In this episode of the Changeology podcast, I’m walking you through one of the most persistent—and insidious—roadblocks I see in my work with women navigating big life or career changes: the SHOULDs.

These aren’t just annoying expectations or to-do list items. They’re internalized stories that dictate how we think, behave, and make decisions—without our conscious consent. In this solo episode, I unpack what Shoulds really are, where they come from, and why they hold so much power over us. I also walk you through a three-step coaching exercise to help you identify, explore, and reclaim your authority over the SHOULDs running your life on autopilot.

Whether you’re stuck in a job that no longer fits, people-pleasing your way through burnout, or second-guessing every decision you make as a parent, this episode offers both insight and action steps to help you start clearing the weeds.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🌟 Why “I should…” statements are often a sign of unconscious programming, not actual values
🌟 The three types of SHOULDs—and how they quietly influence your choices
🌟 How to identify the weeds in your mental garden (and what it takes to clear them out)
🌟 A journaling-based coaching exercise to help you keep the shoulds that serve you—and ditch the ones that don’t

If you want support dismantling the stories that no longer serve you—and designing a life that actually does—check the show notes for info about working together 1:1.

The REAL Change Kickstart is a 45-day 1:1 coaching intensive designed to help you:

• Identify the behaviors keeping you stuck
• Unlearn what is no longer serving you
• Create new patterns that align with what you truly want

Click here to get started.

Interested in longer-term support for making a significant change? You can apply to work with Meg here.

Want to learn more about the art, science, philosophy, and psychology of making significant life changes? Sign up HERE for my weekly newsletter and have the Changeology podcast delivered straight into your inbox!

Connect with Meg on--

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In this episode of Pocket Change—the bite-sized series of the Changeology podcast—I tackle one of the most insidious forms of resistance to personal growth: the naysayer.

You know the type. You're fired up about a new job opportunity, a creative leap, or a major life change... and someone close to you responds with doubt, concern, or thinly veiled criticism. Even if it's well-meaning, it stings…and it can completely derail your momentum.

This solo episode unpacks why people naysay (yep, we’re making that a verb), how to spot what’s really going on beneath their concern, and how to decide whether to consider their input—or whether to ignore it completely. Whether you’re navigating a new goal or finally giving voice to a long-held dream, this one’s a (short!) must-listen.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🌟 Why naysayers' doubts can hit harder than you'd expect—even when you trust yourself

🌟 Four practical strategies to protect your energy and keep your momentum

🌟 How to spot the difference between valid caution and someone else's fear masquerading as advice

🌟 A subtle but powerful script for redirecting unwanted opinions before they sabotage your change

The REAL Change Kickstart is a 45-day 1:1 coaching intensive designed to help you:

• Identify the behaviors keeping you stuck
• Unlearn what is no longer serving you
• Create new patterns that align with what you truly want

Click here to get started.

Interested in longer-term support for making a significant change? You can apply to work with Meg here.

Want to learn more about the art, science, philosophy, and psychology of making significant life changes? Sign up HERE for my weekly newsletter and have the Changeology podcast delivered straight into your inbox!

Connect with Meg on--

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In this episode of the Changeology podcast, I’m joined by therapist, author, and relationship coach Katie Rössler, whose work focuses on hidden grief, emotional intelligence, and building strong, self-aware relationships.

Katie brings a fresh perspective to what really happens behind the scenes when we go through big life transitions—like career shifts, perimenopause, parenting aging parents, or simply outgrowing old versions of ourselves. She works with individuals, couples, and companies to teach the real-world skills most of us never learned growing up: how to handle change and stay connected in the process.

This conversation is for you if you’ve ever asked: “Why does it feel like everything is shifting—including my relationships?” Katie helps us unpack what’s really happening when we start to feel stuck, distant, or unsure in our partnerships—and how to use those moments as opportunities to grow.

Whether you're navigating a major life transition or just starting to feel the itch for something different, this episode will help you reflect, reassess, and reconnect—with yourself and the people who matter most.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🌟 Why questioning your relationship during a transition isn’t a red flag—it’s a growth signal

🌟 The “plant in the closet” metaphor that explains how relationships get neglected (and how to revive them)

🌟 How to handle grief that comes with change—even when it’s not tied to loss in the traditional sense

🌟 The essential communication and self-awareness skills every couple needs—but most of us were never taught

Connect with Katie:

www.katierossler.com/18-questions
https://www.instagram.com/katie.rossler/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katierossler/
www.katierossler.com

The REAL Change Kickstart is a 45-day 1:1 coaching intensive designed to help you:

• Identify the behaviors keeping you stuck
• Unlearn what is no longer serving you
• Create new patterns that align with what you truly want

Click here to get started.

