Do you ever feel like you can see exactly where you want to be — the greener pasture, the better life, the next chapter — but no matter what you try, you just can't seem to make it across the bridge?

You've tried the mantras. The vision boards. The "just believe it until it's real" approach that everyone on social media swears by. And maybe it worked for a little while. Or maybe you're still standing on the same side of the river wondering what's wrong with you that it isn't working.

Nothing is wrong with you. You just skipped a step. And that step is shadow work.

In this episode we are cracking open one of the oldest folk tales in the world — Three Billy Goats Gruff — and using it as a mirror to look at two of the most common patterns that keep us stuck on the wrong side of the bridge: self sabotage and toxic positivity.

Because here's the thing about that troll under the bridge. He's not the villain. He's the part of you that got shoved into the dark and told it didn't belong — and he's done being ignored. You can't just trip trap your way over his roof and expect him to let you pass.

In this episode we talk about:

• What the bridge, the river, and the two pastures in the tale actually represent in your real life
• Why the littlest goat's self sabotage keeps sending her right back to where she started
• The toxic positivity trap the medium goat falls into — and why "just push through it" is keeping you stuck in the same patterns on repeat
• What it actually means to face your shadow, and why it's less about slaying the monster and more about finally being resourced enough to have a real conversation with it
• The one question worth sitting with after this episode: what boundaries in yourself are you not respecting that is making your shadow demand so much from you?

Whether you've been chasing the next big self improvement trend and hitting a wall, or you're just exhausted from feeling like an impostor in your own life, or you're ready to stop running from the scary parts and start actually moving toward what you want — this episode is for you.

This podcast is for women who are done performing. Who are ready to stop waiting for the version of themselves that feels ready enough and start doing the real work of getting to know who they actually are — shadow and all.

And if you want to go even deeper, grab the free workbook Shadow Work in Three Tales: Folk Narratives to Begin Your Transformation — three folk tales from around the world, each paired with shadow readings, journal prompts, and guided meditations to help you begin your own journey across the bridge. Find the link on the show's website or come find us on social media at Wisteria Moon Works.

Wisteria Moon Works is a shadow work coaching practice rooted in folklore and story structure. This podcast explores folk narratives from around the world and the shadows, patterns, and archetypes living inside them — because your story was never meant to stay stuck.

Coaching is not therapy. If you are in crisis please seek support from a licensed mental health professional.