Episode Overview

Podcast: This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil
Episode: The Universe Is Not Uber Eats: The Truth About Manifesting with Colette Baron-Reid (#377)
Release Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Nicole Kalil
Guest: Colette Baron-Reid (Internationally respected author, intuitive, and Oracle expert)

Main Theme:
This episode demystifies the concept of "manifesting," exploring its real roots, common misconceptions, and practical ways women can engage with it authentically. Nicole and Colette discuss manifesting not as a tool for material entitlement, but as an invitation to conscious co-creation, alignment, and transformation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Manifesting: Beyond the Hashtags and Hype

(02:00–08:10)

• Redefining Manifesting:
  Nicole and Colette share skepticism around the commodification and dilution of manifesting in pop culture.

  "Manifesting has been hijacked, watered down, turned into hashtag spirituality and influencer slogans. The real magic… has been stripped away." – Nicole (02:48)

• Historical & Gendered Roots:
  Nicole notes the persecution of intuitive women historically, underlining the ongoing tension between intuition and societal expectations.

• Colette’s Perspective:
  Colette aligns with Nicole's skepticism, revealing her own quest for scientific validation and her frustration with "performative spirituality."

  "You don't manifest what you want, you manifest what you are." – Colette (06:38) Colette emphasizes manifesting as aligning with a state of being, not merely chasing outcomes.

2. How Manifesting Actually Works

(07:55–14:20)

• From Wanting to Being:
  Manifesting is less about "getting" and more about embodying the qualities you seek.

  "How do we be in a way that we manifest our desires?" – Nicole (07:57)

• Rehearsing the Having:
  Colette explains the need to rehearse the feeling state you wish to experience, drilling down to your "why" behind desires, loosening attachment to specific outcomes, and cultivating curiosity and gratitude.

  "The more we can wear the world loosely around our desires, the more likely they're going to show up. But not necessarily in the form we think is right." – Colette (08:53)

• Following Synchronicities:
  Colette advocates for trust, attention to meaningful coincidences ("breadcrumbs"), and leading with curiosity to recognize if you’re on your path.

3. Brain Science and Manifesting

(11:40–14:59)

• Reticular Activating System:
  Colette details the brain’s filtering system as the "bouncer at the party" that sorts evidence according to your rehearsed emotional states.

  "If you keep rehearsing fear, it’s going to let only the fear things coming in... When you’re just immersed in gratitude... I’m going to only let that come into the party." – Colette (12:23)

• Synchronicity & the Unknowable:
  Both host and guest accept the element of mystery — even as science advances, not everything can be explained.

  "What is consciousness? How does the universe answer us? ...Maybe that's what we're never gonna find out until we die." – Colette (13:35)

4. Reflection, Agency & Self-Discovery

(19:00–24:20)

• Interpreting Outcomes:
  Nicole asks if we can reverse-engineer what we're manifesting by examining our current realities. Colette encourages neutral curiosity over judgment.

  "Why wouldn't we use it as a manner of self reflecting?" – Colette (19:44) She emphasizes pain and suffering are not always "manifested," but our responses and learnings are within our power.

• Timing & Surrender:
  Not getting what you want may be about timing, not denial.

  "What if you didn’t get what you want yet? ...We get very hung up on timing and form." – Colette (21:10) Colette shares her life story and how, in hindsight, her desires appeared in more aligned ways than she could have imagined.

5. Practical Manifesting: The Art/Doodle Practice

(26:55–33:55)

• Introducing Doodling as Manifesting Practice:
  Colette describes the core exercise from her new book, The Art of Manifesting: a meditative drawing/doodling process designed to rewire the brain and embody intention.

  "We are calling the invisible to visibility, right? That’s what we’re doing." – Colette (28:33)

• Basic Steps:

  • Rub hands to activate energy (chi).
  • Imbue a piece of paper (the universe).
  • Draw a dot (your intention) and a circle (wholeness/portal).
  • Trace intuition-driven wavy lines ("frequency lines") from the dot to the edge.
  • Trace back some lines, symbolizing the universe’s answers.
  • Fill with small circles along lines, repeating “thank you.”
  • Focus on gratitude, openness, and non-attachment to results.

• Inclusivity:

  "Anybody can do this. You do not need to have one artistic bone in your body to do this." – Colette (26:39)

6. Destiny vs. Free Will

(34:50–36:01)

• Colette’s View:
  Life is a mix of fate and free will; some things are destined, but our choices, conditioning, and conscious agency shape what unfolds.

  "We are responsible—response-able—to co-create our reality… but there are certain things that are destined." – Colette (34:55)

• Nicole’s Reflection:
  Both agree on the blend—full determinism doesn’t ring true, nor does the idea we have total control.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Social Media Manifesting:
  "I am fascinated and I'm also resistant. I'm curious and skeptical. I crave the mystical, but still want to understand it with my brain." – Nicole (03:03)

• On Who We Become:
  "You don't manifest what you want, you manifest what you are." – Colette (06:38)

• On the Role of Suffering:
  "Manifesting does not remove suffering from our lives … we can’t say everything happens for a reason. But people experience their lives in such a way that within those circumstances, they still can manifest something extraordinary." – Colette (19:46)

• Surrender & Trust:
  "When we focus on the juice, we have no control over that though. And we let it go. We surrender it with joy. That's when the magic can happen. And that's the surrender part that people have trouble with." – Colette (23:12)

• Manifesting as Conversation:
  "The drawing piece...is the conversation. Like, you have the conversation by doing the doodles." – Colette (26:41)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:00 | Nicole describes manifesting’s current pop culture narrative | | 03:56 | Colette’s reaction and history with manifesting | | 06:38 | “You don't manifest what you want, you manifest what you are.” | | 07:56 | Nicole: “How do we be in a way that we manifest our desires?” | | 08:11 | Colette: The importance of letting go of control | | 11:17 | Rehearsing “having”; cultivating curiosity and gratitude | | 12:23 | Reticular activating system analogy (“bouncer at the party”) | | 14:16 | Accepting the mystery & limits of knowing | | 19:06 | Nicole: Reverse-engineering what we manifest | | 19:44 | Colette: Manifesting as self-reflection—pain, surrender, growth | | 23:45 | Nicole: Getting what she wants, but not how she expected | | 26:39 | Drawing/doodling as a manifesting practice ("anybody can do this")| | 28:28 | Step-by-step meditative drawing method | | 34:50 | The mix of destiny and free will | | 36:37 | Nicole’s closing reflection on manifesting as trust, alignment |

Engaging Takeaways

• Manifesting is not wish fulfillment:
  It’s about co-creating with the universe—a process of becoming, not controlling. Release attachment to outcomes and focus on who you are being.

• Curiosity, gratitude, and trust are crucial:
  Stay open, curious, and grateful—lead with these rather than rigid expectations.

• The power of embodiment and ritual:
  Colette’s doodle/drawing practice offers an accessible, embodied approach that anyone can use, shifting manifesting from the conceptual to the practical.

• We are always manifesting:
  Awareness and intention transform this constant process from unconscious creation to empowered co-creation.

Final Words

"Manifesting isn't about control or luck or doing everything right... It's not about getting the universe to say yes to you. It's about saying yes to the universe and to yourself." – Nicole (36:37)

Want to try the practice?
See Colette's new book, The Art of Manifesting, or visit her at colettebaronreid.com.

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Summary by This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil, Episode 377:
A must-listen for anyone ready to strip away the noise, embrace authentic inner work, and co-create with the universe—on purpose.