262804066 131. Journaling Through Hard Seasons: 5 Min Journal Prompts for When Gratitude Isn't Enough - Beyond Awareness: Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing

Episode 131

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Published on:

3rd Apr 2025

131. Journaling Through Hard Seasons: 5 Min Journal Prompts for When Gratitude Isn't Enough

Are you tired of being told to (or feeling like you should) "just be grateful" when life feels overwhelming? In this powerful 5-minute journaling episode, I'm challenging the culture of forced gratitude that keeps so many ambitious moms stuck in cycles of denial and disconnection.

If you've ever caught yourself saying "I should be grateful for my job" or "I should be grateful for my family" while secretly feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or unfulfilled—this episode is for you. I believe it's time to stop masking what you truly feel with gratitude statements that keep you from addressing what's really going on.

🎯 In this episode, you'll discover:

  • Why traditional gratitude journaling might be keeping you stuck
  • How to honor the difficult parts of your life instead of glossing over them
  • A powerful 3-prompt journal flow to reconnect with what truly matters
  • My quick guided visualization technique that builds genuine self-trust

I walk you through each prompt step-by-step, complete with a calming breathwork exercise to help you integrate these insights and trust that everything you desire is already within you—you just need to clear away the distractions and expectations.

Journal Prompts Included:

  1. What feels hard for you right now and what's really shitty about it?
  2. What is this telling you that is important to you?
  3. What are you already doing to work towards that important thing, or what could you start doing?

Resources Mentioned:

Take these few minutes for yourself to break free from the "gratitude trap" and reconnect with your inner wisdom. You don't need to hide behind gratitude—you can acknowledge what's hard AND create the life you truly want.

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About the Podcast

Beyond Awareness: Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing
Closing the Gap Between Knowing and Doing
Beyond Awareness (formerly Journal Entries) is for successful women in leadership and business who know exactly what they need to do but can't make themselves do it.

You know you need to prioritize yourself, delegate more, set boundaries, stop bringing work home. You've tried therapy, coaching, retreats. You know the solution - but you either can't follow through, or when you DO, it doesn't stick.

Host Samantha Hawley helps business owners and executives earning $100k+ excavate the root beliefs underneath the execution gap. Why do you keep not doing the thing? Why doesn't it feel better when you do? Using strategic journaling and emotional excavation, we go beyond awareness into why you're actually stuck in the pattern.

This isn't about more tactics or tips. This is about understanding why awareness isn't enough and what actually needs to shift for you to change.

You'll hear about: decision fatigue, why you can't prioritize yourself, nervous system regulation, being present with your kids, root cause of overwhelm, why boundaries don't stick, self-sabotage patterns, and how your internal state impacts everything.

Perfect for: Female CFOs, VPs, directors, executives, business owners, and women in leadership who are tired of knowing what's wrong but not being able to change it.
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Samantha Hawley