In this episode of Life Beyond B.S., Heather sits down with life coach and cancer survivor Dr. Alissa Esposito, founder of The Make It Happen Project and The Modern Manifestation Academy. They dive into how your identity — not just your desires — drives what actually shows up in your life. Alissa shares the belief systems she had to dismantle to step beyond a traditional medical career, how her cancer journey became one of the best things that ever happened to her, and why manifestation is really about science, nervous system regulation, and everyday choices (not wishful thinking). You’ll hear how to start dreaming again, what to do when you’re “stuck but doing the work,” and how a vision board and determined “why not me?” energy helped Alissa dance at a duchess-level ball at Versailles.KEY THEMES & TAKEAWAYS✅ You can outgrow an identity — and that’s a good thing.You’re not meant to stay stuck in your college major, first career, or old version of you.✅ Manifestation = making ideas real, not magic spells.It’s the process of taking something from thought into the 3D world through belief, identity, and aligned action.✅ You don’t manifest what you want — you manifest who you’re being.Your dominant thoughts, energy, and self-concept are what create your repeated results.✅ Awareness is always step one.You can’t change what you don’t recognize. Becoming aware of your dominant thought loops and belief systems is the starting point.✅ Your primitive brain wants safety, not expansion.Fear and “I can’t” are often just your nervous system trying to conserve energy and keep you in the familiar, not evidence that you’re incapable.✅ Vision boards are identity tools, not just art projects.They help you clarify what you want, confront feelings of unworthiness, and measure your growth over time.✅ Cancer was a defining moment, not her identity.Alissa chose to let cancer awaken her to the value of time, intentional living, and true priorities.✅ Change doesn’t require a crisis — but most people wait for one.HEATHER’S REFLECTION❤️ Heather shares her own evolution from “I can’t” girl to “Why can’t I?” woman — and how noticing that pattern was her “brick in the face” moment.❤️ She reflects on how much of her self-hatred and self-sabotage came from internalized beliefs that weren’t even hers — they belonged to parents, culture, and old conditioning.❤️ The dynamic vision board process with Alissa became a critical turning point:❤️ It moved her dreams out of her head and onto a board she saw daily.❤️ It forced her to confront where she was still playing small.❤️ It gave her a visual standard she didn’t want to ignore for six months or a year.❤️ Today, she’s living so many of the things that once felt “for other people”: a podcast, a book chapter, speaking, her coaching work, and more.❤️ Her big invitation: don’t wait for the diagnosis, breakdown, or final straw to wake up. You can choose differently now.CALL TO ACTION:Reflection prompt🔍What is one belief about yourself or your life that might just be a thought you’ve repeated — not an actual fact?🔍What’s the next believable thought you could choose instead? (e.g., from “I can’t” → “Maybe it’s possible for me.”)Micro action:💡Tonight, before bed, name 3 things you’re grateful for and 1 thing you’re looking forward to.💡Notice how you feel after one week of this simple practice.Dr. Alissa EspositoCheck out The Make It Happen Project and The Modern Manifestation Academy: Work with Heather:🌟Book a free 60-minute call to explore life coaching and what “life beyond B.S.” could look like for you: 🌟 Join Heather’s email list at heathermcnally.com for updates on the Happy, Healthy, Whole program and new episodes: If this episode helped you breathe a little deeper or whisper “Why not me?”, please rate, review, follow, subscribe, and share it with a friend who needs it.