Interested in longer-term support for making a significant change? You can apply to work with Meg here.

Want to learn more about the art, science, philosophy, and psychology of making significant life changes? Sign up HERE for my weekly newsletter and have the Changeology podcast delivered straight into your inbox!

Connect with Meg on--

LinkedIn

Instagram

In this episode of the Changeology podcast, I speak with Kate Brown, coach, holistic therapist, and educator, about how we can communicate our needs clearly and without guilt.

If you are like many women I coach, you probably hesitate to ask for what you need. You might feel guilty. You might feel selfish. You might believe that someone will think less of you if you stop trying to anticipate and meet everyone else’s needs first.

This is a problem. It keeps women stuck in unsatisfying careers, depleted relationships, and patterns of burnout.

In this conversation, Kate introduces a simple four-part framework called Compassionate Communication. It helps you name your feelings, identify your real needs, and ask for what you want in a clear and kind way.

We also talk about what happens when you stop trying to manage everyone else’s emotions and start taking responsibility for your own. And we cover the very common experience of guilt that surfaces when women begin to prioritize their needs for the first time.

If you are navigating a big change or simply want to show up more fully in your own life, this conversation will give you tools to start.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

-How to communicate your needs without apology
-Why feeling guilty about needing things is so common for women, and how to move through it
-How most people get their feelings and needs wrong, and how to build real clarity
-Why meeting your own needs first allows you to give from a place of strength

Connect with Kate: calmatworktherapy.com, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.

The REAL Change Kickstart is a 45-day 1:1 coaching intensive designed to help you:

• Identify the behaviors keeping you stuck
• Unlearn what is no longer serving you
• Create new patterns that align with what you truly want

Click here to get started.

Interested in longer-term support for making a significant change? You can apply to work with Meg here.

Want to learn more about the art, science, philosophy, and psychology of making significant life changes? Sign up HERE for my weekly newsletter and have the Changeology podcast delivered straight into your inbox!

Connect with Meg on--

LinkedIn

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In this episode of the Changeology podcast, I talk with Nicky Lowe, award-winning executive coach, leadership development expert, and host of the Wisdom for Working Mums podcast.

Nicky shares her deeply personal story of burnout, what sustainable success actually looks like, and how high-achieving women actually CAN navigate work, motherhood, and well-being–without sacrificing their identity.

Nicky shares her experience of pushing through exhaustion until her body literally began to shut down, and offers an inspiring (if cautionary) reminder of the power of rest and tuning into our bodies.

If you're in a season of overwhelm or feeling the quiet nudge that something needs to change, this conversation will help you learn to pause, recalibrate, and rethink your definition of success.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🌟 The somatic signals of burnout—and why your body often knows what’s up before your brain does
🌟 How high-achieving women fall into “toxic success” and what it really costs us
🌟 The concept of sustainable, feel-good success and how to create it (yes, it’s a thing!)
🌟 Practical non-negotiables (including NGAs: Non-Guilt Agreements) for working mothers and leaders

Connect with Nicky here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/luminate/

https://luminate-group.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/nickyloweleadership/

https://luminate-group.co.uk/podcasts/

The REAL Change Kickstart is a 45-day 1:1 coaching intensive designed to help you:

• Identify the behaviors keeping you stuck
• Unlearn what is no longer serving you
• Create new patterns that align with what you truly want

Click here to get started.

Interested in longer-term support for making a significant change? You can apply to work with Meg here.

Want to learn more about the art, science, philosophy, and psychology of making significant life changes? Sign up HERE for my weekly newsletter and have the Changeology podcast delivered straight into your inbox!

Connect with Meg on--

LinkedIn

Instagram

In this episode of the Changeology podcast, I’m joined by transformational coach, writer, and speaker Rosie Pryor, founder of The Creative Tapes podcast and creator of The Pivot Code program.

Rosie shares her story of personal reinvention through sobriety—not as a story of deprivation, but one of radical joy, creativity, and the kind of agency most of us never learned to claim. From growing up in a culture where alcohol was the default social lubricant to redefining fun, identity, and motherhood without it, Rosie invites us into what happens when we stop performing and start becoming.

We also talk about the invisible grief that often comes with change, and why so many of us feel like we're falling apart when we’re actually on the brink of rebirth. This conversation is packed with wisdom on self-trust, social conditioning, and how small shifts (like writing yourself a daily permission slip) can lead to massive personal power.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🌟 Why you don’t need to hit rock bottom to start over
🌟 The surprising connection between sobriety, creativity, and personal freedom
🌟 How grief shows up in every transformation—and how to move through it
🌟 A practical framework to take your power back (CUP: Celebrate, Unsubscribe, Permission)

Want to connect with Rosie?

