Ep 81 You Don’t Need More Mindset Work You Need a Personalized Strategy

You’ve done the inner work. You’ve journaled, meditated, visualized, read the books. So why aren’t you moving forward?

In this episode, Lori Gouhin shifts the conversation around personal growth and goal-setting. As a goal and strategy coach, she sees firsthand that what most people are missing isn’t motivation, it’s a tangible, customized “how”. Mindset opens the door, but it doesn’t build the road. And if you’re stuck, it’s not a personal flaw. It means you need clarity, structure, and support designed for you.

This episode breaks down Lori’s 4 part framework to help creative, driven women finally take consistent action toward the goals that matter most. You’ll walk away knowing that you're not lazy, undisciplined, or unmotivated; you just haven’t had the right support. Until now.

Apply to work with Lori directly at www.theartworkofyou.com/apply 

Episode Highlights:

• Why more mindset work won’t move you forward
  
  
  
• What to do when you've outgrown inspiration and need action
  
  
  
• The four real things that create momentum: clarity, custom strategy, structured support, and accountability
  
  
  
• How to stop circling ideas and start building real self-trust through follow-through
  
  
  
• Why the right strategy isn’t one-size-fits-all; it’s built around you

It’s time to stop second-guessing and start making real progress with a personalized strategy that finally works for you.

Learn more and follow along at:

www.theartworkofyou.com/apply

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Website: https://www.lorigouhin.com/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/linkedin.com/lori-gouhin/

Thank you for sharing your time with me and remember to show up in your life like the masterpiece you are because YOU are the ARTwork. Please subscribe and leave a five star review.

Have a fabulous day

Lori

Thank you for sharing your time with me and remember to show up in your life like the masterpiece you are because YOU are the ARTwork!!!

Please subscribe and leave a 5 Star Review.

Have a fabulous day!

Learn more and follow along with Lori at:

30 Days of Success Free Journal: https://www.theartworkofyou.com/registration

Website: https://www.TheARTworkofYOU.com

Website: https://www.lorigouhin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartworkofyou/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorigouhin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/facebook.com/lori.gouhin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/linkedin.com/lori-gouhin/

Grab your FREE Daily Accountability Journal
https://www.theartworkofyou.com/registration

Transcript

[00:00:00] Lori Gouhin: Life gets busy, fear shows up, doubt kicks in, distractions multiply, and that's where real accountability makes all the difference. Not as pressure, but as structure. And on the other side of accountability is something even deeper, and that is self-trust. Hello, my friends. I am so glad that you are here with me today, because today I think that the conversation will shift the way that you've [00:01:00] been thinking about your progress, and especially if you've been stuck in your head or spinning with ideas and second guessing everything. And if you've been wondering why you're not moving forward.

[00:01:10] Lori Gouhin: Even though you really, really want to be, and today we're not going to talk about mindset in the usual way. We're going to talk about what happens when mindset actually isn't the problem. When you've maybe read the books or when you've done the inner work, maybe you've even had a few breakthroughs, but you still don't know what the next step actually looks like.

[00:01:34] Lori Gouhin: And so this episode is about the how. Because mindset, it might open the door for you, but if you can't see the road in front of you, you're not going to walk through that door. And that's not a personal flaw. That's a sign that you need clarity, you need structure, and you need support. That's what I'm going to walk you through today.

[00:01:55] Lori Gouhin: And again, so if you've ever found yourself starting something [00:02:00] with maybe a lot of excitement, but then you kind of watch it fizzle out because the path forward wasn't clear to you, then this episode is definitely for you. So let's start with maybe you're taking haphazard or inconsistent action, because this is where a lot of people stay stuck.

[00:02:18] Lori Gouhin: It's not that you're not trying, you might actually be trying a lot of different things. Maybe you're brainstorming, you're journaling, reading, listening to podcasts, you're talking to yourself about clarity. But deep down, if you're being honest, you still don't know what to do next in a way that feels concrete.

[00:02:40] Lori Gouhin: And that's not because you're lacking motivation, it's because the steps aren't clear. When the next move isn't clear, it's nearly impossible to act with any real consistency because if you can't see what step to take first, then second, then third, and so on, or if you [00:03:00] can't see how it all comes together, your brain is going to hesitate, and that's not personal to you.

[00:03:06] Lori Gouhin: It's how we are wired. And what most people don't realize is that this pattern of stopping, circling second guessing, it's a totally natural response to uncertainty. And where it gets tricky is that the longer you hesitate, the more likely it is That the doubts will creep in. And you start questioning the idea itself, you start questioning yourself. You start to lose that spark, and eventually it's easier to just scroll on social media or rearrange your desk or just maybe jump to a new idea that feels more doable, even if it's not really what you want.

[00:03:47] Lori Gouhin: Because when the path feels maybe foggy or fuzzy, your brain doesn't want to waste energy. Walking in the wrong direction. So instead it pauses, and again, you start questioning if the idea was even good [00:04:00] to begin with, maybe you think you're just not cut out for it, or maybe you think you just need more time or more confidence, more mental clarity.

[00:04:08] Lori Gouhin: And that cycle, it can go on for years. I remember years ago, after we had already built our retail business and after I was actively investing in real estate. I had this pull to start something new, to be a coach. It was something I actually always wanted to do, and so I got certified. I knew that being a coach felt completely aligned with who I was becoming, but every time I sat down to start, I'd get overwhelmed.

[00:04:35] Lori Gouhin: I couldn't see the steps clearly. I didn't have a model or an example to follow on how to build that business. And it felt like I had to build the entire road by myself, brick by brick, so to speak. And ironically, I named that business Follow Your Yellow Brick Road. I even got the domain and everything, but because the steps weren't clear to me, I was afraid I'd mess it up or worse that I would be [00:05:00] wasting my time.

[00:05:01] Lori Gouhin: So I did what a lot of people do in those moments and I buried it under. Busyness and I filled my time with other things, even though some of those things were productive. But I, didn't do that thing. I didn't build the coaching business 

[00:05:14] Lori Gouhin: And I convinced myself that the timing just wasn't right. And looking back, it wasn't about timing at all. It was about not having a strategy. It was about not having someone help me to see that the idea was valid and that the path could be shaped as I walked it. And that not having every step figured out didn't mean that I shouldn't begin.

[00:05:36] Lori Gouhin: And this is what I see over and over again with the clients that I work with, especially the creative and multi-talented ones. They don't lack drive. They lack a visible roadmap. And again, if the road isn't visible, you won't walk on it. You'll overthink it, you'll wait. You'll find distractions that feel important, but aren't the thing you really want to be doing.

[00:05:59] Lori Gouhin: That's the thing [00:06:00] about creatives. We don't quit on ideas because they're too hard. We quit on them because we can't see how they'll work, and if we can't see how they'll work, we don't trust ourselves to follow through. So we sit in this frustrating kind of limbo. I want this, I know it's meant for me, but I just don't know how to get there.

[00:06:20] Lori Gouhin: That's what we're going to unravel today in this episode because the truth is the how is figureoutable, but it usually requires a different approach than what you've tried before. There's a lot of talk in the personal development space about mindset, and don't get me wrong, it matters 

[00:06:39] Lori Gouhin: Believing in yourself definitely matters. Healing old patterns, noticing your thoughts, learning to shift your self-talk, all of that is part of the process and I am in no way discounting that, but at some point I. We have to acknowledge that mindset work alone is not enough. You can journal all day, [00:07:00] visualize your future self, repeat your affirmations, and still find yourself waking up unsure of what to actually do next.

[00:07:09] Lori Gouhin: Because the truth is, mindset, it opens the door, but it doesn't build the road. 

[00:07:15] Lori Gouhin: mindset, can help. You want a new direction. It can help you believe that you're capable of creating it. But what happens after that? 

[00:07:24] Lori Gouhin: What happens when Monday morning rolls around and you're sitting with a notebook full of inspiration, but no plan. This is the point where people get stuck, not because they didn't mean it when they set the goal or spoke the affirmation, but because the follow through requires more than belief. It requires clarity, it requires structure.

[00:07:46] Lori Gouhin: It requires decisions about priorities and trade-offs, and most importantly, it requires the ability to stay with it when it gets inconvenient or confusing or slow. And so I want to [00:08:00] assure you that I. You're not meant to figure all of this out alone. We live in a culture that tells us if you just think positively enough, you'll manifest your dreams, or that if you don't, it must mean that you're out of alignment or you're not doing the quote unquote inner work.

