Beyond Awareness: Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing

Samantha Hawley

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.

  1. 1d ago

    269. Journal With Me: From ‘I’m Not Ready’ to Letting Yourself Be Seen

    You keep telling yourself you're not ready. The website needs work. The logo isn't quite right. The offer needs one more tweak. But what if being "not ready" isn't really the reason? Sometimes the thing we're fixing on the outside is giving us somewhere to hide from what's actually uncomfortable: being seen. Today, we're going underneath the delay and getting honest about what's really keeping you from putting yourself and your work out there. Journal PromptsThink about the project, business, offer, or thing you've been sitting on. What reason have you been giving yourself for why it's not ready to share yet?If that reason disappeared tomorrow and everything was perfect, what would you be afraid of then?Where did that fear come from? Was there a time you put yourself out there and it didn't go the way you hoped, or someone whose opinion made you shrink? What did you decide about yourself afterward?Finish this sentence honestly: "If people actually see me and what I'm building, they might think..." Don't filter it.How long have you been letting that thought make decisions for you? What has staying invisible actually cost you, not just in business, but in how you feel about yourself?What is one small, specific way you could show up or share your work this week? Not perfectly. Not fully branded. Just real. You don't have to have it all figured out to be worth seeing. Start somewhere real. 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 me Connect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook

  2. 3d ago

    268. You’re Not Procrastinating on Building Your Brand - You’re Waiting to Feel Ready

    You’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 | Threads Stand Out Brand™ Audit: Brand Audit | Website 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 me Connect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook

  3. Aug 6

    267. Journal With Me: How to Know When to Let Go vs. Pivot

    Some 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 me Connect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook

  4. Jul 30

    265. Journal With Me: When Your To Do List Starts Defining Who You Are

    Some 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 me Connect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook

  5. Jul 28

    264. What Makes Your Mental Load Heavier Than It Needs to Be (Part 2)

    Some 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 me Connect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook

  6. Jul 23

    263. Journal With Me: Peace Isn't Something You Earn

    The 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 me Connect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook

  7. Jul 21

    262. How to Stop Feeling Drained Without Doing Less

    You 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 me Connect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook

5
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

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.

You Might Also Like