Podcast
Beyond Awareness: Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing
Hosted by Samantha Hawley · EN
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.
62episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
268. You’re Not Procrastinating on Building Your Brand - You’re Waiting to Feel Ready
3d ago00:37:25Tap to summarizeYou’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 Specht and I talk about the part of branding that has very little to do with choosing the right font or making everything look polished. Sometimes the brand work becomes another place to hide, another thing to tweak, and another decision to make when what you really want is to move forward.Morgan explains why brand strategy matters, why you don’t need to scrap everything and start over, and how having the right structure can take so much mental work off your plate. We also talk about what happens when your business changes, your audience changes, and your brand needs to grow with you.There’s also a bigger conversation here about visibility. About giving your audience more credit. About letting your business evolve without assuming everyone is going to leave. And about getting help instead of carrying every decision around in your own head.If you’ve been telling yourself that your website needs to be better, your branding needs to be finished, or you just need to figure a few more things out before you can really show up, it might be worth asking a different question.Are you actually procrastinating on your brand, or are you waiting to feel ready?Resources Mentioned:Connect with Morgan on: Instagram | ThreadsStand Out Brand™ Audit: Brand Audit | WebsiteWork with me: Lighter: finally release the weight attached to your plate www.samanthapenkoff.com/lighterThe Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-tableBreakthrough 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 1 week later. Book your BreakthroughExhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook
Transcribe →267. Journal With Me: How to Know When to Let Go vs. Pivot
1w ago00:10:03Tap to summarizeSome 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 something that's always mattered to you suddenly feels different, this is your chance to slow down before deciding whether to keep going or walk away. The answer might be letting it go. It might be changing your approach. Either way, clarity starts by getting honest about what's actually making it feel so heavy.Today's prompts:Which activity is feeling heavy for me right now?Is the whole thing feeling heavy, or just a specific part of it?What would I actually love to feel as I go about my day?If I stopped doing this, would I feel more of that desired feeling, or would something be missing?What would I need in order to feel that way while still doing this activity?Bonus prompt:If this is something I get to choose, am I attached to doing it because I think it makes me better in some way, or because I genuinely want to do it?There isn't a right answer waiting at the end of these questions. Just a little more honesty than you had before. And sometimes that's all you need to know whether it's time to let go or simply take a different path forward.Work with me: Lighter: finally release the weight attached to your plate www.samanthapenkoff.com/lighterThe Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-tableBreakthrough 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 1 week later. Book your BreakthroughExhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook
Transcribe →266. The Real Reason Things You Love Start Feeling Like Obligations - And What to Do Instead (Part 3)
1w ago00:16:44Tap to summarizeSomething 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. Nothing about it has necessarily changed, yet somehow it starts feeling like another obligation.It's easy to believe that means you've outgrown it. That it's time to quit. Or that you just need to push yourself harder.Maybe neither is true.Sometimes the question isn't, Do I still love this? It's, Does this still fit the season I'm in?Because not everything that's heavy is meant to be left behind.Some things need to be released. Some things need more space. Some things need less pressure.And some things are simply asking to be carried differently.Work with me: Lighter: finally release the weight attached to your plate www.samanthapenkoff.com/lighterThe Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-tableBreakthrough 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 1 week later. Book your BreakthroughExhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook
Transcribe →265. Journal With Me: When Your To Do List Starts Defining Who You Are
