unstuck, by Nicole

About unstuck, by Nicole

Welcome to unstuck, by Nicole. Life, leadership, business and relationships have a way of leaving us feeling stuck. Stuck in old patterns, limiting beliefs, difficult decisions and ways of thinking that no longer serve us. Each week, executive coach and human performance strategist Nicole Maro shares practical insights, fresh perspectives and honest conversations to help you think differently, lead differently and move forward with greater clarity, confidence and purpose. Because sometimes the smallest shift in perspective can change everything.

Publisher

Nicole Maro

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Jun 2026

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   When stress starts to feel normal

   You’re getting things done, managing what’s asked of you, and keeping going. But how much is it taking out of you, and have you become so used to the pressure that you no longer notice? In this episode, I explore how stress can start to feel normal, and the expectations we can place on one practice to help us feel better. I share why I’m beginning to think about supporting myself as a choreography of small moments: the decisions we make, the boundaries we set, and the practices that give us room to pause. If you’ve ever wished you had time to relax, then found yourself filling every quiet moment with something else to do, you may recognise yourself in this conversation. We look at relying on pressure to feel productive, noticing familiar patterns, and considering what needs support beyond a moment of relief. There’s no long list of things to get right. Just an invitation to notice what you’re carrying, and whether something you’ve been treating as normal deserves a little more support.

2. 

   8 Oct 2026

   When you don't feel heard

   How do you get someone to understand something they don’t seem willing to hear? Feeling unheard at work, at home or in your friendships can be incredibly frustrating. You might find yourself trying harder to explain, becoming irritated, or saying less and less about what matters to you. In this episode, I share three simple communication adjustments you can try in the conversation itself: lead with your point, make it specific, and show you’ve heard them. I also explore the role of curiosity, how we listen while wanting to be listened to, and why being heard doesn’t always mean being agreed with. If you’ve ever started to play small in a relationship because you don’t feel your contribution matters, this conversation invites you to consider how you’re showing up, and whether there’s room for your perspective alongside theirs. We each have a part to play in a useful conversation. You can adjust how you communicate without making what matters to you less important.

3. 

   1 Oct 2026

   The things that lift you are not optional

   Have you ever worked out exactly what is draining your energy, only to realise that none of it can easily be removed? In this episode, I explore a different way of thinking about balance. One that is less about dividing life equally and more about consciously making space for what restores you. Through a simple energy audit, we consider the people, tasks and roles that take from us, alongside the activities and relationships that give something back. I also explore why restoration is not a reward to be earned once everything else is finished. It is part of what sustains us. If you have been feeling depleted, overwhelmed or less like yourself, this conversation will help you notice where your energy is going and identify one restorative choice you can give a genuine place in your life. You may not be able to remove every demand on your energy, but you can stop treating the things that lift you as optional.

4. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Before you assume it's personal

   Have you ever found someone warm and playful one day, then distant or unusually direct the next, and immediately wondered whether you had done something wrong? In this episode, I explore how Reversal Theory can help us understand these shifts through two motivational states: Focused and Playful. What we want from an interaction, and even the amount of stimulation we enjoy, can change depending on the state we are in. Through an everyday airport journey and an example from leading my global team, I look at how quickly we can move between these states, why our communication can change with them, and how naming what is happening can create greater understanding. If you have ever personalised a sudden change in someone’s energy, this episode offers another possibility to consider. Before you assume it is about you, pause and ask what they might be focused on in that moment, then become curious about your own motivational state too.

5. 

   16 Sept 2026

   What we mean when we say "I'm busy"

   Do the words “I’m busy” make your day feel heavier before you have even begun? In this episode, I explore the emotional charge carried by everyday language, and how a simple reframe can reduce some of the pressure we attach to a full workload. I unpack the difference between resourceful language, fake positivity and dismissing how we really feel. We look at a practical four-part habit: recognise, pause, reframe and repeat. From “I’m busy” to “I’m in a focused state,” the aim is not to pretend there is less to do. It is to choose words that help you respond more clearly. If you have ever felt stressed by a long list before starting it, this conversation offers a small, practical shift you can use in the moment that suits you best.

6. 

   9 Sept 2026

   Which mask are you wearing?

