The Self Trust Solution | Real Stories. Real Self-Trust.

She Took the "Smart" Advice. Then Worked Until 2 AM. Adri Kopp on Taking Advice: Adapt, Don't Adopt

Read the full episode breakdown + show notes: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/blog/advice-is-not-instruction [https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/blog/advice-is-not-instruction] What happens when you take advice from someone successful, but not from someone who has been where you actually want to go?In this episode, Dawn sits down with Adri Kopp, email strategist, copywriter, and co-creator of Inbox Academy, where she teaches freelancers how to build flexible, sustainable businesses by offering email as a high-value service. Adri knew early on she wanted to niche in email. A peer who was further along told her to stay general first. The advice sounded logical, the peer was successful, so Adri silenced her own knowing. The cost arrived as draining blog projects, 2 a.m. deadlines, and an identity she did not earn: "procrastinator."In This Episode, We Explore:• Adapting vs. Adopting Advice: why "has this person actually been where I want to go?" is the filter that changes which voices get a vote• Resistance Data and Energy Data: how Adri's procrastination was not a flaw but precise information about which work belonged to her• The Lobby vs. the Inner Room: what happens when a peer's voice gets louder than your own instinct, and how the business pays the interest• Identity Lag: from "I am a procrastinator" to "I am adaptable," and why the new identity has to be claimed before the strategy works• Right-Sizing the Mentor: as you grow, the temptation to defer to bigger names grows too, and self-trust has to scale with it• The U-Turn Permission: why following advice all the way to the end is not self-trust, it is obedienceEpisode Chapters:00:00 From zookeeper to copywriter: the first leap04:00 The peer advice that overrode her own instinct05:30 Draining work, late nights, and the "procrastinator" label07:00 Procrastination as data, not character09:30 Has this person been where you want to go?10:30 Six months to rebuild, then the business took off15:30 Scaling the business means scaling the self-trust21:00 Adapting the advice instead of adopting it whole26:30 Energy data and the pro-and-con list rewrite30:00 You are allowed to do a U-turnConnect with Adri Kopp:Instagram: @copybykoppWebsite: inboxacademy.coJoin the Conversation:This one is for the coach who took the "smart" advice from someone further along, widened her niche, said yes to the work that drains her, and is now privately calling herself a procrastinator at midnight. The label is wrong. The data underneath it is the most accurate read on your business you have right now.✨ If today's conversation stirred something in you — I want you to take one next step before you close this episode.Take the Self-Trust Identity Map.Before strategy. Before motivation. Before more effort — you need to know where your identity is operating from. Because that is what determines everything that follows.It's free. It takes three minutes. And it will give you a precise read on where your identity is actually operating from right now — and exactly where to focus next.👉: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/identity-mapAnd if you're a coach or expert who already knows what's in the way — if you're done operating from almost and ready to claim the authority that makes your business vision a reality — Claimed is my private six-month coaching container for exactly that. Not a curriculum. Not someone else's strategy. Identity-level work that changes the person leading the business.👉: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/claimed📩 Have a self-trust story to share?: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/yourstory⭐ Subscribe and leave a review if this episode resonates — it helps more people find these conversations.

From TV Producer to Entrepreneur: Amanda Furgiuele on Self-Trust, Debt, and Leading with Integrity

