Unblocked

On today's episode, I’m joined by Dana Zellers. She's an executive coach, founder of Dana Zellers Coaching, and creator of the Career Control Framework. In this conversation, Dana and I explore something we both witness daily. It's the constant pressure to do more, achieve more, and be more. But rarely do we stop to question whether it's actually working. Dana shares how to get way more done in way less time, without sacrificing your health, freedom, or personal life.We explore:Why the “I don’t have time” mindset is a trap and how to escape itHow Dana’s Career Control Framework helps you define success on your termsThe surprising truth about freedom, productivity, and schedulingWhy reflection, experimentation, and values alignment are the real productivity hacksHow to stop letting your calendar control you and start reclaiming your powerWhether you’re a leader, a high-achiever, or someone feeling stuck in the grind, this episode is packed with practical tools and powerful shifts to help you design a career and life that actually fits you.If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Links and Resources:If you love what you're hearing on the podcast, you've gotta check out my private coaching offers. Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community  Let’s Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Connect with Dana Zellers:Grab Dana’s Better Week Blueprint (free resource): danazellers.com/betterweekConnect with Dana on Instagram and LinkedInLet’s Get Unblocked! 

Are you the bottleneck in your own business or life?In this episode of Unblocked, I sit down with Joe Patneaude, creator of the STAR Scalability Method, to unpack why so many high-performers unknowingly build businesses that drain them instead of freeing them. For 15 years, Joe has been coaching leaders in financial services to scale smarter, delegate with clarity, and build teams that align with their values, not just their bottom line.If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying your entire business on your back, or you’re stuck in “do more, be more” mode, this conversation is your wake-up call. Joe shares how the STAR Method helps business owners shift from solo-grinding to strategic scaling, without losing control of what matters most. Joe drops powerful insights on leadership, scalability, and unlearning outdated success strategies that are keeping you stuck.If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Links and Resources:If you love what you're hearing on the podcast, you've gotta check out my private coaching offers. Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community  Let’s Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Connect with Joe Patneaude:Website: jpcoachingnow.com Book: Follow the STAR (Available now) LinkedIn: Joe PatneaudeLet’s Get Unblocked! 

What if the thing keeping you stuck isn’t fear of what you’ll miss but fear of what you’ll have to leave behind?In this episode of Unblocked, we’re flipping the script on F.O.M.O. We’re not talking about Fear of Missing Out. We’re talking about Fear of Moving On.That job you’ve outgrown. That relationship you keep justifying. That version of you that no longer fits.Let’s talk about why you’re still holding on and how to let go without unraveling.Inside this episode you'll learn: ✅ A mindset reframe that finally gives you permission to release ✅ A step-by-step breakdown of the thoughts making it harder, and the ones that make it easier ✅ A new way to live: fully engaged, but lightly held ✅ An invitation to live like you’re just visitingIf you’ve been gripping something that’s already trying to leave, this episode is the nudge you didn’t know you needed.If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Links and Resources:Are you ready to move on from something that's no longer serving you? Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community  Let’s Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Let’s Get Unblocked! 

What if someone else having a hard feeling didn’t mean you did something wrong, and what if connection didn’t require perfection but honesty?In this episode of Unblocked, I unpack the deeply ingrained belief that emotional discomfort signals danger in our relationships. From friendships to romantic partnerships to family ties, many of us tiptoe through our connections silencing ourselves, shape-shifting, and people-pleasing to avoid conflict. But at what cost?Inside this episode you'll learn:Why love doesn’t need defendingHow your thoughts about a relationship shape your entire experience of itA simple reframe to move from guilt to curiosity when someone’s upsetWhat to say when you’re afraid honesty might cause disconnectionHow to take 100% responsibility for your 50% of the relationshipThis episode is for anyone who’s been walking on eggshells, craving connection but afraid of rocking the boat. If you’ve ever asked, “What if I’m too much?” or “What if this ruins everything?” this one’s for you.Links and Resources:Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal that was mentioned in today's episode. Are you ready to revolutionize your relationships? Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Join My Do The Thing Community Let’s Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Let’s Get Unblocked! 

