Why So Many Women Feel Stuck Right Now

After a brief hiatus, Your Body Knows is back, and so am I!

In this relaunch episode, I'm sharing what has changed in my work, why I renamed the podcast, and what I've been hearing over and over again from women on coaching calls.

Women are telling me they're overwhelmed, exhausted, disconnected from themselves, and wondering why the life they've worked so hard to build doesn't feel sustainable anymore. We'll unpack what's really happening beneath the surface, why more productivity isn't the answer, and how nervous system regulation, self-trust, and intentional life design can help you create a life that actually feels manageable.

I'll also share more about my coaching approach, the different ways we can work together, and give you a sneak peek at some incredible guests coming up this season.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why I renamed the podcast Your Body Knows
• What I'm seeing with women in coaching right now
• The hidden causes of burnout and overwhelm
• Why self-trust matters more than self-improvement
• How I help women break old patterns and create lasting change
• What's coming up this season

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend. It helps more women discover the show, and helps us build this community together.

Connect with me:

• Book your exploratory call: https://calendly.com/shanetta-mcdonald/15min?back=1
• Work with me: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/coaching 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/
• Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome to Your Body Knows, a podcast for women ready to return to their bodies and reclaim their power, their truth, and their way forward. I'm your host, Shanetta McDonald, a somatic life coach and writer. Each episode will explore the messy, beautiful work of healing, self-trust, and learning to feel at home in your own skin. Whether you're in a season of transition or simply longing to feel more like yourself, this space is for you. Let's listen in. Hello, hello. Welcome back to your body knows. It has been a minute. A very long minute. Uh my apologies. Thank you for your patience. If you are a longtime listener, hello. Thanks for still being here. And if you're brand new, welcome. I'm so glad you found your way to me. However, you found your way to me. I am Sanetta McDonald. I am a life coach, a writer, and a longtime storyteller. And this podcast is all about helping women reconnect with themselves, trust themselves, and create lives that actually feel good to live. And today's episode is going to be a little bit different because I wanted to come back and reintroduce myself because so much has changed. This podcast has changed, my work has evolved, and the way I think about transformation has also changed. Honestly, I think the conversations we need to be having as women have changed too. So my intention is to talk about where I've been, what I'm seeing with women, excuse me, what I'm seeing with the women that I'm working with right now. I'm working with quite a few, and what I believe is actually happening underneath so many things, such as burnout and overwhelmed, um lack of clarity that so many women are experiencing and what I'm doing about it, what I'm doing to help them. I also want to share what you can expect from this next chapter of Your Body Knows, including some really, really exciting guests that I have coming up. So let's get into it. Okay, reintroduction. Who am I? I'm Sanetta McDonald, and for nearly two decades, I have worked in communications in PR. I have helped people to tell their stories. I've also told my story in many places. I've written for places like Allure, Essence, The Cut, Refinery 29, Huff Posts, Well and Good. I've written for a lot of places, y'all. And I'm really grateful for the willingness and vulnerability that I've had in sharing my story in many different ways. And while I love that work, there was always this other side to me, this other thread throughout my life. And it was what I uncovered a deep interest in learning more about why we do what we do. Why do we, women in particular, get stuck in patterns, why we can know something intellectually, but still struggle to actually change. And that question eventually led me into coaching. That question is actually how I began my healing journey over almost two decades ago. I've spent more than a decade coaching women, particularly women navigating different types of recovery, identity shifts, major life transitions, i.e., motherhood, i.e., career, in those moments where you just literally look around yourself and think, wait, how did I get here? Is this the life that I actually want? Should I just blow everything up? You know what I mean. Um, and a lot of my journey, I think, has been shaped, has of course been shaped by the work that I do today. Many of you know, but I've spent years, um, over 13 years, recovering from bulimia and binge eating and body dysmorphia, you name it. Um, so I know what it feels like to feel and be disconnected from yourself, to feel like your body is something you have to manage or control instead of something you can actually listen to. Then later on in life, I was diagnosed with complex BTSD, which gave me a completely different understanding of my nervous system, my patterns, and why certain things for me were so hard to shift. And that has become the foundation of my coaching work. Um, I don't believe that transformation happens just by telling yourself to think positive or to make a better schedule or to try harder or to just do something differently. Um, it is much deeper than that. And most of the women I work with are already trying really hard. Most of the women I work with are responsible, they are successful, they're the ones everyone counts on. Um, they've been to therapy, they've tried the breath work, they've tried the yoga, they've tried a lot of the different alternative medicines, they've done it all. Um, and the problem isn't usually that they aren't doing enough. So that that's not even brought into the equation. The problem or challenge is that they've spent years overriding themselves. So you can do all the things and still override what you desire deep down, what your intuition tells you, what you're really feeling called to do. And that is what the next chapter of this podcast is about. Um, I feel like I should call this next chapter. I've said that quite a few times, but it's true. I am in my next chapter. So many of us are in our next chapter. Every client that I bring on is in a next chapter. It really is uh the truth around what's happening for many of us right now. This podcast used to be called The Motif Podcast. I loved that era. I started this podcast in 2020, so it's been six years. Give or take a couple because I had a kid and just hit the brakes on everything, but I relaunched last year, obviously. Um, and I realize that the name Your Body Knows really represents where my work is right now. Again, could be next chapter, but your body knows still fills a line for me. And it's because your body is constantly giving you information. Our bodies are constantly speaking to us, asking us for certain things, telling us what we what what it needs. Um, exhaustion is information. Resentment is more info, anxiety is telling. And, you know, sometimes it's a little voice inside of us saying that something needs to change. That's also info. Um, and the the big question that I've been asking my clients is, are you listening? What is your body telling you? Um, how is that aligned with your values, with your vision? We talk about vision so much. I could do a whole podcast on vision because a lot of us have uh an inkling of what we want, but what's our big vision? Where are we going? Um, are we just out here taking it day by day, which is also helpful for certain times. But what's the big vision? What are you working towards? What is all of this for? Um, what's your North Star? Um, and that all brings me to what I'm saying right now, because over the past several months, I've been having so many conversations with women who are at this exact point questioning themselves. Um and maybe you're hearing yourself in this. The women I'm talking to are not women who are failing. They are quite successful, actually, like I've mentioned. Um, they aren't lazy. They aren't women who need to get their shit together. They all have their shit together. Um, they all are successful on paper. They all are probably successful for a previous version of themselves. Um, but they and they're also women who've spent years being everything for everyone else. And so they're at this inflection point where they're starting to question okay, who am I for myself? They're mothers, their leaders, their entrepreneurs, caretakers, high performers. Um, and they're exired, they're exhausted. They're tired, they're all of the above, and they're tired. And what I find interesting is that when we start digging deeper, the issue isn't usually just time management. Yes, we could all manage our time better, um, but we only have so much time, right? A lot of women come to me saying, I am overwhelmed, I need better systems, I need to be more productive, I need to get organized. And yes, practical tools can help. But what I often find underneath that is something else. Um and this brings to mind a particular client I had earlier in the year, it was a neurodivergent client who left her corporate job to work for herself because she thought it would give her more time to do more things, more things around the house, spend more time with her children. And she found herself uh in her eyes failing. She just couldn't get the things done. And uh, we realized that it was because she, like many of us, uh do, built a life around expectations, obligations, and other people's needs. And somewhere along the way, realized that she stopped asking herself, what do I actually want? What makes me feel alive? What matters to me now? Um, what version of me is trying to emerge? Could I let the fucking laundry sit here another day? Would that be okay? Could I actually do something for myself? Um and she wasn't asking herself those questions. Um, she was also for my neurodivergent, neurodivergent peeps, my neurospicy peeps, measuring her capacity against someone else's society's capacity. And I'm like, girl, you do not have the same capacity as everyone else. I don't have the same capacity as anyone else. Our capacity varies per person. Our capacity varies based on the season of life we're in. I think I did a whole episode on capacity a few months ago. Go back and listen to that. Um, and so that was a whole other thing. But it's it's really the questioning. You know, are we asking ourselves enough questions? Or are we just going with emotions and going with the flow? This is especially true for women in their 30s and 40s and beyond. Um, because what I find is that there is usually a moment where the strategy, uh, the strategies, the things, the tools, the tips and tricks that worked before stop working. Um, they just stop working. Uh so achievement, perfectionism, pushing through, constant self-improvement. I I am guilty of this as well. Um they stop working. And at some point our body starts to tell us we can't do this anymore. Like we we have to sit down, girl. Like this is this is too much for us. When do we take a break? Um and and that's the feedback. That's the feedback that we want. So what do we do? This is where I think a lot of coaching misses the mark. I I don't think the answer is again, creating another checklist of things women need to fix about themselves. Um most of us don't need another thing to accomplish. While we may have our goals, that in fact is is totally fine. I will say though, this is the first year I had no goal list. I came into 2026 with no goals, no list. I, and it has been the most abundant, beautiful uh year filled with so far, filled with a lot of possibility. And I've still done so much um without the list, without checking it, without setting the bar so high for myself. I I listened to my body, I listened to my curiosity, and I just went with it.

SPEAKER_00 12:39

And this year, yeah, has felt more aligned than any other year that I can think of recently. Um we need a different relationship with ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

The work that I do is about three things. First, it's nervous system awareness. So understanding how your body responds to stress, pressure, uncertainty, and change. Um, when you're constantly operating from survival mode, it becomes really difficult to make decisions from a grounded place. Second is self-trust. A lot of women I work with are disconnected from their own intuition. Um they can't hear it, they can't feel it, they can't sense it, they can't access it. They know how to ask everyone else for advice. That's easy. Um, and they know how to research, go to Google, go to AI. Um we all know how to gather information. Gathering information is so easy and it's such a distraction from just going within. But they don't trust themselves. They don't, a lot of us don't. Um, so I work with clients on rebuilding that relationship. What does it look like to trust yourself? What does it look like to trust your decisions? To trust that you and if you believe in source, higher power, God, whatever you want to call it, that you in collaboration with them can make the best decisions for you. What does that look like? What does that feel like? Um The third is life design. And this has been really exciting for me. Um, once you actually know yourself again, what do you want to create? What needs to change? What systems, boundaries, relationships, habits, and choices support the life you're trying to build? And I bring a lot of practical stuff in here. After we work with the intuition, identifying all the limiting beliefs and regulating your nervous system, this is where the actual plan comes in. I'm not interested in helping women have a beautiful breakthrough moment and then go back to the exact same life. Like when you're done working with me, there is a shift, there is a change. All I require is willingness. Willingness and openness and like, yeah, just the willingness to get down to work. Um we look at how to create sustainable change. And that's the final piece of working with them. Um, nervous system regulation, that self-trust, intuition, and then design. What does that look like? Okay, where do we go from here? Um so, what does working with me actually look like? And I'm doing this because I had a friend reach out to me via Instagram a while ago. And she's like, I don't understand how you work with people. What do you do? And so this is for her and everyone else who needs a little bit more clarity. I realized I was like, I'm not good at talking about, I'm good at talking about the what, but not how. Like, how do you work with me? What does that look like? Um I'll I'll put links into the podcast episode for my website, my offers, what I'm working on right now. But I work with women in a few different ways right now. Um, for women who want deeper transformation, I offer private coaching experiences where we work together over multiple months. Um, and I there are three offers. One is the reset, down and dirty. Someone's like, I need I we got 90 minutes. I need help now. I'm overwhelmed. I don't know what's left or right, what's right. I need clarity, I need some sort of strategy to get me through this particular moment. The second is a life edit uh month package. We work together uh deeply for that one month to create some sustainable change in your life. It's only a month, though, I will say, but you have access in between the two sessions that are offered in that month. And the third, which is my most popular offer, is a life design intensive. And that's a three-month program, two sessions each, access to me in between with boxer, email, and we get into the weeds. That is where we start with vision and with sustainability.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

And we we create some changes.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Um yeah, the work I do is is all about slowing down, getting clear on what's not working, shifting your old patterns, and creating a life that feels more aligned, that feels good. Um and I also offer shorter intensives for women who feel like they're at a crossword, crossroads, and they need support, they want to get unstuck around a specific transition or a decision. That's usually the reset that sometimes I can customize something for a client if they're into that. Um yeah, and if you're listening and thinking, okay, sounds like me, but you don't even know where to start. Um that's what an exploratory call is for. I'll throw the link to that in the show notes as well. You do not have to have everything figured out. Most people who come to me don't. Most people who come to me are like, I don't know what I need. I just know I need help. I just know I'm tired. I just know that this is how I'm feeling right now, and I'm tired of feeling that way. And then we unpack it and see what's the best way to move forward. The first conversation I have in that exploratory call is just really about understanding what's happening. Maybe get an idea of what you think you want to change and whether I'm the right person to help you do that. Again, I'll put all the links to my website, offerers exploratory call in the show notes. Um and yes, so many things. So before I wrap up, I do want to talk about what's coming next on your body knows because I'm so excited about the conversations we're gonna have. This season is gonna include conversations about identity, healing, relationships, intuition, friendship, burnout, nervous system regulation, and what it means to create a life that actually feels like yours this season, uh, this season of the podcast. I don't think I'm actually doing podcast seasons, but y'all get some good content uh out of these upcoming episodes. Um, and I have some amazing guests lined up. I know I've been saying that, but scheduling and recording has just been uh time consuming. And so I give myself a lot of grace. This space is still really important to me. I'm so grateful for anyone who continues to stick around. Just be patient. More things are on the way. Um, a lot of these guests coming up, I really respect their work and their perspectives, and I think you're gonna love them. Uh, and we'll talk about all the things I think women are craving more of nuance, honesty, depth. Um, this is not gonna be like a five ways to optimize your morning routine. Done, done with that. We'll we'll go in a lot deeper this time around. Um and yeah, yeah, I want to keep having those good conversations. So I'm excited for this next chapter. I hope you are too. You'll also get more episodes from me where I'll dive into some actual methods and and ways that people can create subtle shifts in their life and their everyday experience, because I think that's also really helpful. Um, and yeah, I would love your support. Subscribe wherever you're listening. If you have a few extra minutes, leaving a review helps more women find this podcast. It really makes a difference. And send this episode to someone who you think might need to hear it a friend, a sister, a coworker, um the person who's been saying I'm fine, but you know they they got a lot going on. Um, and thank you again for being here. Thank you for listening. And always remember your body is always, always, always giving you information. My question is are you willing to listen to it?

SPEAKER_00 20:24

To tune in. I'll see you next time.