21 | Why High-Achieving Women Struggle to Enjoy Their Success... and What Actually Changes That w/ Sam Johnson
In this expansive episode, I sit down with Sam Johnson — trauma-trained somatic and attachment coach for multi six- and seven-figure entrepreneurial women — to unpack the hidden cost of “high performance programming” and what it actually takes to build a life (and business) that feels as good as it looks on paper.
Sam’s path to this work began in the aftermath of an abusive relationship and a chaotic childhood that trained her nervous system to survive through intensity, hypervigilance, and achievement. After 13 years as a full-time entrepreneur — including building and selling a brick-and-mortar salon, teaching as a high-level corporate educator, and running a thriving relationship coaching business — she realized a hard truth: success wasn’t landing in her body. The goalpost kept moving, and ease felt strangely unsafe.
In this conversation, we explore the nuanced, deeply practical side of nervous system healing for high-achieving women — why “just rest” can backfire, how to stop chasing catharsis, how attachment patterns shape receiving (love, money, support), and how to create sustainable success through micro-moments, refined strategy, and embodied self-trust.
If you’re the woman who is “crushing it” but still feels tired, braced, and emotionally unavailable to your own life… this episode will meet you.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS & TIMESTAMPS
00:00 — Who Sam is and why high-achieving women hit a wall
Sam shares her journey from entrepreneurial hustle cycles to trauma-trained somatic + attachment work, and what changed when she realized success didn’t feel safe to receive.
04:40 — High performance programming explained (and why it’s not just “ambition”)
A grounded breakdown of how survival-based hypervigilance can create excellence — and why it eventually leads to burnout, chronic symptoms, and emotional numbness.
10:40 — Why “just rest” doesn’t work for nervous systems trained for intensity
Sam explains why over-settling can trigger more bracing, and why titration (small, safe increments) is often the real doorway.
16:10 — The “collapse weekend” pattern and the myth of scrolling as rest
When your only rest is dissociation, crashing, or getting sick — and how to start recognizing what restorative rest actually is.
22:30 — “I don’t have trauma” and why language matters in somatic work
Sam shares why many high-functioning women won’t relate to the “trauma” label, and how she works through the lived experience instead: “You built it… can you feel it?”
29:20 — Receiving as the missing link (love, money, success, support)
A powerful practice: imagining a “feast” of everything you want — and tracking the body’s resistance, distraction, or contraction as a roadmap to healing.
36:40 — Signs you’re unconsciously rejecting the good
Perfectionism, chronic criticism, moving the goalpost, inability to receive compliments, numbness after big wins, and the subtle ways your system avoids landing.
43:00 — Why we’re addicted to catharsis (and what creates real change)
Breathwork breakthroughs, ice baths, “big releases” — and why sustainable nervous system rewiring happens in micro-moments over time.
47:40 — Micro-practices Sam actually uses (realistic and repeatable)
Soma check-ins, learning organic rhythm, building trust with the body’s signals, and creating a schedule that supports creativity, capacity, and recovery.
55:30 — Launching without blowing your nervous system out
Somatics is not one-size-fits-all. Sam shares why refinement matters: simplifying what you’re doing, removing busywork, and building strategy that matches your system.
1:01:30 — Contraction vs expansion (and why resisting contraction prolongs it)
Every expansion includes contraction. Sam explains how surrendering to rhythm builds resilience — and shortens the “freeze” cycle.
1:08:30 — Somatics, spirituality, and the end of bypassing
Sam shares her path through shamanism and somatics, the pendulum swing into “science-only,” and what integration actually looks like when you’re here to live a human life.
1:17:00 — Following the call (intuition, Human Design, and inner knowing)
How Sam experiences initiation as a Manifestor, why doubt is part of the wave, and how to discern what’s real for you.
1:23:10 — The Mastermind: The Refinery and the work of “uncaging”
Sam shares her vision: helping high-performing women create freedom in their nervous system, relationships, and business — not just more achievement.
1:30:30 — Final truth: stop outsourcing your wisdom
A closing mic-drop for established entrepreneurs: take “should” off the table, return to what’s organic, and let your body lead your strategy.
CONNECT WITH SAM JOHNSON
Instagram + Threads: @somaticallysam
Check out her website for Trauma-trained somatic + attachment coaching for high-achieving entrepreneurial women
Offers include: 1:1 coaching, high-level mastermind, private retreats, and one annual group retreat
CONNECT WITH MELEAH ROSE
Trauma-Informed Somatic Practitioner | Breathwork Facilitator | Mentor for Creative Leaders
Instagram: @meleah.rose
If this episode hit home, share it with the woman who’s “doing everything right” but feels exhausted inside.
And if you have two minutes, leaving a rating + review helps this podcast reach the people who need these conversations most.