Sometimes the most courageous act isn’t holding on, it’s letting go.In this powerful episode of Unblocked, I sit down with Hannah Rose — Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, speaker, consultant, founder of Rose Wellness Counseling, and former Survivor 45 contestant — to explore when walking away is the bravest, most self-honoring move you can make.Hannah is no stranger to bold pivots. On national TV, she stood up at Tribal Council and chose to leave the game, a decision that unleashed a flood of public judgment and shame, but it also sparked profound personal growth.In this conversation, we talk about: ✨ How to know when quitting is an act of self-trust, not self-betrayal ✨ The difference between quitting on yourself vs. quitting for yourself ✨ Why shame keeps us stuck and how to break free from it ✨ The sneaky trap of "gratitude shaming" ✨ Why she believes "serial quitting" can actually be a superpower ✨ How mindfulness, boundaries, and radical self-ownership shape her decisions ✨ The one question to ask yourself when you're on the edge of a big decisionHannah brings fierce honesty and hard-won wisdom to this conversation and reminds us that quitting can be one of the most liberating, aligned choices we ever make.If you’ve been told to stick it out, muscle through, or never quit, this episode is your permission slip to reframe what it really means to choose yourself.If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Links and Resources:Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community  Let’s Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Connect with Hannah Rose:Website: rosewellnesscounseling.comYouTube | LinkedIn | Goodreads:  @hannahroselcpc Let's Get Unblocked! 

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Kevin Mays - executive coach, founder of Mays Leadership, and a trusted guide to some of the nation’s top leaders. With a background in behavioral science, leadership development, and organizational consulting, Kevin helps high-impact individuals strengthen their leadership from the inside out.And that’s exactly what this conversation is about.Too many people are trained to manage what’s happening "out there," the deadlines, the clients, the optics, the performance. But they never learned how to manage what’s happening "in here," their thoughts, their patterns, their internal experience.Dr. Mays brings deep wisdom, grounded strategy, and lived experience to these questions. Together, we explore:Why leadership starts with self-awarenessThe root of burnout and how to dissolve it through presenceHow perfectionism, people-pleasing, and performance can become traps for leadersThe difference between cognitive awareness and embodied awareness (and why both matter)You’ll also hear about Dr. Kevin’s personal breaking point and how it shaped the way he now teaches leaders to access their full humanity.If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Send it to the leader who’s always on but rarely off. To the executive who knows how to hit the goals but struggles to feel peace. To the person who’s great at managing everything except their own mind.Links and Resources:Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community  Let’s Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Connect with Dr. Kevin Mays:www.maysleadership.com Subscribe to his daily leadership email for powerful mindset + business insights Coming soon: Lead Yourself First - Kevin’s new book on conscious leadershipLet’s Get Unblocked! 

When was the last time you held back what you really wanted to say because you didn’t like how you sounded? Worried you’d be “too much”? Not enough? Too emotional, too aggressive, too soft?In this firecracker of a conversation, I am joined by the brilliant Samara Bay - Hollywood speech coach, bestselling author of Permission to Speak, and a leading voice in helping people reclaim their own.Samara has coached Oscar-winning actors, presidential candidates, Fortune 500 executives, and everyday folks ready to stop performing and start connecting. And today, she’s here to help you ditch the vocal shame, drop the people-pleasing, and start speaking from your full, unapologetic self.This episode is not about how to sound polished. It’s about how to sound like YOU with power, presence, and purpose.🎙️ In this episode, you’ll hear:Why so many of us hate the sound of our own voice, and how to shift that narrativeHow the myth of the “sound of power” has kept us smallWhat public speaking really is (hint: it’s not performance, it’s connection)Why authenticity is your greatest communication superpowerHow to show up with strength and warmth, even when your nervous system is freaking outSamara breaks it all down with heart, humor, and a permission slip to show up fully. You’ll walk away with tools to stop editing yourself and start leading with your real voice.And if your voice has been hiding, let today be the day you call it back. Start small. Start scared. Just start.If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Links and Resources:Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community  Let’s Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Connect with Samara:Website: www.permissiontospreak.comBook: Permission to Speak (Available wherever books are sold)Instagram & LinkedIn: @samarabayLet’s Get Unblocked! 

In this episode, I’m joined by Carey Davidson, founder of Harmin Labs and author of The Five Archetypes. Carey brings a transformative lens to understanding yourself and others by integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine, neuroscience, and behavioral science into a powerful system of self-awareness and relational healing.If you’ve ever felt stuck in reactive patterns, misunderstood in your relationships, or unsure of how to access your full potential, this conversation will give you the framework and tools to shift, gently and powerfully.We explore:The difference between personality types and the Five Archetypes as a dynamic energy systemWhat each of the five elements (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood) represents and how they show up in your day-to-day lifeHow to recognize when you're operating from stress and how to course-correctThe connection between your dominant archetype and your emotional safety strategiesThe one practice Carey recommends to immediately begin using this framework in your lifeWhether you’re a self-growth junkie or curious about what’s been getting in the way of feeling whole and in flow, this episode offers deep insights and actionable strategies to break free from inner blocks and reclaim your personal power.If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Links and Resources:Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community  Let’s Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Let’s Get Unblocked! Resources Mentioned:Discover your Five Archetypes - Take the assessment here!The Five Archetypes by Carey Davidson – Buy the BookConnect with Carey at www.careydavidson.com or on Instagram @careydavidsonofficial

Are you gripping tightly to beliefs, behaviors, or identities that are holding you back from becoming who you were designed to be?In this episode of Unblocked, we're diving deep into the real reasons why letting go feels so hard—even when we know something isn't serving us anymore. We explore the neuroscience, the psychology, and the emotional truth behind why we stay stuck in people-pleasing, scarcity, shame, validation-seeking, and other protective patterns.Inspired by a powerful question from Rachel Hollis’ book, “What must I let go of in order to be the person I want to be?”—this conversation breaks down the hidden blocks and provides a tangible path to freedom.Inside this episode:Why your brain sees the familiar as safe, even if it’s painfulThe grief and identity loss that comes with letting goThe 8-step Letting Go Map to help you release with intentionA powerful walk-through using people-pleasing as a real-life exampleThought-provoking reflection questions to move forward in purposePlus, I’m giving you a free companion worksheet to help you implement the letting go process in your own life. You’ll find the link below Download the FREE Letting Go Reflection Guide [Link to guide]If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Links and Resources:Are you ready to REALLY let go? Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community  Let’s Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Let’s Get Unblocked! 

On this episode of Unblocked with Jessica Smarro, we are joined by the radiant and resilient Dr. Mecca Nelson—a Gold Star spouse, wellness entrepreneur, author, and founder of Mecca’s City of Wholeness.After losing her husband, Army Sergeant Mario Nelson, in 2006, Mecca embarked on a powerful journey of grief, growth, and transformation. In this deeply moving conversation, she opens up about navigating trauma, reconnecting with her faith, and building a life rooted in purpose and holistic healing.Dr. Mecca shares how she turned profound loss into a legacy of empowerment, creating The YOMA Method—a unique blend of yoga, martial arts, mindfulness, and meditation—and guiding others through grief, energy healing, and spiritual renewal. From founding a wellness center to becoming a Department of Education vendor, Mecca’s story is one of aligned action, divine timing, and unwavering resilience.We talk about:What it means to be a Gold Star spouseThe spiritual and emotional toll of trauma, and the power of naming itHow Mecca rebuilt her life through intuition, energy work, and radical self-trustLearning to pause, pivot, and protect your energyThe importance of releasing your story in order to receive your blessingThe power of goals, spiritual alignment, and speaking life into your bodyThis episode is a sacred reminder that you can be blessed and hurt in life, and still rise. You’ll leave this conversation feeling inspired to trust your process, follow divine nudges, and choose yourself fully.Featured Guest:Dr. Mecca Nelson Founder of Mecca’s City of Wholeness Co-Author of Blessed Not Broken and Still I Thrive IG: @the_yoma_method and @drmeccanelsonIf this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Links and Resources:Are you ready to revive and thrive? Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community  Let’s Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Let’s Get Unblocked!