🪞 Episode OverviewIn this solo episode, Heather dives deep into the power of pause — and why slowing down isn’t lazy, it’s revolutionary. Through her own story as a busy mom who once filled every silence with “doing,” Heather unpacks how stillness creates the space for clarity, creativity, and connection.She blends real-life insight with brain science to show how even 60 seconds of intentional pause can shift your body from stress to safety — calming the amygdala, activating your intuition, and reconnecting you with your true self.This episode is a permission slip to stop glorifying busyness and start honoring space. Because as Heather reminds us, the pause isn’t empty — it’s full of answers.🧭 Key Themes & Takeaways✅ The difference between busyness and purpose — and how hustle culture keeps us disconnected.✅ Why awareness can’t exist without space.✅ The science behind stillness: how the parasympathetic nervous system, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex shape your peace and decisions.✅ The truth about burnout: it’s not from doing too much, but from disconnecting from yourself.✅ 3 simple, science-backed ways to integrate pause into daily life.✅ How a moment of stillness sparked Heather’s “Happy, Healthy, Whole” download — and how yours can spark your next breakthrough.🧘‍♀️ Heather’s Reflection“The pause isn’t empty — it’s full of answers, full of healing, and full of the wisdom that’s been trying to reach you.”Heather reminds us that you don’t need to meditate for hours or escape to the mountains to find peace. You just need permission — to breathe, to be, to listen. From her own burnout to breakthroughs on long drives, she teaches that awareness and freedom live inside those small, sacred moments when we stop long enough to hear ourselves again.3 Practical Tools from This Episode1️⃣ The One-Minute Pause👉🏼 Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and ask: “What’s here right now?”👉🏼 One minute of stillness can recalibrate your entire day.2️⃣ The Five Senses Reset👉🏼 Ground yourself by naming one thing you can see, hear, feel, taste, and touch.👉🏼 This brings oxygen back to your brain and activates calm through your vagus nerve.3️⃣ Ask Better Questions👉🏼 What am I avoiding by staying busy?👉🏼 What truth am I scared will surface if I slow down?👉🏼What do I need right now?These questions move you from reaction to reflection — from the amygdala to the prefrontal cortex, where clarity and choice live.Science Meets Soul:🔍 Parasympathetic nervous system: Your rest-and-digest mode that signals safety and calm.🔍 Amygdala: The emotional “smoke detector” that triggers fight, flight, or freeze.🔍 Prefrontal cortex: Your wise, logical “coach” that helps you make aligned decisions.🔍 Neurotransmitters: Deep breathing releases GABA and serotonin, your natural chill and balance chemicals.🔍 Default mode network: The brain’s reflection center — creativity and insight live here when you stop “doing.”🌿 Call to ActionTake one intentional pause today — no phone, no noise, no distraction. Just you, breathing and being. Then ask yourself: What do I need right now?If this episode helped you exhale, share it with someone who needs permission to slow down.✨ Rate and review Life Beyond B.S.✨ Join Heather’s email list at www.heathermcnally.com✨ Book a free 60-minute clarity call: Heather's schedule✨ Stay tuned for her Happy, Healthy, Whole program — coming soon.

Epidosde Info

Guest: Clare Garner — creator of Real & Raw Revolution; founder of Speak to Scale Agency + Speak to Scale Magazine; host of Raw & Real Podcast*Theme:* Ditching perfection, choosing truth, and letting voice (not polish) lead growth

Length: ~55 minutes

Content notes: Discussion of abusive relationship, healing, and liberation

Clare Garner gets deeply real about leaving a 15-year abusive relationship, rebuilding her identity, and birthing the Real & Raw movement that helps women lead with voice over varnish. She breaks down fear as a safety mechanism, why perfection is dead weight, how “failing faster” collapses timelines, and the exact moment Real & Raw “dropped in” (yep—red lipstick and a mirror!). If you’ve ever watered down your message to fit, this is your permission slip to stop performing and start telling the truth..

Key Themes & Takeaways

• Fear vs. truth: Fear often prefers the known pain over the unknown possibility. Move anyway.
• Voice over visibility: Visibility without authenticity feels empty; voice converts because it connects.
• Radical self-permission: Drop “shoulds,” choose desire, and let direction reveal itself after commitment.
• Fail fast, learn faster: “Data, not drama.” Iteration is the fastest path to clarity.
• Identity work: Be careful what follows “I am…”—identity sets your ceiling.
• Community & stages: Real & Raw stages invite unscripted truth that sells without selling.

Guest Insights (Clare’s big ideas)

💡 On fear: It’s your system trying to keep you “safe,” even when safety = small.

💡 On pivoting: Your frequency changes when you decide; that’s when the how shows up.

💡 On perfection: People don’t want perfect; they want to feel you.

💡 On leadership: It’s not about the polish; it’s about the human behind the brand.

Heather’s Reflection

Clare reminded me that courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s choosing truth anyway. The more I move from desire (not duty), the faster my next “right step” shows up. I’m done performing; voice first, always.

Resources and Mentions

Clare's website and magazine: https://speaktoscale.co.uk/

Real and Raw LIBERATION, Austin Feb 2026: https://speaktoscale.co.uk/real-and-raw-liberation#real-and-raw-liberation

CALL TO ACTION

• Join Heather's mailing list & get weekly Life Beyond B.S. prompts and updates: https://www.heathermcnally.com/

• Schedule your FREE 1:1 consultation to see how you can work with Heather: https://calendly.com/heather-heathermcnally/new-meeting
• Get your tickets to AUSTIN (Real & Raw Liberation) Feb 2026: https://heathemcnally--iamnataliarichardson.thrivecart.com/the-real-and-raw-liberation-live/
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