If you’ve ever fantasized about becoming a published author, but you’ve let fear get in the way - this one’s for you. I’m sharing a live workshop I delivered at ALIGN - an powerful annual conference geared towards helping you step into your Higher Self. I dive into the top 4 writing and publishing myths I’ve seen in my career, breakdown the truth of the process, and dispel beliefs that stop people before they ever begin.

We talk identity before mindset as your greatest asset because no amount of tools will help if you don’t believe that your story matters. I cover why impact matters more than optics and how becoming an author is less about talent and more about conviction.

This is about letting your heart lead, trusting your message, and finally giving yourself permission to be heard. After all, I’ve personally helped over 35 authors publish and become best selling authors at Landon Hail Press, so I’ve seen the massive impact a book can make time and time again.

Highlights:

(02:13) Why identity matters more than mindset when you want to evolve

(05:40) How childhood beliefs quietly shape what you think is possible

(09:45) The belief that keeps most people from ever writing their book

(14:08) The four biggest myths about publishing, debunked

(18:55) Why you don’t need a big platform or book deal to make impact

(23:55) Writing as a legacy, not just achievement

Follow Brooke Hemingway & Align Events on Instagram to stay in the know of future events!

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

Come back with me to 2018 to revisit my first book, The Less Effect: Design Your Life for Happiness & Purpose. I’m reading an excerpt from Chapter 4, “Like Attracts Like,” - a real snapshot of who I was then: a cluttered mess with questionable friendships and a little too much Netflix…oh, and anxiety I kept brushing off as “that’s just how I am.”

We talk about why this work never ends and how to keep your peace living on this earth, aka full-time distraction machine. I get into how your stuff, your habits, your people, and your environment all have a say in your energy, your mood, and what you keep attracting (or repelling).

Highlights:

(01:55) Why I’m revisiting The Less Effect, this work “applies forever”

(03:10) My 2018 reality check: misaligned job, cluttered apartment, and “cursed merchandise”

(05:45) The quiet truth: I wasn’t just dealing with chaos, I was creating it

(07:20) The “crap trap” - how we end up overwhelmed without noticing the red flags

(09:36) Energy talk, but make it science: vibration, color, sound, and why it affects your mood

(12:15) The big takeaway: everything around you matters, so guard your energy like it’s rent money

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

This is a VERY special episode…why? Because we just hit one year of the show! Episode 52, hallelujah! And I thought what better topic to dive into than the theme that has stretched me the most: Vulnerability - the real kind.

I share why I didn’t launch right away holding episodes and marketing for months, how safety and vulnerability actually work together, and the hard truth I had to face about hyper-independence and emotional availability.

And this episode isn’t without me taking off the mask and dropping the armor for a behind-the-scenes look at how I’m personally challenging myself to explore deeper vulnerability in my own life. Because we’re all just works in progress figuring it out together.

Stay tuned to the end for a special offer!

Highlights:

(04:35) – The real reason I froze on launching the podcast for eight months

(5:55) – The symbiotic relationship between vulnerability and safety

(9:11) – Revisiting a five-year relationship twelve years later and the shocking truth it revealed

(12:25) – Hyper-independence as a trauma response and how it quietly kills connection

(17:45) – What my new relationship taught me in real time about true vulnerability

(22:00) – Showing up before you’ve perfectly figured it out & closing the gap

(27:05) – A behind the scenes note from my producer; plus an invitation to explore vulnerability even deeper

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

It’s officially 2026, and I’m here with a quick reality check: the Gregorian “new year” is a made-up date, but we can still use it for momentum.

Today I’m walking you through the framework from my book, “The Less Effect: Design Your Life for Happiness & Purpose”. We dive into how “less” isn’t just about stuff, but about alignment in all areas.

We’ll start with the easy wins (your physical space), then move into your social environment (who guides you closer to you), and finish with habits (are you driving the ship, or are your habits driving you).

Simple, yes. Life-changing, also yes.

Highlights:

(01:45) - New Year pressure check, it’s just another day - use it, don’t worship it

(03:10) - The only question that actually matters: “How can I be more of ME in 2026?”

(05:05) - “The Less Effect” intro, consumerism, overwhelm, and the “aha” breaking point

(08:20) - Relationship declutter and the truth about “neutral” people

(10:20) - Habit loops explained, cues, behaviors, payoffs & how to swap the patterns

(16:55) - Free book giveaway, plus how to write your own book with SJ

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

If there’s one thing blocking you from love in your life, it’s this: being the “cool girl” (or guy).

Nothing amazing that I’ve attracted in life came from being nonchalant - it came from being unapologetic…and a little delusional. In this episode, I touch on the people-pleasing identity I carried for years and the pride I carried for staying chill and unbothered. How what I feel and expressing it fully (after all - I am a Pisces!) has changed my relationships, my dating life, and the way I show up for myself and my values.

We explore the difference between being desired and being valued, why we often gaslight ourselves before anyone else does, and how radical honesty must become the foundation for self worth. Learn how being “low-maintenance” is just a fancy costume for self-betrayal and the beautiful love and honoring that came in once I stopped performing and started living in deeper truth.

Highlights:

(02:12) When (and why) I decided never to be the cool girl again

(02:53) Why low maintenance is often code for self betrayal

(4:51) Desire vs value and how I learned to spot the difference

(14:55) Radical honesty and breaking the habit of gaslighting ourselves

(16:44) My soulmate journal and where I was going wrong

(23:55) A coaching session that woke me up to my own BS

Listen to SJ’s Coaching Session with Relationship Coach, Christine Hassler: Maybe There Isn’t a Problem At All

Check out Christine Hassler and her program, Be The Queen

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

This episode is a continuation of one of the most vulnerable things I’ve ever shared: a peek into the trauma mapped inside my brain. Sitting with Sarah Murphy for part two of my brain mapping session changed the way I understand my past, my nervous system, and the way healing really works. And wow, was it validating.

We talk honestly about sleep, anxiety, anger, resilience, and what happens when your brain has been stuck in survival mode for years. If you’ve ever wondered whether your body can truly recover, or if you’re just wired this way forever, this conversation might open a door you didn’t know existed.

Highlights:

(01:52) Seeing fight or flight show up on a brain map, and why it was strangely validating

(05:47) Why anger is harder to access than sadness, especially for women

(09:08) Gamma brainwaves, heightened awareness, and how healing actually happens

(15:38) Trauma, insomnia, and why the brain struggles to let go on its own

(18:10) What it feels like when your nervous system finally feels safe

(22:45) Training resilience so old triggers stop running your present

To learn more about Omni Neurofeedback, visit https://omnineurofeedback.com/

To book a Discovery Call with Sarah Murphy: Email info@omninfb.com and mention “SJ” for $100 off your brain mapping session

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

This episode is part one of a two part series, peeling back the curtain to my most expensive asset: my brain! You’re getting a front row seat to a live session walking through the results of a Brain Mapping session. Seeing my brain patterns laid out in front of me was equal parts nerve-racking and validating. After years of living in hyper vigilance, grief, and insomnia in my past, I finally got to see how my brain adapted and protected me.

Learning what my brain has been carrying showed me how much is actually possible when you give it the right support. If you’ve ever wondered if there’s hope for your mental health and past trauma, you don’t want to miss this.

Highlights:

(01:36) Why I finally said yes to getting my brain mapped

(05:22) The moment delta waves and years of insomnia suddenly made sense

(10:14) The surprising link between creativity, calm, and my theta patterns

(14:58) When Sarah spotted the memory and trauma markers I did not expect

(21:40) The honest conversation about presence, hyper vigilance and feeling safe again

(31:10) What my tired beta waves revealed about pushing through for too long

To learn more about Omni Neurofeedback, visit https://omnineurofeedback.com/

To book a Discovery Call with Sarah Murphy: Email info@omninfb.com and mention “SJ” for $100 off your brain mapping session.

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

This one is personal, one where I am taking you through my celibacy journey - yes, you read that right. What it has revealed about my relationship with self and how it completely shifted my sense of worthiness, intimacy, and magnetism. This isn't about being anti-sex or anti-pleasure. This is about no longer abandoning myself for validation or escape.

Over the last year and a half, choosing celibacy has opened my mind in ways I never expected. It pushed me inward, cleared out old patterns, and rebuilt my sense of safety and connection from the inside-out. If you have ever confused sex with intimacy, felt stuck in cycles that drain you, or simply can’t understand why you’re not attracting what you desire: tune in to start clearing the path.

Highlights:

(01:42) How my decision to become celibate really started

(04:32) The sneaky ways we outsource validation through sex

(06:55) Why everything you desire lives in the work you’re avoiding

(12:07) Celibacy as the ultimate filter for aligned relationships

(17:59) How disconnection from your body blocks magnetism

(29:44) Recycling sexual energy and tapping into life force creativity

Listen to Episode 11: My Sobriety Journey & Deconstructing Addiction

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio