In this episode, I'm joined by my dear friend Sarah Levy - you might remember her from when she came on the podcast back in 2022! She's the author of Drinking Games, a fellow Brown alumna, and now we're co-hosting a Cape Cod retreat together (May 29th–31st at the Ocean Edge Resort… which we talk about and are very excited about, obviously).

We recorded this one in person, and it turned into the kind of conversation that just lingers in the best way. I walked away from it feeling so inspired and honestly a little more like myself again on the songwriting & creativity front — which is always how I know something's good.

We talk about creativity in a very real, lived-in way, from writing our books to those phases where nothing is flowing, to what actually shifts when you stop trying to grip it so tightly.

We get into this idea that creativity isn't something you force or control, it's something you become available for: through space, trust, timing, and yes, sometimes letting yourself be BORED. It's honest, it's grounding, and whether you're a writer or you enjoy another creative act, if you've been feeling even a little disconnected from your creativity, I think this will feel like a deep exhale.

In this episode, we're also sharing the heart behind our upcoming Cape Cod retreat: a weekend for creativity, clarity, and a full "I feel like myself again" reset.

From May 29th–31st at the Ocean Edge Resort, we'll be gathering by the ocean for a few days of subconscious rewiring, creative flow, and deep restoration. Think slow mornings, cozy writing nooks, beach walks that turn into breakthroughs, and space to actually follow your ideas.

I'll be leading EFT tapping sessions to clear creative blocks at the root and help you reconnect with that natural, inspired momentum… so you're not just thinking about what you want to create, you're finally in it.

If you've been craving a reset, a spark, or space to come back to yourself, this is your invitation 💌

ALL INFO HERE: https://www.oceanedge.com/wellness-retreats/sober-curious-retreat

In last week's episode, I talked about something I call the hope wound: that quiet erosion of belief that happens after you've tried for something again and again without seeing the result you wanted. And when that wound happens, effort starts to feel pointless. Trying starts to feel exhausting. In this episode, I'm going deeper into that conversation and exploring the relationship between hope and effort. Because the truth is, we don't quit their dreams because we're lazy! We tend to quit because we start to believe our effort won't matter... because we've tried so much for so long.

I share a powerful story and a new way to think about trying that completely shifted my perspective: the idea that breakthroughs rarely follow a logical timeline, and that sometimes the moment everything changes comes right after the moment you're most ready to give up. If you've been feeling discouraged, tired of trying, or quietly wondering whether the thing you want will ever work out, this episode is an invitation to reclaim hope......and maybe cast the net one more time.

WHICH, BTW, is Dreamaway's March 2026 theme.

oin us in the premier Dreamaway Membership for so many resources including 40+ Dreamaway-exclusive tapping sessions (90 minutes of deep-dive subconscious rewiring/EFT tapping), visualizations, 40+ tapping "Money Dates" (abundance programming), daily tapping videos, weekly energy readings, astrological updates, and so much more! https://haleyhoffmansmith.com/dreamaway

@dreamawaymembership on IG

Try a Taste of Dreamaway for FREE: https://www.haleyhoffmansmithprograms.com/offers/y5bMkDqb/checkout

Order my book, You Have the Magic: https://youhavethemagic.com/

@haleyhoffmansmith on IG/TikTok

90 MIN SESSION: THE HOPE WOUND: Clearing Disappointment & Abandonment | Saturday, March 21st, 1-2:30pm ET

There's a specific kind of heartbreak that doesn't just hurt… it changes how you hope. When you've experienced abandonment, betrayal, rejection, or long seasons of disappointment, your nervous system quietly learns:
"Don't get too excited."
"Don't expect too much."
"Protect yourself from believing or opening your heart again."

That's the Hope Wound. It's the place where your heart still wants something deeply… but your body braces for loss.

In this 90-minute deep-dive, we'll gently uncover how abandonment experiences (loss of a dream, abandonment by another, a core rejection) have reshaped your relationship to hope. We'll dissolve the pattern of dimming your desire to avoid pain and rewire the subconscious belief that expecting good things makes you naive or unsafe. This session is about becoming brave enough to believe again. Because hope deferred makes a heart sick - and it's safe to get our hopes up and believe the best of the future again.

This episode is for the version of you who's still "trying"… but secretly feels tired of hoping. I'm sharing what I didn't realize I was doing this Fall: slowly shrinking my vision, losing my fire, and calling it "being realistic" / WORSE, not even realizing how much I was slipping. I discuss how the hope wound forms, why it creates stagnation (in your energy, your habits, and your creativity), and what actually restores hope in a way that feels peaceful instead of desperate. By the end, you'll have a reframe that calms your nervous system, a way to detach without giving up, and a few concrete steps to start moving again....even if you've been stuck for months.

MARCH IN DREAMAWAY: FOREVER HELD

Join us in the premier Dreamaway Membership for so many resources including 40+ Dreamaway-exclusive tapping sessions (90 minutes of deep-dive subconscious rewiring/EFT tapping), visualizations, 40+ tapping "Money Dates" (abundance programming), daily tapping videos, weekly energy readings, astrological updates, and so much more! https://haleyhoffmansmith.com/dreamaway

90 MIN SESSION: THE HOPE WOUND: Clearing Disappointment & Abandonment | Saturday, March 21st, 1-2:30pm ET

There's a specific kind of heartbreak that doesn't just hurt… it changes how you hope. When you've experienced abandonment, betrayal, rejection, or long seasons of disappointment, your nervous system quietly learns:
"Don't get too excited."
"Don't expect too much."
"Protect yourself from believing or opening your heart again."

That's the Hope Wound. It's the place where your heart still wants something deeply… but your body braces for loss.

In this 90-minute deep-dive, we'll gently uncover how abandonment experiences (loss of a dream, abandonment by another, a core rejection) have reshaped your relationship to hope. We'll dissolve the pattern of dimming your desire to avoid pain and rewire the subconscious belief that expecting good things makes you naive or unsafe. This session is about becoming brave enough to believe again. Because hope deferred makes a heart sick - and it's safe to get our hopes up and believe the best of the future again.

MONEY DATE: Divine Trust Fund | Tuesday, March 10th, 7:00pm ET

Imagine: what if you're totally, spiritually funded? And will ALWAYS be okay financially forever?

This money date tends to the fear that your money might 'run out,' or that you won't always be provided for. Because any prophecy of doom or gloom is NOT from the Divine. When we clear this learned fear from the root, we step into true peace and optimism about our financial stories and what's coming next.

This is full hope restoration for our finances.

Visualization: Timeline Restitching | in Sunday Slumber Party March 22nd

A guided journey back to the moment disappointment changed how you hope and caused a fracture in your timeline. You'll revisit a past memory where your heart braced, infuse it with divine presence and new meaning, and gently rewire the belief that it defined your future by restitching divine truth into the situation.