Have you ever reacted under stress and immediately thought, “Why did I say that? That’s not who I am.” If pressure makes you sharp, withdrawn, overly apologetic, or disconnected, this episode will bring relief and clarity.

In this episode of Unlock Your Blocks, trauma-informed executive coach Elyssa Smith explains why stress and survival mode disconnect you from your true self — and why the version of you that shows up under pressure is not a character flaw.

You’ll learn how fight, flight, freeze, and especially fawn responses override your values when your nervous system perceives threat, why high-achieving women are especially vulnerable to this pattern, and how to pause before reacting in ways you later regret.

• Why stress prioritizes protection over connection and values
• How survival mode hijacks your responses in conflict or pressure
• The difference between your true self and your protector self
• Why fawning and over-apologizing are so common in high-achieving women
• How childhood pressure wires reactive responses in adulthood
• Why shame and regret often follow stress reactions
• The “palm tree vs. oak tree” model for real resilience
• A simple pause practice to stop saying things you regret
• How nervous system regulation helps you respond instead of react

00:00 — Why You Regret What You Say Under Pressure 01:40 — Protection vs. Connection in Survival Mode 03:30 — Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn Explained 05:10 — Why High-Achieving Women Default to Fawning 06:45 — When Stress Pulls You Away from Your Values 08:10 — Shame, Regret, and the 2 a.m. Spiral 09:45 — The Palm Tree vs. Oak Tree: Real Resilience 11:20 — How to Pause Before You React 12:45 — Reconnecting to Your True Self Under Stress

✨ 5 Nervous System Tricks You Can Do at Your Desk Designed specifically for high-achieving women who want to calm their body in under 60 seconds — even in the middle of the workday. 👉 Download it here: https://elyssasmith.com/reset

Book your FREE 15-minute Unlock Your Blocks Focus Call to uncover what’s keeping you from the balance, clarity, and peace you’ve been craving. This private call is just for women who are ready to stop running on empty and start leading with ease. 👉 elyssasmith.com/focus

Let’s stay connected:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/elyssacsmith

💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/elyssacsmith

If slowing down makes you feel guilty, anxious, or like you’re falling behind, it’s not because you lack discipline — it’s because your nervous system learned that rest was unsafe.

In this episode of Unlock Your Blocks, trauma-informed executive coach Elyssa Smith unpacks how productivity quietly becomes a survival pattern for high-achieving women. When your worth, safety, or emotional approval were once tied to being helpful, productive, or high-performing, your body learned to equate rest with danger.

You’ll learn why pushing harder only deepens burnout, how productivity can function as anxiety management, and what it actually takes to reclaim your energy without losing your edge.

• Why rest can feel undeserved, unsafe, or anxiety-inducing
• How productivity turns into a nervous system coping mechanism
• The childhood patterns that wire “doing more” to emotional safety
• Why planning, busyness, and overachievement can mask anxiety
• How productivity keeps your nervous system in survival mode
• What happens when you finally slow down (and why it’s normal)
• How to rebuild a sustainable rhythm of rest + productivity
• Simple ways to expand your tolerance for slowing down
• The question that reveals what your body is really afraid of

00:00 — When Rest Feels Unsafe 01:20 — Productivity as a Survival Strategy 03:00 — How Childhood Conditioning Shapes Adult Overachievement 04:25 — Why Your Mind Can’t Rest (Even on Breaks) 06:40 — The Nervous System’s Original Design for Rest & Work 08:30 — When Productivity Becomes Compulsion 09:45 — The Exhaustion Pendulum (What Happens When You Finally Stop) 11:30 — Why Slowing Down Feels Like a Threat 12:45 — How to Start Reclaiming Rest Safely 13:30 — The Question That Changes Everything

✨ 5 Nervous System Tricks You Can Do at Your Desk Designed specifically for high-achieving women who want to calm their body in under 60 seconds — even in the middle of the workday. 👉 Download it here: https://elyssasmith.com/reset

Book your FREE 15-minute Unlock Your Blocks Focus Call to uncover what’s keeping you from the balance, clarity, and peace you’ve been craving. This private call is just for women who are ready to stop running on empty and start leading with ease. 👉 elyssasmith.com/focus

Let’s stay connected:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/elyssacsmith

💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/elyssacsmith

If you’ve ever sat staring at a decision — unable to choose, unable to move, stuck in a fog of “I don’t know” — this episode is going to feel like a breath of relief.

In this episode of Unlock Your Blocks, trauma-informed executive coach Elyssa Smith breaks down the freeze response and reveals why so many high-achieving women mistake it for overthinking, procrastination, or indecision. You’ll learn how your childhood shaped this protective pattern, why your brain slams on the brakes when things feel overwhelming, and—most importantly—how to gently thaw the freeze so decisions feel doable again.

If you’ve been blaming yourself for “being stuck,” this episode will help you finally understand your nervous system and move forward with compassion, clarity, and momentum.

