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What are you missing because you're trying so hard to figure it out? This episode is about the difference between forcing clarity and giving it room. Some things just can't be captured intellectually. And if thinking your way through everything is how you've stayed safe, that's a hard one to swallow. I share what came up while I was working on my own business offer and a free write where a part of me flat-out told me why it wasn't sharing what I want. AND...it had a point. If you want help learning to hear from yourself like this, that's the work I do with my 1:1 clients. Find me at jessicasmarro.com. ENJOYING THE SHOW? Subscribe/Follow so you never miss an episode!Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help other growth-minded listeners find the show.RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In Pursuit Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community - join the group and drop your questions from the podSTAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

Friend, we are in the last 90 days of 2026. Can you even believe it? I'm getting real honest with you today (which is what we do here on Unblocked): 2026 has not felt like the year I planned. My word of the year was LIGHT — being the light, holding things lightly, doing things that light me up — supported by the word pronoia, the belief that the universe is conspiring in my favor. Nine months in and it has not felt light, friends. This year hit me like a Mack truck more than once, including a health scare that had me saying "no ma'am, no thank you."  But here's what I'm sitting with. Maybe pronoia doesn't always look like sunshine and rainbows. Maybe the universe conspiring in my favor means bringing up exactly what needs to be healed, and maybe that looks like shining a light on the dark areas I didn't even know were there. In this episode, I share: My word of the year ("light" + pronoia) and how I'm redefining it after a hard 2026The Six Steps to Freedom by Diederick Wolsak What "shining a light" really means when it illuminates your shadow workMy 90-day goalA big realization from my journaling and self-care practice Plus: I'm hosting a free Last 90 Days Challenge inside the Do The Thing Facebook community. If you've got something you want to finish, cross off, or go deeper on before December come do it in community with us. Join My Do The Thing Community  What would finishing 2026 strong look like for you? I'd love to hear what this brings up.  If you want help learning to hear from yourself like this, that's the work I do with my 1:1 clients. Find me at jessicasmarro.com. ENJOYING THE SHOW? Subscribe/Follow so you never miss an episode!Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help other growth-minded listeners find the show.RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In Pursuit Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.STAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

What do you do when something hurts and your brain immediately makes it mean something about you? This week, I'm walking you through what I actually do. I share two real moments from the past couple of weeks. Two different stories, same internal process. In this episode, you'll learn: Why you can't think your way out of a hurt feelingHow to sit with a feeling in your body without spiralingHow to spot when your questions are really control effortsWhat to do when your brain says "clearly you weren't good enough"How to build more capacity for the hard feelings and the good onesReady to work on this for real? Grab a free consult at jessicasmarro.com, or join us in the Do The Thing community on Facebook. ENJOYING THE SHOW? Subscribe/Follow so you never miss an episode!Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help other growth-minded listeners find the show.RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In Pursuit Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community - join the group and drop your questions from the podSTAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

What do you do when you don't have a plan, but you know you can't stay where you are? Six years ago today, I hit publish on the first episode of Unblocked. I didn't have a business yet. I didn't have an outline. I just knew I was about to turn 40 and I did not want to feel the way I felt for one more year. This episode is unscripted, a little all over the place, and exactly what I wanted it to be. I'm celebrating 176 episodes, the name of this podcast, and the version of me who quit a stable job with zero guarantee any of this would work. I talk about why I named this show Unblocked. I tell you about the year it took me to actually leave my 9-to-5. And I get honest about where the podcast is headed next. If you're a high achiever sitting on a "someday" — someday I'll start the thing, someday I'll leave the thing, someday I'll trust myself enough — this episode is your permission slip. I didn't have it all "figured out," and I did it anyway. Ready to work on this for real? Grab a free consult at jessicasmarro.com, or join us in the Do The Thing community on Facebook. ENJOYING THE SHOW? Subscribe/Follow so you never miss an episode!Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help other growth-minded listeners find the show.RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In Pursuit Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community - join the group and drop your questions from the podSTAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

