The Unraveling Achiever

32. what you actually need in this busy life

We're in a stretch where life is asking a lot of us. Busy work schedules, busy home schedules, trying to fit everything in. And when we're spread that thin, focusing on what we need usually comes in last. In this episode, I share three messages: acknowledge the block that convinces you there's nothing practical you can do, embrace small shifts one at a time (rather than overhauling everything at once), and let yourself be supported instead of operating in a silo. This topic has been showing up everywhere lately, including in this week's free collective reading in my newsletter, The Career Revival.

---

Show Notes: Today's episode is about needing to focus on and take care of yourself. This has been a persistent topic lately.

We're in a stretch where life is asking a lot of us. Busy work schedules, busy home schedules, trying to figure out how to fit everything in. And when we're spread that thin, focusing on what we need usually comes in last. But the way you're showing up for your priorities and your people is directly connected to whether you're showing up for yourself. When everything around us feels hard or stressful, it's easy to point to all of it and say, "That's the problem." Sometimes it is. But when that happens too much, it's a signal to turn the focus back toward ourselves and ask what we actually need.

--

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR:

• 00:00 Introduction to The Unraveling Achiever
• 00:45 Question Submissions & Topic Intro
• 03:44 Message One: Acknowledge the Block
• 05:38 Message Two: Make the Small Shifts, One at a Time
• 10:07 Message Three: Let Yourself Be Supported

• 13:18 Bringing It All Together

• 14:51 Soul Reading

--

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:

• Life feels like it's asking a lot of you right now
• You keep putting your own needs last
• You feel like there's nothing practical you can do about the overwhelm
• You reject help more often than you accept it

--

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Happy Houseplant Protocol

---

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION:

Have a question about your career, your life direction, what's calling you forward? Submit it for a potential podcast reading. Your name stays private – only your question gets read on the show. ⁠⁠Submit your question ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

---

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If what you heard today resonated, I'd love to support you in going deeper.

Soul Reading is a 75-minute one-on-one session where I open your Akashic Records and help you reconnect with what your soul already knows about your path, your purpose, and what's next.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com/soul-reading⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

LET'S STAY CONNECTED:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@angelamckayllc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angela McKay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Career Revival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

The Unraveling Achiever is for the person who's done everything "right" and is questioning what that even means. Host Angela McKay - former SVP of HR turned intuitive career coach and soul reading practitioner - helps accomplished folks stop defaulting to what looks good and start building what feels true. You don't have to turn your life upside down. Just point your achiever energy toward a soul-led career and life you'll love.

NOTE: All information in this podcast is provided for informational or entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as definitive direction or advice.

31. stuck between yes and no

You want to make the right decision. You don't want to betray yourself. But you're standing there, looking at something in front of you, honestly unsure which direction is right - and it's causing you to stall. In this episode, I share three messages for navigating that fog: recognizing whether you're rushing to escape discomfort or stalling to avoid a real answer, understanding that the conflict might be between old parts of yourself rather than the decision itself, and trusting the quiet, steady answer underneath all the noise. I also share how I used these exact messages on a decision I'm in the middle of right now.

---

Show Notes: Today's episode is about that uncomfortable place you land when you're not sure if it's a yes or a no.

You want to make the right decision. You don't want to betray yourself. But you're standing there, looking at this thing in front of you, not totally sure which direction is right, and it's causing you to stall.

Do you want it because it looks good? Because it sounds good when you say it out loud? Or because it's actually right for you? And on the flip side - are you leaning toward no because it's genuinely not right for you? Or are you just scared to try?

I received three messages for this. And in the time between receiving them and recording the show, I tried the guidance for myself, on a decision I'm in the middle of right now.

