Why You’re Not Lazy: How Dopamine Is Killing Your Motivation

Twenty episodes, four months, plenty of lessons - and one very big reminder: sometimes you just have to start before you feel ready! In this Season 1 finale of Grow As I Go, I’m reflecting on what creating this podcast has taught me about personal growth, vulnerability, authenticity, connection and success - including why numbers don’t tell the whole story, why talking things through can be surprisingly therapeutic, and why stepping away isn’t the same as giving up. I’m taking a six-week break to slow down, be present, spend time with family, celebrate my late brother, and head to Japan with my fiance. Then I’ll be back for Season 2 on 4 November. Because this podcast was never about having all the answers. It’s about figuring things out as we go. Key takeaways: Talking openly can help us process things we haven’t fully understood ourselves. Connection matters more than numbers - one meaningful message can mean more than hundreds of likes. You don’t have to make everyone care about what you’re doing. The right people will find it. Taking a break, slowing down and being present isn’t giving up - sometimes it’s exactly what we need.

What if one of the worst days of your life became the beginning of a life you wouldn’t trade for anything? In this deeply personal episode, Amy shares the story behind Cake Day - the anniversary of the day she discovered her husband was cheating, and how she learned to rebuild her life after betrayal, loss and unexpected change. A conversation about personal growth, healing, resilience and developing a growth mindset when life doesn’t go according to plan. Key takeaways: You can grieve the life you thought you’d have. You don’t have to find a “silver lining” in painful experiences. Healing isn’t about getting your old life back - it’s about building your new one. You may not choose what happens, but you can choose what you do next.

What does it really mean to be authentic? In this episode of Grow As I Go, Amy explores authenticity, people-pleasing, fear of judgment and the pressure to perform versions of ourselves that feel more acceptable to others. We unpack why being accepted isn’t always the same as belonging, and how being kind, setting boundaries and staying true to yourself can sometimes mean risking discomfort or rejection. Key takeaways: Why we perform and people-please to feel accepted and safe The difference between being nice and being kind Why authenticity requires self-acceptance, not fearlessness How to stop making other people’s acceptance a condition of your own self-worth

In this deeply personal episode of Grow As I Go, Amy shares her IVF and fertility journey - including the emotional rollercoaster of fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, waiting for results, navigating IVF in silence, and confronting the possibility of a future without children. This isn’t an episode about the medical details of IVF. It’s about what happens emotionally behind the scenes: the hope, uncertainty, grief, hormones, waiting, loneliness and the challenge of continuing to live a “normal” life while carrying something enormous underneath it. Amy also explores what it means to grieve a future you haven’t actually lived, and how we can begin to accept that life may look different from the one we imagined. In this episode: The emotional reality of IVF and fertility treatment beyond the medical procedures The loneliness of going through IVF privately while continuing with everyday life The exhausting cycle of hope, waiting, results and disappointment How fertility treatment can affect your relationship with your body and sense of self The grief of potentially not having the children you always imagined Why you can be grateful for your life and still grieve the life you thought you’d have A reminder that your fertility outcome does not determine your worth Timestamps 03:58 — My fertility and IVF journey: the context behind it all 07:42 — Falling pregnant naturally - and experiencing an ectopic pregnancy 11:26 — Why we chose to keep our IVF journey private 13:27 — What IVF is actually like: beyond the medical process 16:03 — The waiting, uncertainty and emotional rollercoaster of IVF 19:31 — Living a normal life while secretly going through fertility treatment 22:24 — How IVF changed my relationship with my body 25:20 — Grieving a future you haven’t actually lived 28:10 — If you’re considering IVF: prepare for the emotional side too 29:29 — If you’re going through fertility treatment, you are not alone

What happens when you achieve something you’ve worked really hard for, only to immediately start thinking about the next goal? In this episode of Grow As I Go, I’m reflecting on ambition, achievement and the pressure to constantly improve - and why I’m learning that slowing down doesn’t mean standing still. Key points The pressure of always chasing the next goal Why we can struggle to celebrate our own achievements The link between self-worth, productivity and achievement Learning to rest without feeling like we’re falling behind Why growth doesn’t always mean moving forward Sometimes the biggest growth is learning to stop, look around and appreciate how far you’ve already come. Timestamps 00:01 - Why am I always chasing the next goal? 05:58 - When achievement still doesn’t feel like enough 10:15 - Does our worth become tied to achievement? 18:28 - The river analogy: learning to pause 21:51 - Growth isn’t always forward movement