22. Alchemizing Into a Fuller Range: from counting myself "out" to deciding I belonged in one of the most iconic masterminds in the coaching industry
This one wasn't recorded in a studio. It was recorded on a walk, leaves crunching underfoot, in the middle of an actual identity shift happening in real time.
I share the unfiltered story of being invited into a high-level mastermind by a mentor who saw something in me before I could fully see it in myself — and the forty-eight hours that followed.
The doubt. The "I haven't earned this yet, I'm not worthy" story. The old identity trying to keep its grip. And the physical, embodied moment (tears, a hard workout, a shower, a decision) where I stopped negotiating with my future self and said yes.
This episode is a direct mirror for anyone circling an opportunity, a next-level room, a bigger investment, a bolder move, an iconic identity ~ and quietly telling themselves it's not their turn yet.
What You'll Hear
• Why fall is the exact metaphor for what it feels like to outgrow an identity that once served you
• The real, unedited internal monologue of self-doubt before a big yes ("I don't have the results yet," "I'm not far enough along") — and why that voice is never actually about facts
• How I connected to my body, not more thinking, to move through the resistance
• Why being seen by someone who believes in your capacity before you do can be the thing that unlocks a decision
• The difference between contracting into what's safe and familiar, and expanding into what's uncomfortable and true
• Why growth is never one decision — it's decision after decision, moment after moment, choosing your future self over your familiar one
Reflections to sit with after listening to this episode:
1. Where in your life or business are you still negotiating with a version of yourself you're ready to outgrow?
2. What opportunity have you quietly discounted, telling yourself you'll be ready "after" you get more results, more proof, more permission?
3. Whose voice is loudest when you're deciding whether to expand — your fear-based brain and "every thing I do has to feel hard and earned, I've got to prove myself", or the whisper that already knows?
4. What would it look like to stop waiting to feel ready, and instead build the capacity by moving anyway?
5. Where are you contracting and calling it discipline, responsibility, or being realistic — when it's actually self-protection?
If this episode moved something in you, here's where to go next:
Tag me in your revelations, biggest shifts and takeaways: @anna.brinkworth
Book a breakthrough call to decide if 1:1 coaching + mentorship with me is the next best move to be highly and intimately supported as you expand in life + business in the fullest range of YOU. This is identity level transformation...deep & sustained, for the visionary, value aligned women in my world: https://annabrinkworthcoaching.as.me/?appointmentType=88125286
Join SHE WHO MOVES: https://www.annabrinkworth.com/offers/9JpWjXKW/checkout our group coaching collective for women ready to do this expansion work together, in community.
• Claim one of the limited spots in the 30-Day 1:1 Accelerator https://www.annabrinkworth.com/offers/UzRJRdLo/checkout a focused, high-touch month with Anna if you're ready to move boldly in your business without without costing yourself, yourself.
Subscribe over on Substack: https://substack.com/@annabrinkworthcoaching?r=3b6dpd&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=stories&shareImageVariant=blur for more of this in long form writing and musing, between episodes.