   Are you the person everyone turns to when something needs fixing? In this episode, I explore the role of the fixer and what happens when being helpful quietly becomes an expectation. I look at why being needed can feel closely connected to belonging, how to recognise the repeated heaviness and resentment that may signal a responsibility is not yours, and how to return that responsibility without apology. I also share a simple pause to use before an automatic yes, along with calm language for redirecting a request when someone else is better placed to carry it. If you have ever found yourself sorting the problem, carrying the emotion, or having the conversation nobody else wants to have, this episode invites you to ask a different question: Why is my instant response to fix? You can care, offer support, and remain connected without taking responsibility for everything.

7. 

   2 Sept 2026

   How to make big life decisions with confidence

   Big decisions rarely arrive without competing loyalties, uncertainty and the fear of regret. So how do you know which choice is right for you? In this episode, I share the story of accepting an international role that required me to travel for almost 75 percent of my time, and the quiet afternoon in the Cotswolds that helped me decide. I explore why guilt does not necessarily mean a choice is wrong, how an earlier decision I regretted shaped this one, and why knowing your values can give you confidence without guaranteeing an easy outcome. I also guide you through identifying your three core values, mapping a decision against them and asking what your 80-year-old self might want you to understand. If you have ever felt torn between what matters to you and what other people need or expect from you, this conversation may help you separate their priorities from your own. You cannot know exactly how every decision will turn out. But you can know yourself, understand what matters most to you and trust yourself to make the best decision available for the life that is yours to live.

8. 

   26 Aug 2026

   The BUT Flip

   How often do you place what you want before the word “but” and then allow the obstacle to have the final say? In this episode, I share the story of a rainy morning in New York when a warm hotel room, jet lag and a long to-do list nearly stopped me from finally walking the High Line. I explore how changing the order of one sentence reduced the weight I had placed on the rain, why avoidance can disguise itself as productive “doing mode,” and how I distinguish a resistant thought from a body genuinely asking for recovery. If you’ve ever heard yourself say, “I want to, but…”, this is an invitation to pause, flip the sentence and notice what changes when the obstacle no longer gets the final word. The obstacle may still be real. The question is whether it deserves to make the decision for you.

9. 

   19 Aug 2026

   I thought I was handling it. My body was holding it.

   What if the ability everyone admires in you is also preventing you from seeing what your body needs? In this episode, I share how high-functioning anxiety looked like efficiency, proactivity, and achievement in my life, why a forced pause triggered an identity crisis, and what changed when I finally experienced enough safety to let go. I explore the emotional releases I experienced through Breathwork, the HRV pattern that caught my attention, and the small ways I now support regulation during demanding work, including consciously slowing my pace rather than waiting for exhaustion to arrive afterwards. If you have ever been told, “I don’t know how you do it all,” this conversation invites you to receive those words with curiosity, not admiration. You do not have to become less capable. You may simply need to become more curious about what your capability is asking of your body.

10. 

    12 Aug 2026

    Why knowing isn't doing

    Knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things. We can have all the awareness, insight and intention in the world, yet still find ourselves stuck in the same place months, or even years later. In this episode, I’m joined by Ricky, founder of Raising Your Game, to explore the gap between knowing and doing. We discuss how learning can become a form of avoidance, the role identity and fear play in keeping us safe, and how small pattern interrupts can begin to create meaningful behavioural change. We also explore why behaviour often comes before confidence, why discipline matters more than motivation, and how consistent action can gradually change the way you see yourself. If you’ve ever known exactly what you need to do but struggled to begin, this conversation is an invitation to stop waiting until you feel ready. Change doesn’t have to start with one enormous leap. It can begin with one small shift in behaviour, made today. https://www.raisingyourgame.co.uk

11. 

    5 Aug 2026

    The freedom found in structure

    Freedom is often imagined as a life with fewer rules, fewer commitments and fewer expectations. But what if the right kind of structure could actually give us more of it? In this episode, I’m joined by Pei Ling Lo, founder of The Art of Structure, to explore why structure can feel restrictive, and what changes when we stop trying to fit ourselves into someone else’s way of living and working. Pei Ling shares how she moved away from hustle culture and the traditional working patterns that left her feeling misaligned. We talk about designing a professional life around your energy, the difference between busyness and meaningful productivity, and how fractional work has given her greater autonomy over her time. We also explore the difference between structure that is imposed upon us and structure that genuinely supports us. Because structure does not have to mean planning every hour or removing spontaneity. It can provide an anchor: enough direction and intention to create room for exploration. If you’ve ever wondered why a life that looks successful from the outside does not always feel right to live, this conversation offers a different question to consider: What would success look like if you gave yourself permission to define it for yourself? https://www.theartofstructure.co.uk https://theartofstructure.substack.com

12. 

    29 Jul 2026

    Anxiety and confidence can coexist

    In this episode, I share what it means for me to experience both anxiety and genuine confidence, and why one does not make the other any less real. I explore the assumptions people make when anxiety does not look the way they expect, how anxiety can sharpen my awareness while confidence helps me act on what I notice, and the point at which useful attentiveness begins to take over my thinking. If you have ever been told that you do not look anxious, or struggled to reconcile two seemingly contradictory parts of yourself, this conversation may feel familiar. We are rarely as simple as the labels placed on us. Perhaps the question is not which part of someone is real, but what else might also be true.

13. 

    22 Jul 2026

    When there was nothing more I could do

    There are moments in life when you've done everything you possibly can... and yet the outcome is still out of your hands. In this episode, I share the story of a recent journey home that reminded me of a lesson I'd learnt years ago, but experienced in a completely new way. We explore why our response to a situation can matter just as much as the situation itself, the difference between persistence and attachment, and how a simple shift in our internal state can change the way we think, feel and act. If you've ever found yourself waiting on someone else's decision, trying to force an outcome, or struggling to let go of something you can't control, I hope this episode offers a perspective that stays with you long after you've finished listening.

14. 

    15 Jul 2026

    The quiet power of presence

    People experience your presence long before they experience your expertise. In this episode, I share why I've become so fascinated by the quiet power of presence, and how the way we move, carry ourselves and make others feel can shape both how the world responds to us and how we respond to ourselves. I'll explore why confidence often follows behaviour rather than precedes it, the difference between confidence and arrogance, and why slowing down may be one of the simplest ways to create greater impact. If you've ever walked away from a conversation thinking, "That wasn't me," this episode is for you. Because sometimes the smallest shifts in how we show up create the biggest shifts in how we feel.

15. 

    8 Jul 2026

    Manifestation was never meant to do all the work

    In this episode of Unstuck, by Nicole, I explore a question I've found myself reflecting on more and more: What if manifestation was never meant to do all the work? I believe in manifestation. I practise it myself. But over time, I've come to realise that perhaps we've placed too much responsibility on one tool, expecting it to create change on its own. In this episode, I share a simple framework I now return to time and time again: The Unstuck Tripod. Regulation creates the conditions. Intention provides the direction. Action creates the outcome. Together, we'll explore why a regulated nervous system matters more than we often realise, how intentional thinking helps shape the opportunities we notice, and why meaningful change ultimately requires us to take action. If you've ever wondered why you're doing all the "right" things but still feel like something is missing, this episode offers a different perspective, one that might just change the way you think about creating the life you want. As always, my hope is that this leaves you with a little perspective in your pocket. https://www.chudography.com

16. 

    1 Jul 2026

    The quiet cost of losing yourself

    There isn't always a dramatic moment when we lose ourselves. Sometimes it happens quietly. Through saying yes when we mean no. Through becoming who everyone else needs us to be. Through constantly performing, achieving, fixing or proving, until one day we realise we no longer recognise the person underneath it all. In this episode, I explore the subtle ways we disconnect from ourselves, why it happens, and why reconnecting isn't about becoming someone new. It's about a reintroduction of you to yourself. If you've ever felt successful on paper but strangely disconnected, overwhelmed despite doing all the right things, or like you've been living on autopilot, I hope this conversation gives you permission to pause, quiet the noise, and reconnect with the version of you that was there all along.

17. 

    25 Jun 2026

    Stop trying to break the ice

    Have you ever stopped to question the phrase "Let's break the ice"? In this episode, I explore why those three simple words might be creating the very thing we're hoping to avoid. Drawing on my own experiences in leadership, facilitation and human connection, I share why I've stopped trying to break the ice and started focusing on something much more meaningful. Because perhaps there isn't any ice to break.

18. 

    15 Jun 2026

    Why your greatest strength can become your biggest liability

    In the very first episode of unstuck, by Nicole, Nicole explores a surprising idea: What if your greatest strength is also the thing holding you back? Drawing on her own experiences and observations from years of working with leaders, business owners and high performers, Nicole unpacks how qualities like helping, caring, problem-solving and taking responsibility can quietly shift from strengths into liabilities when we forget they're supposed to be a choice. In this episode: • Why strengths often create more challenges than weaknesses • The difference between helping and carrying • How over-responsibility can lead to frustration and exhaustion • Reflection questions to help you identify your own superpower Because your greatest strength isn't the problem. Forgetting to put it down might be.

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