Women often find themselves grappling with a complex and sometimes sticky relationship with self-trust. From a young age, we are subtly conditioned to doubt our own instincts and inner knowing. This societal conditioning seeps into our subconscious, creating a disconnect from our innate self-trust and inner knowing that persists throughout our lives.
The erosion of self-trust often sets off a cascade of detrimental effects on our well-being. We find ourselves trapped in internal feedback loops that echo with damaging self-talk:
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’m not worthy of success or love.”
“I must not be trying hard enough.”
"Everyone else seems to have it all figured out, why can't I?"
“No one really cares about what I think or feel.”
These thoughts become our default narrative, undermining our confidence and distorting our perceptions of reality. The cycle perpetuates, reinforcing the belief that we are inherently flawed or inadequate.
Do any of these sentiments resonate with you?
In this episode, I aim to guide you through a common dysfunctional feedback loop, shedding light on its mechanisms and implications. Then I will walk you through a more healthy and productive feedback loop—one rooted in self-compassion, empowerment, and trust.
My hope is that by unraveling the patterns of self-doubt and negative social narratives, you can begin to reclaim your inherent self-trust and rewrite the script of your self-narrative, allowing you to embrace your worthiness and reshape the way you perceive yourself and your capabilities.

Link mentioned:
SMA Ep 391: Why Moms Lack Self-Trust https://shamelessmom.com/episode/why-moms-lack-self-trust/


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

873: Change This Internal Feedback Loop to Gain Self-Trust

Hosted by the notoriously real and raw Sara Dean, The Shameless Mom Academy is a top-rated podcast for moms who are looking to gain confidence, improve relationships, build better boundaries, cultivate resilience, create joy, and position themselves as a leader in their households, communities, workplaces, and businesses. The Shameless Mom Academy provides inspiration, learning, and stories that guide moms to become more confident and courageous decision-makers and action-takers.  With a deep commitment to truth-telling, Sara and her guests share vulnerable stories that are not often shared between mothers.  You can expect your head and your heart to expand a little with every episode. If you’re ready to overcome mom guilt, reject imposter syndrome, and quit perfectionism, you’re in the right place.  You can count on The Shameless Mom Academy to provide practical advice and simple strategies to make your life a little better starting today. Warning: Sara is known to make listeners laugh and cry and walk away feeling like you just spent time with a new best friend.

Kids & Family

Parenting

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Sometimes life is messy, ugly, and downright cruel. Currently, I have a number of loved ones going through really big, messy, unfair, hard things. When we find ourselves in these moments or seasons it can be so hard to keep going. The overwhelming emotions of frustration, disappointment, fear, and fatigue can make it really hard to rise and shine and face each day.  
I certainly don’t want to suggest you bypass these hard feelings. That won’t help you. In fact, that will only harm you in the long run. But, I do want to encourage you to find a way to make space to hold multiple truths and multiple layers of feelings and emotions. Life can be absolutely awful and full of beautiful moments at the same time. We experience this regularly in motherhood. And, we certainly experienced this during the pandemic.  
In the middle of your very worst day, your toddler finds a precious rock or stick and is filled with utter delight. This creates delight for you too. In the middle of a stressful season of work, your teen says, “Mom, I love you - even if I’m a jerk sometimes.” Your heart melts. In the middle of a nasty fight with a loved one, your dog or cat comes and cozies up on the couch next to you to show love and alliance. You know they always know what you need most. 
Being able to notice these little magical moments amidst the messy ones is what keeps us moving forward. In this episode, I talk you through how to use unconventional gratitude practices to get through sticky emotions.

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

878: Finding Gratitude When You’re Not Feeling Grateful

Many of my coaching clients, business and executive coaching clients alike, come to me to talk through the options that lie in front of them. Often times, it seems they are faced with two options and both have pros and cons. While the pros might look exciting, the cons are just the opposite. They can fill one with dread, if not total anxiety. 
What I have noticed time and time again is that when we think there are only two options, we are telling ourselves a little lie. The truth is, in most situations, there are more options. They just might not be as obvious. It might take some creativity, and outside influence to see that they exist. 
I was recently working with an executive coaching client who had two options in front of her. Both had some serious pros - exciting components she hadn’t seen coming. And… both had some serious cons. As we talked through which option might be the best for her right now, we both felt unsettled with each option. So, I asked her a simple question, “What would be an ideal outcome for you in this situation?” 
In talking through what she really wanted out of this situation, a third option begann to arise. As we talked through the third option, she started to get excited. She realized she could make up a third option out of the best parts of the two options that had been presented to her. We left this call with her feeling so much clarity and optimism. 
In this episode, I walk you through three questions to ask yourself when you’re on the brink of making a decision. Then, I give you three ways to dig deep to discover options that might not be immediately presenting themselves. 

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

877: What’s Your Ideal Outcome?