• Why freeze mode masquerades as indecision, overthinking, and procrastination
• How childhood chaos, responsibility, or perfectionism wired your brain to shut down
• Why high-achievers freeze when too many expectations or decisions pile up
• The hidden link between overwhelm, shame, and decision paralysis
• How to recognize the signs of a freeze response in real time
• Somatic tools to move your body out of shutdown and back into clarity
• How to take “micro steps” that break the freeze and rebuild trust with your nervous system
• Why your inner child still thinks she has to handle everything alone — and how to reassure her

✨ 5 Nervous System Tricks You Can Do at Your Desk Designed specifically for high-achieving women who want to calm their body in under 60 seconds — even in the middle of the workday. 👉 Download it here: https://elyssasmith.com/reset

Book your FREE 15-minute Unlock Your Blocks Focus Call to uncover what’s keeping you from the balance, clarity, and peace you’ve been craving. This private call is just for women who are ready to stop running on empty and start leading with ease. 👉 elyssasmith.com/focus

Let’s stay connected:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/elyssacsmith

💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/elyssacsmith

If you’ve ever wondered how someone rebuilds their life after devastating loss — not just surviving, but truly thriving — this episode will deeply move you.

In this episode of Unlock Your Blocks, trauma-informed executive coach Elyssa Smith sits down with Rochelle Gilbert, UK-based property investor and founder of a hands-free property investment company helping business owners build passive income and generational wealth.

Rochelle shares her powerful journey of losing her husband suddenly while raising two young children — and how that life-altering trauma became the catalyst for rebuilding her confidence, purpose, and financial independence. Together, Elyssa and Rochelle explore grief, nervous system healing, imposter syndrome, fear, risk-taking, and the courage required to build a meaningful life after loss.

This episode is both a compassionate conversation about trauma recovery and an inspiring look at how women can reclaim agency, wealth, and joy — one small step at a time.

• How grief and trauma impact the nervous system — and why distraction, shutdown, or overworking make sense
• Why surviving trauma often sparks a deep desire for purpose and meaning
• How Rochelle rebuilt her life and business after sudden loss
• The role of small, consistent steps in overcoming fear and imposter syndrome
• Why nervous system safety is essential when taking financial or career risks
• How passive income can support freedom, stability, and family time
• Why women often hesitate to invest — and how to build confidence around money
• How connecting to your why helps override self-sabotage
• Why ease and abundance don’t have to come at the cost of burnout

00:00 — Introduction to Trauma, Survival, and Thriving 01:30 — Rochelle’s Business & Passive Property Investing Explained 03:30 — Losing a Partner Suddenly: Navigating Shock and Grief 07:15 — Survival Mode, Distraction, and Emotional Overload 09:50 — Rebuilding Life After Trauma 10:36 — Starting a Business Without a Roadmap 12:58 — Imposter Syndrome & Early Business Fears 14:30 — Nervous System Responses to Risk & Visibility 16:15 — Finding Your “Why” After Loss 18:45 — Small Steps, Safety, and Confidence 21:17 — Passive Income, Time Freedom & Family Life 23:02 — Fear, Risk, and Financial Decisions 26:57 — Why Women Approach Money Differently 30:43 — Putting Wealth in the Hands of Good People 31:13 — First Steps After Trauma & First Steps to Investing 35:32 — Music, Self-Care, and Nervous System Reset 38:10 — Where to Find Rochelle

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rochelle-gilburn/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/property_by_rochelle

Facebook: https://facebook.com/RochelleGilburn

✨ 5 Nervous System Tricks You Can Do at Your Desk Designed specifically for high-achieving women who want to calm their body in under 60 seconds — even in the middle of the workday. 👉 Download it here: https://elyssasmith.com/reset

Book your FREE 15-minute Unlock Your Blocks Focus Call to uncover what’s keeping you from the balance, clarity, and peace you’ve been craving. This private call is just for women who are ready to stop running on empty and start leading with ease. 👉 elyssasmith.com/focus

Let’s stay connected:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/elyssacsmith

💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/elyssacsmith

If you’re the one keeping everyone else steady — managing emotions, smoothing conflict, carrying the weight of keeping the family or team “okay” — it’s not because you should just be stronger. It’s because you’re carrying unprocessed grief and hidden emotional burdens you were never given space to name.

In this episode of Unlock Your Blocks, trauma-informed executive coach Elyssa Smith uncovers how unresolved grief from childhood shapes patterns like people-pleasing, over-responsibility, emotional caretaking, and disconnecting from your own needs. She explains how these survival strategies quietly follow high-achieving women into adulthood — and why acknowledging the grief underneath them is the key to finally feeling free, grounded, and whole.

You'll walk away understanding why you feel drained, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself — and how to begin reconnecting to your desires, your truth, and your emotional boundaries without guilt.