--

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR:

• 00:00 Introduction to The Unraveling Achiever
• 00:42 Question Submissions & Topic Intro
• 02:26 Message One: Slow Down or Speed Up
• 05:14 Message Two: The Fight Might Be Happening Inside You
• 07:18 Message Three: You Already Have What You Need to Decide

• 09:41 Bringing It All Together
• 10:49 My Own Example - Putting These Messages to the Test
• 12:13 Soul Reading

--

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:

• You're stuck between a yes and a no on something important
• You keep going back and forth and can't seem to land
• You're not sure if you're avoiding a decision or genuinely unclear
• You want a real process for sorting out what you actually think

--

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

No external resources mentioned in this episode.

---

LIMITED-TIME OFFER:

For the month of August, I'm offering the Healing Your Inner Critic reading to explore where your inner critic comes from and how to build a kinder relationship with yourself. You'll leave with insights and a grounded next step. ⁠Book your reading here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

---

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION:

Have a question about your career, your life direction, what's calling you forward? Submit it for a potential podcast reading. Your name stays private – only your question gets read on the show. ⁠Submit your question ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

---

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If what you heard today resonated, I'd love to support you in going deeper.

Soul Reading is a 75-minute one-on-one session where I open your Akashic Records and help you reconnect with what your soul already knows about your path, your purpose, and what's next.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com/soul-reading⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

LET'S STAY CONNECTED:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@angelamckayllc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angela McKay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Career Revival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

The Unraveling Achiever is for the person who's done everything "right" and is questioning what that even means. Host Angela McKay - former SVP of HR turned intuitive career coach and soul reading practitioner - helps accomplished folks stop defaulting to what looks good and start building what feels true. You don't have to turn your life upside down. Just point your achiever energy toward a soul-led career and life you'll love.

NOTE: All information in this podcast is provided for informational or entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as definitive direction or advice.

30. if you can only see what's wrong lately

You look at your job and all you can see is what's wrong with it. You look at your week and all you can see is what didn't get done. You look at yourself and all you can see is where you're falling short. In this episode, I explore why we get stuck only seeing the negative: how that focus becomes its own trap, why what you focus on grows, how this pattern turns inward as your inner critic, and the surprising reason negativity might actually be protecting you from something. Plus, I'm sharing a limited-time August offer: a Healing Your Inner Critic reading for anyone whose inner critic has been especially loud lately.

---

Full Notes: Today we're talking about only seeing the negative.

You know what this feels like. You look at your job and all you can see is what's wrong with it. You look at your week and all you can see is what didn't get done. You look at yourself and all you can see is where you're falling short.

It's not that the negative things aren't real. They are (or might be). But when that's the only lens you're looking through, you start to lose the full picture. You stop seeing what's actually working. You stop seeing your own progress. You stop seeing the parts of your life, and yourself, that are genuinely good.

There's another way to move through your days. One where you can still see what's hard, still be honest about what's not working, but you're not drowning in it.

--

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR:

• 00:00 Introduction to The Unraveling Achiever
• 00:42 Question Submission & Topic Intro
• 02:29 Message One: The Negative Lens Becomes Its Own Trap
• 03:39 Message Two: What You Focus On Grows
• 05:16 Message Three: When the Negative Lens Turns on You (+ Inner Critic Reading Offer)
• 07:23 Message Four: Sometimes the Negative Is Protecting You From Something

• 08:55 Bringing It All Together
• 10:29 Soul Reading

--

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:

• You've noticed you can only see what's wrong lately
• Your inner critic has been especially loud
• You keep expecting the worst so you won't be disappointed
• You want to understand why the negative lens feels so hard to shift

--

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

No external resources mentioned in this episode.

---

LIMITED-TIME OFFER:

For the month of August, I'm offering the Healing Your Inner Critic reading to explore where your inner critic comes from and how to build a kinder relationship with yourself. You'll leave with insights and a grounded next step. Book your reading here⁠⁠⁠.

---

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION:

Have a question about your career, your life direction, what's calling you forward? Submit it for a potential podcast reading. Your name stays private – only your question gets read on the show. Submit your question ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

---

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If what you heard today resonated, I'd love to support you in going deeper.

Soul Reading is a 75-minute one-on-one session where I open your Akashic Records and help you reconnect with what your soul already knows about your path, your purpose, and what's next.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com/soul-reading⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

LET'S STAY CONNECTED:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@angelamckayllc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angela McKay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Career Revival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

The Unraveling Achiever is for the person who's done everything "right" and is questioning what that even means. Host Angela McKay - former SVP of HR turned intuitive career coach and soul reading practitioner - helps accomplished folks stop defaulting to what looks good and start building what feels true. You don't have to turn your life upside down. Just point your achiever energy toward a soul-led career and life you'll love.

NOTE: All information in this podcast is provided for informational or entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as definitive direction or advice.

29. making the right choice for you (or not)

Today we're talking about making the right choice for you (or not).

You already know what it feels like when you make an aligned choice. There's a settledness to it. Even if it's scary, even if it's hard, there's a rightness underneath it. And you also know what it feels like to make an unaligned choice - because even when it looks good on paper, there's a low hum of unease. A little voice that whispers, "This isn't quite it." And you push through anyway.

So then, this: If we already know the difference, why do we still choose the unaligned option so often? That's what today is about.

---

Full Notes: You already know what an aligned choice feels like. There's a settledness to it, even when it's scary. And you know what an unaligned choice feels like too - that low hum of unease you push through anyway. So why do we keep choosing the unaligned option, even when we can feel the difference? In this episode, I share three messages: you're often choosing what looks good instead of what's actually good for you, you're not being fully honest with yourself about what you actually want, and you don't need full clarity to start moving – small honest steps get you further than waiting for certainty ever will.

--

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR:

• 00:00 Introduction to The Unraveling Achiever
• 00:45 Question Submission & Topic Intro
• 03:19 Message One: You're Choosing What Looks Good, Not What Is Good
• 05:48 Message Two: You're Not Being Honest With Yourself About What You Want
• 08:22 Message Three: How to Actually Move Through the Fog
• 11:46 Bringing It All Together
• 13:10 Soul Reading

--

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:

• You've made choices that "made sense" but never felt quite right
• You're facing a decision and can't seem to move forward
• You suspect you're choosing based on how something looks rather than what's true
• You want practical steps to move through decision paralysis

--

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

No external resources mentioned in this episode.

---

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION:

Have a question about your career, your life direction, what's calling you forward? Submit it for a potential podcast reading. Your name stays private – only your question gets read on the show. Submit your question ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

---

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If what you heard today resonated, I'd love to support you in going deeper.

Soul Reading is a 75-minute one-on-one session where I open your Akashic Records and help you reconnect with what your soul already knows about your path, your purpose, and what's next.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com/soul-reading⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

LET'S STAY CONNECTED:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@angelamckayllc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angela McKay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Career Revival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

The Unraveling Achiever is for the person who's done everything "right" and is questioning what that even means. Host Angela McKay - former SVP of HR turned intuitive career coach and soul reading practitioner - helps accomplished folks stop defaulting to what looks good and start building what feels true. You don't have to turn your life upside down. Just point your achiever energy toward a soul-led career and life you'll love.

NOTE: All information in this podcast is provided for informational or entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as definitive direction or advice.

28. when your career is comfortable but stagnant

A listener asked: I'm comfortable in my current role, but I've become stagnant. There's no growth opportunity where I am, and I know it's time for a change, but I don't know where to go. In this reading, I tune into their Akashic Records and discover that their career might not be the problem. What's really calling for attention are the passion projects and ideas they've put aside – the ones that excite and scare them at the same time. Their career is stable and ready to be a supportive placeholder while they explore.

---

Full Notes: In this episode, I'm did a reading in response to a listener's question. I opened this up after Episode 26 – if you have a question about your career, your life direction, your next steps, submit it. Your name stays private. Only your question gets read on the show. The link is in the show notes.

