Understanding the Invisible Blocks Holding You Back

Have you ever found yourself stuck, questioning why reaching that next level of success feels so difficult, even though you deeply desire it? Logically, it makes no sense. You want the business growth, the clients, the financial abundance. Yet something inside of you hesitates, holds back, or even resists taking the very steps that would get you there.

In this episode of The Worthy Woman, I’m diving into the paradox of fearing success and how our nervous system plays a central role in this inner conflict. As a manual osteopath and nervous system guide, I see this pattern show up constantly for intuitive, ambitious women who are ready for more, but feel blocked by something they can’t quite name.

The Body-Mind Split: When Logic and Emotion Don’t Align

You might say, “Of course I want success.” But the truth is, your body might not agree.

This is the frustrating internal tug-of-war many high-achieving women experience. There’s the logical, strategic part of you that’s focused on growth. Then there's the physical and emotional side, where fear, anxiety, or avoidance quietly lurk under the surface.

Why does this happen?

Because success, especially the kind you’ve never experienced before, is unfamiliar. And to your nervous system, unfamiliar often equals unsafe. No matter how much better your future could be, your body may cling to what it knows—even if that’s struggle, burnout, or chaos. It's the classic “devil you know” scenario: your current life might not be ideal, but at least it’s predictable.

The Safety of Familiar Struggle

From a survival standpoint, your nervous system is designed to keep you alive, not necessarily happy or fulfilled. That means it will default to familiar patterns, even if those patterns are sabotaging your goals.

You may fear that success will require you to overwork, sacrifice your health, or lose important relationships. You may associate it with rejection, especially if your current social circle doesn’t reflect where you want to go. Deep down, you might wonder: “If I become more successful, will I be left out? Will people still relate to me? Will I still belong?”

These subconscious fears are rooted in our early life experiences, cultural conditioning, and the environments we were raised in. Your family’s beliefs about work, money, and success (whether spoken or implied) shape how safe you feel to expand.

Personal Story: When Success Meant Burnout

I saw this firsthand growing up. My mom was successful in many of her ventures, but she always seemed exhausted and overextended. From that, I internalized the belief that having a thriving business meant sacrificing my energy, time, and joy.

Even now, as I build a business that’s intentionally different, that old programming still whispers, “But what if you burn out too?” That’s how sneaky and deep these nervous system patterns can go.

How Fear of Success Manifests in Business

If you’re wondering whether this could be happening in your business, here are some signs to look for:

• Self-sabotage during launches
  You start strong, then lose momentum or procrastinate as soon as visibility or success is on the horizon.

• Avoiding new opportunities
  You say you want to grow, but when the chance comes, you shrink back or second-guess.

• Backing out of things last minute
  You feel tired or anxious before events that could move your business forward, then feel great once it’s over.

• Attracting the wrong clients
  You're working with people who don’t light you up because you’re not fully expressing your truth or naming your ideal client.

• Playing small
  Holding back on your messaging, pricing, or visibility out of fear of judgment, rejection, or being “too much.”

It’s important to note that this isn’t about blaming yourself or labeling these patterns as “bad.” Your body is simply trying to protect you. The problem is, in trying to stay safe, you may also be staying stuck.

Why the Body Must Feel Safe Before You Can Expand

This is the heart of nervous system regulation in business: You have to feel safe being seen, expanding, and receiving. Otherwise, you’ll unconsciously sabotage every opportunity that takes you outside your comfort zone.

It’s not about eliminating fear. It’s about learning how to move through fear with support. You’re going to feel uncomfortable, it’s part of growth. But when your body has tools to help it regulate, that discomfort becomes manageable, not paralyzing.

These tools might include:

• Nervous system exercises (like vagus nerve work)

• Breathwork and body-based movement

• Morning and evening rituals to ground and reset

• Practices that help bring your mind and body into alignment

Because here’s the truth: You can know all the mindset strategies, but if your body doesn’t feel safe to act on them, nothing changes. The magic happens when both parts of you, the logical and the somatic, are on the same page.