[00:08:17] Lori Gouhin: Right? But that's not always true. A lot of people are deeply committed to their personal growth and still not seeing results, and that's not because they're failing. It's because they're missing the how. A lot of the times, the mindset industry rarely teaches that part. I don't know, maybe because it's not as sexy as a breakthrough or a belief shift, but it's the part that actually moves things forward.

[00:08:42] Lori Gouhin: The part where you get to take all that inner work and turn it into outer results. This is the gap that I help my clients close, not by adding more pressure or productivity hacks, but by giving them the strategy and the support to move in a [00:09:00] direction that they already want to go in. Because if mindset alone work, you'd already have that book deal.

[00:09:06] Lori Gouhin: Or the six figure business, or the dream schedule, or the ideal relationship, all of it. So let's talk now about what actually creates movement. What helps someone go from circling. With all these ideas in their head to actually doing the thing and staying with it long enough to see results because it's not willpower and it's definitely not more mindset work, and it's definitely not waiting around for motivation to magically show up.

[00:09:36] Lori Gouhin: What you really need is a combination of four things, clarity, a custom strategy, structured support and accountability. That's the how. And when I say that, I don't mean a rigid plan that you can't deviate from. I mean something that works for you, for how your brain works, for your goals and for your [00:10:00] life.

[00:10:00] Lori Gouhin: So let's break it down. Number one, as I said, you need clarity on the right goal. Sometimes people. We've talked about this so many times, but they set goals that sound good in theory, but deep down they're not actually aligned, and that misalignment will show up later as resistance, as procrastination.

[00:10:19] Lori Gouhin: Maybe burnout, clarity means. That you're getting honest about what really matters in this season of your life. Are you working towards something that you truly care about or just something that you think you're supposed to want? Because when you land on the right goal, there's a different kind of energy behind it.

[00:10:37] Lori Gouhin: It will most definitely still require effort, but it doesn't feel like you're dragging yourself uphill with no end in sight. The second thing, you need a strategy. A strategy that's made for you. And again, this is where a lot of people get stuck, not because they don't care, but because they don't know how to turn a goal into a plan that fits [00:11:00] them, and they often feel like they should know how to do it.

[00:11:03] Lori Gouhin: On their own. So they try to maybe reverse engineer what they've seen others do, or they make a to-do list, or they create a beautiful spreadsheet that they never look at again. Or they might try to copy someone else's path or follow a formula that doesn't account for their life or their learning style or their way of thinking, a strategy that works for someone else.

[00:11:27] Lori Gouhin: Will usually leave you feeling kind of boxed in or scattered, and that's where that haphazard action comes into place. But a strategy that's designed for you, one that accounts for your tendencies and your strengths and your challenges, that changes everything. A real strategy takes into account how you think and how you work.

[00:11:47] Lori Gouhin: It takes into account your schedule, your habits, your tendencies. It connects the dots between where you are and where you want to go, and it gives you a way to move forward without [00:12:00] second guessing yourself every step of the way. And number three, you need structure and rhythm.

[00:12:07] Lori Gouhin: This is where we get practical because. Even if you have clarity and a plan, you still need a way to work the plan in your life, in real life. And this is where the work actually gets done. And it's not just when you're inspired, but in the rhythm. Again, as I said, of your real life. What are you doing each week?

[00:12:27] Lori Gouhin: How are you measuring your progress? How do you course correct when things shift? Because they will. The right structure, it won't restrict you, it will support you, and it'll keep the goal alive and active even when you're tired or distracted, or when your life gets in the way. And so what this means, and what this looks like is knowing what your top three priorities are for the week.

[00:12:51] Lori Gouhin: For example, not 10 things, just the top three, having set check-in points. What are you reviewing maybe on [00:13:00] Friday? Or how can you reset on Mondays creating space in your schedule to work on what matters most, not just what's urgent and loud. And finally, and one of the most important things is knowing what quote unquote done looks like for the day, so that you're not constantly feeling like you're behind.