Kristi Coulter is the author of the acclaimed memoirs Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career and Nothing Good Can Come From This, and a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, New York Magazine/The Cut, Elle, Glamour, DAME, Big Technology, and elsewhere. She has been a guest and commentator for media outlets ranging from Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway's Pivot podcast to the Evercore Investor Forum to NPR's Live Wire Radio. Coulter has taught creative writing at the University of Washington, University of Michigan, and Hugo House. She lives in Seattle and Los Angeles.
EXIT INTERVIEW tells the story of Kristi’s twelve-year career at Amazon, where she held numerous leadership roles in an obsessively driven, punishing work culture that was particularly unfriendly to women (though not exactly great for men, either!). Her experience included thrills and exhilarating achievements along with alcohol abuse, burnout, and disillusionment. Ultimately, Kristi recognized that for her ambition to live and thrive, she would need to leave the alpha-male rigidity of Big Tech. Her story is incredible. I could not put this book down!  

Listen in to hear Kristi share:

Her deeply thoughtful and personal story of professional endurance within the “alpha-male rigidity of Big Tech”

The significance of unconscious sexism in the workplace and the impact on men and women

Her nerves around the publication of the book and what her co-workers and fellow Amazonians might think

How her ambition didn’t die when she left Amazon, but it outgrew Amazon and corporate spaces

The messaging she received around success as a Gen Xer and how she sees this shifting for younger generations

How she had to overcome people pleasing to write honestly and ethically about other people who may feel called out when reading book

What burnout looked like and how easy it was to not see it or acknowledge it

How her gray area drinking impacted her career at Amazon


Links mentioned:

Connect with Kristi: www.kristicoulter.com


Book: Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career


Book: Nothing Good Can Come From This


Kristi on IG

Kristi on LinkedIn


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

876: Kristi Coulter: Living and Leaving Amazon and Corporate Sexism

I am often asked, "Sara, how do I discover my passion?" It's a question typically accompanied by a sense of frustration over not having found it yet.
We're often led to believe that unless we're wholly devoted to something we're passionate about, we're squandering our time and talents. However, I propose that it's sometimes acceptable to engage in pursuits that don't ignite our passion entirely, especially if they offer security and stability—like a steady paycheck and benefits.
Of course, pursuing meaningful work that resonates with our passions and provides a sense of purpose is undeniably appealing. Additionally, the world eagerly awaits the gifts you have to offer, so withholding them would be a disservice.
So, how do you discern when to pursue your passions? How do you identify the endeavor you want to pursue passionately? And when is the right moment to pivot or make a strategic shift?
For 20+ years, I've dedicated considerable effort to building businesses centered around work that deeply resonates with me—work that fills me with purpose. However, there have also been times, even seasons, when I've found myself in less-than-thrilling situations as I strategically plotted my next move. In this episode, I'll recount a few examples to illustrate what this process looks like in reality.
Whether you're contemplating a pivot or shift right now or crafting a five-year plan toward your purpose, I've got you covered. This episode will give you great insight.

Link mentioned:
Interested in Business Coaching with Sara? Email us at info@shamelessmom.com with the subject line: Business Coaching and we will send you details on Sara’s 6 month One-on-One Business & Coaching Package! 

We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

875: Navigating Passion, Purpose, and Strategic Shifts

Katie Krimitsos is the creator of the Women’s Meditation Network, a collection of 20 guided meditation podcasts that help listeners feel calmer, sleep easier, release anxiety, and consciously create their lives. Her meditations have been listened to over 140 million times by women all around the world. She’s a writer at heart, has a soft spot for animals, adores her Greek hubby, loves a good margarita, and treasures the job of raising her two girls.
Katie has become a dear friend as we have navigated podcasting and entrepreneurship together. She has been a guest on the SMA multiple times. Our conversations are always fire and magic. We were video messaging back and forth recently about our childhoods and parenting and it got deep fast. After a bit, we both said, “We really should record this conversation!” So, here it is…  

Listen in to hear Katie share:

The red flags that alert you to the fact that you're disconnected from your sense of self

Why it can be so difficult to answer the question, “What do I want?”

How we are personally and professionally impacted by what our parents modeled throughout our childhood

The power of recognizing what was missing from your childhood - even if your childhood was really great

How to unpack your childhood a bit to acknowledge what you might need to release

Easily accessible tools that can help you begin to listen inward

Permission to not know what you want and how to start connecting to what you want


Links mentioned:

Find all of Katie’s Meditation Podcasts on Apple Podcasts:  Womens Meditation Network 

Connect with Katie or WMN resources: womensmeditationnetwork.com


Meditation for Moms: I See You, Mama with Sara Dean



We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor
Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at sales@adalystmedia.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

873: Change This Internal Feedback Loop to Gain Self-Trust

Download our free app to listen on your phone