This week’s on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast I was joined by Janis King, who shared something so simple, yet so deeply profound, it felt like a gentle truth tapping on the heart.

She spoke about her daily manifestation ritual. Each morning, she would ask for what she wanted. With consistency and intention, she called it in… or so she thought. What unfolded instead was something entirely different. What she received wasn’t what she had been asking for- it was what she needed.

And at first, it wasn’t welcome.

That really landed with me.

How often do we believe that getting what we want will bring us happiness, fulfilment, or a sense of arrival? We attach meaning to those desires, convinced they are the key to becoming who we’re meant to be. Yet, time and time again, life gently (and sometimes not so gently) redirects us.

Because growth rarely comes wrapped in comfort.

More often, it arrives disguised as challenge, disruption, or even disappointment. In the moment, it can feel like things are falling apart. But with time- weeks, months, sometimes years - we begin to see more clearly. What once felt like resistance was actually redirection. What felt like loss was making space. What felt like struggle was shaping us.

This perspective has brought a deep sense of peace into my own journey.

Through my own healing and inner work, I began to uncover parts of myself that had long been hidden. Layers shaped by expectations, conditioning, and the quiet belief of “who I thought I was supposed to be.” As those layers softened, something more authentic began to emerge.

My true self.

And in reconnecting with that truth, something beautiful happened.

New pathways opened - ones I could never have imagined from the perspective of my “old” self. Opportunities, connections, and experiences began to flow in ways that felt aligned rather than forced. It wasn’t just external change; it was internal expansion.

When we begin to open not only our minds, but also our hearts, something shifts in our energy. We become more receptive. More aware. More connected to the lessons within each experience. Life stops feeling like something happening to us, and instead becomes something unfolding for us.

There’s a quiet wisdom in that.

Janis experienced this turning point too. She realised that what she had been asking for wasn’t aligned with her growth - in her life, her relationships, or her work. Her first Tarot reading reflected a truth she didn’t want to hear. And yet, it was exactly what she needed.

That moment became an invitation.

An invitation to trust herself more deeply.
To listen beyond fear.
To follow the path that felt most aligned, even when it was uncertain.

And in doing so, she found herself in a place of alignment - not just in one area of her life, but across all of it.

There’s something incredibly powerful about that.

Maybe the real question isn’t “Why am I not getting what I want?”
Maybe it’s “What is this moment here to teach me?”

Because when we begin to trust that life is supporting our growth - even when it feels uncomfortable - we soften into it. We stop resisting and start allowing.

And perhaps, in that space, we realise…

We were never being denied.
We were always being guided.

Guided towards who we are becoming.

To listen to my conversation with Janis King, please click here:

About Sharon Fitzmaurice

Sharon Fitzmaurice is a Holistic Wellness Coach, Reiki Master Teacher and Practitioner, Clinical Hypnotherapist, and host of The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast, where she celebrates the resilience of the human spirit through meaningful conversations. She is the author of Someone Please Help Me, So I Did and Awaken Your Wellbeing, and a passionate speaker and advocate for mental health awareness and survivors of childhood abuse. Through her work and her Soulful Journeys online community, Sharon supports others in reconnecting with themselves, healing, and living with greater purpose and authenticity.

After my powerful conversation with my guest, Carol Look on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast, I found myself deeply moved and reflective. We explored the ways in which we often sabotage our own success, whether in our careers, relationships, or simply in allowing ourselves to thrive. Carol spoke with such clarity and compassion about how unresolved trauma and limiting beliefs can keep us stuck in patterns of fear, self-doubt, and self-sabotage.

As I listened to her, I couldn't help but reflect on my own journey.

There were many moments in my past where I didn’t allow myself to even imagine what could be possible. I was so entrenched in survival mode - caught in the aftershocks of trauma, that I couldn’t see beyond the pain. It was as if I was living in a small, dimly lit room, unaware that there was a door leading out into the light. I see now that I wasn't broken; I was simply trying to stay safe in the only way I knew how.

But healing has taught me something beautiful: we are allowed to choose ourselves. In fact, that choice is the beginning of everything.

When we make the decision to no longer stay small, when we stop dimming our light to fit into places that no longer serve us - we begin to reclaim our power. That first step is often the hardest, because it requires us to believe in something we may not yet fully see: the possibility of transformation.

As Carol and I spoke, I felt an energy within me ignite - sparks of something familiar and sacred. It was that deep knowing, the quiet but powerful affirmation that this work - helping others to heal, to rise, and to reconnect with their truth - is not only purposeful, but vital.

We often get lost in trying to protect ourselves, constructing walls so high that no one, not even our true selves, can get in. And while those walls may have once felt like safety, over time, they become our cages. Instead of feeling secure, we feel more isolated, more disconnected from the world - and from our own potential.

But here’s the truth I want to share with you, from one soul to another:

There is hope.

You are not alone in feeling stuck or unsure. You are not the only one who has questioned your worth or shrunk yourself to fit into someone else's version of safety. But the beauty of this journey is that we can always choose again. We can choose to soften, to open, to trust. We can choose to remember who we are beneath the pain.

Healing isn’t about becoming someone new - it’s about coming home to yourself.

So, if you find yourself sabotaging the very things you desire, pause. Breathe. Be gentle with yourself. And know that every small act of self-love, every boundary you set, every time you say yes to your own growth, is a step toward the life you were always meant to live.

You are worthy. You are powerful. And you are never too far gone to begin again.

With love,

Sharon Fitzmaurice

Author, Holistic Wellness Coach & Podcast Host