I almost didn't record this episode. Not this topic but an episode, like, at all. I looked at my Buzzsprout stats, watched the downloads trending down instead of up, and my brain immediately said, "nobody cares what you have to say, you're not good enough, just quit." So naturally, I went and got real honest with you instead. This episode is a string of confessions. I'm talking tofu, vanilla ice cream, the occult (yes, really), thigh rub, and why I have exactly two people on the list of "who actually knows me." Buckle up, friend. Here's what we get into: The moment my husband asked me a question that cracked something open in me (again)Why I've been playing "vanilla ice cream" — palatable, appealing to everyone, memorable to no one — and how that shows up in my business, my faith, and my body.The Bible study confession that took me from "does anyone have announcements?" to a full on confession.Why I never talk publicly about weight loss and what junior high bullying has to do with it.What happened when I launched The Pursuit and got crickets instead of a Taylor Swift level sell-out moment (and why I'm telling you that instead of hiding it).The reframe that's changing everything for me.Why I'd rather get rejected for being fully myself than accepted for being palatable.If you've ever caught yourself shrinking a part of who you are so nobody has a hard feeling about it, this one's for you. Let's talk about what happens when you stop editing yourself down to vanilla. Ready to be more you, out loud? I have openings in my 1:1 coaching right now. Grab a free consult at jessicasmarro.comAnd if you're craving your own tribe of women going after their goals together, The Pursuit is still open — a 12-week group container built to help you get out of your own way and into your own life. Join The Pursuit (or learn more) HERE.New episodes of Unblocked drop every other Monday. If this one landed for you, I'd love if you'd subscribe, leave a review (bonus if it's 5 stars!), or send it to the friend who needs to hear today's message STAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

Have you ever looked around at the life you've worked so hard to build and wondered, why doesn't this feel the way I thought it would? If you've checked all the boxes, built the career, earned the degrees, hit the milestones, created the life you once dreamed about but still feel restless, exhausted, or strangely unfulfilled, this episode is for you. Today I'm talking about something I see in high achievers all the time. I call it Arrival Addiction. This is the belief that fulfillment is always waiting on the other side of the next goal. The tricky part for many folks is that every time you arrive, the finish line moves. In this episode, I'm unpacking why so many ambitious people end up living in survival mode, how invisible rules keep us stuck performing instead of fully living, and what it actually looks like to create a life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. If this episode hits home, I have something special for you. The Pursuit is my brand-new 12-week group coaching experience for women who are ready to stop postponing their lives, dismantle the patterns that keep them stuck, and pursue fulfillment with intention and support. If you're tired of waiting until "someday" to finally feel alive, I'd love to have you inside. Join The Pursuit (or learn more) HERE. ENJOYING THE SHOW? Subscribe/Follow so you never miss an episode!Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help other growth-minded listeners find the show.RESOURCES: Join The Pursuit group coaching programOrder my #1 New Release book In Pursuit Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your lifeJoin My Do The Thing Community - join the group and drop your questions from the podSTAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

Do you find yourself constantly racing through your to-do list, unable to sit still without a nagging voice whispering that you’re wasting time? In this episode of Unblocked, I pull back the curtain on "survival mode" - the default state of chronic urgency that tricks our brains into treating everyday chores like immediate threats. Using a rainy Saturday morning and an urgent urge to trim my neighbor's bushes as a backdrop, I break down how anxiety masks itself as productivity.  Learn how to recognize your own mental loops, choose reflection over force, and finally break free from the habit of rushing through life just to get to the "living" part. You don't need a life overhaul to shift from survive to alive. You need one pause. Ready to work on this for real? Grab a free consult at jessicasmarro.com, or join us in the Do The Thing community on Facebook. ENJOYING THE SHOW? Subscribe/Follow so you never miss an episode!Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help other growth-minded listeners find the show.RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In Pursuit Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community - join the group and drop your questions from the podSTAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

