Are you ready to unlock your full potential and finally take control of your work-life balance? If you’re a project manager, program manager, or a professional juggling countless priorities, chances are you often feel like you’re running on empty. Between leading teams, managing portfolios, and pushing for strategic results, it can seem impossible to keep everything moving smoothly. But what if there was a way to truly maximize your productivity while also nurturing your emotional well-being?
This is precisely what we explored in a recent episode of the Productivity Smarts podcast, where I had a fascinating conversation with Kelly Talison, owner of Hearts in Harmony Hypnosis. Kelly shared deep insights on emotional healing, subconscious programming, and how addressing inner conflicts can revolutionize your productivity. Let’s dive into some key takeaways and practical strategies you can implement right away.
The Invisible Enemy: Emotional Stress and Subconscious Barriers
Have you ever felt inexplicably drained even after a full night’s sleep? Or found yourself procrastinating on important tasks for no clear reason? As Kelly pointed out, these behaviors often stem from emotional stress lodged deep in our subconscious. Despite our best efforts to manage time effectively, unresolved emotional baggage can keep us stuck.
Why does this happen? Our subconscious mind operates behind the scenes, shaping 90% of our behavior. It’s where childhood memories, past traumas, and limiting beliefs reside. Imagine trying to lead a high-performing team while constantly battling feelings of inadequacy or fear of failure. Even if you consciously know your worth, those subconscious patterns can trigger anxiety, self-doubt, and burnout.
How Do You Stop Fighting Yourself?
Here’s a question I often hear: How do I overcome this internal battle and move forward confidently? The answer lies in awareness and healing. As Kelly explained, the first step is recognizing that the battle isn’t external—it’s within. The conscious mind, which governs logic and decision-making, often conflicts with the subconscious mind, where emotional wounds and survival mechanisms reside.
To stop fighting yourself, you need to:
- Acknowledge the inner conflict – Ask yourself: What part of me feels unworthy or afraid?
- Create space for healing – Meditation, journaling, or guided hypnosis can help you access those hidden parts of yourself.
- Integrate those parts – Instead of rejecting the parts of you that feel weak or vulnerable, welcome them with compassion. This integration leads to greater self-awareness and emotional maturity.
Emotional Maturity: The Key to Leadership Success
As a project manager or executive, your emotional state directly impacts your team’s performance. Leaders who haven’t addressed their own inner battles often project their insecurities onto others, creating a toxic work culture. Emotional maturity—the ability to stay calm, empathetic, and self-aware—is critical for fostering a productive, collaborative environment.
How can you develop emotional maturity?
- Reflect on past experiences – Consider moments when you reacted emotionally rather than rationally. What triggered those reactions? Were they tied to unresolved feelings from your past?
- Seek feedback – Ask trusted colleagues or mentors for honest feedback on your leadership style. Are there patterns in your behavior that you might be blind to?
- Practice mindfulness – Mindfulness helps you stay present and grounded, reducing the likelihood of emotional outbursts.
Productivity and the Power of Alignment
Think of your mind as a team. For your team to win, every player must be aligned, moving toward the same goal. When parts of you are in conflict—your conscious mind wanting success, but your subconscious mind fearing failure—you sabotage your own efforts.
Kelly used a brilliant analogy: A football team where some players are running in the wrong direction will never win. Similarly, aligning your conscious goals with your subconscious beliefs is key to achieving peak productivity.
How do you create this alignment?
- Identify limiting beliefs – What beliefs are holding you back? Common ones include: I’m not good enough, Success means sacrificing my personal life, or I must do everything perfectly.
- Reframe those beliefs – Challenge these thoughts. Replace I must do everything perfectly with Progress matters more than perfection.
- Reinforce new beliefs – Use affirmations, visualization, and small wins to strengthen your new mindset.
The Role of Consciousness Levels in Productivity
Have you ever noticed how some days you’re in the zone, effortlessly knocking out tasks, while other days you can barely focus? This fluctuation is tied to your levels of consciousness.
According to Kelly, we operate on four levels:
- Conscious – The logical, thinking mind.
- Subconscious – The emotional mind, holding memories and habits.
- Unconscious – Deeply buried memories and ancestral patterns.
- Higher consciousness – The part of us connected to purpose, creativity, and intuition.
To consistently operate at a high level, we must clear out emotional clutter from the subconscious and unconscious minds. This frees up energy for higher-level thinking, enabling us to strategize, innovate, and lead effectively.
Practical Exercises to Elevate Your Productivity
Ready to put these insights into action? Here are two exercises you can try:
1. Heart-Brain Coherence Technique
This simple method helps you shift from stress to calm focus.
- Sit quietly and focus on your breathing.
- Place your hand on your heart and imagine breathing into it.
- Recall a positive memory or feeling of gratitude.
- Stay in this state for a few minutes.
2. Inner Child Dialogue
- Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
- Visualize meeting your younger self.
- Ask them: What do you need from me right now? How can I support you?
- Listen without judgment, and offer reassurance and love.
The Ripple Effect: Helping Others by Helping Yourself
One of the most inspiring parts of Kelly’s journey is her commitment to helping others heal. By addressing her own emotional wounds, she not only transformed her life but also became a beacon of hope for others. Similarly, when you invest in your own growth, you become a better leader, partner, and friend.
And speaking of creating positive change, I’m proud to be a supporter of Kiva, a non-profit organization that provides microloans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. Since 2011, I’ve witnessed the incredible ripple effect these loans create—empowering individuals, supporting families, and strengthening communities. If you’re looking for a meaningful way to give back, I encourage you to visit Kiva.org and start lending.
Final Thoughts: Unleash Your Productivity Smarts
Achieving true productivity isn’t just about time management—it’s about mastering your inner world. By aligning your conscious goals with your subconscious beliefs, developing emotional maturity, and raising your level of consciousness, you can unlock new levels of success and fulfillment.
So, are you ready to take the next step? Whether it’s through listening to more episodes of Productivity Smarts, trying the exercises above, or simply reflecting on your inner battles, I encourage you to start your journey today. Remember, productivity isn’t about doing more—it’s about being more. More aligned, more aware, and ultimately, more at peace.
Thank you for joining me on this transformative journey. If you found this post valuable, please share it with others who might benefit. And don’t forget to leave a review for the Productivity Smarts podcast—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people.
Until next time, keep pushing forward, stay curious, and unleash your full potential.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by project cutbacks and tight deadlines, I’m giving away my top strategies in my podcast below:
Click here to listen to my Productivity Smarts Podcast.
