Would you say this sounds like you now? Or has this ever been you?
- The simple joys that once lit you up... faded.
- Things you genuinely loved – spending quality time with loved ones, diving into exciting projects – just aren't hitting the same.
- Your sleep has been off, your peace has felt fleeting, and that deep sense of contentment, that feeling of having your soul fed, has seemed to diminish.
- Instead, you have felt increasingly irritable, agitated, restless, or just plain discordant.
If you answered yes, then know you are definitely not alone. This is exactly where I was not too long ago.
For many of us, we're experts at juggling. We pride ourselves on keeping all the balls in the air- careers, families, friendships, community commitments. But what happens when, amidst all that motion, you start to feel subtly off? No dramatic crisis, no big, flashy breakdown, just a slow, quiet decline in your inner vibrancy. That’s precisely where I was.
Maybe you even noticed things felt a little quieter around here recently? Were you noticing fewer social posts or a break in our regular emails? You're right. I did take a pause. A significant one, because my break was both on a personal level and in 
my business. It wasn't planned, but it was absolutely necessary.
my business. It wasn't planned, but it was absolutely necessary.I'm going to share this very personal journey with you, not just to explain my absence, but to shed light on a powerful truth. A truth that I believe, based on my conversations with you (my Lovelies), will deeply resonate with your own experiences. My goal is to simply share my truth, not to preach. But my hope is that after reading this post, you'll see how taking your own intentional pause for greater clarity and fulfillment can be such a vital step in your life journey and to offer a relatable hand as you navigate your unique path.
So if you’re interested, grab your cuppa, pull up your seat, & let’s talk about:
That subtle, gnawing feeling of discord that we talked about already? It wasn't something that I could ignore for long. It was an internal shift, a quiet but insistent rebellion of my spirit. My joy was subtly being eroded. Things I used to genuinely love - deep conversations, creative business ventures - now felt… flat.
For me specifically that came in the form of my sleep being disturbed. My mindfulness practice was being forced and it lacked genuine connection. That comforting sense it gave me of having my soul at peace, which usually grounds me, was slowly diminishing. Instead, an unsettling mix of irritability, agitation, and restlessness became my constant companions.
It was a clear signal that something within me, despite outward appearances, was deeply out of sync.
I wish I could tell you that this internal nudging, this quiet discomfort, lead me to immediate solutions. But I can't. It took me about 3 months to find my balance. But for you, I'll condense into one blog post. 😉 And it sent me down a fascinating and deeply personal research rabbit hole.
For five weeks, I explored the complex world of dopamine - what it is, how it functions, and what people truly mean when they talk about "dopamine addiction" or "dopamine detox." While those terms aren't entirely accurate, definitionally speaking, the underlying sentiment of craving stimulation and feeling dulled by it is very real.
This initial research then led me to an equally in-depth exploration of high cortisol levels. You may have heard people talk about "adrenal fatigue" or "cortisol poisoning." Like with dopamine, those phrases aren’t medically precise, but they point to a very real problem: being in a constant state of high alert, feeling overwhelmed, or experiencing a state of physical and mental exhaustion due to chronic stress. This was another piece of the puzzle I needed to understand.
All of this research into science and my resulting experiments were driven by my desperate need to understand what was happening inside me. I needed to know why my inner spark started to feel so dim. One of my experiments was when I chose to take what I called a "cognitive reset" or a "sensory reset."
For one precious weekend, I virtually unplugged from everything digital.
- Little to no electronic interaction.
- No social media, personally or professionally.
- I spent actual, present time with people, in person.
- I savored simple moments and building new memories that truly nourished my soul.
- Email checks were minimal, just a quick scan to delete junk and ensure no urgent fires.
- And for 48 glorious hours, I truly didn't work.
Now, two full days off in a row is pretty rare for me. It’s not because I'm a workaholic in the traditional sense; it’s because I genuinely, deeply love what I do. New ideas constantly bubble up, and I get excited to explore them. My business is my true passion!
But even passion needs boundaries.
And I had definitely allowed the doing to overshadow the being.
After that weekend of unplugging, I felt an incredible shift. I was refreshed, more present, and genuinely happy. That underlying hum of irritability was gone. This intentional pause was the first crucial step in realigning my internal compass.As people more insightful than me have noted, "Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is rest." My experience proved this truth unequivocally. This space was a necessity, not a luxury. It wasn't about shirking responsibilities; it was about honoring a fundamental human need to recharge so that I could return with renewed vigor and clarity.
The second step for me was learning to maintain my balance better. My research into cortisol showed me that I just needed to dial in my efforts in certain areas a little more. I needed my sleep, my mindful practice, my physical activity, my work, and my morning sunlight. But more importantly, I needed to balance my rests, recharges, and resets with my activities on a more regular basis. I needed to pay a little more attention, on a little more regular of a basis to what my mind, heart, and body were telling me. I was out of my personal alignment.
But before I got to step 2, there was another event that told me I needed to slow down and I needed to do a small reassessment for myself. We’ll call it Step 1.5.
The week immediately following that transformative reset weekend, I had a week-long business training intensive that I was registered to attend. This wasn’t a casual seminar; it was seven days packed with deep learning, intensive training sessions, expert panels, and deep dive Q&A.
It was during this intensive week, combined with the clarity & renewed focus I gained from my personal reset, that a monumental realization hit me. It was like a lightning bolt across the road at night, illuminating the parts of my business and my life that had subtly gone off course.
There was a particular moment that hit me on such a deep, deep level. The business coach running the training intensive used a change behavior therapy technique that I teach my own clients. The first step is to examine your current results, the actions and behaviors that led to them, and the thoughts and feelings behind those actions. Then, the process shifts to focusing on the results you truly want, and reverse-engineering the thoughts, feelings, and actions needed to get there.
I knew this material inside and out. I’ve coached countless clients through this very process to help them rediscover their own path. Yet, I had never heard someone apply it so directly and powerfully to a digital business, and specifically, to my business. He emphasized a truth that hit me with profound impact: as the founder and CEO, I need to design a business that not only serves my community but also fundamentally aligns with me. If it doesn’t, he explained, burnout is inevitable. And if I burn out, if I lose my spark and my energy, I can't effectively help anyone. And helping people, genuinely empowering individuals to navigate transitions and find their joy – that's my core purpose. That’s my driving passion.
This was another vital turning point for me. I realized it's not just about managing tasks; it's about the fundamental design of my life and work. It was a realization that my own well-being and alignment are not luxuries but prerequisites for fulfilling my dream. As the saying goes, "You can't pour from an empty cup." My research & my pause, followed by this intensive, allowed me to see just how close my cup was to running dry, and how essential it was to refill it for myself, but also for you, my community. I understood that this personal transition was directly linked to how I could better serve you, ensuring that I could truly deliver on my brand promise of lasting change and support.It hammered home the fact that true leadership starts with yourself, especially in the realm of personal growth, and it means living your own philosophy.
As I said before, I had come to the realization that I had inadvertently made some course changes in both my life and my business. In my business, I’d gotten so consumed by being busy, so wrapped up in the doing, that I had lost some sight of my original, heartfelt focus. It's a common trap in our fast-paced world, believing that if we’re always moving, then we’re always moving forward. But sometimes, even forward momentum can take us in directions we never intended.
The best illustration for this is an analogy I was told about the trajectory of a flight. A flight takes off in the direction of its predetermined flight plan & final destination. However, as it flies, the pilot has to make slight corrections, small variations, tiny adjustments, and so on to keep the flight on its most correct path. If the pilot didn't make these minuscule movements, then over the course of the flight, the whole flight path could be off course. A one-degree discrepancy can be a monumental thing if it were to go unchecked over a long period of time. It could be the difference between you landing in Ireland versus Morocco. Both lovely countries, I'm sure, but very different.
My path to helping you meant first realigning my own. This was particularly evident as I was navigating the transition of my coaching from 1:1 to digital and I couldn't quite pinpoint why it lacked the impact I knew it was capable of making. My startling realization was that my low-grade dissatisfaction stemmed from a subtle but profound detour. I had strayed from my authentic path and what I truly wanted to provide for you. Instead of focusing on developing my in-depth courses and getting my high-quality coaching material into a more accessible digital form, I found myself getting swept up in the blurred landscape of trying to be like "everyone else" in the online space by chasing "quick fixes" and creating smaller, less effective products. Thanks to the pause which allowed my mind to be more open, I was able to see where my content was missing the deeper, more applicable insights that connect my coaching material to a person's life in a truly transformative way. It became clear how I could offer more depth, similar to what my one-on-one clients receive, for more profound change.
My unintended detour was, in fact, honing my ability to guide you through your own similar, perhaps unseen, challenges. It affirmed, for me, that true growth often emerges from confronting these detours head-on.