Here's the question I received:

"I'm feeling very comfortable in my current role at work, but I have also become stagnant. There have been a lot of ups and downs in the last year that have somewhat settled recently. While that's a nice change, the reality is that there is no growth opportunity where I am. I know the time has come for me to make a change, but I'm held back because I don't know where to go from here. I would love some insight around what steps to take to open up the path ahead and to help me shine a light on my next career path."

This question, while specific to this person, is a shared experience. You can probably already see elements that might relate to something you're feeling, even if the exact situation isn't yours.

--

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR:

• 00:00 Introduction to The Unraveling Achiever
• 00:43 The Question & Submission Info
• 02:51 Entering the Akashic Records
• 03:35 The Book of Purpose & The Book of Career
• 07:12 What's Going On – Comfortable but Contained
• 08:17 The Season of Passion Projects
• 11:30 The Cards - Two of Pentacles Reversed
• 15:08 The Cards - Three of Cups
• 18:08 Bringing It All Together
• 19:35 Soul Reading

--

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:

• You feel comfortable at work but also stagnant
• You know it's time for a change but don't know where to go
• You have ideas or passion projects you've been putting off
• You keep looking to your career to fix a feeling that might not be about your career at all

--

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

No external resources mentioned in this episode.

---

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If what you heard today resonated, I'd love to support you in going deeper.

Soul Reading is a 75-minute one-on-one session where I open your Akashic Records and help you reconnect with what your soul already knows about your path, your purpose, and what's next.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com/soul-reading⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

LET'S STAY CONNECTED:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@angelamckayllc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angela McKay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Career Revival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION:

Have a question about your career, your life direction, what's calling you forward? Submit it for a potential podcast reading. Your name stays private – only your question gets read on the show. Submit your question ⁠here⁠.

---

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

The Unraveling Achiever is for the person who's done everything "right" and is questioning what that even means. Host Angela McKay - former SVP of HR turned intuitive career coach and soul reading practitioner - helps accomplished folks stop defaulting to what looks good and start building what feels true. You don't have to turn your life upside down. Just point your achiever energy toward a soul-led career and life you'll love.

NOTE: All information in this podcast is provided for informational or entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as definitive direction or advice.

27. being you in all you do

I tuned in and the topic that came through is: Being you in all you do. This episode is about why we dim ourselves, what's keeping us disconnected, and what opens up when we finally choose to be ourselves.

---

Full Notes: I tuned in to receive the topic for this week's episode. And what came through is: Being you in all you do.

Now, I want to be clear about something right away. This doesn't mean you have to bring your full self everywhere - to every space, every interaction, every situation. Some spaces don't feel safe. Some people haven't earned access to all of who you are. That's discretion. That's wisdom. That's healthy.

But this is about the spaces and situations where you could show up authentically - and yet you're choosing to shrink, hide, or dim. Those are the situations we're talking about today.

You don't need to shrink. You can shine. You can also be confidently still and quiet - and that's powerful too.

--

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR:

• 00:00 Introduction to The Unraveling Achiever
• 00:44 The Podcast Reading Format & How to Submit Your Question
• 01:44 Being You in All You Do – What This Actually Means
• 02:40 Message One: Why Are You Shrinking?
• 06:09 Message Two: What Needs to Clear (Habits, Beliefs, Expectations)
• 11:34 Message Three: What Opens Up When You Show Up as You
• 15:10 Bringing It All Together – The Three Messages
• 17:00 Soul Reading

--

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:

• You're choosing to shrink or dim in spaces where you could be yourself
• You use habits like scrolling, numbing, or staying busy to avoid connecting with yourself
• You're performing for an audience of expectations (yours or others')
• You have limiting beliefs that keep you feeling not good enough
• You're starting to question what's actually yours vs. what you think people expect of you

--

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

No external resources mentioned in this episode.

---

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If what you heard today resonated, I'd love to support you in going deeper.

