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.
63episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
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
Transcribe →258. Are You Exercising Out of People Pleasing?
Jul 700:12:10Tap to summarizeYou 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 a choice and became another thing you should do.What if that's not about discipline at all?A simple realization after returning to strength training led me to question something I'd never considered before. Maybe exercising isn't always about health. Maybe, for some of us, it's another form of people pleasing.That question opened the door to something much bigger. People pleasing doesn't only show up when you say yes instead of no. It can quietly shape the routines you follow, the expectations you carry, and even the identity you've built around being the person who always does the "right" thing.Sometimes the most freeing thing you can do isn't becoming more disciplined. It's giving yourself permission to question the things you've always believed you should do. You might discover that what you've been calling discipline was never really yours to begin with.Work with me: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 →257. How to Feel Happier Today (Without Changing Your Circumstances)
Jul 200:09:11Tap to summarizeYou 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 ends, you come home, and within a few days you're carrying the same mental load you were hoping to escape.This guided journaling session is an invitation to look beyond the circumstances you've attached happiness to and discover what actually creates that feeling for you. Journal prompts:What does happiness look like for you on the outside? Think about the things you've associated with happiness like travel, freedom, a quiet house, more time, or anything else that comes to mind.When you've genuinely felt happy, what did it actually feel like on the inside? Notice what was happening in your mind, your body, your heart, and your nervous system.When was the last time you felt those feelings? What was actually happening? Were you on holiday, or was it a simple moment you almost overlooked?Knowing what you've discovered, what is happiness for you underneath the circumstances? How would you define happiness beyond the places you go, the things you buy, or the experiences you have?How can you create more of that feeling this week? Think about one or two simple ways you can intentionally create those emotions without waiting for the perfect moment.Sometimes, happiness is found in slowing down long enough to notice what's already here. It's found in being present while making dinner, laughing with your kids, taking a walk without your phone, or giving yourself permission to enjoy an ordinary Tuesday.Work with me: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 →256. From Waiting for Vacation to Feeling Fulfilled on a Random Tuesday
Jun 3000:09:52Tap to summarizeTravel 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 coaching conversations over and over again, I started wondering if travel is really what we're craving.This conversation looks at why getting away can feel like the answer when life feels heavy, and why that feeling often disappears so quickly once you're back home. It's not because travel isn't worth it. It's because a vacation can't carry the weight of the fulfillment we're hoping it will create.Travel can be a beautiful reset. But if everyday life only feels manageable when you're planning your next escape, it might be worth asking what you're really longing for.Work with me: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 →255. How to Start Delegating Without Feeling Guilty or Out of Control (Part 2)
Jun 2500:13:39Tap to summarizeThe 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 easier to keep doing it yourself. Not because you don't want help. Because letting go feels uncomfortable.In this journaling episode, we're taking the work from last week's conversation a step further. Together, we'll explore the belief underneath your resistance to delegating, what that belief is costing you, and whether it's actually as true as it feels.Through a series of guided prompts, you'll question the story that's keeping you stuck, find evidence that a different reality is possible, and explore what could change if you no longer felt responsible for carrying everything on your own.Journal PromptsThink about the belief you uncovered in last week's episode. What is that belief costing you in time, energy, fulfillment, presence with your family, and anything else that comes up for you?Is that belief actually true? The goal isn't to immediately discredit it. The goal is to create some wiggle room. Then find proof that the opposite could be true. When have you asked for help and it went well?What would happen if you let this belief go? What are you afraid you would lose if you stopped believing it? What would you gain if you let it go? Think beyond work. Consider your relationships, your home life, your energy, and your sense of self.Choose one task you'd like to delegate. What is the task? What would help your nervous system feel safe handing it off? What will you do while someone else is working on it so you're not hovering, checking in, or mentally carrying it anyway?The goal isn't to force yourself to let go. It's to create enough space to question the story that's telling you that you can't.Work with me: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 →254. From Self-Doubt to Self-Trust: What Happens After You Finally Choose Yourselfi
