Why We Sabotage Our Success - A Reflection on Healing and Choosing Ourselves

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

Run, Walk, Talk - A New Pathway for Wellbeing

In honour of Men’s Health Week, I was honoured to share a conversation with Eoghan Roe on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast, Eoghan is a wise and humble soul at just 28 years old. Eoghan is a teacher, fitness coach, and breathwork facilitator in training. But more than that, he is a young man deeply committed to connection, both within himself and within his community.

Feeling the pangs of isolation and disconnection in his own life, Eoghan decided to do something most people don’t: he took a brave step toward change. He created Run, Walk, Talk, a simple, soulful initiative that brings people together in nature to move, share, and connect. It’s free. It’s welcoming. And it’s exactly what many are craving in today’s fast-paced, digitally saturated world, a return to genuine human connection.

Eoghan’s journey of self-awareness began with loneliness, but it is being guided by courage. Through his training in breathwork, he has learned to pause, to ground, to feel -rather than suppress what arises within. In his words and presence, there’s a gentleness, a quiet strength that comes from doing the inner work and daring to create something meaningful for others.

As I listened to Eoghan, I found myself reflecting deeply:

How do we expect men to show up in the world today?
What beliefs have been inherited from generations past that tell men to stay silent, to be strong, to never crumble?
Is it finally time we allow men to be human first - feeling, sensitive, struggling, healing—without shame?

Because the truth is, it’s not just young men like Eoghan who are feeling the ache of disconnection. Men of all ages, particularly those over 30, are facing a quiet crisis of loneliness and emotional suppression. Research from Ireland shows that men aged 30–44 are among the loneliest age group, with many struggling to maintain friendships or find spaces where they can open up safely. (The Irish Times)

And yet, the cultural script hasn’t changed fast enough.

Too many men are still silently carrying the burden of:

• Emotional pain they don’t know how to name.

• Societal expectations that define worth by productivity, stoicism, and status.

• A lack of meaningful spaces where they can just be without fixing, performing, or pretending.

So today, I gently ask:
How are the men in your life showing up for themselves?
Are they creating space for rest, reflection, and reconnection?
Are they surrounded by people who really see them - beyond their roles, titles, and responsibilities?
Are we offering them the emotional safety we all need to heal and grow?

These are not small questions, but they matter deeply.

The Power of Connection in Healing

Connection isn’t a luxury, it’s medicine. When we walk and talk alongside others, something beautiful happens: we begin to soften. We begin to trust. We realise we are not alone in our pain, our questions, or our longing for something more.

Being involved in something outside of work and family, like Eoghan’s Run, Walk, Talk -is not just good for our mental health; it’s vital. Engaging in community builds new neural pathways in the brain, inspires curiosity, invites new friendships, and helps us rediscover the joy of shared human experience. It’s where adventure, growth, and healing meet.

And for men who have been conditioned to “go it alone,” this kind of safe, inclusive space can be transformative.

Join the Movement

Eoghan’s next event is an invitation to reconnect with others, and most importantly, with yourself.

📅 Date: 22nd June
📍 Location: The Land of the Giants, Claremorris, Co. Mayo
💫 Cost: Free, and open to everyone who needs a little connection

Whether you're walking, running, or just showing up, know that your presence matters. Your voice matters. Your wellbeing matters.

For More Support

Visit the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland at www.mhfi.org for more tools, inspiration, and community resources. You’ll find plenty there to support the men in your life—and perhaps yourself too.

To Eoghan and to all the brave men who are beginning to unlearn silence and choose connection, you are helping to reshape what strength truly looks like. It is found not in the armour, but in the openness. Not in perfection, but in presence.

As we continue to walk each other home, may we all remember:
Healing begins when we feel seen, heard, and held - just as we are.

Sharon Fitzmaurice

Wellbeing Coach, Author & Host of The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast

Love Beyond Vision: A Father's Journey Through Grief, Awakening and the Power of Presence

Some conversations stay with you long after the recording ends, echoing not just in your mind, but in your soul. My recent guest on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast Mohan Ranga Rao, shared one such story. A story not of overcoming, but of becoming. Not of fixing, but of feeling. A story shaped by profound loss, and an even deeper love.

Mohan’s life changed irrevocably with the birth, and devastatingly, the loss of his beloved daughter, Yogita. Born blind, Yogita’s presence shattered everything Mohan thought he knew about fatherhood, strength, masculinity, and identity. Just four days after her birth, when he learned of her blindness, something within him cracked open. Not just his heart, but his very worldview.

What followed was not just a medical journey, but an emotional and existential one. He had to unlearn the idea that to love meant to protect and to fix. He had to let go of the illusion of control. And in doing so, he began to understand what it meant to love someone purely, without condition or expectation, a love that transcends even time and space.

His first book, Inner Trek: A Reluctant Pilgrim's Journey to Tibet, emerged from a spiritual reckoning. What began as a physical trek through the Himalayas became a soul-deep pilgrimage - an inner awakening that helped him begin to make sense of the unimaginable. The mountain path became a metaphor for the rugged terrain of his heart: unpredictable, painful, sacred.

His newest book, Myopia: A Father's Journey into Love, Loss and Sight Beyond Vision, is even more intimate. It does not tie grief up in a neat bow. It doesn’t offer hollow comfort. Instead, it gives us something much more powerful: truth. Raw, unfiltered, beautifully human truth. It is a meditation on pain as transformation, love without form, and seeing not with the eyes, but with the soul.

Reading it and speaking with Mohan, invites us into a space we often avoid: the space of suffering. But what if suffering, rather than something to escape, was something to engage with? To sit with, breathe into, learn from?

That is the philosophy behind Amopia, a community and conscious framework Mohan has founded. Blending science, spirituality, and resilience, Amopia teaches us not to fear suffering, but to see it as a wise teacher. It offers courses, workshops, and a deeply supportive community for those navigating grief, change, or simply the deeper questions of life.

As I reflected on our conversation, I felt so moved by the sacred vulnerability Mohan embodies. It reminded me how many men, fathers especially, are never given the space to grieve out loud, to cry, to fall apart, to speak of their pain without shame. Yet grief lives in all of us. It is not bound by gender. It is not something to be hidden. It is a sacred rite of passage, and it deserves to be witnessed.

For anyone who is grieving, feeling lost, or walking through the wilderness of emotional pain, know this:

You are not broken.
You don’t have to have answers.
Grief is not a problem to solve, but a journey to honour.
There is still beauty in the world, even if you can’t see it right now.
You are allowed to love and mourn at the same time.

Here are some holistic tools that may gently support you on this path:

✨ Mindful Presence – Allow yourself to feel without needing to fix. Simply being with your emotions can begin the healing.

✨ Breathwork & Meditation – Even a few minutes of conscious breathing each day can create space between you and your pain, helping you ground and soften.

✨ Creative Expression – Whether through writing, music, art, or movement, let your grief have a voice. It doesn’t need to make sense. It just needs to be heard.

✨ Spiritual Inquiry – Whether through journaling, prayer, sacred texts, or silent reflection, let your heart ask the big questions. Answers may not come, but peace often does.

✨ Connection with Nature – The natural world holds us without words. A walk among trees, sitting by the sea, or watching a sunrise can return us to the rhythm of life.

✨ Community Support – Surround yourself with those who honour your process without rushing it. Connection is medicine.

Mohan’s journey is a reminder that we cannot always choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we walk through it. And sometimes, the most courageous act is simply to keep our hearts open, even when they’re breaking.

To Mohan, thank you for reminding us that vision is not always about what the eyes can see, but about what the soul can feel. That love endures beyond all loss. And that grief, when held with tenderness, can become a sacred teacher.

With deep reverence and love,
Sharon

A journey through Motherhood

Life doesn’t always unfold as we imagine it will - especially in motherhood. Often, it takes us on a journey that cracks us open, reshapes us, and ultimately reveals the depth of our inner strength. On this week’s episode of The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast, I’m honoured to sit with Tracy Holmes - a devoted mother of three and wife to Andrew, living in the beautiful surroundings of Co. Wicklow, Ireland.