[00:13:19] Lori Gouhin: These are the things that will keep you moving and keep you out of that cycle where you're busy, but nothing's actually progressing. Here's what I've noticed. A lot of people think that they should already know how to make their goals happen. They assume that if they were truly committed and capable, they'd already have it figured out.

[00:13:37] Lori Gouhin: So instead of asking for help. They keep trying to power through alone. And meanwhile, this plan is fuzzy at best, and their confidence is fading, and they're second guessing every step. And when they can't figure it out, they internalize it. Maybe like a character flaw. They'll call themselves inconsistent or undisciplined or maybe say things like, I just can't [00:14:00] stick with anything.

[00:14:01] Lori Gouhin: But here's the truth, and this is the fourth thing that you need, accountability. Accountability isn't about weakness, it's about partnership. It's about putting systems and support in place because your goal matters, not because you're incapable. Most people, they need both. They need the plan and they need someone to walk through it with them because even when you know what you want, you're still human.

[00:14:28] Lori Gouhin: Life gets busy, fear shows up, doubt kicks in, distractions will multiply, and that's where real accountability makes all the difference. Not as pressure, but as structure. It's having someone there to help you to stay clear and focused even when your energy or your mindset shifts. And on the other side of accountability is something even deeper, and that is self-trust.

[00:14:56] Lori Gouhin: When you don't follow through on something that mattered to you over [00:15:00] and over and over again, it chips away at your self trust. You start questioning yourself, not just about the goal, but really across the board. You stop believing in your own promises. And then you'll hesitate to commit to things because you're afraid this will be just one more thing that you start and you don't finish.

[00:15:20] Lori Gouhin: And that's what we. More or less repair through coaching, not just the progress on the goal, but the relationship that you have with yourself while you're working toward it. When I work with clients, we don't just set a goal and talk about it. We build it into their life, we break it down into steps that they can actually take, and then we keep going.

[00:15:42] Lori Gouhin: We evaluate, we adjust. We keep the momentum real, not just in the beginning but all the way through. And something people don't always realize until they're in the midst of it, is that the more you show up for what matters to you, the more trust you [00:16:00] start to rebuild with yourself. You start to confidently believe I can count on me.

[00:16:06] Lori Gouhin: and that's a powerful shift because when you can count on yourself, you stop starting over, you stop avoiding the work, you stop second guessing your value every time you hit a rough patch, and it doesn't happen by accident. It happens with intention, with support, and with follow through. It happens when you stop trying to figure everything out alone and let someone walk with you side by side while you build what you really want, not performative check-ins and not surface level support.

[00:16:39] Lori Gouhin: I'm talking about someone who sees what you're capable of and isn't afraid to reflect it back to you when you're playing small or when you're stalling, maybe self-sabotaging, or when you're about to walk away from something that really matters to you. Because accountability isn't just about holding your feet to the fire.

[00:16:58] Lori Gouhin: It's about helping you keep [00:17:00] your word to yourself. Making sure the process stays honest and aligned as you go. This is what I help my clients build. We create a plan that's flexible, clear, and most importantly, personal. We make sure it fits. Their life, not someone else's formula. We track progress, we adjust when life throws a curve ball and we stay focused on the long game, not just a burst of energy that will fade in a few weeks.

[00:17:30] Lori Gouhin: Because once you have the right how everything changes. Not because it suddenly gets easy, but because it finally becomes doable. And so to wrap it up, if this episode. Spoke to you. If you're sitting with a goal or an idea that matters, but you haven't been able to bring it to life, this is your invitation to stop doing it alone.

[00:17:53] Lori Gouhin: This is exactly the kind of work I do with my clients. We get clear on what you really want. We create a strategy that [00:18:00] actually fits you. We build structure into your week so that you stay with it, and I hold you accountable in a way that keeps things honest, doable, and aligned. Not overwhelming or complicated.

[00:18:14] Lori Gouhin: I keep my coaching very high touch and very personal. And because of that, and because I'm also walking the walk by building my own successful art business, I only work with a limited number of clients at a time. 

[00:18:27] Lori Gouhin: But if you're ready for that kind of support, the kind that will help you figure out the how and actually follow through, I would love to hear from you. You can reach out to me directly or apply to work with me through the link in the show notes or on my website.