After nearly two decades as a corporate professional — successful but highly stressed — I made an abrupt exit. I burned out. It felt defeating. How could this self-starting, get-it-done woman fall apart? And how would I have to change my life going forward to reach the goals I wanted? Full-speed ahead had landed me in bed. I had no choice but to find another way. I began an earnest search that has spanned the last 15 years, a search that revealed the real origins of stress.

I tried self-help books and workshops, affirmations, vision boards, visualizations, spiritual pursuits. Then I made a life-changing observation. As I would repeat a specific affirmation with all the energy and enthusiasm I could muster, I would feel a dissonance in my chest — an actual vibration that was out of sync with the affirmation I was repeating. I realized, “A part of me doesn’t believe a word of that affirmation!”

Through research and hours of practice, I learned why. Like best-selling author Brian Tracy, I concluded that, “Your subconscious mind causes you to feel emotionally and physically uncomfortable whenever you attempt to do anything new or different or to change any of your established patterns of behavior. The sense of fear and discomfort are psychological signs that your subconscious has been activated.”

I began making changes to the real driving force behind my potential to succeed: the subconscious emotional baggage and limiting beliefs that were in opposition to my conscious mind’s goals and dreams. This process was more life-changing than the exit I’d made from the corporate environment.

As I began a new technical business, I became aware of moments of anxiety and recognized that old programming and emotional energy were the source of the problem, not the byproduct of it.

Now, nearly 20 years later, I work with other professional women and business owners to conquer anxiety and create financial success. If you have come to the place of absolutely wanting to get to the bottom of what’s holding you back, let’s get started.

Jo Lou’s background and credentials include: