34: the courage to change your mind

"Sometimes it's not the work that's exhausting you. It's the identity you're carrying while doing it." - Bryn DaylorA few years ago, my now-husband fired me from a job he'd given me. (He wasn't wrong. I was a terrible employee.) But recently, I realized there was another role I needed to retire: CEO. After years of building businesses, burning out, and measuring myself against someone else's definition of success, I started wondering what would happen if I stopped trying to be a better business owner and simply gave myself permission to be a creator.This episode is about consciously retiring the identities we've outgrown, without having to burn down the lives we've built.Takeaways:- Why an identity that once served you might now be draining you.- The difference between energy-rich and energy-poor identities.- How an unexpected Akashic reading changed my relationship with business.- Why I'm choosing to create rather than perform success.- How to retire a role without abandoning everything you've built.Connect with Bryn:Instagram: @bryndaylorWebsite: bryndaylor.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryndaylor.substack.com

“Sometimes the next act of faith isn't doing more. It's trusting what you've already done.” — Bryn FacendaWhat if the thing you're trying so hard to make happen actually needs you to loosen your grip?In this episode of SEEN, I'm exploring the delicious dance between effort and magic. Aka knowing when to roll up your sleeves and do your part, and when to let the f*ck go.I'm sharing some deeply personal stories about preparing for motherhood, the unexpected creative breakthrough that changed the direction of my book, and an extraordinary gift from my husband that reminded me just how beautifully life can surprise us.TAKEAWAYS:- How to recognize when you're over-efforting versus avoiding the work- Why surrender doesn't mean abandoning your responsibility- The difference between devotion and control- How creating space can invite unexpected creative breakthroughs- Why the magic often arrives in ways we could never have orchestrated- How to trust what you've already done and become available to receiveCONNECT WITH BRYN:Instagram: @bryndaylorSubstack: Pretty Messy ThoughtsWebsite: bryndaylor.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryndaylor.substack.com

“It really has been the biggest act of self-trust.” — Kristen HadeedWhat if writing a book wasn't just about what you put on the page, but who you become in the process?In this episode of SEEN, I'm joined by author and speaker Kristen Hadeed, whose new book, Human Leadership: The Courage to Face Ourselves and Each Other, I had the extraordinary honor of helping bring into the world. We pull back the curtain on the deeply personal, messy, and transformative process of writing a book that asks you to tell the truth, trust yourself, and break the rules along the way.TAKEAWAYS:- Why the book you're meant to write might ask you to become someone new- How Kristen stopped writing for publishers and started writing for herself- Why creative work doesn't have to follow a linear process- The courage to share stories you'd rather keep hidden- How writing a book can become the ultimate act of self-trustGET KRISTEN'S BOOK:Human Leadership: The Courage to Face Ourselves and Each OtherCONNECT WITH KRISTEN:Instagram: @kristenhadeedWebsite: kristenhadeed.comCONNECT WITH BRYN:Instagram: @bryndaylorWebsite: bryndaylor.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryndaylor.substack.com

“You don't become an artist the day the world recognizes you as one.” - Bryn DaylorHow many women are making art but still refuse to call themselves artists? In this episode, I'm talking about the courage to claim who you are before the world recognizes you as such.Because you don't need an extraordinary life, a published book, or anyone's f*cking permission to call yourself an artist. But you do have to make the art.TAKEAWAYS:- Why you don't need an extraordinary life to make extraordinary art- The difference between claiming an identity and waiting for external validation- Why becoming someone new requires getting comfortable with being misunderstood- How calling yourself an artist changes the way you move through the world- Why creative confidence comes from making the work, not receiving applause- The importance of claiming your creative identity AND committing to the practiceCONNECT WITH BRYN:Instagram: @bryndaylorWebsite: bryndaylor.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryndaylor.substack.com

“What if the most beautiful thing you ever create isn't a book, a business, or a body of work? What if it's a life you actually love living?”I went to Elizabeth Gilbert’s writer’s retreat expecting to become a better writer. Instead, I left questioning my entire relationship with ambition, creativity, and the pursuit of greatness. In this episode, I’m sharing five profound lessons from our magical weekend together, from choosing curiosity over fear to remembering that being seen by the world means very little if you’ve become invisible to yourself. TAKEAWAYS:- Why it's time to stop trying to be great and start creating for the joy of it- Perfectionism is fear in a fur coat (and how to choose curiosity instead)- The magic of following the most interesting path- Why being visible to yourself matters more than being seen by the world- Letting go of the need to turn everything you love into something productive- What happens when you stop striving to become more and start enjoying what's already hereCONNECT WITH BRYN:Instagram: @bryndaylorWebsite: bryndaylor.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryndaylor.substack.com

“Being guided towards something doesn’t mean you’re being promised the outcome you imagined.”This has never happened to me before: I launched one of my favorite programs and got zero sales. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the very human experience of what happened next, why I’m starting to see failure as divine redirection, and what it looks like to trust the creative process when you have no f*****g clue where it’s taking you.TAKEAWAYS:- Being guided doesn’t guarantee the outcome you imagined- Why failure might actually be redirection- Letting yourself feel disappointment without making it mean something about you- Knowing when to stop forcing and start listening- Trusting the creative process before you know where it’s taking youCONNECT WITH BRYN:Instagram: @bryndaylorWebsite: bryndaylor.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryndaylor.substack.com

“You cannot create the life you want while constantly overriding the author. And that is you.”What if the real work isn’t learning how to say no...but learning how to be with what happens after you do?In this episode, I’m unpacking my own relationship with no: the places I’ve overridden it, how it’s been showing up in my body, and what happened when I finally changed my mind about something I’d already said yes to.Because every no creates space...and sometimes that space is exactly what you need to hear your f*ck yes.Takeaways- Where are you saying yes when you actually mean no?- Your body might know your no before your brain does- You don’t have to make something wrong for it to become a no- Letting people be disappointed without abandoning yourself- Why no is part of the creative processConnect with Bryn:Instagram: @bryndaylorWebsite: bryndaylor.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryndaylor.substack.com

The Writer’s Rebellion is open.An 8-week writer’s immersion for the woman who wants to touch the edges of her creativity and become someone new in the process.Join here 🥀“The goal isn’t to tell the internet everything about you. The goal is that when you do choose to speak, we can tell there is an actual human behind it.” — Bryn DaylorHow do you share vulnerably without feeling like you’re standing butt-ass naked on the edge of a bridge while cars drive by?In this episode of the SEEN Podcast, Bryn explores the line between vulnerability and oversharing...and what it actually looks like to let people see the woman behind the work without handing the internet your entire diary.Takeaways- Vulnerability is not a strategy- People want to know the woman behind the work- Your natural voice sounds a lot like you when you forget you’re being watched- Sometimes you find your edges by accidentally blowing past them- You don’t need to have the lesson before you share the story- Mystery and vulnerability can coexistConnect with Bryn:Instagram: @bryndaylorLet’s work together: bryndaylor.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryndaylor.substack.com

“The internet doesn’t need more content. It needs more of the contents of your soul.” — Bryn DaylorIn this episode of the SEEN Podcast, Bryn breaks down why her work has been going effortlessly viral...and why it has almost nothing to do with trends, algorithms, or trying to make something “perform.”This is a conversation about making art that actually feels like you, creating from what’s most alive inside of you, building a world people want to enter, and becoming such a clear signal that the right people can find you.Takeaways- If you don’t feel something while making it, your audience probably won’t either- Stop making “content” and start sharing the contents of your actual insides- Go right when everyone else is going left- Close the gap between who you are and how you present yourself onlineConnect with Bryn:Instagram: @bryndaylorLet's work together: bryndaylor.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryndaylor.substack.com

“Changing your mind doesn’t mean you got it wrong. Sometimes it means you’ve finally gotten honest enough to choose again.” — Bryn DaylorIn this episode of the SEEN Podcast, Bryn explores what happens when you’ve worked so hard to build something only to realize… this isn’t actually what I want anymore.From relationships to careers to creative work, this is a conversation about telling yourself the truth, having the courage to disappoint people, and knowing when to create the spark again...or walk away.Takeaways- Success can make leaving harder than failure- Past effort does not obligate future devotion- Learn the difference between “this is hard” and “I don’t want this anymore”- You don’t need to know what’s next before admitting the truth- Nothing is wasted. It all becomes material for what you create nextConnect with Bryn:Instagram: @bryndaylorLet's work together: bryndaylor.co This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryndaylor.substack.com