In this episode, I sit down with bestselling author Mark Manson - bestselling author, best known for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and co-founder of Purpose, the world's first AI mentor specifically built for personal growth. We have a wide-ranging, grounded conversation about why New Year's resolutions don't work, what "not giving a f*ck" actually means, and why meaning—not happiness—is the real foundation of a fulfilling life.

We also explore the surprising pros and cons of using AI as a therapist, the limits of mindset-only self-help, and where personal responsibility can turn into self-punishment if we're not careful.

This conversation is honest, nuanced, and refreshingly free of spiritual bypass—perfect for anyone who's tired of self-improvement clichés and ready for real growth.

In this candid and grounded coaching session, Christine works with Vanessa, who is navigating a season of major transition—emotionally, physically, and relationally. After a recent car accident, a job layoff, and re-entering the dating world, Vanessa finds herself at a powerful crossroads: learning how to speak honestly about concerns early in a relationship instead of withholding to protect someone else's feelings.

Christine helps Vanessa see how "withholding" is often disguised as kindness, but actually blocks true intimacy. Together, they explore how unspoken concerns—especially around health, sleep, and long-term compatibility—can quietly erode connection if left unaddressed. The session becomes a masterclass in how to practice radical honesty with love, maturity, and self-responsibility.

If you struggle to speak up in relationships, fear hurting others by being honest, or notice yourself over-adapting to keep the peace, this episode will help you understand why truth is not only necessary—but essential—for real intimacy.

Consider / Ask Yourself:

• Do you hold back concerns in relationships to avoid conflict or discomfort?
• Are you afraid that honesty might sabotage connection or intimacy?
• Do you notice yourself adapting or minimizing your needs early in relationships?
• Where might you be confusing caretaking with love?
• Are you dating (or partnering) with clear intention—or avoiding difficult conversations?

Key Insights and A-HAs:

• Withholding information is not kindness—it creates emotional distance.
• Honesty early in relationships prevents deeper confusion later.
• Boundaries are not about changing others; they're about honoring yourself.
• Emotional intimacy requires courage, not perfection.
• Speaking truth with love strengthens connection rather than destroying it.

How to Deepen the Work:

• Notice where you feel a "withhold" in your body—tightness, anxiety, or avoidance.
• Practice sharing concerns from a grounded, non-blaming place.
• Reframe honesty as an act of love rather than a risk.
• Ask yourself: If I don't say this now, how will it affect me later?
• Focus on breaking patterns of over-adapting or people-pleasing in relationships.

Coaching with Christine

Christine has been coaching individuals for over 20 years and works with a small number of private clients at a time to provide deep, personalized support.

If you feel called to explore coaching, email [email protected] for more information.

Social Media + Resources:

• Christine Hassler — Take a Coaching Assessment
• Christine Hassler Podcasts Including Coaches Corner
• Christine on Facebook
• Expectation Hangover by Christine Hassler
• @ChristineHassler on Twitter
• @ChristineHassler on Instagram
• @SacredUnionCouples on Instagram
• Email: [email protected] — For information on any of my services!
• Get on the waitlist to be coached on the show!
• Get on the list to be notified about the upcoming certification program for coaches!

What happens when you finally attract the relationship you've been manifesting — yet part of you feels like pulling away? In this powerful coaching session, Christine works with Amy, who has called in an emotionally attuned, stable, loving partner after six years of being single. The catch: he has two children, which had always been a non-negotiable for her.

Christine helps Amy uncover how her fear isn't really about the kids — it's about control, certainty, and the vulnerability of allowing love to arrive in an unexpected package. Together, they explore how protector parts attempt to maintain safety when life doesn't unfold according to the plan, and how real love invites us out of control and into trust.

If you've ever received exactly what you wanted but still felt unsettled, this episode will help you see where fear is masquerading as intuition — and how to shift from protecting your heart to opening it.

Consider / Ask Yourself:

• Have you ever gotten what you wanted, only to feel uneasy or doubtful afterward?
• Do you equate safety with certainty and control?
• Are you focusing on what you might lose instead of what you can give?
• Do you feel afraid to fully say yes to something because you can't predict the outcome?

Key Insights and A-HAs:

• Fear often disguises itself as intuition when control feels threatened.
• Uncertainty is not danger — it's the doorway to love and expansion.
• Relationships that stretch us emotionally are invitations into abundance, not scarcity.
• A partner's capacity for love often expands through parenthood.
• You cannot love fully while keeping one foot out the door.

How to Deepen the Work:

• Notice when your mind jumps to "what's next" instead of being present.
• Ask yourself whether your concerns come from fear or from your heart.
• Shift from "What am I getting?" to "How can I give love here?"
• Practice owning your yes instead of lingering in emotional hesitation.
• Allow yourself to experience love without guarantees.

Couples Retreat with Christine & Stef

Christine and Stef are hosting a small, high-touch Couples Retreat in San Diego, April 15–18. Space is limited to only 5–8 couples for a deeply intimate experience.

To learn more, email [email protected].

Social Media + Resources:

• Christine Hassler — Take a Coaching Assessment
• Christine Hassler Podcasts Including Coaches Corner
• Christine on Facebook
• Expectation Hangover by Christine Hassler
• @ChristineHassler on Twitter
• @ChristineHassler on Instagram
• @SacredUnionCouples on Instagram
• Email: [email protected] — For information on any of my services!
• Get on the waitlist to be coached on the show!
• Get on the list to be notified about the upcoming certification program for coaches!

Storytime!

In this episode, Christine reimagines The Princess and the Pea as a modern reflection on intuition, empathy, and inner truth, exploring why feeling deeply is not a weakness but a powerful form of discernment. Perfect for empaths, sensitive souls, and parents raising sensitive children.

Moving back in with family can awaken old wounds faster than years of personal growth can prepare us for. In this first coaching episode of 2026, Christine supports Sarah, who recently returned to the United States after six years abroad and is temporarily living with her parents. What she expected to be a short transition has turned into a deep emotional reckoning with childhood patterns, triggers, and the urge to "fix" family dynamics.

Christine helps Sarah understand how protector parts, formed in childhood, take over when old environments reactivate unresolved trauma. Together, they explore how to release long-held anger safely, set boundaries that are actually enforceable, and begin reparenting the inner child with compassion rather than control.

If family interactions leave you feeling dysregulated, angry, or guilty, this episode will help you see those reactions through a new lens and give you tools to stop trying to change your parents and start changing how you care for yourself.

Consider / Ask Yourself:

• Do you feel like all your growth disappears the moment you go home?
• Are you the family fixer, peacekeeper, or emotional mediator?
• Do you struggle with guilt or rage after spending time with your parents?
• Are you trying to set "boundaries" that you cannot actually control?

Key Insights and A-HAs:

• The urge to fix family dynamics often comes from a childhood protector part trying to create safety.
• What feels like "I can't help it" is usually a trauma-based habit, not a true lack of choice.
• Asking someone to change is a request, not a boundary. Boundaries are about what you will do.
• Rage is often stored grief from unmet childhood needs and must be safely released.
• Your inner child learns to trust you only through consistency, not intention.

How to Deepen the Work:

• When you feel the impulse to fix, pause and thank that part for trying to protect you.
• Create a release valve for anger such as screaming into a pillow, shaking your body, or release writing.
• Practice leaving triggering situations instead of confronting them in the moment.
• Reparent your inner child through consistent safety rather than promises of change.
• Ask yourself: "What can I do right now that I actually control?"

Coaching with Christine

Christine currently has just two remaining openings in her private one-on-one coaching practice. She has been coaching individuals since 2004 and only works with a small number of clients at a time to provide deep, personalized support.

If you feel called to work with Christine, email [email protected] to inquire.

Social Media + Resources:

• Christine Hassler — Take a Coaching Assessment
• Christine Hassler Podcasts Including Coaches Corner
• Christine on Facebook
• Expectation Hangover by Christine Hassler
• @ChristineHassler on Twitter
• @ChristineHassler on Instagram
• @SacredUnionCouples on Instagram
• Email: [email protected] — For information on any of my services!
• Get on the waitlist to be coached on the show!
• Get on the list to be notified about the upcoming certification program for coaches!

In this episode, I explore the deeper spiritual and emotional invitation of a ONE year, especially for those of us who have already done a lot of healing, awareness work, and nervous system regulation — and now find ourselves waiting to feel "ready."

We talk about why you don't need certainty to begin, how starting again does not erase your growth, and why this year asks for aligned action rather than perfect clarity.

If you've been feeling a quiet nudge to begin something new — a conversation, a boundary, a creation, or a new way of being — this episode is an invitation to trust what wants to move through you now.

This is not the year to wait until you feel ready. This is the year to begin in devotion to your becoming.

Link to 2025 themes: https://christinehassler.com/2025/01/coaches-corner-457/

The New Year is just around the corner along with the tradition of making resolutions, which are usually promises to do something "more, better, or different." Most of us start the New Year with the greatest of intentions, yet by March (or even by the second week in January) we may not find ourselves so resolved. We revert back to old patterns and beat ourselves up for not sticking to our resolutions. Could there be a way to ring in 2026 that serves us better?

YES! And it has been my New Year ritual for the past fifteen years.

Many of you have joined me in this ritual, which is a co-creative process of reflection and intention setting over the years.

The night of December 31st will come and go (and no one will remember what you wore) so instead of just trying to plan an epic evening, set your sights on co-creating an epic year!!

I invite you to follow this step-by-step process and amend it any way that inspires you:

PART ONE: Completing 2025

1. On December 31st (or around that time) carve out at least an hour of uninterrupted time for yourself. Create the mood – get comfy, quiet, light a candle, put on some music. Begin by writing in a journal your "Year in Review." Month by month recall events that happened, people you met, places you visited, lessons you learned, accomplishments, blessings, struggles, funny moments and so on. What is so great about looking at the year in this way is that you are able to notice how you have grown and express gratitude for all your learnings.

2. After you have gone through the year, consider the behaviors, beliefs or habits that you'd like to leave behind. We all have our regrets, bad habits, and learning experiences; yet, a lot of us tend to cling to them much longer than we need to. On a separate sheet of paper, write down what you would like to leave behind in 2025. For example: being obsessed with an ex, bad eating habits, going to bed too late, limiting beliefs, repetitive/disruptive thoughts, overuse of social media, consistent self-scrutiny, road rage and so on. When you complete this list, burn it or rip it up into tiny pieces to really let it go!

3. If you so choose, share your year in review with someone close to you. See what they recall, reminisce, and share a couple laughs. (Optional)

4. Make a toast to the end of the year. Say a prayer of gratitude for 2025, declare you are letting it go, and toast to releasing anything that no longer serves you.

PART TWO: Co-Creating 2026

1. Begin to co-create/manifest 2026. Light a new candle, set the mood. Meditate for at least five minutes using the guided meditation included in this episode. Meditation is important to do before you begin to manifest so you create and visualize from the authentic self rather than the ego.

2. After your meditation is complete and you are tuned into your most authentic channel, you are ready to start visioning your 2026! Begin by getting a blank sheet of unlined paper. Write at the top: "This or something better for the highest good of all concerned. And so it is."

3. Without thinking or analyzing, write down anything and everything that comes to mind that you would like to co-create/manifest in 2026. Be specific, be creative and think big; however, your list should be at least 70 percent possible and believable. Write until your brain is empty – don't worry about being greedy! The Universe loves to be generous!!! Important: write everything in present tense using "I am" and use verbs to enthusiastically and specifically express what you want. For instance, "I am joyfully and easily securing a new job that is professionally fulfilling and offers me the opportunity to do what I love." Include how you will FEEL - this is crucial because we're actually chasing the feeling, not just the goal.

4. Choose a place to display your list where you can see it regularly and treat it as something sacred. Better yet, record yourself reading your list aloud with feeling and emotion - your own voice is hypnotic. Listen to this recording daily, multiple times a day if possible.

5. Create a playlist of 3-5 songs (at least 20 minutes) that make you feel enlivened, connected to your purpose, and energized for the future. Choose forward-thinking songs that uplift you, not songs that make you nostalgic or sad. Listen to this playlist frequently - ideally while taking a walk and listening to your recorded manifestation audio.

6. Frequently throughout the year, review your list (every day is ideal). Read what you wrote aloud and feel free to add to it. January 1st is not the only day of the year in which you can call in what you want! Believe in the possibility of your manifestation power.

7. Observe with gratitude as things in your life begin to manifest. Celebrate AND do not beat yourself up or get discouraged over what is not happening. Focusing more on what is abundant in our lives ALREADY is the best way to generate more abundance. Remember that sometimes our timeline and the Universe's timeline may be different.

Resolve to live your life in alignment with what you truly want to manifest. Rid yourself of any emotional, mental, physical, or interpersonal clutter so that you can get out of your own way. Co-creating and manifestation takes action as well as thought and belief, so resolve this year to take steps to truly LIVE your best life.

Love, Christine

In this deeply moving session, Christine supports Sheylee—a devoted mother who is pregnant with her seventh child and struggling under the weight of shame, overwhelm, and fear. After believing she was done having children, this unexpected pregnancy has stirred painful emotions, identity confusion, and unresolved relational patterns in her partnership.

Christine helps her gently unravel the layers of guilt, inner criticism, and pressure she has carried for years. Together, they explore how to hold two truths at once: loving a child while not feeling joyful about the circumstances, being grateful and overwhelmed at the same time, and honoring both human emotion and spiritual perspective.

If you've ever felt shame for how you feel, feared getting "stuck" in a hard season, or struggled to access compassion for yourself, this conversation offers relief, grounding, and a renewed sense of permission to be honest about your emotional reality.

Consider / Ask Yourself:

• Is there something in your life you believe you "should" feel happy about—but you don't?
• Do you fear that if you let yourself feel your emotions, you won't be able to stop?
• Do you often feel unsupported—emotionally, spiritually, or relationally?
• Are you harder on yourself than anyone else is?
• Do you hear an inner critic more loudly than your own compassion?