Soul Reading is a 75-minute one-on-one session where I open your Akashic Records and help you reconnect with what your soul already knows about your path, your purpose, and what's next.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com/soul-reading⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

LET'S STAY CONNECTED:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@angelamckayllc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angela McKay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Career Revival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION:

Have a question about your career, your life direction, what's calling you forward? Submit it for a potential podcast reading. Your name stays private – only your question gets read on the show. Submit your question here.

---

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

The Unraveling Achiever is for the person who's done everything "right" and is questioning what that even means. Host Angela McKay - former SVP of HR turned intuitive career coach and soul reading practitioner - helps accomplished folks stop defaulting to what looks good and start building what feels true. You don't have to turn your life upside down. Just point your achiever energy toward a soul-led career and life you'll love.

NOTE: All information in this podcast is provided for informational or entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as definitive direction or advice.

26. your next chapter won't write itself

A listener asked: What lesson do I need to learn? Will my next chapter write itself? I tuned into their Akashic Records and pulled two cards to deliver a reading that's for them, but is also for all of us. What's clear is this: Your next chapter won't write itself. You write it.

---

Full Notes: Today's episode is different. I posted on Instagram asking listeners to submit a question for me to do a reading on - something on their heart and mind aligned with what we explore here on the podcast. Career, life, the questions that come up for the unraveling achiever.

I received responses and chose a question to read on today's episode. This is a reading for someone navigating a specific pattern - and while it's for one person, there are takeaways in this for many.

The question: "After the last 365 days, I am in a very similar position… laid off from a position that stressed more than fulfilled, same situationship, tired and stressed…what lesson did I need to learn to move into my next chapter? And, will that chapter start writing itself soon?"

--

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR:

• 00:00 Introduction to The Unraveling Achiever
• 00:45 A Different Kind of Episode – The Reading Concept and Question
• 02:44 Tuning Into the Akashic Records – Yellow/Solar Plexus Energy
• 04:44 The Lesson: Sameness and Groundhog Day Patterns
• 06:19 What's Hidden in the Past – The Dark Cloud Still Hovering
• 08:46 The Self-Worth Disconnect and The Pages Ahead
• 13:09 The Seven of Pentacles and Five of Pentacles Cards
• 17:20 Bringing It All Together and Closing
• 19:17 Soul Reading

--

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:

• You're stuck in patterns that feel like Groundhog Day
• You appear confident on the surface but don't feel it underneath
• You're worried about what people will think
• You're carrying unprocessed shame or blame from the past
• You use perfectionism or appearance as a protection mechanism
• You have a wall up that keeps people from seeing the real you
• You're waiting for your next chapter to "write itself" instead of taking ownership
• You struggle to ask for help or admit you need support
• You're exhausted from maintaining appearances
• You know something needs to change but you're not sure what

--

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

No external resources mentioned in this episode.

---

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If what you heard today resonated, I'd love to support you in going deeper.

Soul Reading is a 75-minute one-on-one session where I open your Akashic Records and help you reconnect with what your soul already knows about your path, your purpose, and what's next.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com/soul-reading⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

LET'S STAY CONNECTED:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@angelamckayllc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angela McKay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Career Revival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

The Unraveling Achiever is for the person who's done everything "right" and is questioning what that even means. Host Angela McKay - former SVP of HR turned intuitive career coach and soul reading practitioner - helps accomplished folks stop defaulting to what looks good and start building what feels true. You don't have to turn your life upside down. Just point your achiever energy toward a soul-led career and life you'll love.

NOTE: All information in this podcast is provided for informational or entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as definitive direction or advice.

25. stop forcing, start softening

When you're a high achiever, pushing, forcing, and producing are prevalent. You've lost touch with intuition, receptivity, and flow. There's a harsh edge to how you're moving through the world. And underneath it, there's a part of you aching to soften. In this episode, I share three messages: let go of control and trust the unfolding, soften and allow yourself to be instead of constantly do, and your drive is taking over everything - you can choose both. You don't have to choose between being successful and being soft.

---

Full Notes: Today's episode is about when you're disconnected from your feminine energy. If you're a high achiever – especially in a demanding career – there's a good chance this is you.

