Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

What would your day feel like if the pressure to prove eased by even ten percent?

In this guided meditation, we open a gentle, grounded space to notice the quiet expectations that hum beneath the surface—the subtle “I should have” and “I need to” messages that drain focus and blur what truly matters. Rather than arguing with these stories, we meet them with curiosity. We trace where they come from—family, culture, industry—and ask a simple but powerful question: Do these expectations still belong to me?

Using a clear, vivid image, each expectation appears as a small card you can name and set down. Performance pressure. Perfection myths. Approval-seeking. Fear-rooted rules. You choose where they go—a bowl, a river, a fire—and with each exhale, you practice releasing the need to meet every demand. The breath becomes a tool for nervous system calm: inhaling to create space, exhaling to soften attachment. As the body unwinds, relief or uncertainty may arise—and both are welcome. This is a practice of clarity without judgment.

From that new spaciousness, we listen for values that feel true right now—presence, kindness, courage, steadiness, creativity. One value may rise to the surface and settle like a compass. From there, we ask a practical, human question: How might I live from this value just a little more today?
The answer can be small and still powerful—a slower morning, a kinder email, a boundary that protects your focus.

This meditation is for anyone ready to release urgency, soothe the nervous system, and move from external approval toward internal alignment. Press play when you’re seeking calm clarity—and notice the value you choose to lead with today.

If this practice supports you, consider subscribing, leaving a brief review, or sharing it with someone who could use a gentler pace.

If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful and your support is much appreciated!

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?**
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern**
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

What if the imagination that fuels your worst-case scenarios could become your most reliable source of clarity, calm, and momentum? In this episode, Lisa shares a simple but powerful shift that turns reactivity into creativity—one letter, and one intentional choice, at a time.

You’ll learn why we default to reactive patterns, how those patterns drain energy and agency, and what it takes to reset your nervous system and reconnect with your values. Through a real client story and practical tools, Lisa breaks down how to pause, redirect your attention, and take action that aligns with what you want to create—not what you fear might happen.

You’ll discover:

• How imagination can work for you instead of against you
• Why reactivity hands your power to circumstances and other people
• A simple framework to move from “I can’t” or “I have to” into possibility
• A compact practice to reset your energy and choose your next best step

If you're ready to stop reacting and start creating, this episode offers a clear, memorable way to shift your mindset, your energy, and your outcomes.

If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful and your support is much appreciated!

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?**
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern**
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

If you’ve ever felt yanked from one moment into the next, this guided reentry is your reset. We slow down the space between chapters so you can release the residue of what just happened and choose, on purpose, how you want to enter what comes next. Through gentle breathwork, grounding cues, and clear language, we create a small but powerful pause—one that returns scattered attention back to the body and helps the nervous system trade urgency for presence.

We start by settling where we are: softening shoulders and jaw, feeling the support beneath us, and letting each exhale lengthen. From there, we acknowledge where we’ve been without judgment—whether it was a hard meeting, a busy day, or emotions only you could feel. Using imagery like dust lifting from a windowsill as sunlight moves in, we let go of what we don’t need while trusting that the insights worth keeping will stay. This isn’t escapism; it’s integration.

Once we’ve found our center, we pair breath with simple mantras: Inhale, I come home. Exhale, I let go. Inhale, I gather. Exhale, I release. The rhythm anchors attention and invites clarity. Then we ask the pivotal question: How do I want to enter what comes next? Maybe the answer is steadiness, curiosity, softer edges, or clearer boundaries. We imagine crossing a threshold carrying only what serves and leaving the rest with kindness, reclaiming choice in a world that rarely pauses.

Walk away feeling present, connected, and ready for whatever’s next. If this practice helps you create calmer transitions, share it with someone who rushes between moments, subscribe for more mindful resets, and leave a review to tell us what energy you’re bringing forward.

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?**
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern**
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg