You know that feeling when you step into something new and it doesn't quite fit? When the opportunity feels too big, the role feels too heavy, and you're wondering if you'll ever actually grow into it? Sara and Marisa unpack the analogy of the oversized coat: that moment when God gives you something bigger than what you currently fit into, not to overwhelm you, but to invite you to grow. This episode is about the discomfort of the stretch, the fear of the unknown, and what it actually means to trust that you're becoming the person who can fill out the next season of your life.

🔥 In This Episode:

• The oversized coat analogy and why God gives you opportunities that feel too big instead of ones that fit perfectly right now
• Why you need to give yourself 60 to 90 days before making any additional decisions after a big leap, and how to navigate the growing pains without panicking
• What to do when you're stretching into something uncomfortable and you genuinely don't know if you'll ever fit, and why the answer isn't about knowing
• How to stop putting on someone else's coat by comparing your journey to theirs, and why your growth path is uniquely designed for you
• Why the lesson isn't actually about the coat itself, but about who you're becoming as you grow into the capacity to carry what's next
  
  

Don't be afraid of the next coat. The discomfort you feel right now isn't a sign you're in the wrong place. It's proof you're being stretched into someone capable of carrying more than you ever thought possible. The question isn't whether you'll fit. It's who you'll become in the process of trying.

Bonus: If you're in a season of stretch right now and need the space to do the inner work that actually supports your growth, join us March 13 and 14 in Knoxville for our Heartwork Leadership Live event. This is where we go deeper into becoming the leader your next season requires. Save your spot HERE!

Connect with us:

• Instagram: @drsaranelsongray, @dr.marisa.nicole10, @theheartworkpodcast

Email: theheartworklife@gmail.com

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You hired them because you saw potential. You trained them because you believed they could step into what you needed. But somewhere between the vision and the reality, a gap opened up. They're not moving as fast as you hoped. They're not thinking the way you do. And suddenly, you're questioning everything: Did I hire the wrong person? Am I a bad leader? Why can't they just get it? Here's what Sara and Marisa know after years of building teams and training associates: sometimes the problem isn't the person. It's the expectation. This episode is a raw, real conversation about what it actually takes to lead someone into their potential without breaking them or yourself in the process.

🔥 In This Episode:

• The difference between hiring an adjusting horse versus a future partner, and why role clarity from day one changes everything about retention and performance
• Why placing unrealistic expectations on team members sets everyone up for disappointment, and how to get honest about what someone can actually deliver
• How to discern whether someone needs the full recipe with step by step instructions or just the ingredients, and why forcing your learning style onto theirs creates friction
• The evolution from wanting to be liked by everyone to becoming firm with expectations while staying kind, and why that muscle only develops through experience
• What it actually looks like to train someone up while trying to step back from your business, and why pouring your essence into a new team member now saves you time later

Leadership isn't about finding people who think like you. It's about creating the conditions for different humans to thrive within your vision. And that requires a level of self awareness and flexibility that most business advice doesn't prepare you for.

Bonus: If you're in the thick of training a team, struggling with expectations, or trying to build leadership capacity in your business, our Heartwork Leadership Live event on March 13 and 14 in Knoxville is where we're going deeper into all of this. This isn't a typical leadership workshop. It's heart work meets implementation strategy, and we're keeping it intimate so we can actually go there together. Grab your spot HERE!

Connect with us:

• Instagram: @drsaranelsongray, @dr.marisa.nicole10, @theheartworkpodcast

Email: theheartworklife@gmail.com

Support the show

Sydney Kaye Hagel was sitting in her corporate cubicle, successful by every external measure, and her nervous system was screaming. She had a stable job, benefits, and a wedding to pay for. She'd already built The Wealthy Circle, a community for women she truly cared about. And yet every day she showed up to her corporate role feeling more misaligned, more disconnected from the vision she held for her life. She knew she was meant for more. She just didn't know if she had the guts to choose it. The turning point came when mentors she admired asked her a question that stopped her cold: "Do you think you deserve to be in the room?" That question unlocked everything. Sydney left her corporate job, launched The Cozy Agency, and stepped fully into the identity she'd been holding back for years. This conversation is about what it actually takes to close the gap between who you were and who you're becoming, the hidden cost of people-pleasing, and how to build a brand and a life from authentic identity instead of someone else's blueprint.

🔥 In This Episode:

• The crossroads moment when Sydney realized she had outgrown her corporate identity and what it took to finally walk away, even when it felt financially reckless and emotionally terrifying
• Why your nervous system is your most accurate compass for misalignment and how to use it as a decision-making tool instead of ignoring the signals until you're burned out
• How to build a brand from your actual story and senses instead of copying what everyone else is doing, including the five-sense audit that transforms customer experience
• The shift from people-pleasing to boundary-setting and why communicating real feedback makes you a better leader, not a colder one
• What Sydney learned about hiring for grit and charisma over skill alone, and the one thing candidates do that makes her say yes immediately

This conversation disrupts the idea that choosing yourself is selfish. It reveals the truth: dimming your light to keep others comfortable is the real betrayal. When you step into alignment, you don't just change your own life. You give everyone around you permission to do the same.

Mark Your Calendar:
We're hosting another in-person HeartWork Leadership event March 13th and 14th in Knoxville, TN. If this conversation stirred something in you about stepping fully into your leadership, embodying your truth, and building something that actually feels like yours, this event is where that work happens. Sign up here.

Connect with Sydney Kaye Hagel:
Website: https://www.getcozy.co
Instagram: @wellsaidsyd @the.cozy.agency @wellthycircle

Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/well-said-with-syd/id1533334441

Connect with us:

• Instagram: @drsaranelsongray, @dr.marisa.nicole10, @theheartworkpodcast

Email: theheartworklife@gmail.com

Support the show