The Rachel Hollis Podcast 929| Why Smart Women Keep Self-Sabotaging the Life They Say They Want
Jan 26, 2026
A deep look at why high achievers stall despite working hard. She names patterns like deferred courage and goal avoidance as respectable detours. The discussion covers being addicted to potential, mistaking preparation for progress, and the fear of failure that keeps people playing small. Practical attention is given to building a community of doers and testing whether tasks truly move you toward your North Star.
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The Writer Who Kept Rewriting Beginnings
- Rachel shares her decade-long struggle of starting and stalling on books, revising the same chapters repeatedly.
- She used distractions and new ideas to avoid finishing, despite wanting to be an author since childhood.
Deferred Courage Syndrome
- Rachel Hollis names a common trap 'deferred courage syndrome' where people declare goals but delay real risk-taking.
- The detours often look responsible externally while avoiding exposure and true progress.
Claim Identity By Doing The Work
- Stop chasing identity and labels without doing the vulnerable work required to earn them.
- If you want to be an artist, make the art now instead of pursuing a socially acceptable shield that delays exposure.