When your coaching business isn't where you want it to be, it's tempting to overhaul your website, revisit your ideal client, or build out new resources. But what if those urges are being driven by emotion rather than evidence? In this episode, I'm breaking down emotional reasoning in business — what it is, how to spot it, and how to make clearer, steadier decisions that actually move things forward.

Key takeaway: When business feels stuck, the instinct is to fix something visible. But often what needs addressing first is what's happening underneath. Data gives you an objective reference point; emotional awareness stops you wasting time solving the wrong problem.

💬 Want support working through the emotions that are getting in the way of running your business with clarity? Submit a coaching inquiry via this link 🔗 Coaching

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Timestamps:

00:00 – Why emotional reasoning is one of the biggest things holding coaches back

01:10 – What emotional reasoning is, and how it shows up in business

02:50 – The confidence myth in coaching — why doubt is normal, and what to address instead

03:00 – Helpful vs. fear-driven motives

04:00 – Trigger #1: Comparison

05:10 – Trigger #2: Making decisions from a place of uncertainty

07:20 – Trigger #3: Endlessly refining

08:15 – How to use data as an objective anchor when emotions are driving your decisions

09:20 – The one question to ask first when your coaching isn't selling

10:00 – Separating the emotional work from the practical next steps

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Enjoying Beneath the Surface? Leave a review and share the episode with a fellow coach who needs to hear this.

More Resources:

• Grab the free mini-course: Emotion Systems Audit – Download here
• Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @coachshannonbeer
• Learn more about compassion coaching: get the details here

If you've tried breathing techniques, journaling, or urge surfing and the emotions just keep coming back — this episode is for you. I'm breaking down the difference between managing emotions in the moment and actually changing how you feel long-term, and why that distinction could be the missing piece in your progress.

Key takeaway: Emotion regulation helps you cope in the moment. Emotion integration is what actually changes your emotional landscape over time, and it works by finding and building tolerance for the emotion you've been avoiding, not the one that's loudest.

💬 Ready to go beyond the in-the-moment tools and work on the deeper patterns? Submit a coaching inquiry through the link below, I'd love to support you through this process.

🔗 Coaching

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Timestamps:

00:00 – Why your go-to coping tools might only be scratching the surface

00:55 – How I define emotion regulation

02:00 – When emotion regulation *is* useful

02:50 – What emotion integration actually means

03:45 – A deep dive example: social anxiety, and the hidden emotion that's actually driving it

05:20 – Why blocked anger can show up as anxiety — and what healthy anger is really there to do

06:30 – What this looks like in practice

07:45 – My personal experience getting in touch with my own anger, and why it changed everything

08:40 – The Steady Mind: why we build this first before turning towards difficult emotions

09:20 – Two questions to get you started on your own emotion integration journey

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Found this helpful? Share it with someone who might need to hear it, and leave a review to help more people find the show.

More Resources:

• Grab the free mini-course: Emotion Systems Audit – Download here
• Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @coachshannonbeer
• Learn more about compassion coaching: get the details here

Have you ever caught yourself thinking "I should be able to do this, why can't I just get it together?" In this episode, I'm unpacking self-blame: where it comes from, why we developed it, and how to take responsibility for our lives without turning on ourselves.

💬 If you'd like deeper, more long-term support working through these patterns I'd love to hear from you. Submit a coaching inquiry via the link below.

🔗 Coaching

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Timestamps:

00:00 – The inner critic's greatest hits — and why they're keeping you stuck

01:15 – What self-blame actually is, and when it can be constructive vs. destructive

02:30 – Why self-blame developed as a learned safety strategy

04:20 – How blaming yourself protects you from anger, sadness, and feelings of helplessness

06:00 – My real-life illustration of self-blame vs. responsibility in action

08:45 – The crucial difference between fault and responsibility — and why it changes everything

09:50 – Practical steps to begin noticing your self-blame patterns

10:40 – The fear beneath the pattern and why that's where your compassion needs to go

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Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

More Resources:

• Grab the free mini-course: Emotion Systems Audit – Download here
• Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @coachshannonbeer
• Learn more about compassion coaching: get the details here

In this episode of Beneath the Surface I challenge the common coaching assumption that struggling to follow through automatically means “resistance” and I introduce a clearer framework of blocks, resistance, and fears. 

With rest (or lack of it) as an example, I unpack how understanding the root cause of our limitations can help us to shift our mentality and be more compassionate towards ourselves.

Timestamps: 

00:25 – Why “resistance” is oversimplified

01:30 – Blocks: external limits on rest

03:20 - Resistance: not seeing the benefit of rest

04:55 - Fears: knowing it helps but still can’t rest

07:55 - Compassion, courage, and origins of overworking/rest guilt

More Resources:

• Grab the free mini-course: Emotion Systems Audit – Download here
• Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @coachshannonbeer
• Learn more about compassion coaching: get the details here

I’m kicking off the self-sabotage series of Beneath the Surface with a real-time example of how I worked through performance anxiety before running my first ever half marathon.

In this episode, I walk through the exact tools I used, including an approach from Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), reframing perfectionist thinking, and the self-talk that helped me stay focused during the race.

