually makes habits stick, and how to work with your brain instead of constantly fighting it. We talk about the hidden layers beneath your habits, why motivation fades, and how tiny, intentional shifts can change everything over time.

This episode is especially for you if you’ve ever started the year feeling hopeful, only to feel frustrated when the momentum disappears. Or if you’ve been blaming yourself for not following through, even though you genuinely want things to change.

If you’re tired of starting over and ready for a different approach, this conversation offers one that feels realistic, grounded, and sustainable.

1. Free Habit Quiz: https://amybehimercoaching.com/quiz
2. Dr. Amy's podcast: Autoimmune Health Secrets- The episode I was featured on her podcast
3. Connect with Dr. Amy on IG

1. Breakthrough Intensive - You already know you should slow down, delegate more, stop overcommitting & be emotionally present. So why can't you? That's what we figure out in 90 minutes + integration call 2 weeks later. Book your Breakthrough
2. Exhale: Private Coaching - For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with me

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