Enjoy
Off the cuff. How to have a peaceful holiday season!
Episode 105 of The Mindful Startup explores a truth most ambitious people never hear:
You do not need perfect energy, perfect health, or perfect circumstances to build real momentum toward your goals. You only need to use the windows you do have—and stop waiting for the imaginary “perfect moment” that never comes.
In this episode, Hannah shares her experience navigating long COVID, chronic fatigue, and a newly uncovered autoimmune disorder, and how these challenges reframed her entire relationship with productivity and ambition.
This is a powerful reminder for founders, creatives, and high achievers who don’t always wake up feeling energized or invincible. You are not behind. You are not alone. And you are far more capable than you think—even on the days when you're operating at 20%.
Why waiting for “high energy days” keeps you stuck
How to take meaningful action when you’re tired, hurting, or overwhelmed
The truth about ambition when you're dealing with chronic fatigue, trauma, or autoimmune symptoms
Why your progress counts even when it’s imperfect
How to set yourself up to take fast action the moment inspiration hits
The myth of the “superhuman entrepreneur,” and why realistic, sustainable momentum wins
Why pros “play hurt”—and what that looks like for founders
You don’t need to feel amazing to make meaningful progress.
Your lower-energy self is still capable of brilliance.
Success is built from imperfect action, not perfect conditions.
You are probably producing at a higher level than you think, even on your hardest days.
You deserve to reach your goals—tired, hurting, sad, human and all.
Anyone dealing with chronic fatigue, long COVID, autoimmune symptoms, or energy fluctuations
Founders, creatives, side hustlers, and overachievers who feel "behind"
High performers who believe progress only counts when it’s perfect
Anyone who needs permission to create anyway
In this episode of The Mindful Startup, we talk about one of the most confusing and emotional side effects of personal growth: changing relationships.
As you become more grounded in who you are, clarify your values, and raise your standards, friendships and relationship dynamics often begin to shift. Some drift naturally. Others feel harder to maintain. And sometimes, it can be deeply lonely—even when you know you’re growing in the right direction.
We explore why personal growth often leads to outgrowing friendships, how to let go of guilt when relationships change, and how to stop taking distance, lack of response, or exclusion personally. Drawing inspiration from Mel Robbins’ Let Them philosophy, this episode reframes changing friendships as a natural season of life—not a failure or a rejection.
You’ll learn:
• Why self-growth changes relationship dynamics
• How to release unrealistic expectations in friendships
• Why people’s behavior is usually about capacity, not you
• How to “let them” without resentment or self-blame
• Why no relationship is meant to meet every emotional need
If you’ve ever felt confused, hurt, or isolated as you’ve evolved, this episode will help you understand what’s happening—and move forward with more clarity and self-respect.
Feeling disconnected from yourself? In this episode, Hannah shares three powerful techniques to help you remember who you are, reconnect with your identity, and tap back into your natural confidence and motivation. Learn how to revisit your most powerful moments, gather “identity evidence,” protect your energy, and reignite the version of you who is bold, ambitious, and fully alive.
Episode 103 — The Mindful Startup Podcast
If you’ve spent years being the fixer, the supporter, the emotional backbone for everyone else—this episode is your wake-up call.
Today, we’re talking about what happens when you unintentionally become a supporting character in someone else’s movie…and how to reclaim your identity, your energy, and your power.
You’ll learn:
Why chronic over-giving becomes a subconscious habit rooted in childhood
The subtle signs you’ve slipped into codependent dynamics without noticing
How one-sided relationships drain your energy, confidence, and life force
Why people who mistreat others end up rewarded while the supportive ones are ignored
The moment you realize you’ve abandoned yourself—and how to come back home
And then, the core of today’s episode:
Rediscover who you are when no one else is around
Learn how to strip away roles, obligations, and other people’s needs to reconnect with your authentic identity.
Identify your soul-level goal
Not a goal that keeps someone else alive…
A goal that lights you up.
Make your dreams non-negotiable
How to stop letting other people’s chaos interrupt your purpose.
Do more of what nourishes your independence
The truth about treating yourself like the prize—without guilt.
Audit the people who deplete you
How to recognize resentment, emotional exhaustion, and toxic reciprocity patterns.
Work on the deeper roots of codependency
Why therapy, boundaries, and internal work are essential to becoming the main character again.
By the end of this episode, you’ll know exactly how to reclaim your energy, your time, and your life path—and step into the role you were always meant to play.
The 6 Steps to Reclaiming Your Main Character Identity
Feeling uninspired or stuck in the loop of “normal”? This episode dives into why sometimes you need to do something a little unhinged to wake yourself up again. Hannah Barris, host of The Mindful Startup, explores bold, unconventional ways to break free from monotony, reclaim your main character energy, and create a life that actually excites you.
Perfectionism kills creativity. In this episode, Hannah Maria Barris dives into how to stop judging your work, silence self-doubt, and unlock your best ideas. Whether you’re building a startup, writing, or creating content, learn how trusting the process leads to success beyond your control.
Power has been misunderstood for too long. In this special 100th episode, The Mindful Startup Podcast challenges the idea that power corrupts—and explores how authentic power heals, elevates, and expands.
Hannah Barris unpacks why so many ambitious people feel fear around their own strength, how past experiences with control or manipulation can distort our relationship with power, and how to finally embody it in a way that uplifts you and those around you.
You’ll learn what owning your power truly looks like in business, relationships, and everyday life—and why the right people will always want to amplify, not restrain, your light.
Most ambitious people aren’t failing because they’re lazy or unmotivated—they’re failing because they’re overthinking.
In this episode of The Mindful Startup Podcast, Hannah Barris unpacks why high-achieving perfectionists struggle to take action on their goals, and how the people who seem to “effortlessly succeed” are actually winning by thinking lessand doing more.
You’ll learn:
Why overthinking and perfectionism keep ambitious people stuck
How to release limiting “Type A” or “Type B” identities
The mindset shift that separates achievers from dreamers
The power of the “Don’t Think, Just Do” mantra
How small daily actions compound into massive success (the 1% rule)
If you’ve ever felt paralyzed by perfectionism or trapped in your head, this episode will help you take imperfect action, move faster, and finally build the life and business you want.
Again and again and again. This one’s raw, unfiltered, and vulnerable. For you if you’ve ever taken the responsibility for everyone around you— except for yourself.
You don’t need permission, reassurance, or validation to chase your goals—you need self-trust. In this episode of The Mindful Startup Podcast, Hannah Barris shares why relying on others for confidence keeps you stuck, how to stop pouring energy into “dead plants,” and practical ways to redirect your focus back into yourself. Learn how to build momentum, create lasting habits, and finally go all in on your vision.
A quick video recorded on TikTok.
Off-the-cuff style episode as I’m still abroad 🫶🏻 Enjoy.
Voice Memo Style, brought to you from the beach on vacation
Are you still holding onto the identity of “someone with potential”?
In this episode of The Mindful Startup Podcast, we explore the quiet trap of being praised for potential—and why it can keep you stuck. From childhood affirmations to adult expectations, Hannah breaks down how the identity of someone who could be great can hold you back from actually becoming great.
We dive into:
Why the world often prefers potential over realized power
How staying in “potential” protects you from rejection and discomfort
The identity shift required to step fully into your purpose and become who you’re meant to be
This episode is a powerful call to stop waiting for permission, let go of needing to be understood, and finally step into the actualized version of your dreams.
Success isn’t always comforting. Sometimes, the moment things start working is when fear kicks in the hardest. In this mini episode, I share a quick story about growth, pressure, and why giving yourself permission to mess up is the only way forward.
EPISODE 94: How to Think 100x – Vision, Resourcefulness & Scaling with Dr. Sikandar “Sam” Malik
What does it take to rise from limited resources to building multimillion-dollar businesses across three continents?
In this powerful episode, I sit down with Dr. Sikandar "Sam" Malik—Senior Executive at Orbia, serial entrepreneur, and author of 100X Vision—to explore how bold vision, resourcefulness, and relentless drive can shatter even the most rigid circumstances. From his early days on farmland in Pakistan to building hotels, construction firms, and engineering assets across the U.S. and Canada, Sam shares not just what he’s built, but how—including the mindsets and systems that made it possible.
We talk about:
How to move from linear to exponential thinking
Building your vision when you have nothing
Scaling companies by challenging conventional timelines
Leading top talent through high-pressure innovation
Why resourcefulness > resources
The three things to stop doing now if you want to scale
And the exact steps to apply 100X Vision to your own journey
This episode is a must-listen if you're dreaming bigger than your circumstances and ready to make it real.
👉 Free Download: Sam has generously gifted all listeners a free copy of his book 100X Vision. You can download it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zk-jjclcvlIs4oKgJkzz6URXWVxNbdNO/view?usp=share_link
If this conversation moved you, rate the podcast 5 stars, share it with a visionary in your life, and keep building something that matters.
When the hustle pauses and everything goes quiet, your inner critic gets loud. In this solo episode, Hannah unpacks why stillness can trigger a surge of self-doubt (“Am I too late?” “What if I really can’t do this?”) and how to disarm those thoughts before they derail you.
In this episode you’ll discover:
Why we unconsciously tie self-worth to productivity—and how that makes rest feel threatening.
How to spot the exact limiting belief hiding beneath your fear of “doing nothing.”
A simple 3 step “micro-win” ritual to break the spiral and reignite momentum in minutes.
Tune in, take one aligned action, and prove to yourself (again) that you’re still on the rise. Share your takeaway on IG and tag @TheMindfulStartup !
Let’s talk about what to do when you don’t feel like showing up and making content.