Lisa shares a raw, personal story from her transformative month-long solo journey through Spain and Morocco. After 2023 turned her world upside down, she found herself carrying literal rocks that represented her deepest pain - and discovered why we cling to suffering even when we desperately want to be free.

This isn't your typical "just let it go" advice. This is the real, messy truth about what it actually takes to release what's holding you back.

The Story That Changes Everything

While walking the Camino, Lisa picked up two rocks representing specific pains in her life. What happened next reveals the hidden psychology behind why we stay stuck:

• She carried one rock for thousands of kilometers across multiple countries

The uncomfortable truth: We get addicted to our pain because it feels safer than the unknown.

Why Smart, Successful People Stay Stuck

The Pain You Know vs. The Pain You Don't

• Familiar suffering feels more manageable than uncertain healing

The Certainty Trap

When you're carrying emotional rocks, you know exactly what to expect each day. Without them? Complete uncertainty. And uncertainty feels dangerous to high achievers who built their success on control and predictability.

The Real Work Begins After You Let Go

Here's what no one tells you: Releasing the pain is the easy part. The hard part is the commitment you make afterward.

When Lisa finally threw her rock into the ocean, she committed to:

• Never allowing those thought patterns to take root again

This is why most people fail at letting go - they think the release is the end, when it's actually the beginning.

Your Turn: The Rock Exercise

1. Identify your rocks - What pain, story, or identity are you carrying?

Why This Matters for Driven People

If you're someone who has "everything figured out" on the outside but feels disconnected on the inside, this episode is for you. Lisa's story shows that:

• Success doesn't protect you from needing to do deep emotional work

The Bottom Line

Stop saying you're "working on letting go." Either you're ready to let go, or you're not. And if you're not, get honest about why. What's that pain doing for you? What would you have to commit to if it wasn't there?

The life you want is waiting on the other side of the rocks you're carrying. But you have to be willing to put them down and walk forward empty-handed.

Ready to do this work? Lisa is accepting new one-on-one coaching clients and has spots available in her Reclamation program. Because some transformations require support, and this is one of them.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you take on the rock exercise, tag Lisa on Instagram @lisacarpenterinc - she'd love to witness your journey.