2w ago00:07:31Tap to summarizeSome 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 to be. The task isn't just a task anymore. It feels like proof that you're responsible, capable, caring, or enough.Today's journal is about slowing down long enough to notice what you're really carrying and why it still feels so heavy.Journal Prompts What feels heavy on your plate right now?Did you put it there yourself, or did it find its way onto your plate because someone asked you to, because everyone else was doing it, or because it felt like something you should do?Finish this sentence. By having this on my plate, it makes me a better....Then try the opposite.Without doing this, I would be...Now imagine taking it off your plate completely. What could you do with that space? Not what you'd replace it with. Just the space itself.Sometimes going this deep is all the permission you need to put something down. Other times it shows you there's something underneath that's been keeping it there all along. That's exactly what we work through inside Lighter.Work with me: Lighter: finally release the weight attached to your plate www.samanthapenkoff.com/lighterThe Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-tableBreakthrough 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 1 week later. Book your BreakthroughExhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook
Transcribe →264. What Makes Your Mental Load Heavier Than It Needs to Be (Part 2)
2w ago00:28:01Tap to summarizeSome 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 it. Saying yes because it feels like the right thing to do. Trying harder to be a better parent, a better boss, a better version of yourself. Before long, your plate feels heavier, but not because life changed. Because somewhere along the way, someone else's expectations became your responsibility.This week we're looking at two patterns that quietly add weight to your mental load. Comparison and "shoulds." Not to get rid of them overnight, but to notice them for what they are.Sometimes the biggest shift isn't taking something off your plate. It's realizing it never belonged there in the first place.Work with me: Lighter: Your life doesn't need to be lighter...your brain does. Join us to take weight off your plate (without changing your to do list) www.samanthapenkoff.com/lighterThe Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-tableBreakthrough 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 1 week later. Book your BreakthroughExhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook
Transcribe →263. Journal With Me: Peace Isn't Something You Earn
3w ago00:11:28Tap to summarizeThe 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 to earn. Once the work is done. Once the house is clean. Once everyone else is okay. Until then, your mind keeps searching for the next thing that needs your attention.This journal entry invites you to slow down and notice the beliefs sitting underneath that pattern. The ones convincing you that letting go of control, responsibility, or productivity would somehow make you less capable or less like yourself. Because often it's not your to do list keeping you stuck. It's what you've attached your sense of safety and identity to.If you've been waiting for permission to feel settled before life feels lighter, this is your space to begin questioning why.Journal PromptsWhat feeling would you most like to experience every day? Choose one specific word that goes beyond happy or good.When you imagine moving through your day feeling that way, what comes up? Does it feel possible, unrealistic, irresponsible, or too good to be true? What beliefs or responsibilities seem to stand in the way?What do you believe you would have to give up in order to feel that way?Is that belief actually true? If it is, what would the impact really be? If it isn't, what else could be true instead?What would become possible if you could access that feeling every day?The goal isn't to carry less. It's to carry your life differently, so peace no longer depends on whether everything gets done.Work with me: Lighter: A 12-Week Live Experience for the woman who has it handled. The one everyone leans on... at work, at home, everywhere.The Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-tableBreakthrough 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 1 week later. Book your BreakthroughExhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook
Transcribe →262. How to Stop Feeling Drained Without Doing Less
3w ago00:18:22Tap to summarizeYou 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 thought that meant I was carrying too much. Lately, I've been seeing it differently.Everything has weight. Making breakfast. Getting your kids ready. Saying yes. Reading a book. Sitting on the couch. Even the things that fill you up still take something from you. The problem isn't that life has weight. It's continuing to pile things onto your plate after you've already reached your own capacity.It made me realize exhaustion isn't always a sign that you're doing too much. Sometimes it's a sign you've gone past your own full point.Your body usually knows you've reached your limit before your brain is willing to admit it. Feeling completely depleted isn't something to judge. It's information. A chance to look back at what was on your plate before you automatically added more.Because maybe the answer isn't doing less. Maybe it's learning to stop overriding yourself.Work with me: Lighter: A 12-Week Live Experience for the woman who has it handled. The one everyone leans on... at work, at home, everywhere.The Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-tableBreakthrough 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 1 week later. Book your BreakthroughExhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook
Transcribe →261. Journal With Me: Why a Finished To Do List Still Has Your Brain in Overdrive