Tracy’s story is a profound and heartfelt reflection of what it means to grow through motherhood, especially when faced with challenges that shake us to our core. In her raw and beautifully written memoir Raising Resilience, published by Orla Kelly Publishing, she shares the emotionally charged experience of the premature birth of her twin boys, the diagnosis of Down Syndrome for one of her sons, and the early separation of the twins during that tender first year.

But at the heart of Tracy’s story lies something even more universal - the often unspoken reality of maternal mental health.

So many women, as Tracy so vulnerably shares, suffer in silence. Afraid of being judged, of not being seen as a "good enough" mother, they carry their pain alone. But Tracy’s message is one of deep compassion and truth: to be the kind of mother - or father - our children need, we must first care for ourselves. Looking after our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing is not a luxury; it is a necessity. When we tend to ourselves, we model to our children the power of self-love, resilience, and emotional integrity.

Tracy's healing journey included finding time for herself, reclaiming small yet powerful moments of peace and connection. One of her greatest sources of strength came from sea swimming - an act that brought her not only clarity and calm, but connection to a tribe of supportive women. She also found solace and understanding among other parents raising children with Down Syndrome, discovering that shared experience creates a sacred space where vulnerability is met with empathy rather than judgement.

This conversation is a call to all mothers and parents: you are not alone. Your struggles do not make you less - they are part of the courageous path you walk. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness; it is a profound act of love - for yourself, and for your children.

Tracy's story is a gentle yet powerful reminder that motherhood is not about doing it all perfectly, but about being real, being supported, and being kind to ourselves through the ever-evolving journey. In sharing her truth, she offers a guiding light for others to follow—out of isolation and into connection, out of fear and into trust.

Tune in to this soulful and healing episode. Let Tracy's voice and vulnerability remind you of your own strength, and the sacredness of tending to your own heart as you care for the hearts of those you love.

Sharon Fitzmaurice

Author, Wellbeing Coach & Podcast Host

Breath by Breath: Reconnecting with Life

This week on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast, I had the honour of speaking with Jade Horton, a woman whose story touched me in ways I’m still processing. On the 10th of December 2020, Jade experienced the kind of tragedy no parent could ever imagine -losing both of her precious children, Sienna (7) and Isaac (3), in a devastating house fire.

In an attempt to escape the flames, Jade jumped thirty feet from the burning building. Her injuries were life-threatening. She was told she would never walk again. She spent four long weeks in intensive care, underwent several operations, and faced a mountain of physical pain -but even greater was the pain in her heart.

Yet somehow, in the depths of that pain, something stirred within her. A quiet, unwavering strength. A love so powerful that it refused to give in. Jade chose to honour her children by choosing life. Through holistic healing, sheer determination, and an unshakable bond with her little ones in spirit, Jade took her first steps just twelve weeks later.

Everything she has done since that day -every breath, every step -has been for them. And now, through her healing and her work, she walks alongside other parents who are trying to survive the impossible.

After our conversation, I found myself sitting in stillness, my heart wide open. I kept returning to one thought: how do we go on after something so soul-shattering? And deeper still: do we really need to come close to death to fully reconnect with life?

Jade’s story reminded me that sometimes, it is through our most painful experiences that we come to see life differently - not with our eyes, but with our soul. It’s not always about surviving… sometimes it’s about remembering why we want to keep living at all. And when that reason is love - pure, unconditional love, it becomes our guide through the darkest of nights.

I often reflect on the paths we each walk. Some are straight and smooth, while others twist and turn with heartbreak and hope. I know in my own life, it wasn’t one grand act of bravery that kept me going - it was the small, quiet choices. The decision to keep showing up for life, even when I didn’t know what the next day would bring. The choice to meet myself in the moment, without judgement. To simply say: this is who I am today, and that is enough.