Read the full episode breakdown + show notes: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/blog/fake-it-till-you-make-it-identity-gap [ https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/blog/fake-it-till-you-make-it-identity-gap] What does self-trust look like when no one is validating your decision — and you’re carrying it all quietly? In this Season 3 episode of The Self Trust Solution Podcast, Dawn Ledet sits down with Amanda Furgiuele — entrepreneur, strategist, podcaster, and co-author of The Pursuit of Badasserie — for an honest conversation about building self-trust before confidence, approval, or certainty arrive. Amanda shares her journey from working as a television producer to leaving that career to build her own business — without telling her family for years. She opens up about navigating ego, fear, and over $100,000 of debt, and how trusting herself through private struggle ultimately reshaped how she leads, decides, and defines success. This episode explores: * What it means to choose alignment before approval * Building self-trust quietly, without external validation * Leading through fear, ego, and financial pressure * The difference between image-based leadership and integrity-based leadership * How self-trust evolves through failure, responsibility, and lived experience If you’re an entrepreneur or leader carrying decisions privately, navigating fear or financial pressure, or learning to trust yourself without applause — this conversation will meet you right where you are. ⏱️ Episode Chapters 00:00 – Welcome & introduction 01:17 – Early career, rejection, and ego 03:59 – Fear of failure and self-trust 08:22 – Leaving a stable career 12:14 – Family expectations and keeping it quiet 15:51 – Debt, scarcity, and leadership pressure 22:00 – Private struggle and integrity-based leadership 30:15 – Trust, control, and letting go 37:05 – Amanda’s current work and mission ✨Connect with Amanda Figuerle Grab the Decisive CEO Filter: https://skilled-innovator-4590.kit.com/967b717209 [https://skilled-innovator-4590.kit.com/967b717209] Visit the website: https://thepursuitofbadasserie.com/ [https://thepursuitofbadasserie.com/] Connect with her on IG: @afconsultingteam and @thepursuitofbadasserie ✨ Explore the Self-Trust Identity Map: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/identity-map [https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/identity-map] ✨ Learn more about Claimed: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/claimed [https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/claimed] 📩 Have a self-trust story to share? https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/yourstory [https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/yourstory]

When Playing It Safe Isn’t Secure: Sarah Michelle Boes on Self-Trust, Fear, and Going All In

Read the full episode breakdown + show notes: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/blog/moving-goalpost-identity-gapWhat if security doesn’t come from playing it safe — but from trusting yourself to handle what comes next? In this Season 3 episode of The Self-Trust Solution Podcast, Dawn sits down with Sarah Michelle Boes, nurse practitioner, educator, and founder of a seven-figure healthcare education business that scaled rapidly once she trusted herself enough to go all in. Sarah shares the honest before-and-after of self-trust — including the year she kept a full-time teaching job while building her business, not because it was aligned, but because it felt “responsible.” Exhausted and afraid to leap, she eventually realized she was holding onto security that was costing her more than it gave. When she finally trusted herself enough to leave, everything shifted. In this conversation, we explore: * How fear can disguise itself as responsibility * Why real security comes from self-trust, not safety * What changed internally when Sarah went all in on herself * Leading and deciding in high-stakes environments like healthcare * The intersection of self-trust, mental health, motherhood, and meaning * Why you don’t need everything figured out before you begin This episode is for entrepreneurs, leaders, and professionals who feel stretched thin, stuck between fear and possibility, and quietly wondering if the way they’re holding their life and work is sustainable. It’s a powerful reminder that self-trust doesn’t require certainty — it requires willingness. ⏱️ Episode Chapters 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro01:24 Origin Story During COVID03:11 Rapid Launch and Validation05:57 Fear, Safety, and Quitting09:24 Success Discomfort and Mindset10:45 Delegation and Team Trust14:24 Community and Self Care18:00 Selling the Business and Meadow22:20 Redefining Success and Self Trust24:50 Breadcrumbs, Books, and Impact27:47 Closing Takeaways and Links 🔗 Resources & Next Steps ✨Connect with Sarah Michelle Boes Tune into her Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-deal-nurse-practitioner-club/id1552285929 Connect with her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmichellenp/?hl=en Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-michelle-287616232/ ✨ Explore the Self-Trust Identity Map: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/identity-map ✨ Learn more about Claimed: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/claimed 📩 Have a self-trust story to share? https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/yourstory

