If you've been feeling the pull for a reset—but don't know where to start—this episode offers a grounded, practical way in.

Inspired by Atomic Habits and The Big Leap, we explore how small habit shifts and deeper identity work come together to create lasting change.

Inside this episode, you'll learn:

• Why tiny, consistent habits matter more than big, temporary changes
• The difference between changing outcomes vs. changing identity
• How to "stack" habits so they actually stick
• What might be keeping you from your next level (even if things look successful on the outside)
• How to recognize and move beyond your upper limit patterns

This is about more than productivity or discipline.
It's about becoming the version of you who naturally creates the results you want—without stress, guilt, or force.

www.michellebourquecoaching.com/newsletter

If you've ever felt like you're right on the edge of your next level—only to pull back, procrastinate, or create stress out of nowhere… this episode is for you.

In this episode of It's Your Time, Michelle breaks down the upper limit problem, a concept from Gay Hendricks' The Big Leap, and explains why so many high-achieving women unconsciously self-sabotage when things start going well.

You'll learn how your nervous system, subconscious beliefs, and identity work together to keep you operating within a familiar "set point" for success—and why growth can actually feel like anxiety.

Michelle also introduces the concept of disintegration anxiety, where your old identity begins to fall away before your next level fully forms—and why that discomfort is not a sign to stop, but a sign you're evolving.

This episode blends neuroscience, cognitive behavioral tools, and identity work to help you understand what's really happening when you feel stuck or overwhelmed at the edge of growth.

• What the upper limit problem is and how it shows up as self-sabotage
• Why your brain perceives success and growth as a threat
• The role of your amygdala and nervous system in holding you back
• What disintegration anxiety is and why it's a necessary part of growth
• How to shift automatic thoughts using CBT-based tools
• Practical ways to regulate your nervous system and expand your identity

If you're a high-performing woman in sales or leadership who feels like you should be further along—but something keeps holding you back—this episode will help you understand why.

And more importantly, what to do next.

Most high performers are excellent at taking action.

We know how to work hard, stay productive, and keep moving forward. But what we often don't examine is the belief underneath the work.

In this episode, Michelle shares a powerful coaching experience that revealed a belief many ambitious professionals quietly carry: the idea that our worth is tied to how hard we work.

Through the lens of neuroscience and mindset work, she explores how unconscious beliefs shape our behavior—and how we can begin to change them.

Inside this episode, you'll learn:

• Why 90–95% of our thinking happens unconsciously

• How metacognition (thinking about your thinking) creates the space for real change

• The role of neuroplasticity in rewiring your brain

• How the Reticular Activating System (RAS) filters the evidence you see in your life

• Why small shifts in belief create powerful long-term identity changes

• A new metric for success many high performers overlook: joy

If you've ever measured your value through productivity, this episode offers a different way to think about growth, success, and self-trust.

www.michellebourquecoaching.com/connect