Here's what's happened: You've lost touch with intuition. With receptivity. With flow. Everything has become producing. Pushing. Pulling. Directing. Doing. You're in constant action mode. Constant force. You're making things happen through sheer will and determination.

You're good at it. You're successful at it. But there's a harsh edge to how you're moving through life. And underneath all that force, there's a part of you that's aching to soften. There's an intuitive lens that's wanting to be seen through. A gentler way of being that's waiting to emerge.

What's happened is you've become so reliant on your masculine energy – the doing, the achieving, the forcing – that your feminine energy has gone quiet. And feminine energy is about intuition, receptivity, flow, being instead of constantly doing, allowing instead of forcing, softness instead of that harsh edge you've been carrying.

I received three messages for you. Here's what came through.

--

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR:

• 00:00 Introduction to The Unraveling Achiever
• 00:46 When You're Disconnected from Your Feminine Energy
• 03:00 Message One: Let Go of Control and Trust the Unfolding
• 06:32 Message Two: Soften – Allow Yourself to Be, Not Just Do
• 11:07 Message Three: Your Drive Is Taking Over – You Can Choose Both
• 15:20 Bringing It All Together
• 17:45 Soul Reading

--

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:

• Everything feels like pushing and forcing
• You've lost touch with your intuition
• You can't seem to rest or receive
• There's a harsh edge to how you move through the world
• You're exhausted from controlling everything
• You've forgotten what flow feels like
• Even when you try to soften, your drive takes over
• You want to be ambitious AND soft
• You're ready to experience life differently

--

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

No external resources mentioned in this episode.

---

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If what you heard today resonated, I'd love to support you in going deeper.

Soul Reading is a 75-minute one-on-one session where I open your Akashic Records and help you reconnect with what your soul already knows about your path, your purpose, and what's next.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com/soul-reading⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

LET'S STAY CONNECTED:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@angelamckayllc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angela McKay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Career Revival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

The Unraveling Achiever is for the person who's done everything "right" and is questioning what that even means. Host Angela McKay - former SVP of HR turned intuitive career coach and soul reading practitioner - helps accomplished folks stop defaulting to what looks good and start building what feels true. You don't have to turn your life upside down. Just point your achiever energy toward a soul-led career and life you'll love.

24. when your career is built on proving yourself

When your career is built on proving yourself, you're chasing external validation, addicted to achievement, and your worth is tied to your performance and productivity. You need the recognition, the praise, people to see how good you are. Because without that external validation, you're not sure you're enough. In this episode, I share three messages: how to know you're trying to prove yourself, what that's causing, and a step to take. Your career can be built on authenticity, not proving.

---

Full Notes: Today's episode is about when your career is built on proving yourself. If that phrase landed for you - if you felt something shift or tighten when you heard it - this episode is for you.

Here's what a career built on proving yourself looks like: You're chasing external validation. You're addicted to achievement. Your worth is tied to your performance and productivity. You need the recognition. You need the praise. You need people to see how good you are, how hard you work, how much you accomplish. Because without that external validation, you're not sure you're enough.

And so you keep pushing. You keep performing. You keep achieving. Not because the work lights you up. Not because it's deeply fulfilling. But because you're trying to prove that you're qualified, that you're valuable, that you deserve to be here.

And it's exhausting. Because no matter how much you achieve, it's never quite enough. There's always something coming up short. There's always a way you could have done it better. There's always someone who might find out that you're not as good as they think you are.

I received three messages for you. Here's what came through.