How Self-Trust Replaced Perfectionism—and Changed Everything | Dr. Hany Demian

Read the full episode breakdown + show notes: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/blog/identity-lag-business-growth What happens when you stop waiting for the perfect plan—and start trusting the next right step? In this episode of The Self Trust Solution Podcast, Dawn Ledet sits down with Dr. Hany Demian, physician, entrepreneur, and regenerative medicine pioneer, for a powerful conversation about self-trust, leadership, and growth through discomfort. For four years, Dr. Demian wrestled with a decision he knew he needed to make—but didn’t yet trust himself to act on. When he finally did, everything changed. His business grew fivefold, his leadership sharpened, and his relationship with fear, stress, and uncertainty transformed. This conversation explores: * What life and leadership look like before self-trust * The hidden cost of waiting for certainty * Why perfectionism often disguises fear * How growth actually happens through discomfort * Why there is no “degree” for living your dreams * How choosing conviction over comfort builds real momentum If you’re an entrepreneur, leader, or high-achiever who feels stuck in overthinking, self-doubt, or waiting to feel “ready,” this episode will meet you exactly where you are—and invite you forward. 🎧 Listen for practical insight, honest reflection, and a grounded reminder: You don’t get permission by waiting. You get permission by deciding. ⏱️ Episode Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Self-Trust 00:14 Meet Dr. Hany Demian 00:35 The Struggle Before Success 01:48 The Turning Point 04:05 Outside Perception vs. Internal Reality 05:56 The Cost of Self-Doubt 06:48 A Mentor’s Advice 08:05 The Harvard Experience 12:56 The Four Cs of Success 15:10 Embracing Fear & Courage 16:12 Growth Through Discomfort 19:28 Adaptability & Leadership 20:11 Comfort vs. Growth 22:09 Self-Trust & Conviction 24:08 Stepping Into Leadership 29:22 Why There’s No Success Playbook 32:16 Learning Through Action 37:10 Final Thoughts & Encouragement 🔗 Resources & Next Steps ✨Connect with Dr. Hany Demian https://drdemian.com [https://drdemian.com/] https://www.youtube.com/@drhanydemain [https://www.youtube.com/@drhanydemain] https://www.instagram.com/drhanydemian/ [https://www.instagram.com/drhanydemian/] ✨ Explore the Self-Trust Identity Map: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/identity-map ✨ Learn more about Claimed: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/claimed 📩 Have a self-trust story to share? https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/yourstory

From Burnout to Calling: Mandi St. Germaine on Faith, Identity & Building MBS

How do you rebuild your identity when burnout, doubt, and life’s pressures leave you questioning everything? Read the full episode breakdown + show notes: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/blog/self-trust-calling-before-certainty [https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/blog/self-trust-calling-before-certainty]In today’s episode, Mandi St. Germaine — co-founder of MBS | The Woman Beyond the Cape — shares her powerful journey of rediscovering her purpose, trusting God’s calling, and building a faith-rooted activewear brand that is helping women reclaim their identity. Before MBS, Mandi was navigating exhaustion, loss of self, and the weight of trying to be everything for everyone. Today, she leads a movement that blends faith, fashion, and truth — a brand imprinting Scripture inside every piece to remind women of who they are and Whose they are. In this conversation, Mandi opens up about: * The burnout and identity loss that led to her awakening * The moment she felt God calling her toward something different * The doubts and fear that made her question if she was qualified * How MBS was born and why modest, affirmation-based activewear matters * What it took to trust her voice publicly and build a community * Her biggest season of surrender yet If you’re navigating uncertainty, fear, or a tug toward something bigger, Mandi’s story will remind you that obedience doesn’t require confidence — only trust. ✨ SUBSCRIBE for more real self-trust stories, practical tools, and leadership conversations. 📌 Episode Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Season Three + Guest Mandi St. Germaine 01:23 Mandi’s Life Before MBS 03:13 The Birth of MBS + Early Challenges 04:20 Trusting the Calling + Overcoming Doubt 08:03 Building the MBS Community 24:19 What’s Next for Mandi 📣 CONNECT WITH MANDI Shop MBS | The Woman Beyond the Cape: https://mbsfit.co/ [https://mbsfit.co/] Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbs_my_best_self/ [https://www.instagram.com/mbs_my_best_self/] and https://www.instagram.com/mandi.saint/ [https://www.instagram.com/mandi.saint/] 📣 CONNECT WITH DAWN Download the Self-Trust Identity Map: https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/identity-map [https://www.theselftrustcoach.com/identity-map] Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/W86EcKvT_dM [https://youtu.be/W86EcKvT_dM] #SelfTrust #ChristianEntrepreneur #FaithAndBusiness #WomenFounders #IdentityInChrist #PurposeDrivenBusiness #ModestActivewear