If you’ve ever felt pressure around a goal you really care about, this episode will help you hold high standards without letting anxiety sabotage you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Performance anxiety before my first half marathon

02:30 – The hidden belief driving the pressure

04:15 – Reframing goals: preference vs demand

06:00 – Perfectionism, social pressure, and self-compassion

08:30 – Returning to the why

10:00 – Self-talk and mindset during the race

12:15 – A question to reflect on for your own goals

More Resources:

• Grab the free mini-course: Emotion Systems Audit – Download here
• Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @coachshannonbeer
• Learn more about compassion coaching: get the details here

Welcome to season 3 of my newly renamed podcast Beneath the Surface.

In this episode I explore safety strategies — the hidden drivers behind behaviours like emotional eating, procrastination, overworking, doom scrolling, and people-pleasing. I explain the science behind these behaviours, and why, when our threat system is activated it is harder to access logical thinking and choose differently.

I also introduce the soothe system and the idea of developing a “steady self” — an observing part of the mind that helps you respond to these patterns with awareness rather than being driven by them.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Season 3 introduction

00:38 – What safety strategies are

01:45 – Why all behaviors serve a function

02:35 – The brain’s threat system

03:45 – Amygdala, stress hormones & reactivity

05:20 – Why change feels hard in the moment

06:10 – The soothe system

07:10 – Why soothing can feel difficult

08:00 – Developing the “steady self”

09:00 – Understanding emotional parts

09:40 – Reflecting on your safety patterns

10:27 – Wrap up

More Resources:

• Grab the free mini-course: Emotion Systems Audit – Download here
• Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @coachshannonbeer
• Learn more about compassion coaching: get the details here

More Resources:

• Grab the free mini-course: Emotion Systems Audit – Download here
• Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @coachshannonbeer
• Learn more about compassion coaching: get the details here

In this episode of Stronger Standards, I break down how coaching actually works.

I share how my work has evolved from nutrition and body image into Compassion Focused approaches, and why self-compassion alone isn’t enough. I explore why receiving support can feel harder than giving it — and why that flow of compassion is often the missing piece.

I explain:

• Why insight doesn’t automatically create emotional change
• The difference between rigid, tick-box coaching and skill-based transformation
• How we build what I call a “steady self” (your inner secure base)
• Why pacing matters (you don’t have to feel everything all at once)
• How Compassionate Mind Training strengthens your soothing system
• How to sign up for coaching with me and my team

If you’re smart, self-aware, and know exactly what to do… but still find yourself stuck when it comes to real, lasting change, then coaching could definitely be for you.

If you have any questions or thoughts I would love to hear from you.

🔗 Links mentioned:

– Coaching waitlist

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Timestamps:

00:00 – Why change feels confusing (even when you “know better”)

02:15 – My evolution into compassion-focused coaching

04:30 – Why self-compassion isn’t the whole picture

06:10 – Insight vs. emotional change: the real block

08:05 – Therapy vs. rigid coaching: what’s missing

09:40 – Building your “steady self” and secure inner base

12:00 – The core psychological skills we train

14:15 – Pacing emotional work (like progressive overload)

16:00 – How Compassionate Mind Training regulates emotion

17:45 – What working together actually looks like

19:00 – What changes when you cultivate strong (not harsh) standards

More Resources:

• Grab the free mini-course: Emotion Systems Audit – Download here
• Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @coachshannonbeer
• Learn more about compassion coaching: get the details here

This episode drops on my birthday 🎂 and as I step into a new decade, I’m reflecting on the risks that shaped my life, and why playing it safe might actually be the biggest risk of all.

In this episode, I share:

• How taking risks built my resilience
• Why your brain defaults to safety
• How to stop letting fear make your decisions
• The role of social support in building courage

🔗 Links mentioned:

– Coaching waitlist

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why risk matters

02:00 – The one-way flight that changed my life

06:00 – Why fear keeps us stuck

08:00 – The “fear tax” & the real cost of comfort

09:30 – The question: *If I wasn’t afraid, what would I do?*

11:00 – Compassion, courage & the science of support

12:30 – Coaching & next steps

More Resources:

• Grab the free mini-course: Emotion Systems Audit – Download here
• Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @coachshannonbeer
• Learn more about compassion coaching: get the details here

In this episode of Stronger Standards I talk about the simple framework I come back to whenever I feel stuck: The 3 Cs of Change.

If you’re feeling stuck in your growth, whether it’s with food, your body, your business, or your confidence, this episode is for you.

I cover:

• What the 3 Cs of change are
• How missing one or more of the Cs can impact your life
• How to use this framework to focus your energy where you need it most

🔗 Links mentioned:

– Coaching waitlist

Timestamps:

00:00 - Why feeling stuck doesn’t mean change isn’t possible

02:10 - Why “clarity” isn’t actually what you need (and how action creates clarity)

04:00 - C #1 - Curiosity

06:30 - How understanding your patterns builds self-compassion

08:00 - C #2 - Courage

09:30 - Building your internal secure base + safe haven

10:45 - C #3 - Commitment

12:00 - The question to ask when you feel stuck

12:30 - Coaching waitlist + how to support yourself if you’re doing this alone

More Resources:

• Grab the free mini-course: Emotion Systems Audit – Download here
• Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @coachshannonbeer
• Learn more about compassion coaching: get the details here