Ever notice how your brain turns "I didn't finish my to-do list" into "I'm a complete failure who'll never amount to anything"? That's not coincidence—it's the powerful difference between facts and stories, and it's changing everything about how we create, parent, work, and live.

Facts are neutral observations we can all agree on. Stories are the dramatic interpretations our minds add. As creatives, we're natural storytellers, which makes us especially vulnerable to believing our brain's narratives without question. When your mind whispers "this writing is terrible" or "no one will care about my art," it feels absolutely true—but it's just one possible interpretation of reality.

This distinction forms the foundation of creative freedom. When you can separate what actually happened from the meaning you've assigned to it, you unlock new possibilities. The fact might be "three publications rejected my submission," but the story that it means "I'm not good enough" is entirely optional. What if rejections are just data? What if they're simply part of the learning process every successful creative experiences?

The three-step practice I share in this episode has transformed countless clients' creative lives: identify the fact, recognize the story, and explore alternative interpretations. This isn't just mindset work—it's energy work. Your stories vibrate and magnetize similar experiences, so shifting them even slightly can change your entire creative trajectory.

Remember, you are not your thoughts. You are the witness of your thoughts—the one holding the pen, not the one trapped in the drama. This week, get curious about the stories you're telling yourself and experiment with rewriting them. Your creative soul is here to weave magic and bring visions to life, not to be held captive by limiting narratives.

Want to dive deeper into separating facts from stories in your creative practice? Book a free consultation at shannonnoelcoaching.com and let's rewrite your creative journey together.

P.S. Every day I am helping my clients create INTENTIONAL CHOICES. Helping them see the power in those choices every day.

If you are ready to unleash your brilliance and shine your light unapologetically, I would love to be your coach! Click HERE to get on my FREE consultation calendar.

Follow me HERE on the 'ole Instagram for a reel good time ;)

www.shannonnoelcoaching.com

Fear stalks us whether we pursue our dreams or hide from them. The difference? One path pairs fear with possibility, growth, and joy. The other serves it with a side of shame and regret. When framed this way, the choice becomes clear—if we're going to feel afraid either way, we might as well do the thing that lights us up.

The science is unambiguous. Dr. David Burns, renowned psychiatrist, identifies fear avoidance as one of the most common cognitive distortions fueling anxiety and procrastination. Rather than protecting us, avoiding uncomfortable emotions actually reinforces them. Each time we back away from sharing our art or launching that project, we train our brain that creativity equals danger, creating a self-perpetuating cycle that keeps us small.

What's fascinating is how this modern psychological understanding aligns perfectly with ancient wisdom from spiritual traditions worldwide. In yogic philosophy, the discomfort of transformation is called "tapas"—the necessary heat of growth. Buddhist teachings invite us to offer hospitality to our fears rather than wage war against them. Christian mysticism frames fear as the labor pain before divine birth. These diverse paths converge on a singular truth: fear isn't the enemy—it's the threshold guardian at the doorway to something sacred.

The caterpillar dissolves into complete goo before emerging as a butterfly—a messy, vulnerable state that's not an error but an essential phase of transformation. Our creative evolution demands similar periods of dissolution and uncertainty. When we misinterpret these feelings as warning signs rather than growth signals, we interrupt our natural metamorphosis just when the magic is about to happen.

Ready to transform your relationship with fear? Try these practical approaches: Name the feeling without becoming it ("I notice anxiety" rather than "I am anxious"). Question what you're making the discomfort mean about you. Bring fear along for the ride instead of waiting for it to disappear. Remember your deeper why. And perhaps most importantly, recognize when current creative fears are actually echoes of old wounds that no longer deserve power over your present expression.

Your creative voice matters. Book a free consultation at shannonnoelcoaching.com and discover how to navigate fear while staying true to your vision. Because in the end, wouldn't you rather feel fear while moving toward joy than feel fear while remaining stuck in the waiting room of your own life?

P.S. Every day I am helping my clients create INTENTIONAL CHOICES. Helping them see the power in those choices every day.

If you are ready to unleash your brilliance and shine your light unapologetically, I would love to be your coach! Click HERE to get on my FREE consultation calendar.

Follow me HERE on the 'ole Instagram for a reel good time ;)

www.shannonnoelcoaching.com

Ever poured your heart into a creative project only to feel like you're falling apart afterward? That's exactly what happened to me after my recent performance. Despite meticulous preparation and years of experience, I forgot lines, had zero saliva, and felt like I was tanking on stage. But the real story wasn't about forgetting lines—it was about how these moments can reactivate old wounds we thought were long healed.

The performance triggered memories of someone who once shamed me for mistakes, who delivered criticism not with care but with rage. Though I've since recognized those words weren't mine to carry, the scar remained dormant until this moment of vulnerability reopened it. This episode takes you through both my creative breakdown and breakthrough, revealing what happens in those quiet moments after the audience applauds and we're left alone with our thoughts.

What I discovered is something many creatives experience but few discuss openly: the vulnerability hangover that follows sharing our truth. I share the eight practical steps I took to come back to myself—from honoring my disappointment without wallowing in it to reconnecting with my original purpose for creating the piece. Most importantly, I explore how we can release old stories that were never ours to carry while reclaiming our creative power.

Whether you're a performer, writer, artist, or anyone who puts themselves out there authentically, this episode offers both validation and a roadmap for those post-creation moments when your inner critic is at its loudest. Because ultimately, our creative path isn't about perfection—it's about presence. And those feelings after sharing vulnerably aren't evidence of failure; they're evidence that you cared deeply. Book a free consult at shannonnoelcoaching.com if you need support remembering your creative badassery and finding your way back to yourself after putting your art into the world.

P.S. Every day I am helping my clients create INTENTIONAL CHOICES. Helping them see the power in those choices every day.

If you are ready to unleash your brilliance and shine your light unapologetically, I would love to be your coach! Click HERE to get on my FREE consultation calendar.

Follow me HERE on the 'ole Instagram for a reel good time ;)

www.shannonnoelcoaching.com