My entire experience, from the subtle internal discord to the profound insights gained, highlighted something absolutely crucial: I had become reactionary. I had fallen into the all-too-common trap of just "staying busy" – believing that if I was accomplishing things, I must be doing the right thing. But this "busyness" had taken over. It wasn't serving me; it was controlling me.
I was reacting to external noise instead of deeply trusting my own internal compass. As a result, I wasn't fully present in moments that mattered, my cognitive function felt foggy, decision-making became harder, and I even noticed a dip in my emotional regulation, a shortened fuse for things that normally wouldn't bother me.
My husband, who knows me best, even noticed some subtle changes in my demeanor and presence. His gentle comments, combined with my own internal discomfort, prompted me to
get more present with myself, to truly listen to those inner signals, and to allow myself to be coachable. It was a profound lesson in opening up to those who care for me and to the internal and external wisdom (not external noise) to help me recenter.
get more present with myself, to truly listen to those inner signals, and to allow myself to be coachable. It was a profound lesson in opening up to those who care for me and to the internal and external wisdom (not external noise) to help me recenter.I've coached my clients on the power of small changes, the importance of carving out moments to breathe, and how regular self-check-ins can bring more balance to your life. I’ve shared how dedicating even small amounts of focused time to relationships can lead to higher quality connections, and how pursuing your interests and hobbies is fundamentally key to your happiness and fulfillment. This pause was me, quite literally, walking my talk.
Life isn't controllable, that’s a given. We can't always dictate the storms that come our way. But what we can control, and what I now practice with even greater conviction, is consistently taking the space to choose HOW you are going to live and move forward in YOUR life.
I have also learned to distinguish between when my body and mind genuinely need a pause for well-being and when I need to persevere through a temporary lack of focus. A disconnection sometimes requires a deeper dig into it, while other times it signals a need to dig deeper into who you truly want to be as a person. Trust me when I say, it's a powerful shift from reaction to intentional creation and you reclaim your agency.
So, why does any of this matter to you, right here, right now?
This deeply personal experience doesn't change my commitment to you; in fact, it strengthens it. I’m still here, ready to meet you exactly where you are, with even greater empathy and understanding. Because, just like you, I am a perfectly imperfect human. I’m flawed. I don't pretend to be perfect, but I am always striving. I'm committed to 1% progress – small, consistent improvements and growth, both as a person, a business owner, and your coach.This sharing is simply about how I'm structuring my business and my life to find that crucial balance: how I can best help you meet your needs and wants, while also profoundly honoring my own. My journey validates that this work is real, and it’s deeply transformative.
My hope is that my experience might prompt you to ask yourself: Could you use a pause?
We often move through life on autopilot, just doing what’s next on the list, reacting to demands. And while autopilot has its purpose for efficiency, we naturally grow and change over time. The person you are today at, say, 48, is undoubtedly different from who you were at 28.
Have you truly checked in with who you are lately? Is what you're doing still what you truly want to do? Has your purpose shifted, or perhaps how you achieve that purpose? Are your goals for your life the same? (And if they are, I'd be genuinely interested in getting to know you, because you are an extremely unique individual.)
So, get quiet. Give yourself time and space. Ask yourself some honest questions and just allow your thoughts and feelings to surface without judgment. See what comes up and take it from there. This intentional pause is your gateway to deeper clarity, renewed purpose, and a more joyful, fulfilling life.
As for me, I'm back, refreshed and re-aligned, ready to bring you even more valuable content and guidance than ever before.
If you've been feeling that subtle internal hum of discord, have a desire to make a change, or you've experienced a major life change, then I am very excited to be able to offer you the opportunity to secure your spot on the interest list for "Pinpoint Your Purpose & Path".
This is my very first digital course and will provide you with the tools you need to transform your life with clarity, step into your authentic purpose, choose lasting fulfillment, and have faith in yourself to build the life you truly desire.
Get your name on the interest list to be guaranteed a notification when the course is offered.
Only those on the interest list are GUARANTEED a notification.
Until next time, take care of you and yours,
Casey
*The information provided on this website, including blog posts, articles, and other content, is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. The information shared here also is not a substitute for individual coaching sessions or a client-coach relationship. Always consult with a qualified professional for any specific concerns or before making any decisions. No guarantees are made regarding any specific outcomes or results from using the information provided on this website.