When Mindset Isn’t Enough

One of the most frustrating parts of personal growth is knowing exactly what to do and still not being able to do it. Many high-achieving women know all the mindset tools: journal about your goals, visualize success, shift your limiting beliefs. But if your nervous system is dysregulated, those tools often fall short.

You might be able to “talk yourself through” things logically, yet feel no real progress. Why? Because your body doesn't feel safe enough to follow through. There's a disconnect between what your mind understands and what your body is still holding on to. This is where mindset meets embodiment, and where true transformation happens.

The Missing Link: Body-Based Healing

For some people, journaling every morning or repeating affirmations might be enough. But for others (especially those with deep-rooted nervous system dysregulation) mental strategies only scratch the surface. You need tools that speak the language of your body.

That might include:

• Breathwork to soothe stress responses

• Somatic practices to ground and regulate

• Movement to shift energy and reconnect with yourself

• Nervous system techniques like vagus nerve activation

• Identifying and shifting daily triggers in real time

The key isn’t just doing these practices for the sake of routine. It’s using them intentionally, when fear or contraction shows up. When your body tightens. When your breath shortens. That’s when these tools help you feel safe enough to move forward.

Creating Awareness and Safety Around Expansion

Doing “the work” is less about fixing and more about noticing. Start asking yourself:

• When do I feel open and expanded in my business?

• When do I feel closed off or resistant?

• What situations make me contract, shut down, or retreat?

These patterns show you where your nervous system may be stuck in survival mode. And from there, you can begin offering support to the part of you that fears success, attention, or visibility.

Instead of shaming those responses, honor them. They’re your body’s way of saying, “I don’t feel safe yet.” The goal is to gently build that sense of safety, so success no longer feels threatening, but welcoming.

Use Nervous System Tools with Intention

Nervous system tools are incredibly powerful, but their true magic happens when used with purpose. Rather than waiting for your morning routine, try using your tools when something specific triggers you. Reflect on what happened. Journal or breathe through the experience. Move your body in a way that discharges the energy.

Over time, you’ll begin to recognize the moments you shift out of regulation, and you’ll be able to catch yourself earlier. This awareness prevents burnout, helps you manage your energy, and allows you to stay consistent in your business in a way that feels sustainable.

Aligning Success with Your Body’s Wisdom

You can also use nervous system regulation to expand into more leadership, visibility, and abundance, on your own terms. Because success doesn’t have to equal burnout or hustle. It can feel grounded, nourishing, even peaceful.

That’s why I invite you to reflect on two powerful questions:

1. What does success feel like in your body?

2. What does success look like for you?

Most people jump to external markers, money, followers, full client rosters. But maybe your version of success is more personal and rooted:

• Having slow, spacious mornings with coffee on the porch

• Being finished work by 4 PM so you can cook and be present with your kids

• Running a business that doesn’t burn you out, where you feel calm and capable

• Feeling confident in your body and safe in your relationships

When you define success from the inside out (and align your nervous system with it) you stop chasing someone else’s dream and start creating your own.

Want Support as You Expand?

If this conversation resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can always DM me on Instagram or leave a comment if you're watching this on YouTube. My inbox is open if you want to share how success feels in your body or what blocks you’ve uncovered.

And if you’re feeling called to go deeper, I’m opening a few spots for my ElevateHER program in July. This 12-week coaching container is for women ready to move past burnout, sabotage, and resistance, and grow their business from a place of nervous system safety and self-trust.

You’ll get:

• Weekly support in a small, intimate group

• Direct access to me Monday through Friday

• Personalized guidance for navigating growth, launches, or emotional blocks

• Body-based tools to regulate, realign, and rise

If you’ve done all the strategy and still feel stuck, this is the missing link. Learn more on my website or shoot me a message if you want to chat about whether it's the right fit.