You know what you need to do. Leave the relationship. Start the business. Set the boundary. Apply for the promotion. Stop outsourcing your worth to everyone else's opinion. So why hasn't it happened yet? It's not a knowledge problem. It's interference. In this episode I break down the two channels running in your head and why the gap between knowing and doing is really just a volume problem. I walk through the four things I'm always listening for when a client is stuck: Should vs. wantThe belief running the show underneath the taskThe emotion you haven't let yourself feelWhether you actually have support and structure in placeThen I give you four questions to ask yourself today to find out which one's got you. If you finish this thinking "she's describing me," that's your sign. Book a consult using the link HERE. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please follow, rate, and review Unblocked. It helps more people find these conversations and keeps this work going. RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In Pursuit Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community - join the group and drop your questions from the podWANT MORE SUPPORT? If this episode resonated with you and you want deeper, personalized support, you can learn more about working with me at jessicasmarro.com STAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

You've done the therapy. You've read the books. You can name your patterns, trace them back to childhood, and explain exactly why you do what you do. And you're still doing it. If any of that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. Today I'm answering five listener questions. What I didn't realize until I recorded is that all of them are really asking the same thing: why doesn't knowing something actually change it? Turns out, the gap between knowing and doing isn't an information problem. It's a thought problem, and that changes everything about how you approach it. Questions answered in this episode: I've been in therapy for years and I know all my patterns. But knowing them doesn't seem to change them. What am I missing?How do I rebuild trust with myself after I've broken a promise to myself so many times that I've stopped believing I'll follow through?I'm successful by every external measure but I feel like a fraud. I keep waiting for someone to figure out that I don't actually know what I'm doing. Is this ever going to go away?How do you actually rest without feeling lazy? I can't seem to turn off the part of my brain that thinks I should be doing something.I know what I want. I even know what I need to do. But I just...don't do it. Whyyyyyy?If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please follow, rate, and review Unblocked. It helps more people find these conversations and keeps this work going. RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In Pursuit Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community - join the group and drop your questions from the podWANT MORE SUPPORT? If this episode resonated with you and you want deeper, personalized support, you can learn more about working with me at jessicasmarro.com STAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

You submitted your questions. I answered them honestly. This is a full Ask Me Anything episode, and we went there. From how I distinguish fear from intuition, to the mindset trap I still fall into, to the question I think a lot of high-achievers are too afraid to ask out loud: if my life is already good, why do I still want more? If you've ever felt guilty for having big dreams, or wondered if something is wrong with you for not feeling satisfied, this episode is going to hit. Questions answered in this episode: What's something you've changed your mind about in the last five years?How do you know when it's intuition, fear, ego, or just a really convincing thought?What's a mindset trap you still catch yourself falling into?How do you pursue big dreams without becoming obsessed with achievement?If someone feels stuck but can't identify what's actually blocking them, where should they start?What's one belief you had to let go of to create the life you have today?What do you do when you know what you want but you're terrified of what other people will think?If my life is already good, why do I still feel called to want more?If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please follow, rate, and review Unblocked. It helps more people find these conversations and keeps this work going. RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In Pursuit Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community - join the group and drop your questions from the podWANT MORE SUPPORT? If this episode resonated with you and you want deeper, personalized support, you can learn more about working with me at jessicasmarro.com STAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

I have a rule: if somebody's going to be disappointed by my decisions, let it not be me. In this episode, I'm talking about one of the most common reasons smart, capable people hold back — the fear of being disappointed. Aka, a feeling. Protecting yourself from disappointment doesn't actually protect you. It just moves the disappointment earlier. You're already deciding you can't have what you want. In this episode I cover: Why "lowering your goal so you're not disappointed" is still disappointing yourselfThe real questions to ask when you're holding backMy SPACE framework for actually feeling your feelings The thought work pieceWhy "having your back" is one of the most strategic things you can doIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, please follow, rate, and review Unblocked. It helps more people find these conversations and keeps this work going. RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In Pursuit (chapter 6 goes in depth on emotional freedom)Click here for the Free the Feelings video and worksheets I mentionedGet your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community - join the group and drop your questions from the podWANT MORE SUPPORT? If this episode resonated with you and you want deeper, personalized support, you can learn more about working with me at jessicasmarro.com STAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