4w ago00:10:16Tap to summarizeOne 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. The boxes are checked. Yet your mind is already racing toward the next thing. Rest still feels out of reach.This journaling practice is an invitation to pause long enough to notice what might actually be keeping your brain in overdrive. Maybe it isn't your to do list at all. Maybe staying busy has become a way of avoiding something that feels harder to sit with.As you move through these prompts, there is nothing to solve or fix. Just a chance to become curious about the beliefs driving your productivity and whether doing more has ever truly given you the peace you've been chasing.Journal PromptsThink about today or yesterday. What is one thing you accomplished that was productive, but you weren't really present for while you were doing it?What feeling could you have been avoiding by staying busy in that moment? If you stopped and allowed yourself to fully feel that emotion instead of pushing through, what are you afraid would happen?If your entire to do list was completely finished, how would you actually feel? What would you do next?What if the belief behind that fear didn't have to be true? What if the opposite could be true instead? What comes up for you when you consider that possibility?Sometimes the thing keeping us from feeling settled isn't another unfinished task. Sometimes it's the emotion we've been running from all along. The moment we're willing to slow down and meet it with honesty, everything begins to feel a little lighter.Work with me: Lighter: A 12-Week Live Experience for the woman who has it handled. The one everyone leans on... at work, at home, everywhere.The Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-tableBreakthrough 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 1 week later. Book your BreakthroughExhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook
Transcribe →260. The Real Reason You Can't Make the Change You Already Know You Need
Jul 1400:39:47Tap to summarizeMaking 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 pleasing, the endless pros and cons, and the hope that one day confidence will magically arrive first.Laura Aura shares the moment life forced her to stop ignoring herself after years of building a successful business while running on overachievement, burnout and the need to keep everyone else happy. What followed wasn't a perfect reinvention. It was a series of honest conversations, uncomfortable decisions and learning to trust herself in ways she never had before.One part of our conversation that stayed with me was the simple question, What do I actually want? It sounds easy until you're the one trying to answer it. We also talk about starting with what you don't want when the answer feels out of reach, why white space can feel surprisingly uncomfortable, and how so many of us fill every spare moment because slowing down doesn't feel safe.Laura shares a beautiful way to reconnect with your intuition by noticing how your body responds before your mind starts making up stories. She explains the difference between a genuine yes and a genuine no, and why learning that language can change the way every future decision feels.Nothing about making a bold move requires having everything figured out first. Sometimes the next step becomes obvious the moment you stop abandoning yourself long enough to listen.Resources Mentioned:Connect with LauraAura on Instagram: LauraAuraLaura's podcast: The Gutsy Podcast | WebsiteWork with me: Lighter: A 12-Week Live Experience for the woman who has it handled. The one everyone leans on... at work, at home, everywhere.The Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-tableBreakthrough 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 1 week later. Book your BreakthroughExhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook
Transcribe →259. Girls Just Want to Exhale: Why Connection Matters More Than Self Care
Jul 900:21:46Tap to summarizeYour 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.Maybe what you're craving isn't another self care routine. Maybe you just need somewhere to exhale.A random thought on an airplane turned into a much bigger question. Do women really just want to have fun, or are we actually longing for something deeper?Connection isn't just nice to have. It's what helps us put down the invisible weight we've been carrying. It's what reminds us who we are outside of work, motherhood, leadership and everything everyone else needs from us. When we're surrounded by women who truly understand us, our nervous system gets a chance to soften, our minds become clearer and carrying everything doesn't feel quite so lonely.Doing more isn't always what brings relief. Sometimes the thing that's missing isn't another free hour or another box checked off the list. Sometimes it's a conversation, a shared laugh, a play date that actually happens or a friend who makes you feel like you can finally breathe again.Maybe filling your cup has less to do with escaping your life and more to do with finding the people who help you exhale.Work with me: Lighter: A 12-Week Live Experience for the woman who has it handled. The one everyone leans on... at work, at home, everywhere.The Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-tableBreakthrough 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 1 week later. Book your BreakthroughExhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook
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