Key Insights and A-HAs:

• Shame about how you feel is often more damaging than the feelings themselves.
• It is possible—and healthy—to hold two truths at once ("both/and").
• Emotional release is not falling apart; it's moving energy through the body.
• Many women confuse caretaking with connection or worthiness.
• Inner critics often come from childhood patterns of control, hypervigilance, or judgment.
• Spiritual support (God, Mother Mary, or a higher loving presence) can hold us when people cannot.

How to Deepen the Work:

• Practice the both/and: "I love this baby AND I am overwhelmed."
• Create space each day to sit with your feelings rather than suppress them.
• Replace harsh self-talk with compassion through simple practices like Ho'oponopono: I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.
• Call on unseen spiritual support when human support feels unavailable.
• Identify where old survival strategies are still active—and begin updating them with gentler internal dialogue.
• Explore ways to communicate needs in your partnership with clarity rather than collapse.

Sponsor: Cured Nutrition – Flow Gummies

Christine recommends Flow Gummies from Cured Nutrition for clean, sustained energy and focus throughout the day. Formulated with Lion's Mane, ginkgo, and green coffee bean extract, these gummies support mental clarity without jitters, crashes, or artificial ingredients.

Get 20% off your order at curednutrition.com/overit using code OVERIT

Social Media + Resources:

• Christine Hassler — Take a Coaching Assessment
• Christine Hassler Podcasts, including Coach's Corner
• Instagram: @ChristineHassler | @SacredUnionCouples
• Facebook: Christine Hassler
• Book: Expectation Hangover by Christine Hassler
• Email: [email protected] — For information on Christine's services
• Apply to be coached live on the show: christinehassler.com/waitlist

In this episode you will reflect through storytelling as you journey with three young girls who learn to earn their "ribbons" — tokens of love, safety, and worth — through perfectionism, people-pleasing, control, and self-sacrifice. Each ribbon becomes a mask, a medal, a memory… until they begin to question what they've really won. If you've ever felt exhausted from doing, proving, and performing your way into love — this story is for your younger self.

In this heartfelt coaching session, Christine works with Jemma, who feels confused and heartbroken after believing that God led her into a relationship that ultimately ended in disappointment. Jemma wrestles with feelings of self-blame, loss, and spiritual doubt as she questions whether she misunderstood divine guidance—or was somehow being punished.

Christine helps her see the situation through a lens of truth and compassion. Together, they explore how childhood wounds shape patterns of self-sacrifice, and how spiritual confusion often arises when we project human expectations onto God. Jemma learns that she hasn't "lost herself"—she was simply operating from childhood survival strategies, and she's now being invited to evolve through love, loss, and faith.

If you've ever felt like the universe led you somewhere painful, this episode will help you find meaning, peace, and trust in a bigger plan.

Consider / Ask Yourself:

• Have you ever felt misled by God or the universe?
• Do you blame yourself when relationships don't work out?
• Do you confuse caretaking or fawning with true connection?
• Are you interpreting disappointment as a sign you did something wrong?

Key Insights and A-HAs:

• We often project human disappointment and abandonment onto God.
• "Losing yourself" is actually slipping back into old survival patterns.
• Every relationship can be a stepping stone toward deeper healing.
• Grief and progress can coexist—healing is not linear.
• Compassion for younger parts of ourselves softens relational patterns.

How to Deepen the Work:

• Reflect on how childhood shaped your approach to intimacy and caretaking.
• Replace "I lost myself" with "I shifted into coping—and now I'm returning to myself."
• Journal about how this relationship moved you forward rather than backward.
• Spend time nurturing your inner child—the part of you longing for safety.
• Engage with God or your spiritual source as a loving presence, not a judge.

Sponsor: Cured Nutrition Christine recommends Flow Gummies from Cured Nutrition for focused, sustained energy without jitters. Made with Lion's Mane, ginkgo, and green coffee extract, Flow supports mental clarity and smooth, balanced energy.

Get 20% off when you subscribe at curednutrition.com/overit with code OVERIT.

Coaching with Christine: Christine now has openings in two coaching pathways: • A VIP six-month mentorship for deep, ongoing transformation • A focused 10-week laser container for targeted support

Apply at christinehassler.com/coaching-christine.

Social Media + Resources:

• Christine Hassler — Take a Coaching Assessment
• Christine Hassler Podcasts, including Coach's Corner
• Instagram: @ChristineHassler | @SacredUnionCouples
• Facebook: Christine Hassler
• Book: Expectation Hangover by Christine Hassler
• Email: [email protected] — For information on Christine's services
• Apply to be coached live on the show: christinehassler.com/waitlist

Welcome to a new storytelling segment from me featuring original fables and teaching stories written to inspire, soften, and reconnect you to the truth of who you are. Story Time speaks to the heart, not the inner critic — bypassing logic and landing directly in the part of you that remembers your worth.

This story will help you put down the heavy "perfect jar" you've been carrying and reconnect to the part of you that was always enough.