IG: https://www.instagram.com/

PODCAST

rosiepryorcreates/

https://open.spotify.com/show/1NaTtSmzVe1JR6Td2Uj8Zm?si=9cc2c819fafb4e77

SUBSTACK

https://rosiepryorart.substack.com/

The REAL Change Kickstart is a 45-day 1:1 coaching intensive designed to help you:

• Identify the behaviors keeping you stuck
• Unlearn what is no longer serving you
• Create new patterns that align with what you truly want

Click here to get started.

Interested in longer-term support for making a significant change? You can apply to work with Meg here.

Want to learn more about the art, science, philosophy, and psychology of making significant life changes? Sign up HERE for my weekly newsletter and have the Changeology podcast delivered straight into your inbox!

Connect with Meg on--

LinkedIn

Instagram

In this episode of the Changeology podcast, I chat with Dr. Clare Emma Wild, a trauma-informed somatic coach (and veterinarian!). She's an expert in helping Quiet Leaders stop people pleasing and overcome imposter syndrome so they can lead with confidence and clarity.

Dr. Clare brings deep experience to our conversation, created through her academic training and work with senior leaders, as well as her own lived experiences of burnout, self-silencing, and finding her way back to self-trust. In our conversation, we explore how internalized oppression, early socialization, and trauma can all live in the nervous system…and how that impacts our ability to make changes in our lives, relationships, and leadership.

This episode is about more than mindset. It’s about embodied change, the kind that doesn’t just shift your thinking, but restores your sense of power. We talk about how noticing without judgment can open the door to transformation, why rest is often the bravest act of rebellion, and how healing creates the capacity to choose differently.

If you’ve ever felt like you had to become someone else to be successful or struggled to make a change because something deeper kept pulling you back, this episode will definitely resonate with you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why change isn’t just about action, but about what your nervous system believes is safe
• Why healing isn’t about fixing yourself, but about returning to the truth of who we are
• How trauma-informed coaching helps create the safety needed for real transformation
• The difference between intellectual insight and embodied self-trust
• Why self-abandonment is the cost of performing success, and how to reclaim your own definition of it
• Why healing isn’t about fixing yourself, but about returning to the truth of who we are

🎙️ Tune in to the full episode via the link in the comments below!

Connect with Dr. Clare here:

https://clareemmawild.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-clare-emma-wild-mrcvs-4b9a47244/

The REAL Change Kickstart is a 45-day 1:1 coaching intensive designed to help you:

• Identify the behaviors keeping you stuck
• Unlearn what is no longer serving you
• Create new patterns that align with what you truly want

Click here to get started.

Interested in longer-term support for making a significant change? You can apply to work with Meg here.

Want to learn more about the art, science, philosophy, and psychology of making significant life changes? Sign up HERE for my weekly newsletter and have the Changeology podcast delivered straight into your inbox!

Connect with Meg on--

LinkedIn

Instagram

Introducing Pocket Change: Quick, bite-sized episodes where small insights build big impact, just like the spare change jangling in your pocket. The ideas in these short, lightweight episodes might seem modest at first, but keep collecting them and before you know it, they compound into something truly invaluable.

In this episode of Pocket Change, I explore the essential shift from outsourcing your decisions to building deep, unshakable self-trust.

There's a subtle but powerful transition that underpins every big life change: moving away from polling others for advice and reclaiming your sovereignty over your own choices. You’ll learn why asking for too many opinions often clouds clarity instead of creating it—and what to do instead.

If you've ever felt paralyzed when facing a decision or wondered why you second-guess yourself even after gathering all the information, this episode is your permission slip to put your trust back where it belongs: in yourself.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🌟 Why outsourcing your agency is a hidden form of self-doubt

🌟 The two big myths about decision-making that keep you stuck

🌟 How "more information" often leads to less clarity

🌟 Three simple steps to strengthen your decision-making muscle starting today

The REAL Change Kickstart is a 45-day 1:1 coaching intensive designed to help you:

• Identify the behaviors keeping you stuck
• Unlearn what is no longer serving you
• Create new patterns that align with what you truly want

Click here to get started.

Interested in longer-term support for making a significant change? You can apply to work with Meg here.

Want to learn more about the art, science, philosophy, and psychology of making significant life changes? Sign up HERE for my weekly newsletter and have the Changeology podcast delivered straight into your inbox!

Connect with Meg on--

LinkedIn

Instagram