--

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR:

• 00:00 Introduction to The Unraveling Achiever
• 00:46 When Your Career Is Built on Proving Yourself
• 02:35 Message One: How to Know You're Trying to Prove Yourself
• 04:57 Message Two: What Trying to Prove Yourself Is Causing
• 07:29 Message Three: A Step You Can Take - Shift to What Lights You Up
• 10:41 Bringing It All Together
• 12:27 Soul Reading

--

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:

• You're chasing external validation
• Your worth is tied to your performance and productivity
• You need constant recognition and praise
• You're your harshest critic
• You fear being found out as unqualified
• The work doesn't bring you joy
• You're obsessed with being recognized
• You do work to be admired, not fulfilled
• You're exhausted from constantly proving yourself

--

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

No external resources mentioned in this episode.

---

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If what you heard today resonated, I'd love to support you in going deeper.

Soul Reading is a 75-minute one-on-one session where I open your Akashic Records and help you reconnect with what your soul already knows about your path, your purpose, and what's next.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com/soul-reading⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

LET'S STAY CONNECTED:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@angelamckayllc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angela McKay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Career Revival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

The Unraveling Achiever is for the person who's done everything "right" and is questioning what that even means. Host Angela McKay - former SVP of HR turned intuitive career coach and soul reading practitioner - helps accomplished folks stop defaulting to what looks good and start building what feels true. You don't have to turn your life upside down. Just point your achiever energy toward a soul-led career and life you'll love.

23. if you've been in a mood lately

If you've been feeling impatient, easy to agitate, irritated, resentful, weighed down – this episode is for you. You've noticed an uptick in these feelings. It doesn't feel like you. You don't want to be this way, but you're having a hard time not being that way. In this episode, I share three messages: you're trying to do too much (there's a sneaky attachment to proving your worth through busyness – put something down), take care of your whole self including medical care (talk to your doctor about hormones, perimenopause, menopause, and address the basics), and your moodiness is affecting your relationships (put yourself on the receiving end of your sharp words to see the impact). Moodiness is a signal that something is off, something is too much, something needs to shift.

---

Full Notes: Today's episode is for you if you've been in a mood lately. I'm not talking about one bad day. I'm talking about noticing that you've been feeling impatient, easy to agitate, irritated, resentful, weighed down, snappy, short. These aren't the only things you're feeling, but you've noticed an uptick. And it's starting to feel concerning.

It doesn't feel like you. You don't want to be this way. You don't like how it feels to be irritated all the time or to snap at people you care about. But you're also having a hard time not being that way. It's like you can't quite pull yourself out of it.

You need some help sorting the root of this and finding a way out of it. Because moodiness isn't just moodiness. It's a signal. It's your system telling you that something is off, something is too much, something needs to shift.

I received three messages for you. Here's what came through.

--

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR:

• 00:00 Introduction to The Unraveling Achiever
• 00:42 If You've Been in a Mood Lately: What's Underneath It
• 02:08 Message One: You're Trying to Do Too Much – Put Something Down
• 04:45 Message Two: Take Care of Your Whole Self – Including Medical Care
• 07:54 Message Three: Your Moodiness Is Affecting Your Relationships
• 11:05 Bringing It All Together
• 12:36 Soul Reading

--

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:

• You've been feeling impatient, irritable, resentful lately
• It doesn't feel like you
• You don't want to be this way but can't stop
• You're snapping at people you care about
• You feel weighed down
• You've normalized carrying too much
• You've been neglecting self-care and medical care
• You're worried about the impact on your relationships

--

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

No external resources mentioned in this episode.

---

READY TO GO DEEPER?

If what you heard today resonated, I'd love to support you in going deeper.

Soul Reading is a 75-minute one-on-one session where I open your Akashic Records and help you reconnect with what your soul already knows about your path, your purpose, and what's next.

Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com/soul-reading⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

LET'S STAY CONNECTED:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.angelamckayllc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@angelamckayllc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Angela McKay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Career Revival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---

ABOUT THE PODCAST:

The Unraveling Achiever is for the person who's done everything "right" and is questioning what that even means. Host Angela McKay - former SVP of HR turned intuitive career coach and soul reading practitioner - helps accomplished folks stop defaulting to what looks good and start building what feels true. You don't have to turn your life upside down. Just point your achiever energy toward a soul-led career and life you'll love.