You're watching someone else do the thing you want to do, and they're doing it better than you. So your brain, being your brain, lands on "well, that must mean I suck." In this episode, I unpack why comparison doesn't have to mean what you think it means and why "they're better than me" doesn't have to end with "so I'm terrible." In this episode you'll hear my personal example plus the client conversation that sparked the whole episode. What you'll take away: Why someone being better at something than you doesn't mean you're not goodHow to use comparison as data instead of a problemThe question to ask yourself before you go looking for what they do betterWhy zero-sum thinking tanks your growthIf comparison tends to put you in a spiral, this one's for you. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please follow, rate, and review Unblocked. It helps more people find these conversations and keeps this work going. RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In PursuitGet your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community WANT MORE SUPPORT? If this episode resonated with you and you want deeper, personalized support, you can learn more about working with me at jessicasmarro.com STAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

A few weeks ago, my guest and I were in the same room in Austin for Rachel Hollis's Rise Elevate conference. Today we're unpacking what actually happened including the honest parts that not every would say out loud. This is a real conversation between two women who showed up nervous, got cracked open, and came home with more than they expected.  IN THIS EPISODE: What it actually feels like to walk into a room full of strangers and try to be brave...even when you're a confident, high-achieving womanThe writing exercise that created an aha momentWhy Rachel pricing drama is one of the most relatable things she shared from stage and what it means for every woman who's ever undercharged"There are no fairy godmothers," Asia's keynote philosophy and the 2026 goal she called out loudWhat actually keeps the conference magic alive after you go home -- It's less sexy than you think"Something doesn't have to be wrong for it to not be right for you" -- a note on outgrowing rooms, relationships, and containersIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, please follow, rate, and review Unblocked. It helps more people find these conversations and keeps this work going. RESOURCES: Order my #1 New Release book In PursuitGet your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community WANT MORE SUPPORT? If this episode resonated with you and you want deeper, personalized support, you can learn more about working with me at jessicasmarro.com STAY CONNECTED: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youABOUT ASIA GENTRY Asia Gentry is a speaker and resilience advocate whose keynote, There Are No Fairy Godmothers, is about doing the hard thing without waiting to be rescued. Find her on Instagram: @as.told.by.asia Let's Get Unblocked!

You submitted the questions. I answered them, including one I had to coach myself through two hours before hitting record. This episode covers four listener questions on the stuff that actually keeps people stuck: the cycle of chasing confidence through goals that never deliver it, people-pleasing that survives every book and podcast and therapy session, how coaches get out of their own heads, and what to do when life feels too good to be true. IN THIS EPISODE: Why saying "I am a people pleaser" is part of what's keeping you stuck Arrival Addiction: why you cannot out-perform or out-achieve a feeling, and what to do insteadThoughts that create people-pleasing behaviors and the thoughts that don'tHow I coached myself through a real spiral today using the thought model I teach What to do when life feels too good to be true If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please follow, rate, and review Unblocked. It helps more people find these conversations and keeps this work going. Resources: Order my #1 New Release book In PursuitGet your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community Want more support? If this episode resonated with you and you want deeper, personalized support, you can learn more about working with me at jessicasmarro.com Stay connected: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!

You started strong. Then something didn't go the way you hoped and before you made a single conscious decision, you had already pulled back. That moment is where goals go to die, and I don't think we're talking enough about it. In this episode, I'm breaking down the Pursuit Cycle. This is the four-phase framework I use inside my coaching practice, and I'm showing you exactly where most people fall out of it.  What You'll Learn: The single most dangerous moment in any pursuit Why your brain treats every setback like a verdict on your worth and how to interrupt itThe Pursuit Cycle: Bold Action → Intentional Belief → Deep Learning → IterationWhy going back to action before you clean up your belief is the mistake that keeps the loop goingHow to shorten the time you spend outside the cycle every time you fall out of itIf you enjoyed today’s conversation, please follow, rate, and review Unblocked. It helps more people find these conversations and keeps this work going. Resources: Order my #1 New Release book In PursuitGet your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community Want more support? If this episode resonated with you and you want deeper, personalized support, you can learn more about working with me at jessicasmarro.com Stay connected: Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @jessicasmarroShare this episode and tag me with what landed for youLet's Get Unblocked!