UNSTUCK
5 Subconscious Patterns That Keep You Playing Small—And the Ultimate Mind Hack to Break Free
It was 3 am.
Marisa was staring at the numbers for the fourth time that night.
The blue glow of her laptop screen was casting harsh shadows across her face as she toggled between her business account and the payment schedule that seemed to rearrange itself every month.
Her stomach clenched.
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Overwhelmed. Tired of doing it all herself. She knew she needed to hire help to grow and scale her corporate experiences business.
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Yet here she was.
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Calculating and recalculating.​
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Locked in a loop of fear and doubt.
“What if last quarter was just a fluke?
Where’s the money going to come from?
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Wait.. What if I hire a COO and everyone realizes I’ve been winging it…”
That familiar knot of panic hit her in the gut like it always did.
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Her phone buzzed.
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Finally, her business coach had responded back:
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"No matter how much you're making, that worry never really goes away. You just need to get over it."
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She laughed.
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​If it were that simple, wouldn’t she have done it already?
Looks can be deceiving…
Each year, we work with dozens of impact-driven entrepreneurs, founders, creatives, and business leaders just like Marisa.
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From the outside, they’re doing everything right.
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They’ve built powerful brands, led communities, built organizations from the ground up and hit major milestones.
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And yet, when the spotlight turns off, they quietly admit:
“I know exactly what I need to do to grow my business, but when it comes time to act, I hesitate or second-guess myself.”
“Part of me knows I’m capable, but there’s still something inside that won’t let me believe it.”
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“I struggle to trust my decisions. Every big move comes with overthinking, self-doubt, and the fear of getting it wrong.”
For many high-achievers, self-sabotaging patterns hide behind these common thoughts.
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​From the outside, they seem to be doing everything right.
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Their vision is clear but “for some reason”, their forward momentum keeps stalling.
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Not speaking up because someone might know ‘more’ than you…
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Hesitating when an opportunity comes along because you might have missed ‘something’...
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Waiting to launch or deliver until it’s ‘right’...
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Feel familiar?
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Most people don’t talk about it unless they are in the right circles.​​
When Tiny Decisions Add Up to Big Stuckness
​These behaviours are often classified as “imposter syndrome” and have profound impacts across all areas of life, not just “business”.
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And research shows they show up as five deeply embedded subconscious patterns.
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Sometimes they even hide behind the mask of qualities we’ve been taught to admire.
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Being a “hard worker,” for instance.
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Doing it yourself because it’s “faster.”
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Saying “yes” to one more project, even though you’re drowning.
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Other times, they masquerade as small harmless choices:
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…You pass on a speaking slot.
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…You don’t raise your rates.
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…You delay again by “just a few weeks.”
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None of these feel dramatic on their own.
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But year after year, these moments stack up. And like an unpaid debt, lost opportunity costs compound. Contracts not closed, promotions delayed, investors not pitched, hires not made, employees not empowered.
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Until one day you look up, and realize you’re not where you want to be.
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Wondering why you haven’t done more.​
The Real Reason You’re Exhausted
​​When our clients finally recognize the invisible programs running the show, they often say it feels like they’ve been dragging a sack of invisible bricks behind them.
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Can you picture it?
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Every single day. Slowing them down. Leaving them exhausted.
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They assume the fatigue is “just part of the hustle.”
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So they keep pushing.
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Keep grinding.
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Until the drag becomes unbearable.
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Then comes the usual advice…
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“Strengthen your mindset. Journal more. Reframe harder. Install better beliefs.”
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That’s like going to the gym to make your legs stronger…
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So you can drag the bricks faster.
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But what if your exhaustion is your body’s signal that something deeper needs your care?
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What if the real move is not to carry the weight better—but to drop the bricks altogether?
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How fast would you go?
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How light would you feel?
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Our clients are driven by purpose and the desire to make an impact. They want to operate from their full potential.
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Which is why, it’s not about what they have achieved.
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The question for them is:
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“What would my life look like if I wasn’t dragging this invisible weight?”
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If I hadn’t second-guessed that big decision…
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If I had launched sooner, raised my rates, or spoken up…
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If I were already operating at the level I know I’m capable of.
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Not someday.
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Now.
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If this feels familiar… if you keep ending up in the same stuck place, despite everything you’ve achieved and everything you know—keep reading.
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Because after two decades of training and practicing across modalities, we followed a trail of clues—hidden in plain sight—that led to a discovery that changed everything.
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​And what you’ll discover next flips the entire conversation around imposter syndrome on its head.
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