Jun 2300:32:59Tap to summarizeSometimes 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 decision that was meant to create freedom can quickly become another thing to question. This episode with Maddie Elysse explores why that happens.Why choosing yourself often feels empowering at first and uncomfortable shortly after. Why self-doubt tends to appear when change is real. And why building self-trust has less to do with confidence and more to do with staying present when uncertainty shows up.Because the goal isn't to never doubt yourself. The goal is learning how to trust yourself anyway.Resources Mentioned:Connect with Maddie Elysse: Instagram Website: https://www.maddieelysse.com/Work with me: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 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 →253. Why You Still Can't Delegate Even Though You're Burnt Out (Part 1)
Jun 1800:14:30Tap to summarizeDelegation 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 downloaded the planner, created the SOP, or promised themselves they'll stop carrying so much.Yet somehow, everything ends up back on their plate.In this strategic journaling episode, we're exploring what makes letting go so difficult, even when the workload is unsustainable. Because the thing that's keeping you overwhelmed isn't always a lack of support. Sometimes it's a belief that makes doing more feel safer than letting go.Through a series of journaling prompts, you'll uncover what's keeping you stuck in the cycle of over-responsibility and begin identifying the deeper reason delegation feels so hard.Journal Prompts:What are you currently doing yourself, even though someone else could handle it? How does keeping it on your plate make you feel?Why haven't you handed it off yet? What's the real reason?What do you think you need in order to start delegating, or what are you already trying to help yourself trust and let go?Even though doing everything yourself leaves you exhausted, burnt out, and overwhelmed, how might it also be keeping you safe?A question to sit with after this episode:How has the belief underneath your need to do everything been shaping the way you work, lead, and show up in your life?Work with me: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 →252. What Actually Helped Me When Something Felt Off & What Happened When I Stopped Fixing It
Jun 1600:11:24Tap to summarizeYour 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 explain why.In this episode, I share the story of a night that changed everything for me. A few months after my son was born, I found myself overwhelmed, disconnected, and carrying the feeling that I was dropping the ball in every area of my life. Instead of trying to fix it, I locked myself in a room with a notebook and got honest about what was really going on.I talk about what happened when I stopped performing okay, why awareness was more powerful than problem solving, and how that one moment became the beginning of so many changes that followed.Reflection from this episode:What would change if you stopped trying to fix how you feel and simply let yourself be honest about it?If you've been carrying a feeling that something isn't right, even when life looks fine from the outside, this conversation is for you.Work with me: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 →251. The First Question to Ask Yourself When You're Overwhelmed
Jun 1100:08:47Tap to summarizeYou 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 email. You're playing with your child while thinking about the next thing you need to do.In this week's reflection episode, I'm sharing a question I was asked during a recent interview that took me back to a season of my life when work stress followed me everywhere. Even when I was with the people I loved most, my mind was always focused on what was next.I talk about the belief underneath that constant striving and why overwhelm isn't always about your to do list. Sometimes it's about what you're trying not to feel.Today, I invite you to pause before you fix, solve, reframe, or talk yourself out of what you're experiencing. Because you can't move through what you won't let yourself feel.Your reflection for this week:When something feels off, don't rush to fix it, reframe it, or remind yourself what you should be grateful for. Let it be true for a moment. What are you actually feeling before you try to manage it?Most of us are quick to solve what we're feeling. This week, try something different. When something feels off, give yourself a moment before you fix it. Notice what you've been too busy to feel.Work with me: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 →250. From People Pleasing and Perfectionism to Self-Trust: What Ambitious Women Need to Know
Jun 900:37:04Tap to summarizePerfectionism, 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 conversation, I sit down with clinical psychologist and executive coach Dr. Anne Welsh to explore why so many ambitious women find themselves stuck in these patterns, even when they know they're no longer serving them.We talk about the hidden cost of constantly performing, why success can still feel empty when you're disconnected from yourself, and how years of focusing on everyone else's needs can make it difficult to even know what you want anymore.Dr. Anne shares why people pleasing isn't really about being nice, why perfectionism is often rooted in fear, and how self trust is built through small moments of choosing yourself rather than waiting until you're confident enough to do it.We also explore the difference between fear based striving and healthy ambition, and why the goal isn't to become less ambitious but to become more aligned with what you're actually striving for.This is a conversation about coming home to yourself while still creating the life, work, and impact that matter to you.Resources Mentioned:Connect with Dr. Anne Welsh: Instagram | https://drannwelsh.comAmbitious Mothers book (pre-order, Release Day Aug 6) The Should Session: To Stop you from bringing work stress home! Find out exactly what belief is keeping you stuck in should energy. Only 5 spots available, expiring on 10/6/2026.Work with me: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 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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