We’re all on a journey that takes us in unexpected directions. We set out aiming for one destination, only to discover we’re meant to arrive somewhere entirely different. And yet, that’s where the beauty lies. Not in the outcome, but in the becoming.

Life will always hold moments that take our breath away - some with wonder, some with sorrow. And there are times when we feel we may never breathe again. But eventually, we do. We take that next breath. And with it, we find a strength we didn’t know we had.

We carry on. Sometimes slowly, sometimes shakily. But we move forward - not because it’s easy, but because there is something, or someone, worth living for, may that someone is You.  Because in each step, no matter how small, we are reclaiming life. Not as it once was, but as it is now. Raw. Real. Sacred.

And that, to me, is the very essence of healing.

Sharon Fitzmaurice

Author, Holistic Wellness Coach, Podcast Host 

Reflecting on Loss and Growth

Rings of Time

Last week, I had the privilege of sitting down with Byddi Lee – Author, Playwright, and Screenwriter on my podcast - after reading her profoundly moving book Barren. It tells the story of a grieving woman who connects with the spirit of her miscarried child, unveiling the story of an ancient Irish woman navigating a climate catastrophe. As I turned the pages of Byddi’s story, I found myself deeply touched, not only by her beautiful writing but also by the tenderness with which she brought the unseen into the light.

Her story stirred something within me. It opened a quiet space in my heart where I reflected on my own journey through baby loss and miscarriage - two precious souls who came briefly into my life and who now live on in Spirit. I feel their presence with me every day. Though not here in the physical world, they are part of my story - woven into the fabric of my past and my present, guiding me in gentle ways I cannot always explain but deeply feel. They remind me daily of the love that never leaves and the connections that transcend form.

As Byddi and I spoke, our conversation flowed into the wisdom of trees and the stories they hold in their rings. We explored how the natural world mirrors our inner landscapes -how each tree ring, like each experience, tells a chapter of growth, struggle, resilience, and renewal.

When I reflect on the inner rings of a tree, I see the echoes of my own life. Each ring, a year lived. Each ring, a layer of who I’ve become. There are wide rings, representing times of flourishing, times when I stood rooted in purpose, sharing my heart’s work as a wellness coach, Reiki master, and clinical hypnotherapist. These were the seasons when healing felt expansive, and I witnessed both myself and others blossom.

And there are the narrower rings - those tender, more difficult years shaped by grief, uncertainty, and personal healing. The times when I had to pause, listen deeply, and gather strength from within. Losing those babies, moving through that silent grief, was part of those rings. Yet, even in sorrow, growth found a way. Like the tree that keeps reaching for light despite harsh seasons, I, too, found resilience I didn’t know I possessed. These sacred, quiet rings became the soil of my deepest empathy and the foundation of the support I now offer others on their healing paths.

The passage of time becomes visible in the rings of a tree, and in the same way, I see how the unfolding of my life has shaped me. Healing is not linear, it spirals, circles, and returns, just like those rings. And in each return, I gain new understanding, not only of myself but of the strength that comes from loving deeply, even when that love is carried in Spirit rather than in arms.

As I continue to reflect, I honour the stories of those I’ve worked with and walked beside. Their journeys, their trust, and their healing are woven into my own rings, just as mine are woven into theirs. We are all part of a greater forest, each tree individual, yet deeply interconnected. Our roots meet beneath the surface, where compassion and shared experience grow.

The resilience of the tree through storm and drought reminds me of the strength within all of us. Every challenge, every joy, every soul we’ve loved and lost adds to the layers of who we are. And just as the tree stands tall, its story etched in every ring, I, too, stand with my story - proud, grounded, and ever-growing.

In the end, I hope that my journey, my words, and the love I carry will encourage others to honour their own rings, to recognise the beauty in their growth, the sacredness of their pain, and the unbreakable bonds that endure beyond time. Like the tree, may we all leave behind a legacy of resilience, wisdom, and love.

You can watch my beautiful conversation with Byddi HERE on YouTube

Sharon Fitzmaurice

Author, Wellness Coach & Podcast Host