This year taught us how to recognize when our ego was driving versus when our heart was leading. Sara spent the first half of the year wrapped up in performance, chasing money and success and notoriety, until she started asking herself "is this what my brain thinks I should want, or is this what my heart actually wants?" Marisa navigated building her business, hiring team, creating space for rest, only to realize she's been searching for stability in all the external things instead of finding it within herself. This episode is us reflecting on what 2025 taught us. How our egos got us to where we are (which is beautiful), and also how this year invited us to go deeper and discover what our hearts have been trying to tell us all along.

🔥 In This Episode:

• The difference between building your life from ego (for protection and safety) versus building from your true self
• How comparing your current reality to what you think it should be keeps you from celebrating what's actually working
• What it means to find internal stability instead of constantly looking for it in your business, your relationships, or your achievements
• The invitation to exist and trust instead of forcing outcomes, and why that's so fucking simple but not easy until you've journeyed through it

If you've been running hard all year and wondering why you still don't feel settled, this episode is your reminder to pause. Reflect on where you've been. Celebrate what's working. And stop measuring your life by metrics that were never meant for you in the first place.

Mark Your Calendar: We're hosting another in-person HeartWork Leadership event March 12th and 13th! This is the deep dive workshop where we walk you through exercises like this in real time and help you build the kind of leadership that actually empowers your team.

Connect with us:

• Instagram: @drsaranelsongray, @dr.marisa.nicole10, @theheartworkpodcast
• Email: theheartworklife@gmail.com

Download our Free Self Love Challenge PDF

Support the show

We talk a lot about scaling your business, but nobody talks about what it actually takes to scale yourself as a leader first. The truth is, if you're frustrated with your team, resentful of clients who don't show up, or exhausted from giving so much to people who take without reciprocating, the problem isn't them. It's you. And we know that's hard to hear because we've both been there. This episode is about the shift that happens when you move from startup survival mode into actually leading an established business, and why the boundaries you didn't think you needed in year one become non-negotiable by year three.

🔥 In This Episode:

• Why having the same team for a full year changes everything and what it takes to actually get there
• The startup to scaling transition and how your leadership has to evolve when you're no longer just trying to survive
• How to recognize when your ego is disguising itself as generosity and why saying yes to everyone is actually hurting your business
• The red rope analogy and why raising your standards for who gets access to your business is necessary as you scale
• The mirror test: how to look at yourself first when something in your business feels off or out of alignment

If you're in that messy middle stage where you're no longer a startup but don't quite feel established yet, or if you're realizing that the way you led your business in year one isn't working anymore, this episode is for you. Because you can't scale your business without scaling yourself first. And sometimes that means getting brutally honest about the people, energy, and situations you've been allowing in. We are imperfect leaders leading imperfect human beings, and that's the whole point.

Mark Your Calendar: We're hosting another in-person HeartWork Leadership event March 12th and 13th! This is the deep dive workshop where we walk you through exercises like this in real time and help you build the kind of leadership that actually empowers your team.

Connect with us:

• Instagram: @drsaranelsongray, @dr.marisa.nicole10, @theheartworkpodcast
• Email: theheartworklife@gmail.com

Download our Free Self Love Challenge PDF

Support the show

We get asked all the time how to become a better leader. And here's the truth nobody wants to hear: it starts with you doing your own inner work first. You can't empower your team if you're not aware of your own stuff. You can't lead people through transformation if you haven't walked through it yourself. This isn't about reading more leadership books or implementing better systems. It's about radical ownership of who you are, what you're creating, and what's getting in your way.

🔥 In This Episode:

• The "I am and I create" framework that will shift how you see yourself, your business, and your leadership
• The four things your brain is constantly seeking (feel good, be right, be in control, look good) and how they keep you stuck in patterns
• Why "I cannot, so I should" is laced with guilt and shame, and how to shift to "I am, so I choose to, and I will"
• The practical ways to invite your team into their own heartwork journey once you've done the work yourself
• Why you have to actually let go when you delegate and how to build trust without micromanaging

If you're tired of surface level leadership tactics and ready to do the real work that creates lasting change in yourself and your team, this episode is your starting point. Because the quality of your leadership is a direct reflection of the quality of your inner work. Stop trying to fix your team and start looking at what you need to own first.

Mark Your Calendar: We're hosting another in-person HeartWork Leadership event March 12th and 13th! This is the deep dive workshop where we walk you through exercises like this in real time and help you build the kind of leadership that actually empowers your team.

Connect with us:

• Instagram: @drsaranelsongray, @dr.marisa.nicole10, @theheartworkpodcast
• Email: theheartworklife@gmail.com
• Download our Free Self Love Challenge PDF

Support the show