• Why people-pleasing and emotional caretaking often come from hidden childhood grief
• How being the “emotional stabilizer” in your family taught you to suppress your own needs
• The link between trauma, survival mode, and over-responsibility
• Why high-achieving women often lose touch with their desires and joy
• How to recognize when you’re climbing into someone else’s “hula hoop”
• Simple steps to reconnect with your emotional truth and release the burden
• How nervous system regulation can help you stop carrying what was never yours

✨ 5 Nervous System Tricks You Can Do at Your Desk Designed specifically for high-achieving women who want to calm their body in under 60 seconds — even in the middle of the workday. 👉 Download it here: https://elyssasmith.com/reset

Book your FREE 15-minute Unlock Your Blocks Focus Call to uncover what’s keeping you from the balance, clarity, and peace you’ve been craving. This private call is just for women who are ready to stop running on empty and start leading with ease. 👉 elyssasmith.com/focus

Let’s stay connected:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/elyssacsmith

💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/elyssacsmith

Do you ever notice yourself gravitating toward chaos the moment life finally gets quiet? Maybe you overschedule, stay busy, worry nonstop, or feel restless the moment peace arrives.

You’re not alone — and you’re not doing anything wrong.

In this episode of Unlock Your Blocks, Elyssa breaks down why ease can feel unsafe for high-achieving women and how your nervous system pulls you back toward stress out of habit, not preference. You’ll learn simple grounding tools, body-based techniques, and emotional awareness practices that help you interrupt the urge to “fix,” “do,” or “add more” — so you can finally experience calm without discomfort or guilt.

If slowing down feels foreign, scary, or impossible… this conversation will help you reclaim stillness as something your body can trust.

• Why your nervous system may resist calm and gravitate toward chaos
• How to interrupt the urge to fix, hustle, worry, or overschedule
• Grounding practices that create immediate feelings of safety
• How naming emotions reduces overwhelm and quiets internal tension
• The surprising grief many perfectionists and people-pleasers carry
• How to shift from reacting to observing — and regain control

✨ 5 Nervous System Tricks You Can Do at Your Desk Designed specifically for high-achieving women who want to calm their body in under 60 seconds — even in the middle of the workday. 👉 Download it here: https://elyssasmith.com/reset

Book your FREE 15-minute Unlock Your Blocks Focus Call to uncover what’s keeping you from the balance, clarity, and peace you’ve been craving. This private call is just for women who are ready to stop running on empty and start leading with ease. 👉 elyssasmith.com/focus

Let’s stay connected:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/elyssacsmith

💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/elyssacsmith

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why am I not moving forward when I know exactly what I want?” You’re not broken — you’re human.

In this episode of Unlock Your Blocks, Elyssa uncovers the deeper reason so many high-achieving women feel resistance when they get close to success. It’s not laziness or a lack of motivation — it’s your nervous system trying to keep you safe.

Elyssa breaks down how past experiences can make growth feel threatening, why your body may be afraid of expansion, and how to create the emotional safety your brain needs to let you rise. You’ll learn practical nervous system tools and a powerful visualization exercise to help you step into the version of yourself you’re becoming — without burnout, fear, or pressure.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, stalled, or scared of your own potential… this episode is for you.

• Why you may feel stuck even when your goals are crystal clear
• How early experiences shape fear of success and self-sabotage
• The connection between emotional safety and sustainable growth
• Nervous system regulation tools that support expansion
• How visualization rewires your brain to feel safe succeeding
• Why success should feel joyful, spacious, and aligned — not forced

✨ 5 Nervous System Tricks You Can Do at Your Desk Designed specifically for high-achieving women who want to calm their body in under 60 seconds — even in the middle of the workday. 👉 Download it here

Book your FREE 15-minute Unlock Your Blocks Focus Call to uncover what’s keeping you from the balance, clarity, and peace you’ve been craving. This private call is just for women who are ready to stop running on empty and start leading with ease. 👉 elyssasmith.com/focus

Let’s stay connected:

Instagram @elyssacsmith

💼 LinkedIn @elyssacsmith

Do you replay conversations in your head… overanalyze every decision… or worry you said or did the “wrong thing”? You’re not alone — and there’s nothing wrong with you.

In this episode of Unlock Your Blocks, Elyssa breaks down the real reason overthinking happens (hint: it’s not a mindset issue). Instead, she explains how second-guessing is a nervous system response rooted in childhood patterns, perfectionism, and fear of failure.

You’ll learn how to recognize the moment your brain slips into “freeze mode,” how to calm the internal noise, and how to step into more confident, grounded decision-making.

If your mind feels loud, busy, or impossible to shut off… this episode is your next step toward peace.

• Why overthinking is actually a survival response — not a character flaw
• How childhood experiences shape your decision-making patterns
• The connection between perfectionism and the freeze cycle
• Tools to soothe your nervous system when your mind won’t slow down
• How to rewire old beliefs so you can take aligned, confident action

✨ 5 Nervous System Tricks You Can Do at Your Desk Designed specifically for high-achieving women who want to calm their body in under 60 seconds — even in the middle of the workday. 👉 Download it here

Book your FREE 15-minute Unlock Your Blocks Focus Call to uncover what’s keeping you from the balance, clarity, and peace you’ve been craving. This private call is just for women who are ready to stop running on empty and start leading with ease. 👉 elyssasmith.com/focus

Let’s stay connected:

Instagram @elyssacsmith

💼 LinkedIn @elyssacsmith