The Journey to Freedom Begins with Self-Awareness

Let’s start with a deep breath.
Not a shallow, distracted breath—but the kind that signals a moment of truth.
Because if you’ve found yourself here, reading this, chances are something inside you is stirring.

Maybe you’ve been feeling off for a while.
Maybe you’re overwhelmed, exhausted from trying to hold everything together.
Or maybe you’ve just hit a wall and whispered the words, “I can’t keep doing this.”

If that’s where you are, I want you to hear this clearly:
You’re not broken. You’re becoming.
And you don’t have to stay stuck.

I know what it’s like to feel like life is passing you by while you’re spinning in cycles you don’t understand. For a long time, I told myself I was fine. That the past was in the past. That if I just tried harder, prayed more, performed better—things would finally change.

But real transformation doesn’t come from performing.
It comes from pausing.

And that’s where my new book, Unstuck: Break Free from What’s Holding You Back and Create a Life You Love, begins—by inviting you to pause long enough to notice the truth beneath the noise. The truth about what’s been holding you back. The truth about who you really are. The truth about what you’re capable of when you stop living on autopilot and start living awake.

The First Step: Self-Awareness

In Chapter One of Unstuck releasing this summer, we begin with what might be the most important skill in the entire journey: self-awareness.

It’s not flashy.
It’s not always comfortable.
But it is absolutely essential.

Because you can’t change what you don’t understand.
You can’t heal what you won’t acknowledge.
And you can’t grow if you don’t even know where you’re starting from.

Self-awareness is the gentle practice of looking within—not to judge or fix—but to see with clarity and compassion. It’s standing in front of the metaphorical mirror and saying, “I want to know myself—not just who I’ve had to be to survive, but who I was created to be.”

What Keeps Us Stuck?

Oftentimes, it’s not the major traumas that keep us stuck—it’s the subtle, unspoken experiences:

• The moments we felt unseen or unheard.
• The expectations we carried that were never ours to begin with.
• The unspoken rules we internalized about love, success, or safety.
• The quiet shame of not feeling “enough.”

These experiences can shape the way we think, feel, and respond—long after they’ve passed. Without realizing it, we begin to live in patterns that feel familiar, but not fulfilling. And because those patterns are rooted in our unconscious beliefs, we can’t break free from them through sheer willpower. We need to bring them into the light.

5 Practical Steps to Increase Self-Awareness Starting Now

If you’re ready to begin that journey today, here are five simple but powerful steps you can take to start building self-awareness—the foundation for your transformation:

1. Observe Without Judgment

Take a few moments each day to tune into your internal experience. What thoughts are running through your mind? What emotions are present in your body? Instead of labeling them as good or bad, just notice them like a curious observer. “I feel anxious.” “I’m thinking about the past.” “My shoulders are tense.” Naming your experience creates space between you and the emotion, helping you respond rather than react.

2. Get Curious

When you notice a strong emotional response, pause and ask:

• What just got activated in me?
• Is this feeling familiar?
• What belief might be driving this reaction?
  So often, our emotional responses aren’t about the present moment—they’re echoes from the past. Bringing curiosity instead of criticism helps you untangle what’s really going on beneath the surface.

3. Tune Into Your Body

Your body holds so much wisdom. Before your mind catches up, your body will tell you the truth. Pay attention to tightness in your chest, a pit in your stomach, or a lump in your throat. These physical sensations are signals. When you feel them, gently ask, “What am I holding here?” or “What might I need right now?”

4. Journal Your Inner World

Journaling is one of the fastest ways to build self-awareness. Set a timer for just 5–10 minutes a day and write freely. Try prompts like:

• What emotion have I been avoiding?
• When did I last feel truly alive?
• What belief do I carry that might not be true?
  Let the words flow without judgment. This is not about perfect grammar or tidy conclusions—it’s about honest reflection.

5. Practice Mindfulness in Small Moments

You don’t need a 30-minute meditation practice to be mindful. Start by noticing your breath. Pay attention while you sip your coffee. Tune into your senses while walking or driving. These simple moments of presence help retrain your mind to live in the now, not in the past or the “what ifs” of the future.

You Don’t Need to Fix Yourself—You Need to Know Yourself

The truth is, self-awareness isn’t about perfection.
It’s about compassion.
It’s about learning to hear the messages underneath your reactions, rather than shaming yourself for having them.

And as you start to see yourself more clearly, you’ll also begin to see your power more clearly.

In Unstuck, we don’t stop at insight—we move from awareness to action. Each chapter includes practical tools, guided reflections, and transformative exercises to help you break free from what’s been holding you back and step into the life you were meant to live—not the one you settled for.

Are You Ready to Begin?

You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You just need to be willing to take one honest step.

Unstuck: Break Free from What’s Holding You Back and Create a Life You Love is your invitation to do that—with support, strategy, and a whole lot of grace.

Get your free copy today before it is available for sale 

Let this be the moment you stop surviving and start becoming.